The first of hundreds of Honduran migrants hoping to reach the United States arrived at the Guatemala border on foot Thursday morning, testing the newly reopened frontier that had been shut by the coronavirus pandemic.

Edwin Omar Molino, a 17-year-old from Cortes, said he was leaving Honduras because he couldnt find work. He blamed President Juan Orlando Hernandez for running the country into the ground.

Even when you want to find a job, there arent any. Thats why we leave our country, Molino said.

Theres the pandemic, and it scares me, he added. But he said he wouldnt be able to help his family get ahead without taking the risk.

Central American migrants began traveling in large groups in recent years, seeking safety in numbers and in some cases avoiding the cost of smugglers. Calls for a new migrant caravan to leave Oct. 1 had circulated for weeks on social media.

The odds of a large migrant caravan reaching the U.S. border, already low, have grown increasingly slim over the past year. Under pressure from the United States, Mexico deployed its National Guard and more immigration agents to break up attempted caravans last year. They dispersed large groups of migrants attempting to travel together in southern Mexico. Actually crossing into the U.S. legally is virtually impossible now with pandemic, and entering illegally is as difficult as ever.

The departure of the new group was reminiscent of a migrant caravan that formed two years ago shortly before U.S. midterm elections. It became a hot issue in the campaign, fueling anti-immigrant rhetoric. While the caravans draw attention, they really only account for a small fraction of the daily migration flow by small groups that pass unnoticed through Central America and Mexico.

The group that arrived at the Guatemala border on Thursday had set out walking the previous night from San Pedro Sula, jumping the gun on their own scheduled departure.

Guatemalan immigration authorities said Thursday that more than 500 were being processed at the Corinto crossing, but most lacked required identification documents. Authorities planned to register those entering the country and offer voluntary assisted return to those willing to turn back. AP journalists saw others crossing the border illegally near the formal crossing. A regional agreement allows citizens of Honduras to transit through Guatemala.

Guatemalan officials were requiring the migrants to provide documents showing a negative COVID-19 test  even though last week they said they wouldn't require a test for those spending less than 72 hours in the country. Dozens of Guatemalan police and soldiers maintained order.

Those who walked down dark streets Wednesday night away from San Pedro Sulas bus station carried small knapsacks, and many wore masks. They appeared to be mostly young men, though there were the occasional small children being pushed in strollers.

Governments throughout the region made it known they were watching Wednesday. Mexicos immigration agency said in a statement that it would enforce safe, orderly and legal migration and not do anything to promote the formation of a caravan. The U.S. Embassy in Honduras said on Twitter Wednesday that migration to the U.S. was more difficult than ever right now  and more dangerous because of the coronavirus.

But the factors driving migrants to leave Central America certainly havent eased during the pandemic. As economies have suffered, there are ever fewer jobs to be had, and the struggle for families to put food on the table has only worsened. Some migrants also cited the ever-present high rate of crime.

The U.N.s International Labor Organization said Wednesday that at least 34 million jobs have been lost in Latin America due to the pandemic. The ILO lists Latin America and the Caribbean as the worst-hit region in the world in terms of lost working hours, with a drop of 20.9% in the first three quarters of the year.

The flow of migrants north from Central America had slowed dramatically during the pandemic as countries throughout the region closed their borders. Most migrant shelters along the principal routes closed their doors to new arrivals as they tried to keep the virus from spreading to vulnerable populations. Mexico and the United States deported hundreds of migrants back to their home countries to try to empty detention centers.

The U.S. government effectively shut down the asylum system at its southern border during the pandemic.

Mexico tried to bus asylum seekers stuck at its northern border to other parts of the country and back to their home countries. Mexico has typically offered migrants the opportunity to seek asylum there, but many have their minds set on the United States. Migrants are also likely to find it more difficult to find work in Mexico now as the economy is expected to contract 10% this year due to the impact of the pandemic.

___

Perez D. reported from Guatemala City. Associated Press writer Christopher Sherman in Mexico City contributed to this report.
With a celebrity clientele, glittering reviews and a coveted Michelin star, Mayfair restaurant Hakkasan has long been a sought-after reservation.

But since London's elite dining scene was laid low by Covid, it has been offering gourmets a taste of the high life at home, including signature Chinese dishes such as Peking duck at 110 and roasted silver cod in champagne and honey for 52.

The freshly cooked dishes are transported to the customer's door by turquoise-clad moped riders from the ubiquitous Deliveroo fleet, who ferry hot food on demand from local restaurants, fast-food chains and even coffee shops.

But Hakkasan customers might be surprised to know that, despite the chilli-hot price tag, there's a good chance their gourmet Cantonese food has come no closer to rubbing shoulders with high society than they have.

They might find, in fact, their dinner has never been anywhere near the kitchens of Hakkasan's flagship restaurant in Bruton Street. Instead, it has been knocked up in a windowless industrial shed in a shabby North London car park.

Hakkasan customers might be surprised to know that there is a good chance their food has been knocked up in a windowless industrial shed in a shabby North London car park

Mayfair restaurant Hakkasan has long been a sought-after reservation and has been offering signature Chinese dishes from home since the dining scene was laid low by Covid

There, in a gated compound protected by two security guards, is one of Deliveroo's 'dark kitchens', where food ordered from a number of major restaurant brands  including Indian chain Dishoom, popular burger joints Honest Burger and Shake Shack, and the curry house Moto  is actually cooked.

According to its own version of recent history, Deliveroo, which is backed to the tune of nearly 500million by internet giant Amazon, has been the saviour of the restaurant trade during the coronavirus crisis.

Yet for all the slick marketing, there are growing questions about the way this new 'disruptor' operates, including its use of dark kitchens, and rising fears that it will do to independent restaurants what Amazon has already done to small local shops here and in America.

For a growing number of restaurateurs, Deliveroo is not so much their saviour as a predator whose seemingly unstoppable growth, high commission fees and close control of customer data threaten to crush the life out of old-fashioned family businesses.

'Restaurant' meals from a BLEAK pre-fab

The commercial model is deceptively simple: Deliveroo, founded in Britain seven years ago, takes food from restaurants to customers who order by app, then charges the restaurants commission. The system is easy to use and hugely popular.

The company dispatches thousands of meals every day around the country. Soon it will float on the stock market, advised, it was reported yesterday, by Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs.

Deliveroo customers might be less delighted, though, if they fully understood where some of the food has actually been produced. Take Hakkasan, which is, after all, a name synonymous with fine dining.

Would food-lovers familiar with its luxurious restaurants expect their meals to be cooked by chefs rubbing shoulders  literally  with colleagues preparing meals for Honest Burger and Shake Shack?

The clue is the word 'Editions' marked on the app, along with an address that might not be familiar.

When we visited the satellite kitchen in Swiss Cottage, North London, where some of the Hakkasan takeaways are cooked, we found an anonymous building in a grey car park close to the traffic-choked Finchley Road.

Speaking to us outside, a chef for one of the other brands (which we have agreed not to name) described tough working conditions in which two dozen cooks turn out meals for eight different companies.

It's a similar picture at Deliveroo's dark kitchen in Battersea, South London, a small red-brick unit that looks like a row of garages

Deliveroo does little to advertise its presence at the Battersea kitchen and the only obvious clue is a group of 30 motorbikes parked outside as the riders wait to collect hot food

'There aren't any windows,' he says. 'I don't know why  you'd have to ask Deliveroo that. We have air conditioning, but it's not really the same.'

It's a similar picture at Deliveroo's dark kitchen in Battersea, South London, a small red-brick unit that looks like a row of garages. Deliveroo does little to advertise its presence here and the only obvious clue is a group of 30 motorbikes parked outside as the riders wait to collect brown paper bags of hot food passed through a single doorway.

When we were invited inside, we found eight little windowless kitchens, the different cuisines all prepared side by side with shared shelves and equipment. The powerful aroma of Indian spices mingled with something sweet and the smell of raw meat.

'We make everything here from sushi to Mexican food to curry to Lebanese cuisine,' explained one of the cooks. 'There are about 20 to 30 chefs cooped up inside. It's like an open-plan office, but for food prep.

'It's quite a depressing place to work, but if you're busy you don't think about it so much.'

Another said: 'I'm not sure if the customers realise where their food is really coming from. But I don't think they care as long as their food is quick and hot. I don't think they think about it at all.'

A third agreed: 'All they care about is prompt delivery. It's the smaller restaurants this really affects.

'The big brands can afford to use these dark kitchens, not the independents. It's a shame. Of course I prefer working in a proper kitchen in a real restaurant with the buzz of it all and the customers there. But what can I say? A job is a job.'

At least he's not working in a cluster of prefabricated boxes across town in Poplar, East London. Huddled together beneath a flyover and looking more like the temporary HQ for a construction project than a catering hub, these, too, are kitchens serving Deliveroo and 14 restaurant brands, including Honest Burger, Motu Indian Kitchen, Patty And Bun, The Good Earth and Dirty Bones.

Hundreds of shiny metal canisters once containing the drug nitrous oxide, or 'hippy crack', lay strewn around the car park outside the facility when we visited. The gas provides a quick, cheap high.

We heard a clattering from somewhere as yet more of the canisters hit the ground, then watched as a group of young men in motorcycle gear suddenly appeared from between two parked cars.

Leaving a small collection of 'hippy crack' containers in their wake, they rejoined their mopeds parked outside the kitchen and sat down to wait. On the back of one of these mopeds was a Deliveroo-branded food box.

Deliveroo says it will be investigating the claim as a matter of urgency.

Since London's elite dining scene was laid low by Covid, Hakkasan has been offering gourmets food at home, including Chinese dishes such as Peking duck at 110 and sesame prawn toast

Would food-lovers familiar with Hakkasan expect their meals to be cooked by chefs rubbing shoulders  literally  with colleagues preparing meals for Honest Burger and Shake Shack?

Family firms hammered by the crippling fees

If Deliveroo customers appreciate the convenience and choice on offer, restaurateurs who have agreed to work with the app are realising there's a sting in the tail  substantial commission fees that can account for much as 35 per cent of each sale. This is in addition to the delivery fee, generally 3 to 5, charged to the customer.

James Chiavarini, whose family have run Italian restaurants in West London, including the popular Il Portico, for decades, is an outspoken voice in an industry where many prefer to keep their concerns private, fearing the growing influence of the delivery service.

He speaks from what he says is bitter personal experience. 'Even in a world of Covid-19, I believe Deliveroo represents the biggest threat of all to the hospitality industry in urban areas,' he concludes.

'They originally marketed themselves as a tool to help restaurants like mine, but Deliveroo is now crushing the industry. This might sound like hyperbole, but I can assure you it is not.'

Mr Chiavarini showed The Mail on Sunday an invoice from Deliveroo for 13 deliveries over a 24-hour period in May.

It showed that he sold a total of 372.50 of meals, but after Deliveroo's 35 per cent commission, VAT and a hefty discount he says he was encouraged to offer to get a better placement on the app, he was left with just 147.11 (Deliveroo disputes making the suggestion he offer discounts, insisting the app takes no account of these).

In the end, he was left to pay staff wages, rent and the cost of the food out of just 39 per cent of the price paid by the customer.

'It's nuts,' he continues. 'And Deliveroo's attitude is 'Like it or lump it'. They've really got people's backs up.'

After three months with Deliveroo, he decided to leave. Now he relies on old-fashioned customers instead.

Not that everyone pays such whopping levels of commission. Leading brands such as McDonald's, Starbucks and Wagamama are important to Deliveroo, which might be why they often hand over a notably smaller cut than most independent operators  20 per cent, say, rather than 35.

It's a point that certainly rankles with Pietro Mingolla, owner of Bianco Nero, an Italian restaurant in Maidenhead, Berkshire.

'I've stopped using Deliveroo because they charge so much money  35 per cent plus VAT, which means that I'm giving them 42 out of a 100 order,' he said. 'It's simply not viable for us.

'It annoys me that Deliveroo charge an extortionate amount and give a better deal to bigger restaurants and chains.

'It would have helped during Covid if Deliveroo could have halved their rate, but no.

In one of Deliveroo's 'dark kitchens', food ordered from a number of major brands  including popular burger joints Honest Burger and Shake Shack  is actually cooked

When we visited the satellite kitchen in Swiss Cottage, where some of the Hakkasan takeaways are cooked, we found an anonymous building in a grey car park close to Finchley Road

'I think too many restaurants are afraid of switching off Deliveroo because they are so desperate for the money.'

Andy Kwok, director at The Good Earth, a 40-year-old family-run group of Chinese restaurants and takeaways in London and Surrey, is one of those who feel they have no choice.

'I did join them and it did work, but it became a competition to our own business because their commission rate was very, very high.

'But if you stop using Deliveroo, you lose customers. We turned it off for three months to see if customers would come directly to us. And not enough of them did. Half were loyal to us but half stuck with Deliveroo, so we lost substantial business.

'It's not as straightforward as turning off the tap. You think you have a choice, but you might not because it's a bit like a drug: you can't stop it.

'True, I don't think our customers know about the Editions kitchens, but I don't think they'd mind. If the food is good and is prepared hygienically, does it matter? I've seen restaurant kitchens with horrific levels of hygiene. If there's a hygiene issue, with an Editions kitchen, Deliveroo will just chuck you out. They're tough.'

Luke Johnson, owner of Gail's Bakery and former chairman of Pizza Express, said: 'I can't see how restaurants can make a profit if they have to hand over 35 per cent. And I don't really want to eat meals cooked on industrial estates that have been on the back of a moped for 20 minutes.

'I passionately hope that diners will recover their confidence and go back to restaurants.'

London Mayor Sadiq Khan is now examining the question of Deliveroo's commission rates in response to a petition that attracted 1,500 signatures.

One solution said to be under consideration is for London to follow New York and make it illegal for companies such as Deliveroo to charge more than 20 per cent.

Deliveroo? Bang goes the neighbourhood

Those living close to Deliveroo's dark kitchens say they, too, are paying a heavy price for the firm's operations. At Swiss Cottage, for example, locals have complained to the council about cooking smells, long operating hours and continual noise from motorcycle couriers.

'Deliveroo are a nightmare for everyone in the area,' said one. 'I have lived here for 18 years and have never seen it appear so scruffy. The riders sprawl out on the pavements with their bags and bicycles, leaving rubbish everywhere.'

Outside Swiss Cottage in North London a chef for one of the other brands described tough working conditions in which two dozen cooks turn out meals for eight different companies

'There is lots of noise from the site at all times and lots of unpleasant cooking smells  stale cooking oil as well,' said another. 'I have not been able to have my window open in hot weather.'

The chairman of the local residents' association claimed Deliveroo had caused several local restaurants to decline.

At Swiss Cottage, locals complained to the council about cooking smells, long operating hours and noise from motorcycle couriers. Above, food ordered from Hakkashan on Deliveroo

Paying not a penny in corporation tax

Like many start-up companies, Deliveroo prioritised rapid growth to secure a dominant market position at the expense of turning a profit. For all its income, the company has consistently generated heavy losses and so paid little, if any, tax. It's a tactic that other 'disruptors' such as Uber have also used.

The last available accounts, for 2018, show that Deliveroo made losses of 230 million on a turnover of 476 million (up from 277 million the previous year).

And like any firm that makes a loss, Roofoods Ltd, Deliveroo's parent company, pays no corporation tax. In fact, the latest accounts reveal that, despite the astonishing quantity of food it delivers every day, Deliveroo claimed a 640,000 tax rebate thanks to a Government scheme aimed at encouraging investment in tech firms.

They also show that Deliveroo's highest paid director  understood to be British-based co-founder Will Shu  earns a salary of 250,000 plus 8.3 million in share options.

In total, key managers received a staggering 20.7 million in share-based payments.

And the firm's biggest asset? Your data

If the expansion of the dark kitchens is concerning, so is the fact that Deliveroo is using our personal data to accomplish it.

Every time you order food, you give your details to the app, yet this information is not shared with restaurateurs. Only Deliveroo sees who the customers are  where they live, what they are eating and when, how often and how much they spend.

Deliveroo can even see how old the customers are and track how their spending changes over time. It's a commercial treasure trove.

Armed with this information, Deliveroo can make sure that the predicted demand is met  which puts it in a hugely powerful position in the marketplace.

Deliveroo's property acquisitions manager, Patrick Weiss, has spoken about it openly: 'Using our own technology, we can identify specific local cuisines missing in an area, identify customer demand for that missing cuisine and hand-pick brands that are most likely to appeal to customers in that area.'

And that, says James Chiavarini, could spell the end for the restaurant trade as we have known it.

'Deliveroo wants a monopoly in my view. But in whose interest? It won't be the customer's. I believe that the company will finish the job that Covid-19 started and may yet put many established restaurants out of business altogether.

For all Deliveroo's slick marketing, there are growing questions about the way this new 'disruptor' operates, including its use of dark kitchens

'If we do not regulate soon, dark kitchens will become as ubiquitous as Ubers are on our roads.

'That would be desperate news for restaurants we know and love and can only cause further devastation to town centres across Britain. If we're serious about keeping our high streets busy, and keeping the economy going, it's a prospect that should frighten us all.'

Last night a spokesman for Deliveroo said: 'It is disappointing that misleading claims have been made about our business.

'Deliveroo is a British company founded on a love for small, independent restaurants and we have made it our priority to support them, especially during Covid-19.

'We are proud to have supported our small restaurant partners through the pandemic, providing a vital lifeline for restaurants which would otherwise not have been able to operate during the height of the crisis, protecting jobs.

'This includes providing specially designed, delivery-only kitchens to bring customers more food choices and help restaurants increase sales.

'Throughout this period, we have invested millions in our restaurant partners, helping them increase their income, and we have produced new tools to support both their dine-in and delivery businesses.

'Alongside this, Deliveroo is now working with supermarkets to provide people with access to the essential items they need, and we are proud to be supporting NHS workers, to whom we have delivered hundreds of thousands of free meals.'

Hakkasan did not respond to a request for comment.
U.S. President Donald Trump walks to the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, on his say to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to be treated for Covid-19, the White House said.

President Donald Trump's oxygen level fell rapidly Friday morning, fueling concerns about his health, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Saturday night.

In an interview with Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, Meadows said both he and White House physician Dr. Sean Conley were "real concerned" by Trump's condition Friday morning, after he was diagnosed with Covid-19.

"He's made unbelievable improvement from yesterday morning, when I know a number of us, the doctor and I, were very concerned," Meadows said.

"The biggest thing that we see is that with no fever now, and with him doing really well with his oxygen saturation levels ... Yesterday morning, we were real concerned about that. He had a fever, and his blood oxygen level had dropped rapidly."

The president reportedly received supplemental oxygen Friday at the White House when he had difficulty breathing, according to The New York Times and the Associated Press. He was transferred to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center later that day.

The White House declined to comment when contacted by CNBC.

White House physician Dr. Sean Conley and Dr. Sean Dooley, a pulmonologist at Walter Reed, told reporters Saturday morning that the president was not using supplemental oxygen and was not having difficulty breathing. The doctors would not comment on whether Trump had received supplemental oxygen at any point.

A source familiar with Trump's condition told NBC News that some of the president's vital signs that morning indicated the coronavirus could progress beyond mild illness.

The White House released an update Saturday night, and Conley said the president was "off supplemental oxygen with a saturation level between 96[%] and 98% all day." He said Trump remained free of fever and continues to do well.

"The doctor is exactly right. He is doing extremely well," Meadows told Fox News. "I'm very, very optimistic based on the current results. As the doctor said, he's not out of the woods, the next 48 hours are still, with the history of this virus we know can be tough."

 CNBC's Spencer Kimball contributed to this report.
London, Oct 4 : UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged the public to "act fearlessly but with common sense" while dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, the media reported on Sunday.

Speaking to the BBC, Johnson said that there had to be a "balance" between saving lives and protecting the economy.

"The best thing we can do now for all those who have suffered in the course of this pandemic is bring it to an end in the speediest possible way," he said.

The Prime Minister told the BBC that he believed over the "next few weeks and months", the "scientific equation will change whether that is vaccines or testing" and there will be "progress" in beating the virus.

As a result, he said there was "hope" and "things can be significantly different by Christmas".

But, Johnson warned there could be "a very tough winter for all of us".

"I tell you in all candour, it will continue to be bumpy through to Christmas and may even be bumpy beyond." His remarks came as the Conservatives on Sunday were holding their first virtual party conference due to coronavirus restrictions on mass gatherings.

The UK has so far reported 482,654 coronavirus cases and 42,407 deaths.
Seo Min, medical doctor and columnist / Korea Times file





By Park Ji-won







Seo Min, medical doctor and writer, stressed the importance of reading a book to come up with original stories during online lectures for the National Museum of Korea, which came under fire for deleting his videos without a proper explanation.







Seo, who released the co-authored bestselling book "The Unprecedented Nation: How Democracy Comes to an End," Aug. 25, which includes criticism of the government, said in a video, "A lot of people watch YouTube videos of actress Shin Se-kyung, even though she doesn't do much there, because she has her life story and talent. Original human stories can be found by reading books."







The videos were released by the state-run museum as part of its video series "Conversation with the Author" where it invites authors of popular books to talk about their work.







The doctor added: "As you can see with online comics, the quality of the drawing is not that important. It is more about the storytelling For example, Bluetooth, a Naver Webtoon by Kuk Seung-won, has a very good drawing style, but it failed to have a successful story and receive positive reactions from the readers. The author of Misaeng: Incomplete Life who spent a hard time becoming a comic artist, spent a lot of time reading books to come up with original stories."







Seo added that books can give us "real" information backed by sources unlike the internet. He also said books help us to find life goals which make us happy.







"When I go to schools to give lectures, I meet many students who are not happy because they don't have life goals. And they set their goals as society tells them. The goal should be big but these days, the way to make a living and have a job that pays a lot of money has become the children's lifetime goals But by reading books, people can experience life vicariously and set goals."







However, the handling of the videos by the museum sparked criticism against it, and even the doctor, dividing people's opinion. The museum released four episodes from Sept. 2 to Sept. 23, but they were suddenly removed Sept. 24. The videos were made available again Sept. 28, and officials of the state-run organization said it had blocked the videos because of hate comments against Seo.







However, some people suspect that the state-run museum blocked the videos for political reasons because Seo contributed to the anti-government book with other experts.







Chin Jung-kwon, a former professor of Dongyang University, claimed on Facebook that "(The action) was taken because the National Museum of Korea is owned by Moonppa, or Lunatics of Moon They earned it in the last election."







Some criticized the museum for making excuses as hate comments can be easily removed by closing the comments section without blocking the videos.







"I am disappointed by the museum's actions. If the hate comments were the problem, why didn't they just close the comments section instead of blocking all the videos," one person said on YouTube.







Meanwhile, some also criticized the museum for recruiting Seo as a speaker as he "was not a qualified guest" to appear on the official channel of the national museum.







"Aren't there enough quality humanities academics in this country? I question the criteria to pick the guest for the program. I am shocked by the fact that I need to ask why a person, who exhausted us with his politically motivated activities in the media, should appear on the official channel of the national museum. It appears that anyone can be a guest... As one citizen, I express regret over (the actions) of the museum."


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Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

Washington Post associate editor and author Bob Woodward didnt realize the context when President Trump first revealed to him in February that he knew the lethality of a new airborne virus from China, which has since killed more than 200,000 people in the U.S. and more than a million worldwide.

By May, Woodward, working on his newly published book Rage, had put the pieces together.

Through his reporting, he learned of a top-secret White House meeting in late January in which Trump was informed, along with his national security adviser, that the novel coronavirus will turn out to be the biggest national security threat to your presidency.

Woodward was the keynote speaker Thursday at the New Mexico Foundation for Open Governments annual William S. Dixon First Amendment Freedom Award virtual event. The nonprofit FOG promotes and lobbies for more open and transparent government.

Appearing remotely from Washington, D.C., the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner said his new book, released Sept. 15, is now considered the most intimate look not only at Trump, but at any White House dealing with a series of crises.

In all, he talked with Trump for nine hours in a series of interviews beginning last December. He took phone calls out of the blue from the president on weekends and at night, and ended up carrying a tape recorder around in his pocket just in case he got a call.

Trump is quoted in Woodwards book as saying that he didnt tell the public early on about the dangers of the virus  which he knew was airborne and deadlier than the flu  because he didnt want to create a panic.

He did not tell the country what he knew about the virus coming to the United States. I had no idea that he was talking about that until May, when it exploded.

Woodward has been criticized by some for not reporting Trumps Feb. 7 comments earlier.

But he told the FOG group, I thought he was talking about China at that point. You know, as a reporter, at one point you learn something, you dont understand its context or its relevance, and thats exactly what happened to me.

With 19 books published, Woodward is best known for his reporting with Washington Post colleague Carl Bernstein on the Watergate scandal that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974.

During his first interview with Trump, Woodward said he asked a simple question: What is the job of the President of the United States?

And he said, The job of the president is to protect the people. 

On the virus, Woodward said, he failed in a catastrophic way. He is responsible  he is the only one who had the full picture and he failed to act, he failed to protect the people. That is going to be written about for decades about his presidency. Had the president taken action to deal with COVID-19, 100,000 or more lives may have been saved, Woodward said.

Woodward, 77, said his reporting on the Trump presidency, including interviews with former top administration officials and a 2018 book, Fear, shows Trump is derelict and the wrong man for the job.

The president has an obligation to tell the truth. All politicians are going to duck and dodge, and cut corners a little bit. But he inverts reality time and time again, so hes failed to tell the truth. His biggest failing, Woodward said, is he doesnt have a plan for anything except, in this case, maybe to be reelected, and its in a haphazard way.

During their conversations, Trump would say he had more support than the polls show. That he has a lot of invisible support, Woodward said. I think we need to deal with this. He might win, still. Its not clear at all, so I lay all of this out.
By Lawrence Hamm

Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of young people protested in the streets of this country to make known their opposition to police brutality. By doing so they have influenced the legislative process and helped push forward efforts for police reform in the United States.

These protests are important, have proven to be effective, and must continue. However, protest is not the only weapon in the arsenal of the movement for social justice.

Young people must continue their protests but they should also use their votes as another tool to help bring about changes in policing and law enforcement. The youth vote in this country is a sleeping giant.

If the millions of young voters in this country who are outraged about police brutality were to vote in large numbers for candidates committed to the kinds of changes they want, it would have an impact on elections at all levels including that for U.S. president. And this in turn would increase support for legislation to realize those desperately needed police reforms.

The issues of police brutality and racism are front and center in this presidential election. They were discussed by the candidates during the primaries on and off the debate stage.

As we head toward the general election in November they are now being discussed by the final presidential contenders in speeches, press conferences, and interviews.

Young voters should read their statements, listen to their interviews, watch the upcoming debates, examine their platforms to figure out who has the best policies to fight police brutality and racist law enforcement.

Many young people vote and are politically active but many are not registered and do not vote. This is most unfortunate in an advanced developed country that prides itself on being the epitome of democracy.

A large number of young people are disillusioned with our political system and rightfully so. It is flawed and one of the biggest problems is the inordinate influence of money. Bernie Sanders was right. We need a political revolution.

Many believe that the United States is the best in the world as far as everything good is concerned. However, we actually lag behind most of the other advanced nations when it comes to voter participation. This is true for both voters in general as well as young voters 18 to 24 years of age.

The low level of voter participation in the United States imperils our democracy. It strengthens anti-democratic, authoritarian trends and fosters political strife, uncertainty and instability. We must do everything possible to encourage our youth to vote and participate in the political process.

In this regard, a recent move by the State of New Jersey to initiate online voter registration was a positive step in the right direction, especially since so many young people are computer savvy and spend significant time online and on social media. Now the message should go out loud and clear that this option is available. A full-scale campaign is needed for this.

Every state in the nation should have online registration. If this were made available nationwide, handled correctly and effectively promoted, millions of new voters and young voters would be registered to vote and enabled to participate in the electoral process.

Another voter reform that would increase registration and participation in general and that of youth, in particular, is same-day registration. Many states including New Jersey cutoff registration several weeks to a month before Election Day.

This practice should be ended. At a time when people are most focused on an upcoming election, they are unable to register and to vote in it. Voters young, old and in-between should be able to register right up to and including the day of the election in which they want to vote. We need same-day voter registration in New Jersey and throughout the nation.

Our schools and educational systems must do more to encourage the participation of young people in the political process. As a matter of school board policy, all high schools should routinely register students at 18 years of age or at 17 if they will become 18 before the next upcoming election. Some schools do this but many do not.

More must be done to provide civics education to our young people. Most students learn about our federal system and the three branches of government, but they learn relatively little in comparison about state and local government or how political systems in other countries function.

Through the mid-20th century, civics courses were taught in high schools. Then they seemed to gradually disappear in many high schools after being rolled up into social studies courses or phased out. Civics education should be returned to the curriculum both as separate courses and as components of existing social studies courses.

It is critically important for young people to vote and to participate in our political process. Their participation will strengthen our democratic system.

To the young voters of our state and nation: Register and vote in the upcoming general election in record numbers. Dont sit this one out. Vote for those candidates running for president and all the other down-ballot offices. Protest, march and vote.

Lawrence Hamm is the chairman of the Peoples Organization For Progress.

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- Robi Domingo has been announced as the host of 2020 edition of Pilipinas, Game KNB?

- He opened up about the said information through an interview with ABS-CBN News

- The prominent TV host could not believe what he learned that was why he called his boss to verify it

- The newest edition of Pilipinas, Game KNB? will premiere on October 12

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Robi Domingo was named as the new host of the classic game show in the Philippines entitled Pilipinas, Game KNB?

KAMI learned that the prominent celebrity opened up about the said information through an interview with Mj Felipe of ABS-CBN News.

Robi Domingo (Photo from Flickr)

Source: UGC

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The former Pinoy Big Brother housemate could not hide his happiness and excitement after being informed of his newest project.

Robi admitted to immediately calling his boss to verify if the information is correct. He joyfully said yes to the new endeavor.

The well-acclaimed television host also said that it has been one of his dreams to host Game KNB?

Talagang I had to call her. [Sabi ko], 'Boss, Pilipinas Game KNB? Yung show nina Ms. Kris at Sir Edu? Of course, yes! he quipped.

Matagal ko nang sinisigaw sa universe ito, matagal lang pangarap. Ang sarap sa puso na yung mga boss mo and another set of people have this confidence [sa akin], he added.

The newest edition of Game KNB? will start on October 12. People can watch it on Jeepney TV and Kumu, an application designed for livestreaming.

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Robi Domingo is a popular showbiz personality in the Philippines. He gained prominence after joining the reality competition entitled Pinoy Big Brother.

He recently informed his followers on social media that he is officially signing off as VJ of MYX Philippines.

The celebritys hilarious interview with Alden Richards several months ago also went viral in the online world.

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Born in the northern city of Mosul, Ramons family was displaced several times by fighting. In 2009, his father, Rayan, was kidnapped by al-Qaeda and released only after the family had sold off what they could to raise a ransom. Then in 2014, the Islamic State arrived. Christians fled in terror. Militants robbed them at checkpoints on the way out. By the time the family reached Baghdad, relatives said, they had little left. Their cramped apartment was paid for with Rayans salary and whatever the teenager could make through odd jobs.
US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper (L) met Kuwait's new Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah (R) who was sworn in last week after the death of his brother

Top officials from the US and Iran on Sunday visited Kuwait to meet with the new emir, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who was sworn in last week.

Sheikh Nawaf succeeded his half-brother, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, a giant of Gulf diplomacy who died at the age of 91.

In a divided region, Sheikh Sabah cultivated a role as a go-between and mediator, a status illustrated by Sunday's visitors who included senior officials from arch-rivals Washington and Tehran.

US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper conveyed his condolences over the loss of the late leader in a meeting with the new emir, who also expressed concern over the health of US President Donald Trump.

Sheikh Nawaf said he was glad that Trump, who has been hospitalised after being diagnosed with coronavirus, was "recovering and well". Esper thanked him for his "expression of concern".

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif met separately with the new emir and his Kuwaiti counterpart to pay his respects.

Zarif "congratulated them on the election of the new emir of Kuwait and stressed the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," the Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum also visited to express his condolences, the Dubai Media Office said in a tweet.

Kuwait and the United States are close allies, bound by a defence agreement that expires in 2022, but the Gulf state also balances relations with regional powers Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The US alliance was sealed with the Gulf War in 1991, during which a US-led international coalition expelled Saddam Hussein's Iraqi troops from Kuwait after seven months of occupation.

Before arriving in Kuwait on Sunday, Esper spent the night in Qatar, another US ally in the oil-rich Gulf, where he discussed "the importance of the strong defence partnership" between the two countries.

Kuwait has also acted as a mediator in a diplomatic divide between Qatar and its Gulf neighbours, after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in 2017 imposed a blockade on Doha.
New Delhi, Oct 4 : The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) on Sunday said that the RBI had affirmed the possibility of currency notes as potential carriers of novel coronavirus and demanded government incentives for digital payments.

The development comes after CAIT wrote a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sithraman on March 9, 2020 seeking clarification whether or not currency notes are carriers of bacteria and viruses.

However, the letter was forwarded to the Reserve Bank of India, which replied to CAIT and hinted that currency notes could be carriers of bacteria and viruses, including coronavirus, and therefore more and more usage of digital payments should be done to avoid handling of currency, the confederation said in a statement.

The RBI further stated that "in order to limit the coronavirus pandemic, the public can make payments by sitting at homes through various online digital channels like mobile and Internet banking, credit and debit cards etc and avoid using or withdrawing cash to the extent possible".

According to CAIT National President BC Bhartia and Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal, the RBI's reply indicates that the currency notes do carry viruses and bacteria and, therefore, the maximum use of digital payments to avoid handling of currency notes was advised by them.

Furthermore, the CAIT urged Sithraman to introduce an 'incentive' scheme for acceptance and adoption of digital payments.

"Bank charges levied for digital transactions should be waived and the government should give subsidy directly to the banks in lieu of bank charges," the statement said.

"In due course, such subsidy will not be a financial burden on the government; on the other hand, it will minimise the expenses incurred on printing of bank notes." In addition, the CAIT pointed out that the RBI in its annual report released on August 29, 2019 had mentioned that "the value and volume of notes in circulation increased by 17 per cent and 6.2 per cent to Rs 21,109 billion and 108,759 million pieces respectively during 2018-19".

"In value terms, the share of Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes, which had together accounted for 80.2 per cent of the total value of notes in circulation at the end of March 2018 had increased to 82.2 per cent by the end of March 2019."
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I felt it before the presidents circumstances and I feel it even more now, former Ohio governor Ted Strickland (D), a Biden ally, said on Saturday. Referring to Trump family members who removed their face coverings after entering the presidential debate hall last week in violation of ground rules, Strickland added: You had the presidents family sitting in Cleveland, mask-less, and all of the others were wearing them. That sent a message to everyone watching: There is an incredible amount of arrogance around the president. People can see it clearly.
President Donald Trump leaves the White House for Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, on Oct. 2, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Trump Calls on Congress to Pass New CCP Virus Stimulus: GET IT DONE

President Donald Trump called on Congress to pass a COVID-19 relief measure, calling on them to get it done.

His post on Twitter comes as he receives treatment for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, of which he was diagnosed last week. The president released a video on his prognosis, saying his health has improved.

OUR GREAT USA WANTS & NEEDS STIMULUS. WORK TOGETHER AND GET IT DONE. Thank you! Trump wrote on Twitter on Saturday.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) met with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin late last week to discuss areas of disagreement including those outlined in the Speakers Dear Colleague sent earlier today, said Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill. Their discussions will continue.

In a lengthier statement, Pelosi said on Oct. 2 that strong action is required to offset damage caused by the CCP virus, pointing to the need for expanded unemployment insurance payments, funding for state and local governments, appropriations, and more. While her statement did not mention stimulus payments, Mnuchin and other Democratic officials have long signaled support for the program.

Also on Oct. 2, Pelosi also suggested that Trumps COVID-19 diagnosis kind of changes the dynamic on stimulus talks.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) wrote that he spoke with Trump over a number of issues, including the presidents Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, as well as the pandemic and economic measures.

Just had another great call with @POTUS. He sounds well and says hes feeling good. We talked about the peoples businessfighting the pandemic, confirming Judge Barrett, and strengthening the economy for American families. Lets keep our President & First Lady in our prayers, McConnell wrote.

President Donald Trump working in the presidential suite at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Oct. 3, 2020. (Joyce N. Boghosian/White House)

The House last week passed a $2.2 trillion bill that likely will not see the light of day in the GOP-controlled Senate, as Republicans said the new bill contains provisions unrelated to the pandemic. Republicans have also rejected funding for states and cities, which Trump has called a bailout for badly run Democrat states.

McConnell has called the $2.2 trillion House plan outlandish and too high, while Mnuchin has countered with a $1.62 trillion relief package.

The latest bill from the speaker is no more serious than any of their political stunts going back months, McConnell said on the Senate floor last week, before adding, If they continue to refuse to get serious, then American families will continue to hurt.

House GOP lawmakers said the bill contains too many unneeded provisions. This bill recycles the same socialist wish list that was offered in the Heroes Act, which House Republicans overwhelmingly rejected, House GOP Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) wrote in a memo.
Beachgoers in Australias state of Victoria have been warned to obey restrictions on public behaviour and social distancing to curb the spread of Covid-19, or risk having some popular swimming spots closed.

Victoria police stepped up patrols and said they will increase fines after temperatures as high as 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit) brought out weekend crowds at beaches in the state capital of Melbourne. Local media reported councils were monitoring the situation and have the option of closing some beaches.

Police are out there and they will fine you, Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters. It would be unwise for anybody who is thinking about doing those sorts of things the next time we get a warm day.

Victoria has been the centre of Australias coronavirus outbreak after security failures at quarantine hotels for returned overseas travellers led to a resurgence of community transmission. While a curfew in Melbourne was lifted last week, limits on public gatherings of as many as five people still apply and will be reviewed later this month if the city can achieve Covid case targets.

New York Surges; Trump Says Hes Feeling Better: Virus Update

The state had 12 new cases in the last 24 hours and one death, Victorias Department of Health and Human Services said in a Twitter post on Sunday. The 14-day rolling average in metropolitan Melbourne dropped to 11.9.

Restrictions in Melbourne can be eased from October 19 if the rolling average drops to lower than five, and there are fewer than five cases from unknown sources in the preceding 14 days.

The tally of these so-called mystery infections rose to 13 in the two weeks to October 1 and this remains a concern, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton told reporters. Authorities also want to reduce the total number of active cases, which was unchanged from the previous day, after posting daily declines since mid-August, he said.

We need to drive it down, he said. We will get there. Weve got days ahead of us thatll be lower than 12, so that number of active cases will come down.

Andrews said everyone in the state needs to follow the rules to help curb community transmission.

People love to go to the beach when its sunny but theres a global pandemic on and were very close to beating the second wave, he said. Yes, theres a natural urge to go and spend time in the sun. But surely theres a greater urge to see this thing off, to defeat it and to have a normal summer and to have a 2021 vastly different and better than the way 2020 has unfolded.

Separately, New South Wales state officials reported zero locally transmitted cases for a ninth straight day.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.)

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State-run steel maker is exploring new markets for the sourcing of with a view to reducing dependence on select countries for the raw material, its chairman Anil Kumar Chaudhary said.

According to official data, the country imports about 56 million tonne (MT) of worth around Rs 72,000 crore. Out of this, about 45 MT is imported from Australia alone, and the remaining from South Africa, Canada and the US.

"Domestic steelmakers depend heavily on imported For as well metallurgical coal (coking coal) is largely procured through imports apart from some domestic sourcing. We are looking at developing new destinations and vendors for sourcing coking coal from the international market to avoid dependence on limited sources," the chairman told PTI in an interview.

Raw material security holds significance for the steelmaker which plans to more than double its capacity to 50 MTPA by 2030.

Chaudhary further said that SAIL is part of a joint venture International Coal Ventures Limited (ICVL) with the aim to acquire mining assets abroad. PSUs like RINL, NMDC, CIL and NTPC are partners in the JV.

ICVL has acquired coal mines and assets in Mozambique with coal reserves of more than 500 MT. The mining from these overseas assets is gradually being enhanced, he said.

According to the company data, during 2019-20, requirement of about 1.53 MT coking coal was met from indigenous sources like Coal India Limited and captive sources while the balance 13.70 MT was met through imports.

Earlier, official auditor CAG had pulled up the steel giant for being heavily dependent on imported coking coal.

On sourcing of iron ore, another key steel making raw material, he said the company meets its entire iron ore requirements from captive sources.

During 2019-20, the company's captive mines produced about 29.28 MT of iron ore. The steel maker, under the Ministry of Steel, has five integrated steel plants and over 20 captive mines spread across Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal.

When asked about its expansion plan, Chaudhary said "SAIL is always aligned with the country's vision of reaching 300 MTPA by 2030-31 which is a huge leap from the current domestic levels of around 140 MTPA. So, in sync with the rising domestic steel capacity, SAIL has also envisaged going beyond its current installed levels. Depending upon market demand and the new opportunities, the company will take suitable actions."



On the plans of setting up an auto-grade steel plant in JV with ArcelorMittal in India, he said SAIL and the L N Mittal-owned company had entered into an MoU in this regard and discussions were even in advanced stages.

"Even though the discussions with ArcelorMittal reached an advanced stage, the same took a back seat when AM (ArcelorMittal) got engaged in acquisition of Essar Steel under the NCLT mechanism," the chairman added.

However, the technology for making auto-grade steel is available with other steel as well for which SAIL is exploring different options, he said.

Earlier, two separate delegations of Indian steel PSUs led by Ministry of Steel visited Japan and South Korea for deliberations with the steel firms in these countries for further expansion and probable areas of technological collaboration towards manufacturing of high grade steel including steel for auto-body sheets, Chaudhary informed.

SAIL and the Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal had entered into an MoU in May 2015 to explore the possibility of setting up an auto-grade steel manufacturing facility under a joint venture in India.

About two-and-a-half years later in December 2017, the SAIL board approved the proposal to enter into a joint venture with the world's largest steelmaker ArcelorMittal for manufacturing high-end automotive steel. However, a definitive agreement in this regard was to be finalised in due course, subject to financial viability.

While speaking to PTI earlier, the chairman had said that there was no delay from SAIL's side. The company had even written a letter to ArcelorMittal asking the latter to expedite the process for signing the definitive agreement but the effort could not gain fruitful results.

(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 Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, on Saturday said he advised governors not to publicly endorse him over fears the Trump administration might withhold COVID-19 supplies.

"Don't endorse me because you'll pay a penalty," Biden said at a virtual campaign event on Saturday of what he told governors.

Numerous Democratic governors have endorsed Biden, and some former Republican governors, like John Kasich of Ohio, have endorsed him, too.

Former Vice President Joe Biden at a campaign event in Wilmington, Delaware, on June 30. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

The Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, said during a virtual campaign event Saturday that he advised some governors against offering public endorsements of him to avoid the possibility of retribution from the Trump administration.

Related video: Highlights from Trump and Bidens first presidential debate

"I told some governors, don't endorse me, who wanted to endorse me," Biden said. "Don't endorse me because you'll pay a penalty. You won't get what you need from the federal government in terms of COVID prep."

"Not a joke, my word," Biden added while speaking at a virtual town hall for the Amalgamated Transit Union town hall from Wilmington, Delaware, KATC first reported.

The former vice president has received numerous endorsements from Democratic governors, including Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Gavin Newsom of California, and Andrew Cuomo of New York. Several former Republican governors, like John Kasich of Ohio and Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania, have also endorsed Biden's bid for the presidency.

Throughout the pandemic, the president has praised his administration's response to the coronavirus while criticizing governors  particularly in states with Democratic leaders. Trump regularly clashed with Cuomo early during the pandemic, when New York experienced the worst outbreak of the disease in the US.

As recently as last month, the president blamed "blue states" for the spread of the novel coronavirus in the US, as Axios reported.

"If you take the blue states out, we're at a level that I don't think anybody in the world would be at," Trump said at a press conference last month. "We're really at a very low level, but some of the states  they were blue states, and blue-state management."

Story continues

As Axios reported, there is no clear relationship between the party leading a state and the number of deaths from COVID-19, as only three out of the five states with the largest death tolls from the disease are led by Democrats.

Trump, who announced early Friday that he and the first lady, Melania Trump, had tested positive for COVID-19, has been hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, where he was transported by helicopter on Friday. While the White House physician on Saturday said the president was doing well, the White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, cast doubt on Trump's condition, telling reporters that the president had a "very concerning" period with the disease.

Read the original article on Business Insider
US President Donald Trump and FIrst Lady Melania Trump (Image: AP)

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for COVID-19 on October 2. The US President was shifted to Walter Reed Military Medical Centre in Bethesda, a Maryland suburb of Washington DC, for treatment.

Here's what we know so far:

>> Trump testing positive, in the midst of a heated Presidential poll campaign, has sent shockwaves across the US and the world. Apart from Trump and the First Lady, a number of other White House officials and Trump associates have tested positive for the disease.

>> Joe Biden, who is Democratic presidential nominee and had debated with Trump earlier last week, said he has tested negative for COVID-19.

>> Trump said in a video on Twitter that he is "starting to feel good" and will be back soon. However, White House physician Sean Conley has said the President is "not yet out of the woods".

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

>> Conley said medical specialists have recommended Remdesivir therapy to treat the President's COVID-19 infection.

>> According to reports, Trump's symptoms are mild, but the administration has consistently been less than transparent about the President's health as the virus spread inside the White House.

>> Even the briefing by Conley and other doctors at Walter Reed Medical Center on October 3 raised more questions than it answered, including about whether the President has ever required supplemental oxygen and exactly when he fell ill.

>> Conley said Trump was not administered oxygen on October 1 or since he has been a patient at Walter Reed Medical Center.

>> But that assessment was immediately contradicted by a person familiar with Trump's condition, who said the situation had been very concerning. The person, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Trump was given oxygen at the White House.

>> Moreover, Conleys statement on October 3 that "we are now 72 hours into this diagnosis for President Trump" raised the question of whether Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19 on September 30.

>> If the timeline is correct, it means Trump held a rally and fundraiser in Minnesota on September 30 and an intimate fundraiser in New Jersey on October 1 while knowing he was sick, potentially exposing supporters, employees, and others.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday that were making progress on a second coronavirus stimulus bill, but there was no deal yet.

Pelosi, D-Calif., said negotiations were continuing with the White House on a bill to help an economy recover from a downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but differences remained.

We want to see that they will agree on what we need to do to crush the virus so that we can open the economy and open our school system, Pelosi said on CBSs Face the Nation.

Asked if a deal could come this week, Pelosi demurred.

It just depends on if they understand what we need to do to crush the virus," she said. "You just cant say we need to do something but were going to let the virus run free.

NEWS: @SpeakerPelosi on where things stand with the latest round of #COVDI19 relief: Were making progress.



Adds of if movement could come as soon as this week?



"It just depends on if they understand what we have to do to crush the virus." pic.twitter.com/SV3KikZn1o  Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) October 4, 2020

Pelosis comments came after President Donald Trump, hospitalized due to the coronavirus, tweeted out his support for a new stimulus package.

OUR GREAT USA WANTS & NEEDS STIMULUS. WORK TOGETHER AND GET IT DONE. Thank you!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 3, 2020

In an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Sunday, voters said Joe Biden would do a better job than Trump in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic by 52% to 35%. The survey gave Biden a 14-point lead, 53% to 39%, over Trump in the general election.

Another sign of progress in the stimulus talks was Pelosi telling airline executives to hold off on plans to lay off thousands of employees. Unlike in other industries, airline workers who lose their jobs need to be recertified and receive new security clearances, a process Pelosi said could take months.

What I said to the airline executives, in a public statement is, Dont fire the people. You know relief is on the way and it will be retroactive so lets keep them employed, Pelosi said.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

While praying for Trumps recovery, Pelosi said she hoped his illness would spur an agreement on funding for testing and contract tracing in attempt to halt the virus' spread. Thats part of the stimulus package now being negotiated.

I hope it will be a signal that we really have to do better in preventing the spread of this virus, she said. People always ask what impact will this have on the election? I say, Im not interested in that. What Im interested in is what impact will it be on coming to the table with us and doing what we have to crush the virus, listen to science, have the public-private role that needs to be done to crush the virus.

In addition to $75 billion for coronavirus testing and contact tracing, the $2.2 trillion stimulus bill approved by House Democrats over unanimous Republican opposition included $1,200 stimulus checks, $600 in extra weekly federal unemployment insurance payments through Jan. 31, $436 billion in state and local aid, an extension of the paycheck protection program, and a one-year suspension of the GOP tax laws $10,000 cap on deducting state and local taxes.

Senate Republicans have yet to approve another round of stimulus legislation. A $1 trillion proposal never came up for a vote and a $500 billion bill didnt have enough support to pass.

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Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com.
Towards the end of Saturday nights first Senate debate between South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and his Democratic opponent, Jaime Harrison, the candidates were asked on what issues they would dissent with their parties. Graham, whod been sticking for most of the hour to a controlled strategy of reciting warnings against what Democrats would do with power, seemed to loosen up.

How long do you have? Graham said. So, Lindsey Grahamnesty is my name on talk radio. He spoke about how hed worked for over a decade to get a comprehensive immigration solution. Hed worked on climate change, and when he voted for Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, he got the crap beat out of me here at home by Republicans.

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When its talking about working with the other side, its not just talk with me, he said. And Ive got the political scars to prove it.

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It was less self-flattery than reminiscence. Graham was waxing nostalgic about a once-prominent version of himself that hasnt been seen in recent years. Following the 2016 election, Graham rebuilt himself from a Trump skeptic to a vocal and loyal ally of the president, and those moments of working across the aisle at significant personal risk stopped coming. Hes now a partisan warrior who broke an airtight vow against confirming a Supreme Court nominee in the last year of President Donald Trumps first term.

Harrison had said in his opening statement that Graham would likely scare you to vote for him. The once freewheeling senator, indeed, had straitjacketed himself into that strategy, drawing from a grab bag of fears about the left at each opportunity.

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In Grahams own opening statement, he observed that this is a big-choice election between me and Mr. Harrison: capitalism versus socialism, conservative judges versus liberal judges, law and order versus chaos. This apocalyptic vision was everywhere. Responding to a question about whether teachers and students should be asked to return to an in-person, five-day school week without rapid COVID-19 testing available, Graham ended with a warning about how Democrats would pass Medicare for All and stack the Supreme Court. After fleshing out his position on enhanced unemployment benefits, Graham warned, again, that Democrats would pack the Supreme Court and eliminate the Electoral College. Graham said the worst thing that could happen to Myrtle Beachs economy is a Democratic administration and Congress that would tax and regulate it.

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When Harrison hammered Graham on his reversal over filling a Supreme Court seat in the final year of Trumps term, Grahams strategy required him to just take it.

Senator, how good is your word when you made a promise to the American peopleeven more, you made a promise to the folks in South Carolinathat you wouldnt be doing what youre doing right now? Harrison said. And thats the problem that I have, the greatest heresy that you could do as a public servant is to betray the trust of the people that you took an oath to serve.

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Just be a man about it, he said, and stand up and say, You know what? I changed my mind. Im going to do something else. But dont go back and blame it on somebody else for a flip-flop that youre making yourself.

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Sen. Graham said "hold the tape" when he declared that we should not be selecting a Supreme Court Justice in an election year.



Well, the tape was held. And I'm here to hold him accountable for the promise he made to the people of South Carolina. pic.twitter.com/aHeIMpX6WJ  Jaime Harrison (@harrisonjaime) October 4, 2020

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Graham noted that he had said in August that if an opening comes about, well see what the market will bear. (In other words, he went back on his word in August, not September.) And he criticized Democrats for their treatment of Brett Kavanaugh, again. But he didnt bite on the challenge to his character:

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All I can say is that Amy Barrett is highly qualified, Im the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, the president has every right to do this, and if youre counting on Mr. Harrison to ever vote for a conservative judge, youre making a mistake of high proportion.

Grahams strategy of ignoring whatever hes said in the past, hewing to the demands of the right, and warning of liberal doom may not always make him look good, but the political logic is clear. Consider a tale of two recent Quinnipiac polls of the Senate race. In a Sept. 16 poll, just before Ruth Bader Ginsburgs death, Grahams support among Republicans was a relatively saggy 89 percent. Two weeks later, after Ginsburgs death and after Grahams decision to press forward on her replacement, Quinnipiac found Graham was at 94 percent with Republicans.

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Graham was tied with Harrison in both polls. What had shifted, though, was where he stood relative to Donald Trump: He was running only 1 percentage point behind the president in the more recent poll after lagging 6 points behind in the earlier one. If you expect Trumpdespite some dicey polls here or thereto ultimately win, say, 54 percent of the vote in South Carolina, trying to match Trumps number is a good strategy. That means maximizing Republican support by creating a 63 conservative Supreme Court and warning that the choice is either Lindsey Graham or full communism.

Its not a foolproof approach, though. Between those two polls, Grahams support among Republicans may have picked up, but his support among independents dropped by 6 points. Graham, who rarely bothered to filter whatever was on his mind in the past, is viewed as dishonest by 50 percent of the state, compared with the 40 percent who say hes honest. Harrison used this as a cudgel during a question about term limits, noting that Graham had pledged, when he won his first congressional election in 1994, to serve only 12 years in Congress. He said 12 years? It is now, uhHarrison took a mocking look at his watch13 years later. And Sen. Graham is still running.

It is incumbent upon us to keep our promises, Harrison said. And if we change our minds, just admit, I changed my mind. Dont duck and dodge. And this is the thing that I promise the folks of South Carolina: I will never, never lie to you.

The bottom line here, Graham said, is, Ive been leading the charge here for 250 conservative judges. When it comes to Lindsey Graham, the best is yet to come.

I think the question was about term limits, Harrison responded.
The hatefulness on display at a recent pair of protests was wrong.

The Black New Mexico Movement had planned a protest Sept. 12 on Southern Boulevard and waited until a few hours beforehand to the release the location, hoping to keep away counter-protesters. It didnt work, and counter-protesters showed up  with weapons brandished, and engines and shouts drowning out anything the first group had to say.

If they wanted to disagree with BNMM, that was the wrong way to do so.

We know too many protests around the country have turned to violence and property destruction, and too many have vilified or even harmed police officers who had done nothing wrong. Certainly, we dont want those things to happen here.

However, Rio Rancho had multiple racial-injustice protests before Sept. 12, and none resulted in aggression against officers or substantiated complaints of property damage, last time we checked with Rio Rancho Police.

Preconceived notions got in the way of Rio Ranchoans voicing their opinion Sept. 12.

Counter-protestors said BNMM rally participants werent from Rio Rancho. If they had looked closer, they would have seen their fellow community members standing on the other side. Somehow, who was from where became the main point, losing sight of the real issues.

In addition, the reporter often heard counter-protesters shout, This is Rio Rancho; it is not like that here, or Black people arent even in Rio Rancho.

Our police department is exceptional and not racist. That does not mean racial injustices never happen here  as evidenced by racial slurs some counter-protesters shouted  nor do the experiences of Black people matter any less because they make up less than 3 percent of Sandoval Countys population. And yes, Black people live in Rio Rancho. (Editors note: 3.2 percent of Rio Rancho Public Schools enrollment is of Black students.)

This is supposed to be a free society  people should be allowed to publicly state their opinions. Both groups at the protest had every right to do so, in turn and without hindrance.

From what we saw, it was the counter-protesters who started problems. They claimed to support police, but they put officers in the dangerous position of having to stand between two angry, armed groups to restore peace.

Not everyone in the counter-protest group may have done those things, but enough did to make it the hallmark of that group.

We understand, not all White people are racist.

Yet, racism does exist in our society on some level  we wont debate what level right now  and we must address it.

We need to listen to each other and work together to solve the very real problems we face.

The reporter who covered the protests Sept. 12 has taken a lot of criticism from both sides. In journalism, we figure that if both sides are mad at you, you must have been fair.

We stand by our coverage. The reporter wrote what she saw happening.

Well probably take heat for this editorial. We stand by it, too.

If youd like to express a different opinion, letters to the editor can be sent to editor@rrobserver.com or 409 NM Hwy 528, Ste. 101.
Focus on the Family, headquartered in Colorado Springs, is promoting conservative political stances for its evangelical Christian followers. (Photo by Debbie Kelley).
Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion at 5 PM. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.

Why are farmers protesting if they are happy with farm bills, asks Rahul Gandhi in Punjab

Addressing farmers in Punjab, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said the Congress will not let farmers interest to get hurt by the new farm laws. Launching the partys three-day Kheti Bachao Yatra protesting the laws which now have got the Presidents assent, the Congress leader said, If farmers are happy with these laws then why are they protesting across the nation? Why is every farmer in Punjab protesting?

Read more.

Lok Janshakti Party to contest Bihar assembly polls alone

The Lok Janshakti Party has taken a call to contest the upcoming three-phase assembly polls in Bihar on its own. The decision to break away from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was taken at the Parliamentary Board meeting of the party on Sunday.

Read more.

Atal Tunnel done, now PM Modi pushes Border Roads chief for all-weather axis to Ladakh

After inaugurating the 9.2-km Atal Tunnel on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) chief Lieutenant General Harpal Singh to start preparing for the underground tunnel at Shinku-La so that an all-weather road is completed to Ladakh via Darcha-Padam-Nimu route in next three years.

Read more.

India, China to hold corps commander level talks on border row on Oct 12

India and China will hold corps commander-level talks on October 12, the seventh round, in eastern Ladakh sector in their latest attempt to address the ongoing military standoff between the two countries, officials familiar with the developments said on Sunday.

Read more.

Watch: ITBP organizes yoga for patients at Delhis Sardar Patel Covid Care Centre

Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) organized Yoga for Covid patients at Delhis Sardar Patel Covid Care Centre and Hospital. At present over 1200 patients have been admitted at the ITBP-run centre. More than 5500 patients discharged after treatment so far. The Sardar Patel Covid Care Centre was inaugurated on July 5.

Read more.

Man accuses Swara Bhaskers Rasbhari of instigating violence against women, actor replies: Rapes arent increasing because of my roles, but your mentality

Actor Swara Bhasker has responded to a Twitter user who accused her recent series, Rasbhari, of corrupting young minds. The accusation comes at a time when mass protests are being staged across the country, against the recent rape incidents in Hathras and Balrampur.

Read more.

Dad dances outside hospital window to cheer son getting treatment inside. Watch

A heartening video showing a dad standing outside a hospital window and dancing to cheer up his son undergoing cancer treatment inside has now tugged at the heartstrings of people. Shared on Facebook by Cook Childrens Medical Center, where the kid goes for treatment, the video has now gone all kinds of viral.

Read more.
Would you prefer the next Broncos ownership group include John Elway or Peyton Manning?

You voted:
Members of various organisations in Bhopal stage a protest against the alleged gang-rape of a 19-year-old Dalit woman in Uttar Pradeshs Hathras.  PTI photo

An alleged gang rape victim in a Madhya Pradesh village committed suicide over non-registration of FIR in the case by police.

The 33-year-old woman, who was allegedly gang raped in her village of Gotgoria under Narasinghapur district on September 28, was found hanging in her house on Friday, police said on Saturday.

Her husband said she took the extreme step when police refused to file FIR in the case, besides harassing her kin for asking to register FIR in the incident.

Two police officers were arrested for not registering a case in the incident.

In-charge of Gotgoria police outpost Misrilal Koddape and in-charge of Chacheli police station Anil Singh were arrested for lapses in registering the case. They were booked under section 166-A (non recording of information) of Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Besides, 3 other people were arrested on charges of rape and two others arrested for instigating suicide (of the victim), Narasinghpur district superintendent of police Ajey Singh said.

The deceaseds husband told the police that his wife was gang raped by three local villagers, Parsu, Arvind and Anil, when she was cutting standing crops in a farm land on September 28.

She narrated the incident before her family members when she returned home.

Later, the family members took her to the Gotgoria police outpost to lodge a complaint on the night of the fateful day.

Gotgoria police however said FIR would be registered after her medical examination.

However, the complaint was not registered by Gotgoria police on September 29 also.

They then approached Chichli police station to lodge the complaint.

However, instead of registering the case, the deceaseds husband and her brother-in-law were locked up in the police station, her husband said.

The harassment by police had provoked her to end life, he added.
A woman cries walking in front of an apartment building that was supposedly damaged by recent shelling in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region's main city of Stepanakert on Oct. 3, 2020, during the ongoing fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan. AFP



Armenian and Azerbaijani forces were engaged in fierce clashes Saturday as fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region intensified, with Armenia reporting heavy losses and its leader saying it was facing a historic threat.



Yerevan's defence ministry said separatist forces in Karabakh had repelled a massive attack by Azerbaijan, seven days after fighting erupted again in the decades-old dispute over the ethnic-Armenian breakaway province.



Armenia also announced the deaths of 51 more separatist fighters, taking the number of fatalities on both sides above 240.



Azerbaijan's defence ministry meanwhile said its forces had "captured new footholds" and President Ilham Aliyev claimed that his forces took the village of Madagiz, a strategic hamlet within firing range of an important northern road.



In an address to the nation on Saturday, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called on Armenians to unite.



"We are facing possibly the most decisive moment in our millennia-old history," Pashinyan said.



"We all must dedicate ourselves to a singular goal: victory."



The clashes took place after the regional capital Stepanakert came under artillery and rocket fire Saturday, with local defence officials reporting further explosions later in the day.



The fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh has threatened to draw in powerful players like Russia and Turkey.



Armenia is in a military alliance of former Soviet countries led by Moscow, which maintains a military base there, while NATO member Turkey has signalled its full support for Azerbaijan's military operations.





A handout photo made available by the Armenian Foreign Ministry claims to show debris after fighting in Stepanakert of Nagorno-Karabakh, Oct. 3, 2020. EPA



- 'Final battle' -



Both sides have been accused of hitting civilian areas, and Azerbaijan said Saturday that Armenian artillery had shelled 19 of its settlements overnight.



On Saturday in Stepanakert, residents cleared wreckage and swept up glass from the shattered windows of their homes and shops.



"This is a great sorrow for our community, for our people," Nelson Adamyan, a 65-year-old electrician, told AFP outside his damaged residential building.



"But we will stand for our freedom, we will always be free."






Cambodia has demolished U.S.-funded facilities at a naval base as part of plans to replace them in larger port facility elsewhere, the countrys defense minister said in a weekend interview, rejecting Washingtons concerns about the plan and possible Chinese involvement as meddling it its sovereignty.

Ream Naval Base in the southwestern coastal city of Sihanoukville has been a point of friction between Phnom Penh and Washington since a report in The Wall Street Journal last year cited U.S. and allied officials as confirming a secret deal to allow the Chinese to use part of the base for 30 years.

Prime Minister Hun Sen vehemently denied the deal at the time. A naval base at Ream on the Gulf of Thailand would provide China with its first naval staging facility in Southeast Asia and allow it to significantly expand patrols on the South China Sea. Beijing claims much of the waterway, parts of which are also claimed by Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Speaking to RFAs Khmer Service on Saturday after a Washington think tank released satellite images showing the demolition, Cambodian Defense Minister General Tea Banh said nothing is out of the ordinary.

Cambodia has a development plan for Ream Naval Base. Due to the development plan we moved the existing structures to the new location. We want to build it better and safer to accommodate the needs of maritime security headquarters, he said by telephone.

We are developing Ream Naval Base to make it larger. Now it is small and the water is shallow, he told RFA, describing the new construction as costing several hundred times the older buildings of the U.S project.

On Friday the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) released a report showing that Cambodia had demolished the Tactical Headquarters of the National Committee for Maritime Security at Ream Naval Base.

The demolition of the building -- which was renovated and built by the U.S., equipped by Australia and inaugurated in 2012  occurred sometime after September 5likely around September 10though imagery of sufficient resolution to confirm was not available at that time, said CSIS.

The recent demolition seems to confirm that changes are underway at the naval base and again raises questions about rumored Chinese access, the think tank said in an analysis accompanying the satellite images, gathered on Oct. 1.

All they (the U.S.) did was a small repair and provided some equipment, Tea Banh told RFA.

Now they are making issues -- showing the nature of a powerful country, he said. If they want to halt something, they always make allegations.

We destroyed the U.S buildings, buildings situated in Cambodian sovereign territory, added the minister.

The CSIS report noted that Cambodias Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning, and Construction announced plans in February to develop Ream Bay into a $16 billion resort project and had started dredging in what was apparently port infrastructure preparation.

But with current facilities at Ream Naval Base only able to host small patrol ships, any large port development nearby bears watching, the report said.

The possibility that China could establish a military foothold in Cambodia has long worried Washington. Vice President Mike Pence in 2018 wrote a letter to Hun Sen expressing fears that Cambodia might be planning to host Chinese military equipment at the base.

Cambodias Ministry of Defense posted a statement on its website Tuesday saying Tea Banh reiterated that reports Cambodia will allow a Chinese military presence on its territory are unfounded.

Tea Banh noted that development at Ream Navy Base had been studied over the last 10 years and upon completion would welcome any ship.

Tea Banh stressed that Cambodias constitution wont allow any foreign military base on Cambodian territory, the statement said.

Related to the U.S. concerns over Ream Navy Base, Tea Banh stressed that it will be solely reserved for Cambodian usage, not for foreign militaries.

Hun Sen has denied that his government would amend the constitution to allow China to build a naval base in the country as fake news and part of a foreign campaign to mislead the public and the international community with the intention of destroying the countrys independence and neutrality.

Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Paul Eckert.
SBS managing director James Taylor rejected an offer from his counterpart at the ABC, David Anderson, to share offices and explore other merged services such as travel in a terse email exchange about how the two government-funded broadcasters could save money.

The ABC and SBS have their own budgets and operate as separate organisations but are under pressure to consider sharing back-office and support services to reduce costs. For years there have been suggestions the ABC should subsume SBS to save money. SBS has long resisted any full-scale merger with the ABC.

'Not feasible or desirable': SBS boss James Taylor has rejected a request to share offices with the ABC. Credit:Steven Siewert

A letter attached to an email sent to Mr Taylor by Mr Anderson on April 21, obtained by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age under Freedom of Information laws, suggested the two national broadcasters revisit cost-saving measures such as creating an online video service (instead of running ABC iview and SBS On Demand separately) or moving into the national broadcaster's Ultimo premises in Sydney. Such a move would allow certain ABC and SBS resources to merge together.

Mr Anderson, who sent the letter before unveiling his five-year plan in June, said sharing office space would allow the two broadcasters to save money on on-site security and cleaners and share access to broadcast vans.
Hathras case: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra demands removal of DM, probe into his role

India

pti-Madhuri Adnal

Lucknow, Oct 4: A day after meeting the family of a Dalit woman who died after she was assaulted and allegedly gang-raped in Hathras, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday demanded removal of the district magistrate and an investigation into his role in the entire matter.

Priyanka Gandhi said that according to the family, the district magistrate meted out the worst treatment to them, and asked who was protecting the officer.

In a tweet in Hindi, the Congress leader said, "According to the aggrieved family, the worst treatment meted out to them was by the district magistrate. Who is trying to save him? He should be immediately suspended, and his role in the entire matter should be probed. When the family is demanding a judicial probe, then why is noise over CBI probe and SIT probe is going on."

Hathras gangrape case: SIT records statements of victim's family

"If the UP government has even slightly woken up from its slumber, it should listen to the point of view of the family," she said in another tweet. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi met the family Saturday evening and declared that they would fight for ensuring justice to them.

"Yogi Adityanath has to understand his responsibility. He has to understand that wherever injustice happens, we will fight that and stand with the family," Priyanka Gandhi told reporters. "We will fight against injustice, and fight till justice is done." Rahul Gandhi said, "No power on earth" can stop the voice of this family."

Later on Twitter, he said the UP government will not be able to have its way as the entire country has now risen for justice to "this daughter of the nation". After the Gandhis' visit to the family, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday recommended a CBI probe into the alleged gang-rape and death of the 19-year-old Dalit woman that triggered a nationwide outrage.
Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the leading global financial centre in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region has welcomed Africa Reinsurance Corporation (Africa Re) Group.

The business will operate as Africa Re Underwriting Agency Limited (Africa Re) and the DIFC presence is their first office outside Africa.

Over the last 44 years, Africa Re has focused on developing the insurance and reinsurance industry to support African economic development. The business is now expanding, open to select markets in Asia, Brazil and the Middle East.

Africa Res areas of expertise include underwriting proportional and non-proportional (marine and non-marine) treaty business, offshore and onshore energy including oil, gas, petrochemicals, power and other utilities, as well as general property.

Africa Re will provide Conventional and Takaful reinsurance capacity to the whole Middle East region from DIFC. The firm has over a decade of providing Retakaful products which are Sharia-compliant and essential for Takaful companies to meet their business requirements.

Takaful sustained growth globally has been supported by growing demand for ethical financial services from Muslims and non-Muslims across the GCC, Southeast Asia and Africa. The GCC Takaful market saw its aggregate net profit surge by 74.3 per cent year-on-year to $414 million in 2019, according to the full-year 2019 results announced by the 47 publicly listed Takaful operators across the region. The UAE represented the second largest market after Saudi Arabia.

DIFC is recognised as the leading reinsurance hub in the MEASA region and now home to more than 100 registered insurance, reinsurance, captive firms and insurance-related entities, including four of the top five global insurance companies. In 2019, the DIFC reported record gross written premiums, up 17.4 per cent year-on-year.

Arif Amiri, CEO of DIFC Authority said: We are pleased to welcome Africa Re to DIFC, especially as they have chosen us for their first office outside the African continent. Offering conventional and Takaful products provides additional choice and we hope Africa Re will work with DIFC and the other firms in our ecosystem to develop the future of the regions reinsurance sector.

We are confident that Africa Re will benefit from the increasing demand for capacity in the market, especially in Islamic finance, and use their expertise to shaping the future of the sector.

Dr Corneille Karekezi, Group Managing Director/CEO of The African Reinsurance group said: We are pleased to join DIFC and consider it as our first destination outside Africa. As one of the top 50 global reinsurers, Africa Re considers DIFC as a first step to be followed by further steps for other financial hubs across the world. Africa Re may be new to DIFC but has never been new to the Middle East which Africa Re supported for the last 20 years. Africa Re was closely observing the withdrawal of Reinsurance/Retakaful capacities from the Middle East hence a decision was taken to join DIFC in order to be in proximity to our clients and fill such gap of capacity through providing leading opportunities as support to all our longstanding clients in the Middle East.

We are confident that Africa Res existence in DIFC would further enhance both Conventional and Takaful markets, and develop/readjust the Takaful market and Takaful model in the Middle East. -- Tradearabia News Service
Union Minister for Environment and Forests Prakash Javadekar ran into a hostile reception in Goa when he arrived on Saturday for a two day visit as Congress workers protested against the ministers avowed support to Karnataka in the states ongoing dispute with Goa over the waters of the river Mhadei.

The workers also protested the Union environment and forests ministrys clearances for diversion of forest land along the Western Ghats in Goa for infrastructure projects that are being staunchly opposed in the state.

Congress workers who gathered outside the hotel in which Javadekar was staying were rounded up and detained by the police in late night drama after they had gathered in the lobby seeking an audience with the minister.

The environment minister of this country who swore to protect our environment has no authority to come to Goa and stay in a hotel right on the banks of the Mandovi. They have no right to come and breathe in our environment. They have violated our mother which is the River Mhadei (the River Mandovi is called Mhadei closer to its origin in Karnataka). They have sold it to Karnataka for the sake of power and votes. There are more MPs from Karnataka than Goa, so Goas interests have been compromised, Congress leader Amarnath Panjikar said.

State Congress president Girish Chodankar termed the arrest of the youth Congress workers as jungle raj in Goa.

Javadekar during the first day of his visit held an official interaction with farmers in two different villages in North Goa, a move that was termed as tokenism.

If Javadekar is really concerned about farmers he should go and meet the villagers of Melaulim who are protesting against their village lands being taken for the setting up of an IIT in Goa and meet the villagers of Mollem who are fearing for their livelihoods, Panjikar said.

Javadekar during his interactions with farmers in the two villages said that the protests against the recently amended farm bills were solely political.

Barring Punjab, there seem to be no agitations elsewhere. In Punjab too, the agitation is due to political reasons. Purchasing of rice has begun in Punjab. Farmers have started selling rice and protesting as well, because of the politics involved. The Congress which is in power, Akali Dal, AAP, all three are opposing for various reasons. The agitation is political, Javadekar said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 22:02:22|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Troops of India and Pakistan Sunday exchanged fire and targeted each other's positions on Line of Control (LoC), dividing Kashmir, officials said.

The two sides exchanged fire on LoC in Mankote sector of frontier Poonch district, about 185 km southwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

The exchange of fire between the two sides went on for some time.

So far there were no reports of any damage to Indian or Pakistani side in the exchange.

Reports said since the beginning of this year over 3,000 cease-fire violations have been recorded. Enditem
In 1986, after 8 years negotiating residential deals in Austin and Houston, as well as ranchland in Coryell County, Emily Moreland and her family moved back to Austin where she decided to get her Broker's license and head out on her own. When glass ceilings were barely cracked, much less broken, Moreland gathered a few like-minded realtors, hired an accountant, and started Moreland Properties in Austin, Texas. For almost 35 years, weathering several market shifts and continually surpassing its previous year's production, the firm has remained focused on not necessarily being the biggest, but being the best. Still, Moreland Properties welcomes exceptional talent and has grown to over 80 agents and 20 staff members in 3 offices that serve Greater Austin, Lake Travis, and Central Texas. In an era of transactional service in which competitors come and go, Moreland Properties maintains its commitment to personal relationships and the Texas communities it has helped to develop.

"We have a growth-mindset, without question," said Emily Moreland, Broker/Owner of Moreland Properties. "However, our model focuses on growing the businesses of each of our agents, not the size of our roster. Oh, sure, I've been asked to expand to San Antonio and Houston, but how would I be able to go to our sales meetings every week, know our agents' kids' names, or be right there if they have a question?"

It is hard to argue with that model when you consider the brokerage's success. The per agent average production is $11M, sales have exceeded $1B for the last 2 years, and accolades are consistently awarded to the Moreland Properties agents. Despite the brokerage's size, and in competition with bigger or national companies, Moreland Properties often has the most representation in organizations recognizing industry excellence such as The Residential Real Estate Awards, The Platinum Top 50, and Luxury League. In fact, last year, 10 agents of the Elite 25 Austin, the most of any local or national brokerage, hailed from Moreland. And among past awards like "best places to work," just last year, The Austin Business Journal named Moreland Properties one of the Top 10 Women Led Companies in Austin.

Emily Moreland shares that leadership with Sarah Railey, who has been at the firm alongside Emily for 18 years in many roles and was promoted to COO in 2017. Together, they lead a staff that focuses on highly customized, in-person agent attention, a client-care mentality, and an ongoing commitment to local non-profits that make Austin the wonderful city that it is.

"Our mix of skilled agents and how they work together is 100% responsible for our success. They create a unique environment that's conducive to growing one another's market knowledge and level of client service. They know each other and improve one another," said Railey. "They are their client's lifetime real estate advisors, and they deserve the best from their brokerage. That's why our cohesive leadership and staff continue to enhance the Moreland experience and that forward-thinking is represented in our new branding."

Last year, Railey hired Julie Sutton as the Director of Marketing & Communications, who spent the last 10 years in commercial real estate, launching the brands of two Austin destinations, The 2ND Street District and Domain Northside, respectively. With a tenured Marketing Department, Production Design Managers, Cecelia Senter and Kim Do; Technical Marketing Manager, Liz Tanner; and Social Media and Content Manager, Aaron Hulbert, Sutton sought to maintain the brand's strategy, story, and philosophy while updating its look and improving its reach. Envision Creative was brought on for the logo conceptualization and creation and JAS Design developed much of the brand's marketing collateral.

"Moreland has a reputation of strength and integrity," said Sutton. "We value that brand equity and wanted to pay tribute to it by keeping the Moreland green. The new branding needed to not only reflect the stature the firm has earned in the industry, but also its evolution."

The logotype of the brokerage's name transformed from all lowercase to all capitals, signifying the brand's tradition and steadfastness. Retaining its original shade of "Moreland Green" in the center of a modern, bold, figurative M, the company honored its legacy. By adding the 2 additional shades of green, "Heritage" and "Onward", the new icon represents the past, present, and future, brightening as the mark progresses. Additionally, the abstract M is not comprised of one line, but rather 3 columns, symbolic of the valued, tight-knit, collaborative group of individuals that make Moreland Properties the success that it is.

Sarah Railey added, "Our new collateral indicates the level of service and attention you can expect as a client with a listing or purchase at every price point. From first-time home buyers to seasoned investors, the marketing for our clients' properties is of the highest quality, design, and materials. It speaks luxury. The complete look is simple, striking, and absolutely reflects where we came from, who we are, and where we're going, together."

"I think what struck me most is when our marketing team explained the columns of the M signifying the brokerage's agents as pillars of the community," offered Emily Moreland. "That's what means most to me. Yes, our agents are the best in the business. Yes, they are passionate about what they do. And, yes, they are truly wonderful people that work with integrity and give back to the community that has provided for us for so long."

Today, the Moreland Properties agents, staff, and leadership are managing directors, sit on the boards, or contribute to several causes including but not limited to, Ballet Austin, The American Red Cross, Foundation Communities, Community First, Austin Parks Foundation, Preservation Austin, Helping Hand Home, MD Anderson Cancer Research, The Refuge, Austin and National Humane Societies, Austin Pets Alive, and Amplify Austin.

To see more of Moreland's updated look: moreland.com/brandrefresh

About Moreland Properties

As a local legacy since 1986, our knowledge, global connections, and reputation for professional, discreet representation has established us as Greater Austin's leading boutique brokerage. Each Moreland agent works as a careered real estate advisor, devoting themselves full-time to gaining market knowledge and delivering results. Our firm is backed by a global network in more than 65 countries, responsible for more real estate transactions than any other network. Moreland Properties is Austin's only Christie's International Real Estate affiliate, selected through a careful screening process that includes meeting stringent professional standards and demonstrating proven records of success in handling distinctive properties, and was chosen as a "by-invitation-only" member of Luxury Portfolio International, the exclusive luxury network within Leading Real Estate Companies of the World (LeadingRE). With staffed offices ready to assist in every aspect of the process, from marketing to data-driven pricing to navigating a successful sale, Moreland Properties is dedicated to ensuring a smooth real estate transaction. Browse all Central Texas listings at Moreland.com.

Moreland Properties

Julie Sutton

Director of Marketing & Communications

(512) 410-9400

[email protected]

SOURCE Moreland Properties

Related Links

http://www.Moreland.com


A beach mob turned on police in Melbourne after officers arrested a woman when she failed to provide her personal details.

Officers were patrolling Altona Beach on Saturday evening because excessive crowds gathered to celebrate the warm weather despite concerns about the state's second wave coronavirus outbreak.

They approached a group of people at about 6.15pm to investigate why they weren't wearing face masks - which is mandatory in Melbourne - when members of the group allegedly became aggressive.

During the heated exchange, a woman was tackled to the ground and arrested by several officers, prompting the rest of the group to turn on the police.

The group also claimed a second woman, who was pregnant and the first woman's sister, was shoved by an officer at the scene.

Vision shows several adults swearing at officers and trying to free the woman on the ground while groups of children, presumably also part of the group, watched on nearby.

During the heated exchange, a woman was taken to the ground and arrested by several officers, prompting the rest of the group to turn on the police

'You're f**king p**sies,' one of the men in the group shouted before another woman was also allegedly shoved by an officer.

The group then launched into another expletive-laden tirade, this time telling officers that one of the women was pregnant.

'You just pushed a f**king pregnant lady,' one woman said while almost in tears.

'You are f**king nothing without your badges.'

One of the officers told the group: 'You're using these kids as human shields' before reiterating that the woman was under arrest.

The woman who was initially arrested allegedly started bleeding on the sand during the scuffle.

A Victoria Police spokesman told Daily Mail Australia the woman was first questioned because she refused to provide her name and address when asked by police.

The woman who was initially arrested allegedly started bleeding on the sand during the scuffle

'She was subsequently arrested and once her identity was established found to be in breach of the Chief Health Officer directions by travelling more than 5km from her home,' a statement from Victoria Police read.

She was issued three separate infringement notices and released, while several other people in the group also received fines.

Police will continue to patrol beaches in Victoria, and some local governments have threatened to close beaches to avoid drawing crowds in excess of what is allowed due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Victoria recorded just 12 new cases of coronavirus and one death overnight.

The critical 14-day rolling average has once again dropped to 11.9 in Melbourne and 0.2 in regional Victoria but police are remaining vigilant at beaches.

With sunny weather forecast in Melbourne, police will maintain a presence at beaches after a furious premier slammed 'selfish' residents not wearing masks and failing to maintain social distance.

Vision shows several adults swearing at officers and trying to free the woman on the ground while groups of children, presumably also part of the group, watched on nearby

Pictured: Social distancing circles have been painted on the grass and people in this photo appear to be keeping to their circles. Groups of five are permitted, from only two households

Victoria's Department of Health and Human Services on Sunday posted a simple warning: 'no matter what the weather is like, it is important that we follow public health advice'.

Patrols will continue at St Kilda Beach after large groups flouted restrictions on Friday, raising concerns that such behaviour could thwart the state's COVID-19 recovery.

'No one has the right to break the rules and potentially put at risk everything that good, decent law-abiding Victorians have created, have built,' Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said on Saturday.

'All of their sacrifice has to be worth something.

'Spending time at the beach without a mask, without social distancing now will just mean that you won't get to go to the beach for all of summer. It just doesn't make any sense.'

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said disobeying restrictions was 'an insult to everyone who's done it tough for months and months and months'.

He and the premier have repeatedly urged the Melbourne population to remain disciplined, especially as warm, spring weather tempts people out of their homes.

A significant easing of restrictions may occur on October 19, but authorities are looking for the daily case average to drop to five.

Friends are seen sunbaking while not wearing masks in their COVIDSafe circles at St Kilda Beach during COVID-19 in Melbourne
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Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 16:46:34|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese experts exchange planting experience with a local farmer at Humoyun farm in Bayavut district of Syrdarya region, Uzbekistan, Sept. 24, 2020. (Photo by Zafar Khalilov/Xinhua)

TASHKENT, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- With Uzbekistan's annual cotton harvest underway, Abdullah Begmatov, 54, who has grown cotton for over a decade in the country, is expecting a harvest of up to 4-4.5 tons per hectare after using Chinese technology for drip irrigation.

Chinese technology has shown its advantages in all respects, Begmatov said, adding that the costs are reduced by 40-50 percent compared to the conventional method of cotton growing.

"For example, usually 1,800 kilograms cotton seeds were sown on one hectare of land earlier, and with the new technology, only 800 kilograms of seeds were used. Most importantly, we save water," he said.

Water is pumped to these cotton plantations. With drip irrigation, less water is required, and less energy is wasted as it needs less pump operation, he added.

He showed off his cotton fields, where the cotton picking was in full swing and both farm workers and the specialists of a Chinese company were satisfied with their hard work in this season.

Begmatov, who has spent almost all his adult years on the cotton fields of Syrdarya region, more than 150 km from the capital city Tashkent, was confident about his traditional irrigation practice until last year.

But he changed his mind after signing an agreement with the Chinese company Demetra Investment on the use of drip irrigation.

Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a decree in December 2018 on urgent measures to create favorable conditions to use drip irrigation technology in cotton production across the country.

Since then the modern water-saving technology has been applied to cotton fields on many farms in the country, the Central Asian region's largest cotton producer.

"Thanks to the wise policy of the leaders of Uzbekistan and China in recent years, cooperation between the two states has been developing at a dynamic pace in all areas, including the agricultural sector. This gave us the opportunity to establish long-term and mutually beneficial cooperation with Chinese partners," Begmatov said.

Over the past 10 years, the volume of water resources in Uzbekistan has decreased by 12 percent, and this year by 15 percent compared to 2019, according to official data.

Uzbekistan plans to introduce the modern water-saving technology on 200,000 hectares of land annually and increase it up to 2 million hectares in the next 10 years.

This year, the drip irrigation technology was used on 180 hectares of land in Begmatov's farm. Next year, he and his Chinese partner plan to implement it on all 417 hectares of his farmland.

Demetra Investment, which invests in agriculture, cotton and textiles in Uzbekistan, has signed a contract with China's largest water-saving facility development and production company Xinjiang Tianye, for the joint implementation of drip irrigation equipment for the cotton fields in the Syrdarya region, which has 10,500 hectares of cotton plantations and cotton processing plants.

"Uzbekistan has natural advantages in growing cotton. With drip irrigation and other technical support, cotton growing has enormous potential. This year's work fully confirmed it," said Qi Kai, head of Demetra Investment.

However, the nationwide lockdown imposed in Uzbekistan due to COVID-19 has delayed the transportation of equipment parts and the exchange of technical personnel, slowing down the progress of the project, which led to the fact that the project did not reach its goals 100 percent this year, Qi said.

"But there is a hope that in the future, drip irrigation systems will be widely used. We plan to modernize cotton processing plants using Chinese technologies and equipment to improve the efficiency and quality of cotton processing," Qi added. Enditem
As President Trump remains hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after testing positive for the coronavirus, one doctor is at the center of his treatment: Sean P. Conley, the White House physician.

Stepping out of the hospital with a team of doctors behind him on Saturday, Dr. Conley gave an optimistic update on Mr. Trumps condition at a news conference. He said the president was doing very well and in exceptionally good spirits after spending Friday night at the hospital.

The news conference put a national spotlight on Dr. Conley, who offered a distinctly different outlook from what Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, told reporters later.

Heres what we know about Dr. Conley.

He became the presidents physician two years ago

Dr. Conley took on the role of White House physician in 2018 after Dr. Ronny L. Jackson was nominated to be secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Jackson had to withdraw his name from consideration for that post amid accusations of inappropriate workplace behavior and was subsequently promoted by Mr. Trump to the position of assistant to the president and chief White House medical adviser. He is now running for a House seat in Texas.
Markets face the prospect of additional turmoil this week after Donald Trumps hospitalization for coronavirus late Friday raised concerns over the U.S. presidents health and further roiled a Washington political landscape already riven by battles over fiscal stimulus and the Supreme Court.

Foreign-exchange traders in the Asia-Pacific region will be the first to react Monday, with attention focused on the prospect of renewed gains by havens such as the Japanese yen and additional declines in riskier currencies like the Australian dollar.

Market volatility jumped Friday as financial markets initially reacted to news of Trumps diagnosis in a risk-averse manner. U.S. stock futures slid, Treasury rates fell and the yen advanced, although there was a reversal in these moves as the day wore on.

Speculation that Trumps illness could help bridge the gap on stimulus talks ultimately helped to lift Treasury yields, while the S&P 500 index ended down less than one per cent and the Bloomberg dollar index was little changed on the day, but all these markets closed before it was revealed that the president was headed to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment.

Risks will remain for global financial markets and uncertainty over Trumps health adds a whole new level of complexity to the surroundings of financial market sentiment that were already far from clear, said Jameel Ahmad, the director of investment strategy at Naga Group AG in London. Should governments begin to announce new stimulus packages to reinvigorate economic momentum or hopeful news be delivered on the vaccine we are all waiting for, then the outlook for risk appetite becomes cautiously optimistic.

Traders may obsess over Trumps medical bulletins in coming days and the complexities that his illness brings to an already divisive presidential election campaign, but the ultimate impact on financial assets is not clear cut. Trump may be discharged from the hospital as soon as Monday as he recuperates from COVID-19, one of his doctors said Sunday, though they revealed hes been administered a medicine to control inflammation.

The spread of coronavirus among a number of Republican senators also adds potential complications for Congress, which is at the heart of Americas contentious Supreme Court nomination battle and would also need to legislate on any fresh stimulus even if Republicans and Democrats managed to come to terms on a deal. Despite that, there is increased optimism about the chance of stimulus and Trump himself tweeted Saturday from hospital that the economy needs a deal, urging negotiators to get it done.

There is an underlying belief that even if an agreement cannot be struck now, a package could be approved in the lame-duck session, and a larger effort next year and the configuration of political and economic considerations strongly points to more fiscal support, said Marc Chandler, chief market strategist at Bannockburn Global in New York. The relatively light economic calendar in the week ahead may not get in the way of a resumption underlying trend in risk assets higher, he said.

With the situation in Washington in flux, markets may be wary without being panicked as trading in Asia gets underway Monday. Holidays in China may also dampen activity, while political developments from the Caucasus to the U.K. could stir movements in some individual currencies.

Britains pound may enjoy early gains Monday after the U.K. and the European Union agreed to step up their negotiations over a post-Brexit trade accord. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a video call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday in which both renewed their commitment to getting a deal. Meanwhile, ongoing hostilities between Azerbaijanis and Armenians and the involvement of both Russia and Turkey in the dispute are likely to keep a strong focus on the ruble and the lira.

The focus for most traders globally, though, will be squarely on Trump, his illness and the upcoming election battle.

We have arrived in no mans land, wrote Andreas Rees, an economist at UniCredit Bank in Frankfurt. Until someone has been sworn in on 20 January, there will be lots of uncertainty and volatility in financial markets.
Vowing to scrap the new farm laws once the Congress returns to power at the Centre, on Sunday alleged that the BJP-led government was acting at the behest of select corporates to "destroy

Leading a tractor rally in Punjab against the farm legislations, the Congress leader launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and questioned the need for bringing in the new laws at the time of the coronavirus pandemic.

Their target is to end the MSP and food procurement system. They know the day that happens, of Punjab and Haryana will be finished, he said.

But the Congress will not allow this to happen, we stand firmly behind you. We will not back down an inch, Gandhi said while addressing a public rally at Badni Kalan here before a tractor rally through the districts of Moga and Ludhiana.

The Congress, which is in power in Punjab, is holding tractor rallies from October 4 to October 6 across the state in protest against the Centre's new farm laws.

Gandhi alleged that the Modi government was a puppet whose strings were in the hands of the Adanis and the Ambanis".

I guarantee the day Congress government is formed (at the Centre), these three black laws would be scrapped and consigned to wastepaper basket, he said.

The former Congress president said if the laws were meant for farmers, then why were they agitating against these new legislations, and referred to the Congress' opposition to the Land Acquisition Bill.

He said while the system needed reforms and change, there was no way the Congress would allow it to be destroyed.

I am not saying that there is no deficiency in this system. There is a need to reform the system, but it does not need to be destroyed.

If you do so then there will not be anything for farmers' safety and they will have to directly talk to Ambani and Adani and will be destroyed, he said.

President Ram Nath Kovind has given assent to the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill; Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill; and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, which were passed by the Parliament last month.

The government has maintained that the MSP system will remain and has accused the Congress and other opposition parties of misleading farmers.

Prime Minister Modi has alleged that those opposing the bills only want the middlemen to thrive, while his government is concerned about the interests of farmers who will now be able to get a better price for their produce.

It was merely "opposition for the sake of opposition", he had said on the protests against the new laws and claimed that these parties too had been in favour of such reforms but lacked the courage as their focus was only on elections.

Gandhi targeted Prime Minister Modi, accusing him of lying to the people and misleading the nation for the past six years to serve the interests of two to three large corporate houses.

For six years, Narendra Modi has been speaking lies. When he brought demonetisation, he had then said black money will be curbed. When GST was implemented, it hit small shopkeepers, traders and the poor.

When COVID-19 came, the debt of biggest corporates of the country was waived, their tax was waived. But no relief was given to poor and farmers, not a single rupee was given, he alleged.

Referring to the Hathras case, where a dalit teenager died after being assaulted and allegedly gangraped, Gandhi claimed that while no action is being taken against the culprits, the victims are being targeted.

Later, along with Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh sat on a tractor which was driven by Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar.

Gandhi and other party leaders including Priyanka Vadra had on Saturday night met the victim's family in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh.

In his address, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh also pledged not to back out of the fight against the black laws till they are amended to give a written constitutional guarantee on MSP and continuation of FCI.

The verbal assurances of the BJP-led government could not be trusted, he said.

He also accused the Akalis of selling off the interests of the farmers as part of the Union Government.

Former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, who had been at loggerheads with Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and had stayed away from all Congress activities ever since he resigned from the state cabinet last year, too addressed the gathering.

AICC general secretary in-charge of Punjab affairs Harish Rawat and party MLAs also joined the rally.

(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.)
Fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces has continued on Sunday over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, with Azerbaijan's second largest city, Ganja, coming under attack.

Hikmat Hajiyev, an aide to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, on Sunday accused Armenian armed forces of using cluster bombs, heavy artillery and targeted missile strikes against cities and settlements across the country.

Armenia's Defence Ministry denied the accusations, while Nagorno-Karabakh officials took the responsibility for striking Ganja, where several houses were destroyed.

Footage from Azerbaijan's public broadcaster, which Associated Press has not been able to independently verify, shows people carrying an elderly woman from a damaged building.

One civilian was killed, and 32 more have been wounded, according to a statement by the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's office.

At the same time Armenia accused Azerbaijan of attacking civilians in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh's capital.

The fighting is the sharpest escalation in years in the decades-long dispute over the region, which lies within Azerbaijan but is controlled by local ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia.

(Image Credit: AP)
By Andrei Makhovsky and Vladimir Soldatkin

MINSK/MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Alexander Lukashenko's government announced that it had drawn up a list of people banned from entering Belarus in retaliation for sanctions imposed by the European Union on Friday.

After hours of summit talks, EU member states agreed to sanction about 40 Belarusian officials accused of rigging the Aug. 9 presidential election that handed Lukashenko a sixth term and sparked a wave of mass protests and strikes.

Belarus did not name the officials on its sanctions list or which countries they were from.

The two-month-old crisis has pushed Lukashenko back towards traditional ally Russia, which has propped up Belarus with loans and an offer of military support. Both have accused the West of meddling in Belarus.

Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone on Friday, expressing confidence that "the problems that have arisen will soon be resolved", the Kremlin said.

The EU sanctions had been held up by Cyprus due to an unrelated dispute with Turkey. The delay dented the credibility of the EU's foreign policy, diplomats said.

"That we could now agree to those sanctions is an important signal because it strengthens the hand of those who are protesting for freedom of opinion in Belarus," German Chancellor Angela Merkel told journalists.

Merkel will meet on Tuesday with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenko's main electoral opponent who fled into exile after the vote in the ex-Soviet republic, fearing for her family's safety. Lukashenko denies doctoring the election result.

French President Emmanuel Macron met Tsikhanouskaya on Tuesday, pledging European support for the Belarusian people.

(Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Shreyasi's father Digvijay Singh was a seasoned socialist leader from Bihar. Following his death, her mother Putul Singh represented Banka in the Lok Sabha.

New Delhi: Commonwealth Games gold medallist shooter Shreyasi Singh, whose father Digvijay Singh was a seasoned socialist leader from Bihar, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday and may fight the state Assembly elections.

She joined the BJP at the party headquarters in Delhi in the presence of its general secretaries Bhupender Yadav, who is in charge of its Bihar affairs, and Arun Singh. She later met party president JP Nadda.

The 29-year-old Arjuna Awardee, who won a gold medal in the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, is likely to be fielded by the BJP in the Assembly polls.

Her father was elected to Lok Sabha several times from Banka and had also served as a member of Rajya Sabha.

His wife Putul Singh also represented Banka as an Independent in Lok Sabha following his death in 2010. She later joined the BJP but was expelled from the saffron party during the Lok Sabha polls last year after she filed her nomination as an Independent from Banka as the seat was allocated to the JD(U).

A Union minister in the Chandra Shekhar and Atal Bihari Vajpayee governments, Digvijay Singh was with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for a few years before they fell out and he snapped his political association with him.
In his first public meeting since the onset of the coronavirus crisis in February, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met with Iraq's visiting Prime Minister Mostafa Al-Kadhimi in Tehran on Tuesday July 21.

During the meeting, Khamenei vowed to take revenge for former IRGC Qods Force Commander Qassem Soleimani who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad in January. He said: "We will definitely strike back at the U.S. in response to the assassination of our general."

Nevertheless, probably responding to Al-Kadhimi's call on Iran not to intervene in Iraq's affairs during an earlier meeting with Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, Khamenei said: "Iran has never had and will never have any intention to meddle in Iraq's affairs. Iran seeks a dignified, independent Iraq with its territorial integrity and internal unity and cohesion protected."

He reiterated: "Iran is certainly against anything that weakens Iraq," adding that "The U.S. outlook concerning Iraq is exactly the opposite to our outlook because the U.S. is the enemy in the true sense of the word and opposes an independent, strong Iraqi government elected by popular vote."

Khameneis words contrast with accusations that Iran finances thousands of Iraqi Shiite militiamen who operate outside government control and have been attacking Iraqi military bases hosting U.S. and other coalition forces. In addition, Iran is said to be actively interfering in Iraqi politics by grooming factions to dominate the parliament and by extension other government institutions.

Explaining Tehran's official position, Khamenei said: "It doesn't matter to the U.S. who the Prime Minister of Iraq is. They want a government like that of Paul Bremer, the U.S. government official who served as director of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Iraq (200304).

"Iran doesnt interfere in Iraq-U.S. relations but expects the Iraqi friends to know that the U.S. presence in any country brings corruption and destruction. Iran expects the decision of the Iraqi government, nation and parliament to expel the U.S. to be pursued because U.S. presence causes insecurity," Khamenei said.

Khamenei further charged: "The U.S. crime in assassinating General Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis is an example of the its presence. They killed your guest in your home, and they blatantly confessed to this crime. This is not a trivial matter."

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will never forget the martyrdom of Hajj Qassem Soleimani and will definitely strike a reciprocal blow to the U.S.," he said.

Khamenei expressed support for the Al-Kadhimis administration and praised Ayatollah Ali Sistani and Hashd al-Shaabi militia's role in Iraq but did not touch upon the outstanding economic issues between the two countries.

Although many analysts in Iran and the region expected some reference to Iraq's possible mediation to improve ties Irans ties with Saudi Arabia, there was no mention of it in the media.

During the earlier meeting with Rouhani, however, Al-Kadhimi and Rouhani mainly discussed security issues and said the two countries' security were interconnected. Meanwhile, Rouhani called for the expansion of bilateral cooperation.

The two officials agreed to set up a joint committee to follow up on previous agreements between Tehran and Baghdad. However, nothing came up at least in the official news about outstanding financial problems between the two.

Iran exports natural gas and electricity to Iraq thanks to a sanction waiver the United States awarded to Iraq for transactions with Iran. The two countries have been having problems about how to compensate Iran for its energy export as Iraq cannot pay Iran amid U.S. banking sanctions on Iran.

Many Iranian and regional analysts have said that Iran's influence in Iraq has sharply declined after Soleimani's death and it is not clear to what extent Iran can control or influence its proxy Shiite groups in Iraq.

According to Iranian news website Tabnak, during Iranian Foreign Minister's visit to Baghdad on Monday, three rockets were fired at areas around the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, but no group seems to have assumed responsibility for the attack.

After months of political turmoil in Iraq, Iran reluctantly agreed to support Al-Kadhimi, but some hardliner Iranian sources insist that he had played a part in developments that led to Soleimani's targeted killing.
We are far from writing the final chapters on the novel coronavirus pandemic, but seven months since the first diagnosed COVID-19 case in Texas  as deaths from the virus surpass 16,000 and cases near a million  we can now look back and see how it all went so wrong.

As detailed in the three-part Chronicle series Exposed, public officials at all levels, some with the best intentions and others full of little more than wishful thinking and political calculations, were unprepared to face a foreseeable crisis, confusing Texans with mixed messages and using faulty information that led them to roll the dice and needlessly put lives at risk.

Although it had been more than a century since the 1918 flu pandemic brought the world to its knees, killing about 675,000 people in the U.S. alone and millions around the globe, the last decade alone had health experts facing two outbreaks that left them sounding the alarm and issuing dire warnings that went largely unheeded.

In 2009, the H1N1 pandemic claimed 240 lives in Texas. Experts found the state responded well but they cautioned of a potential shortage of personal protective equipment, including masks, gowns and gloves. Texas reacted by buying large quantities of protective equipment and hand sanitizer, placed them in caches around the state  and, the Chronicle found, largely forgot them.

In 2014, the Ebola virus response led medical professionals to warn about a lack of epidemiology staff and the need for more public health funding. There was an effort to bring up the number of epidemiologists to national standards  1.9 per 100,000 residents  but Texas didnt even reach half, stalling at .73.

Over the past 12 years, the federal government has also cut funding for emergency preparedness by more than half, and Texas did nothing to close the gap. A bill introduced in the Legislature after the Ebola pandemic would have placed the head of the Department of State Health Services in charge of a unified pandemic response. It died in a House committee.

In 2018, the Texas Task Force of Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response discussed having pandemic training. They did not meet again until COVID-19 was already on its way.

In Houston, officials tried to balance economic concerns with public safety, going forward with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo with the belief they could monitor the situation and pull back once there was a confirmed case of community spread.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo was a constant voice of caution and safety, but even she now believes she should have been more aggressive. By the time that first community spread case was diagnosed, the Chronicle found there were already at least three dozen people infected in the region.

Houston got lucky that the rodeo, which was eventually shut down two weeks and 851,000 guests later, did not become a superspreader event. Local officials drew the right lesson from the near-miss and have been consistently pushing for restraint ever since.

State leaders should have followed Houstons lead.

Gov. Greg Abbott partially shut down the state in March, which undoubtedly helped slow the spread, but he chose to listen to people such as salon owner Shelley Luther over his own medical experts, such as Dr. Mark McClellan, and reopened the economy before the states own criteria were met.

Compounding the error was the states use of flawed data, which painted a far rosier picture and made it easier to follow the more politically palatable response. Over the past few months, the number of cases, hospitalizations and the positivity rate, the percentage of how many people test positive in relation to the number of tests, have all been revised  adding to the confusion.

The number of deaths has also been affected. As the Chronicle investigation shows, while state officials were using the states comparatively low death rate to justify reopening, a lot more Texans were dying of COVID than were being reported. At its worst, the undercount reached 3,811  roughly 44 percent of the deaths reported by late July.

The Chronicle series prompts us not just to look back  but forward.

There will be a time to hold our leaders accountable and single out any who deserves praise, but we also must push ahead to make sure we are better prepared for what comes next, either from this pandemic or from another virus. Experts made many recommendations to the Chronicle reporters, including the proper funding of public health, shifting more protective equipment manufacturing to the U.S., expanding the state stockpile and creating the position of Texas pandemic czar to have a strong single voice that can communicate the best way forward.

We failed to properly prepare this time, and it has cost us dearly. We cant let it happen again.
Victoria Police officers cannot be compelled to release footage from body-worn cameras in civil proceedings following a County Court decision last month which has prompted calls for urgent reform of the laws that regulate their use.

The court ruling is expected to deny crucial evidence being tendered during civil trials that could prove an abuse of power or potentially exonerate a police officer against such an allegation.

A police officer wears a body-worn camera. Credit:Joe Armao

It could also have significant implications for other civil cases, including Transport Accident Commission claims, where a law enforcement officer or paramedic was present and equipped with a camera.

Lawyers and civil libertarians have urged Attorney-General Jill Hennessy to amend legislation from 2017, when the cameras were first trialled in Victoria in response to recommendations by the Royal Commission into Family Violence.
After a Chinese journalist shared a video of PLA soldiers somewhere along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), netizens are claiming that the Pakistan Army is assisting Chinese forces in its border row with India, Times Now said in a report.

Chinese journalist Shen Shewei shared the 52 seconds-long video on Saturday, and said Here, we met with Chinese PLA warriors along China India LAC. Maybe some of them were standing at the Galwan Valley."

The men are seen singing a nationalistic song titled the Motherland Wont Forget Me. Speculation is adrift on the identity of a bearded man who according to OSINT analysts looks different" than other soldiers in terms of features, height and built, said the report.

India has been engaged in a border stand-off with China since clashes with the PLA army resulted in the deaths of 20 soldiers in Galwan Valley in June. The Chinese soldiers used stones, nail-studded sticks, iron rods and clubs in carrying out brutal attacks on Indian soldiers after they protested the erection of a surveillance post by China around patrolling point 14 in Galwan Valley.

China in September said its five soldiers were killed in the clash during during military and diplomatic talks with India at Moldo, said government sources. A top government source in South Block aware of the talks had told News18 at the time the actual Chinese toll would be much higher. When the Chinese say five, multiply it by three, they said.
WASHINGTON  Two Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have tested positive for the coronavirus, raising questions about the timing of Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett and whether additional senators may have been exposed. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declared the confirmation process was going full steam ahead.

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis and Utah Sen. Mike Lee both said Friday that they had tested positive for the virus. Both had attended a ceremony for Barrett at the White House on Sept. 25 with President Donald Trump, who announced Friday that he had tested positive and was later hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Lee, who did not wear a mask at the White House event, said he had symptoms consistent with longtime allergies. Tillis, who did wear a mask during the public portion of the event, said he had mild symptoms. Both said they would quarantine for 10 days  ending just before Barretts confirmation hearings begin on Oct. 12.

The positive tests come as Senate Republicans are pushing to quickly confirm Barrett in the few weeks they have before the Nov. 3 election. There is little cushion in the schedule set out by Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham and McConnell, who want to put a third Trump nominee on the court immediately in case they lose any of their power in the election.

Democrats, many of whom have been critical of Barrett, seized on the virus announcements to call for a delay in the hearings.

We now have two members of the Senate Judiciary Committee who have tested positive for COVID, and there may be more, tweeted Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. I wish my colleagues well. It is irresponsible and dangerous to move forward with a hearing, and there is absolutely no good reason to do so.

Several other members of the Judiciary panel attended the White House ceremony, including Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo. Blackburn said she tested negative after the event. Crapo said he recently had a negative test and a spokeswoman said he would be getting another one as soon as it could be arranged. A spokeswoman for Hawley said he was being tested Saturday, and the senator tweeted later that his coronavirus test came back negative.

Sasse tested negative, but said in a statement that he would work remotely from his home state and undergo further testing due to his close interaction with multiple infected individuals, his office said. He said he planned to to return to Washington in time for the confirmation hearing.

Graham was not at the White House on Saturday but sees Trump frequently. He said Friday that he had taken a test after interacting with Lee and it was negative. A spokeswoman for another GOP member of the committee, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, said Saturday that he had also interacted with Lee and had also tested negative. Still, Cruzs office said he is remaining at home until the hearings out of an abundance of caution.

 READ MORE: President Trump said to be improving from COVID-19, next 48 hours critical

Confirmation hearings for Barrett, who would replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, are scheduled to last for four days. McConnell on Saturday announced that he would seek to delay floor action for the next two weeks but that the hearings would proceed. At an event in Kentucky on Friday, he said he thought remote hearings could work if some senators couldnt attend.

Graham also suggested the possibility of remote hearings, saying on Twitter that any senator who wants to participate virtually will be allowed to do so. In a statement Saturday, Graham said there would be no change in the hearings even if Senate floor votes were delayed. It is not unusual for committees to meet when there is no action on the floor.

Senators cannot vote virtually, however, so Republicans would need a full slate of committee members to approve the nomination shortly after the hearings and all of their senators on the floor for a final confirmation vote, which they hope will happen the last week of October.

 READ MORE: Trump hospital stay due to coronavirus renews focus on transfer of power provisions

After interacting with Sen. Lee, in consultation with the attending physician, Sen. Cruz is remaining at home out of an abundance of caution. He feels healthy, hasnt exhibited any COVID-19 symptoms, and has tested negative. In accordance with medical advice he will return to the Senate for the Supreme Court nomination hearings."

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., also announced Saturday that he tested positive for the virus and would not return until he was cleared by his doctor. He is not on the Judiciary panel, but his presence would likely be needed for a floor vote.

Tillis is in a competitive reelection race against Democrat Cal Cunningham, and the two debated Thursday evening. On Twitter, Cunningham said he wished Tillis a quick recovery and said he would also get tested.

Barrett, who was with Trump and many others on Saturday and met with Lee, Tillis and other members of the Judiciary panel this week, tested negative, the White House said Friday. It was confirmed that she had a mild case of COVID earlier this year and has now recovered.

Trump, who has consistently downplayed the virus and often discouraged the use of masks, was flown to Walter Reed on Friday evening after experiencing symptoms.

The president tweeted Saturday that he was feeling well, though White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said the next 48 hours would be critical in terms of his care.

Associated Press writers Matthew Daly in Washington and Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.
New Delhi [India], October 4 (ANI): (BSP) Spokesperson Sudhindra Bhadoria has raised questions over the recommendation for investigation of Hathras incident by Uttar Pradesh Government and demanded that investigation of the case should be under the supervision of a Judge.

Speaking to ANI Sudhindra Bhadoria said that enquiry was demanded into the incident by BSP supremo Mayawati but she wanted it under the supervision of the Judge.

"I think they should bring in the clause to appoint Judge so that the parents, the people and the society at large be assured that there will be a fair enquiry and the guilty will be punished with iron hands," Bhadoria said.

"There is anger all across the country against the Hathras rape, subsequently leading to her death and even the body not being given to her parents for cremation. Therefore, people in this country are very angry with the Uttar Pradesh Government, more particularly with the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath," BSP Spokesperson further added.

Uttar Pradesh Government has decided to hand over the probe into the to the CBI. Announcing this move in a tweet, the office of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the Chief Minister has decided to hand over the entire investigation into the to the CBI.

In a tweet from his personal handle, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the State government decided this so that all aspects related to the case are investigated thoroughly.

(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.)
Ayodhya, Oct 4 : Setting an example of Hindu-Muslim brotherhood, the first donation towards the proposed construction of a mosque in Ayodhya district of Uttar Pradesh has come from a Hindu.

A Lucknow University law faculty member Rohit Srivastava, has donated Rs 21,000 for the mosque at Dhannipur village which earned him praise from mosque trust secretary Athar Hussain.

"The first contribution for the building of the mosque came from a Hindu brother which is exemplary and heart-warming example of the Indian culture," Hussain said.

The Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) constituted by the Sunni Waqf Board to build the mosque, library, museum and community kitchen on five acres of land has set up a corpus fund for the project.

Srivastava said: "I come from a generation that is rooted in syncretism, where religious barriers blur. I don't celebrate Holi or Diwali without my Muslim friends and they don't celebrate Eid without me. This is the story of crores of Hindus and Muslims in India. I appeal to members of the Hindu community to come forward and donate for the mosque to send out a message that Muslims are our brothers." The district administration had handed over five acres, as ordered by the Supreme Court in lieu of the Babri Masjid, to the Waqf Board in August. In February 2020, the Uttar Pradesh government had announced allotment of land at Dhannipur in Sadar tehsil of Faizabad, about 25 km from the Ram Janambhoomi complex.
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A positive coronavirus test recorded in Shepparton has been reclassified as negative after the sample was retested.

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Victoria recorded nine new coronavirus cases on Monday, but a Department of Health and Human Services spokesman confirmed on Monday night that the case recorded in Shepparton had been a false positive.

It takes the number of cases in the local government area of Greater Shepparton back to zero and the number of active cases in regional Victoria to three.

The result was foreshadowed earlier by Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton during today's press conference.

"The result has a high CT value. A high CT value can sometimes mean like a weak positive," he said.

Professor Sutton said the person's close contacts were being tested, but none of them had yet returned a positive result.
On Monday, a fisherman who departed from South Korea near the North's waters had been shot, killed, and burned to death( you already said he was shot and killed, so how can he now be burned to death? Which is it?) by the North Korean troops. The 47-year-old man was later found in the North's waters after the North Korean soldiers shot him, then poured oil over his body and set it alight. The ministry believes it was an 'anti-coronavirus' measure.

The officials stated the patrol boat was 6 miles away from the border when the North shot the fisherman on Monday. The 47-year-old fisherman is known to be a father of two who left his shoes behind the boat. Seoul mentioned the North Korean patrol boat found the man wearing the life jacket around 15:30 local time.

South Korea's President, Moon Jae-in left a comment stating the incident cannot be tolerated and urged the North to be 'responsible' over the violent measures. BBC News stated that North Korean officials may be doing everything they can to ensure the country remains unaffected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Secretary-General of the National Security Council stated, "We will firmly respond to any action by North Korea that threatens the life and safety of our people."

Amid the 47-year-old man's death, South Korea's defense ministry said it 'strongly condemned such a brutal act' and strongly urged the North to provide an explanation and punish those who are responsible. According to the AFP News, the military hotline between North and South was cut in June, and the inter-Korean liaison office, which was built to help both sides communicate, was destroyed by North Korea.
Prince William was worried Prince Harry was going too fast with Meghan Markle

In the first part of our serialisation of his new book on Saturday, Robert Lacey - a distinguished royal historian and adviser to TV's The Crown - told how Harry and Meghan's behaviour left the Royal Family 'hopping' mad.

Today, he reveals how William feared Harry was rushing into marriage and that the Queen suggested the couple move to Africa for a year or two to enjoy time together.

For the last two years of his 20s, Prince Harry's life slipped sideways into what he described as 'total chaos'. In his own words: 'I just didn't know what was wrong with me... I had probably been very close to a complete breakdown on numerous occasions.'

At his older brother's suggestion, Harry went into therapy. Even so, Cressida Bonas, his last serious girlfriend before Meghan Markle, came to feel he was a damaged and self-obsessed young man.

'No matter how educated, talented, rich or cool you believe you are,' she posted enigmatically on her Instagram page, 'how you treat people ultimately tells it all.'

She complained to friends that Harry had a neurosis about the media. He'd rant and complain about paparazzi lurking where clearly there were none, she said.

Meghan Markle, star of the U.S. TV legal drama series Suits, came into his life in early July 2016.

Already Harry could sense in Meghan the quirks and originalities that made her such a similar character to Diana.

Prince Harry was 'furious' at Prince William after he turned to his uncle Charles Spencer for help in stopping Harry rushing into his marriage to Meghan Markle

She was a changer not a conformist, who fought her battles with the same non-royal - indeed, those temptingly anti-royal - qualities of his mother.

Sometime during that first summer and autumn together in 2016, Harry introduced his girlfriend to his father and his grandmother, who thoroughly approved. The problem was William.

Meghan and Kate actually got on rather well from the start. They might not be best-buddy material, but they found themselves, sister-outsiders in their extraordinary royal situation, and both of them cool professionals, treating each other with mutual respect.

Each was far too canny to make an enemy of a prospective sister-in-law - it only made sense to be friends. The fundamental conflict was between the two males who had known each other all their lives and had never hesitated to tell each other exactly what they thought and felt.

For his part, William was worried that his brother was going too fast in his courtship and he didn't shrink from saying so when Harry started talking about getting hitched.

'This all seems to be moving rather quickly,' William was said to have remarked to Harry doubtfully, on the testimony of more than one friend. 'Are you sure?'

William couldn't understand how Harry could contemplate marrying this still unknown and untested quantity less than two years after their first meeting.

It went against his every instinct - and his own track record. If 'Waity William' had taken nearly a decade to test out and approve his life partner, surely his younger brother could ponder his options for just a year or so more?

But 'Waity William', of course, took so long to commit to Kate for the sake of the monarchy. He had been auditioning her for a job all those years.

So Harry could not help but wonder whether Wills was really concerned about his personal happiness - or whether he was, once again and as per usual, thinking about the make-up and fortunes of 'the Firm' whose boss he would become one day?

The response from Harry was a brusque and offended pushback - and after several more peppery reactions, William turned to his uncle Charles Spencer for help.

From time to time Diana's younger brother had played something of an honorary godfather to both boys in the years since the death of their mother, and their uncle agreed with William to see what he could do.

The result of the Spencer intervention was an even more bitter explosion. Once again Harry refused to slow down.

He didn't blame his uncle. He understood why Diana's brother should want to help. Yet he was furious with his elder brother for dragging other family members into the row.

The fraternal fissure became established. There would be patch-ups and reconciliations, especially when a public show of unity was required. But that anger and mistrust - that distance - has lasted to the present day.

Harry didn't blame his uncle Charles Spencer (both above) for the intervention. He understood why Diana's brother should want to help. But Harry was furious with his elder brother

Even in the fierceness of their disharmony, William and Harry could clearly see and agree on some of the things that they needed to do next - extracting themselves from each other's pockets for a start, and setting up their homes more separately.

That meant the brothers should also split apart the offices they had shared at Kensington since 2012.

Harry put in a request to set up his own office and mini court, possibly at Frogmore - but that was a step too far for both the Queen and Prince Charles who would have to finance the new arrangement.

Harry and Meghan were told that they would have to house their staffs in offices at Buckingham Palace under the supervision of the Queen's private secretary Sir Edward Young - which was hardly the destiny either side wanted.

Still, BP was the royal headquarters, and the couple were willing to see how things might work out.

The saddest separation in many ways came from the two brothers' decision to split up the Royal Foundation, the thriving charitable enterprise that they had created ten years earlier to promote their various good causes.

Final Abbey snub - printed in black and white Twenty-three years earlier, William and Harry had stepped out together - so bravely - side by side down the main aisle of Westminster Abbey, in the wake of their mother's coffin. On Monday, March 9, 2020, they were due back at the Abbey with their wives for a celebration of Commonwealth Day - but this time Harry was furious. For the first time, he'd been relegated to the position of 'junior' royal, along with Edward and Sophie Wessex. Neither he nor Meghan had been invited to process down the aisle behind the Queen, who would be accompanied by Charles and Camilla, as well as William and Kate. In 2018 and 2019, Harry and Meghan had walked down the aisle in the main procession. But, in 2020, they were being shunted aside on their final appearance as working royals in Britain. As now glaringly 'junior' members of the family, the Sussexes would simply have to shuffle their way to their seats and take their place on the sidelines. The subservience of a 'spare' could not have been more strikingly illustrated. Fortunately, however, Prince William had more sense than those responsible for the humiliating new protocol. The weekend before, he'd decided that he and Kate would be quite happy to skip the procession and take their places without ceremony in the congregation alongside Harry and Uncle Edward. It was a small but sensitive gesture of peace. Within minutes of each other, the two princes and their wives slipped quietly into their seats, then sat waiting for the Queen and Prince Charles to process in senior splendour down the aisle. The only problem was that 2,000 orders of service had already been distributed round the Abbey, explaining that William and Kate would enter and process with the main royal party - and making no mention at all of Harry and Meghan. So there was the snub in black and white - set out for all to see. Observers also noted that Harry's face was 'quite tense and unsmiling' - and that when William sat down close to him, he barely greeted his brother. Throughout the service, Meghan megawatted away with her best TV smile but, as the ceremony progressed, Harry appeared to grow gloomier. According to one observer, 'his accelerated blinking even suggested he might have been fighting back tears.' Advertisement

Raising and paying out a good 7 million to 8 million per year for some 26 charities, the Royal Foundation seemed to embody both the legacy of Diana and the harmony of her sons in perpetuating her name.

When William, Kate, Harry and Meghan appeared on stage together for the first time to launch their Royal Foundation Forum, at the end of February 2018, they'd been hailed as the 'Fab Four'.

'I'm personally incredibly proud and excited,' said Harry, 'that my soon-to-be wife, who is equally passionate about seeing positive change in the world, will soon be joining us with this work.'

William then welcomed Meghan to the family in a more official fashion, adding how 'delighted' he was for her to be joining the team, while Kate backed her husband up with a round of applause.

What good actors they all were.

'Working together as a family,' came a question, 'do you ever have disagreements about things?'

Cue nervous laughter. The two women looked at the ground saying nothing, using their hair to hide their faces - and their true emotions, presumably.

Harry held on to Meghan for some mutual support. It was William who said quite directly, 'Oh, yes' - inspiring Harry then to add that the clashes came 'thick and fast'.

Had these disagreements been resolved? the questioner persisted. To which William replied facetiously: 'We don't know!'

It was announced that Meghan would become a fourth trustee, and she expressed the hope the foundation might extend its support to the women's empowerment movement that was developing in the U.S. from the recent Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment scandals.

'Right now,' said Meghan, 'with so many campaigns like #MeToo and #TimesUp, there's no better time to continue to shine a light on women feeling empowered and people supporting them.'

Everybody nodded approvingly. Yet no one  neither on the stage, nor in the audience, nor even in the attentive and critical Press pack  appeared to realise quite how revolutionary was this suggestion that the new recruit was making.

Because only the previous month a $13 million legal defence fund had been created, linked to MeToo and TimesUp, seeking legislation to discipline and punish companies that tolerated sexual harassment.

Legislation meant politics  and in royal terms politics was simply taboo. It was a total no-no for the British Royal Family to endorse any cause, no matter how virtuous, that could be seen to take one political side against another.

So here was another profound reason for the rift that would divide William and Harry and come close to shattering the House of Windsor within two years. Meghan didn't just want to do good in the world  she wanted to change the world.

On June 20, 2019, not long after Archie's birth, it was announced that the Royal Foundation's assets would be divided. William and Kate would take over the existing organisation, while Harry and Meghan would establish a charity of their own aiming at 'global outreach'.

The following day, which just happened to be William's 37th birthday, Harry and Meghan trademarked 'Sussex Royal  The Foundation Of The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex'.

Sussex Royal was the work of Harry, Meghan and her team of American advisers headed by the powerful Hollywood talent and PR agency Sunshine Sachs  the creation of the amiably named Ken Sunshine and PR guru Shawn Sachs.

Those advisers were on hand at the end of July 2019 when the contents of Meghan's 'Forces for Change' Vogue were previewed - and were met by stern and rather worrying disapproval from the British Press.

'Meghan's 'woke' Vogue is shallow and divisive,' wrote Melanie Phillips, leading the way in The Times. 'Her virtue-signalling is all about boasting. It flaunts the signaller's credentials as a morally virtuous person. It screams, 'Me! Me! Me!'

The new Duchess, she went on, clearly did not understand that her new, royal status 'precludes political statements. She still hasn't grasped that the role of the monarchy is to unite the country.'

The Sun took up the same theme: 'OUR ROYALS SHOULD KEEP THEIR POLITICAL OPINIONS PRIVATE.' It was a formidable chorus of disapproval  and not just from commentators.

Editors had serious constitutional concerns about the monarchy trespassing into politics. Meghan evidently did not know - or did not want to know - what it meant to be a Windsor.

Sometime during summer and autumn in 2016, Harry introduced his girlfriend Meghan Markle to his father and his grandmother, who thoroughly approved. The problem was William

That feeling was coming to be shared among the Windsors themselves - and Prince William was particularly disturbed.

Many of the papers had identified Meghan's proclaimed refusal to be 'boastful' by appearing on the front of her issue as a not-so-sly put-down to Kate, whose face had featured on the cover of her own Vogue a few years earlier.

But William's concern went much deeper. Money, power and survival. These were basic royal issues, and they were far too important to be threatened by trendy controversies in a glossy magazine.

William had heartily endorsed his sister-in-law's previous publishing initiative. The Royal Foundation had stepped in to support the Grenfell Tower fire cookbook, administering the collection and distribution of the funds.

The project had been 'driven by a desire', as the foundation put it, 'to make a difference together'.

'Together' was the operative word. William did not see his future role as monarch - nor his current role as heir - as a matter of him working to maintain the nation's feelings in harmony while his activist brother and his wife jumped up and down beside him cultivating political and cultural divisions in pursuit of their trendy vision of doing good. Windsors do not do 'woke'.

William had been worried for some time that Harry was growing away from him, and this was confirmed when he tried to discuss the issues raised by Meghan's Vogue with his brother.

As with the brothers' arguments of 2016/17 over William's attempts to make Harry 'go slow', the details of the showdown over Meghan's 'Forces for change' are not known.

But there was another classic Harry explosion, followed by a further, even deeper rift. Suddenly Harry, Meghan and Archie were no longer joining William, Kate and the other members of the Royal Family for their annual summer holiday with Grandma at Balmoral.

The official excuse, conveyed straight-faced by the palace, was that at three months Archie was still too young for the air travel involved. But that didn't stop the Sussexes somehow managing to travel to Minorca for a week that August, and then taking Archie with them for a few days in the South of France with Elton John and his partner David Furnish.

'The Cote d'Azur with Elton, but no Balmoral with Granny?' asked one former attendant to Elizabeth II. 'They seem to be getting their Queens mixed up.'
JACKSON COUNTY, MI  Hail, lightening and rain hasnt stopped employees on strike at manufacturers in Jackson and Calhoun counties, who are asking to keep their pension and days off for doctor visits.

Nineteen employees at Miller Tool & Die in Jackson have been on strike since Sept. 17, and 35 employees at Albion Casters have been on strike since Sept. 25. Striking workers are all part of International Association of Machinists Local 435.
RACINE  It was the morning of April 28, 2015. As Melissa Hernandez remembers that morning, she woke up, checked on her three sleeping elementary-aged children, went near her front door where one of her two dogs was sleeping on his dog bed. She gave the dog a kiss on the head and went into the bathroom to get ready for work.

The next thing she heard was a gunshot.

Hernandez said she and her other dog went to the front door to see what was happening. According to the complaint, Racine SWAT Detective Joe Villalobos had shot her first dog and then immediately shot the second dog.

Both dogs died.

That was more than five years ago. Last month, a $270,000 settlement was approved by the Racine City Council in response to two separate incidents where Racine Police killed dogs, including Hernandezs case.

The settlement was discussed in closed session last month and approved without public discussion.

The Journal Times submitted a records request for a copy of the settlement regarding Hernandezs case and the case of Kurt Hanson, and any complaints filed on their behalf. A response to that request was received Wednesday.

The complaint was sent to the city by attorneys Jeff Scott Olson and Andrea J. Farrell on behalf of Hernandez and Hanson, but was never filed in court due to the settlement. Farrell told The Journal Times in an email that both cases were included because, they had claims that arose from the same practice/policy of the Racine PD.

There is no personal connection between Hanson and Hernandez laid out in the claim, but they both know what its like to have a beloved family pet killed by law enforcement.

The complaint alleges that the Police Department changed its policies under the leadership of Police Chief Art Howell, leading to the deaths of those beloved canines.

Howell, in a statement to The Journal Times, vehemently denied that any policy changes leading to increased force against animals were put in place since he became chief. He added, regarding the lawsuit, that any communication that asserts that Racine Police Department practices or policies initiated under my administration were unconstitutional, is not only false, but libelous in nature.

Two incidents

Hansons case was profiled in The Journal Times in 2014 when SWAT officers shot his dog, Angel, after a long standoff in front of his home on Nov. 1, 2014.

Police had claimed that Hanson had ordered his dog to attack police, who were positioned behind an armored vehicle parked near his front yard, during a standoff that started when Hanson reportedly threatened a neighbor with a machete. But a video of the incident surfaced which showed Angel was walking away, wagging its tail, when it was shot and killed.

Hernandezs case, however, had not been previously reported. Her story, about kissing the dog moments before it was killed, was detailed in the complaint that The Journal Times received via open records request.

Change in policy alleged

The complaint claimed that the shooting of dogs was excused under the leadership of Howell, who became police chief after Kurt Wahlen retired in 2012.

In 2011, SWAT officers encountered at least five dogs in tactical situations and did not harm any of them. The complaint alleged that under Howell, Racine operated under an unconstitutional working policy and practice with respect to use of force against pet dogs.

From 2012 to 2016, Racine Police shot and killed 13 dogs during 22 encounters during tactical incidents, according to police records. Five of those dogs were killed in 2012, a year when Racine SWAT encountered eight dogs in tactical situations.

In 2014, Racine SWAT encountered five dogs in tactical situations and killed four of them. In 2015, they encountered three dogs and killed two.

In Viilo v. Eyre, a lawsuit over a 2008 incident where a Milwaukee Police Officer killed a dog, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit stated, Both common sense, and indeed Wisconsin law ... (indicate that) the use of deadly force against a household pet is reasonable only if the pet poses an immediate danger and the use of force is unavoidable.

The Racine complaint alleged that, while incidents with dogs are rarely lethal for the officer and more incidents with Racine Police were becoming lethal for the dogs, the department did not conduct training on non-lethal means of controlling family pets.

Yet Racine, through its policymaker Chief Howell, explicitly permitted and encouraged Racine SWAT officers who were entering a home to shoot a pet dog, even when the dog was NOT posing an immediate danger, and even when the lesser levels of force would have been sufficient, the complaint read.

Police chief responds

Howell told The Journal Times that, other than the introduction of civilian animal control officers in 2013, no policies regarding animals or use of force were developed or introduced under his administration.

The assertion that such policies or practices were unconstitutional, and that such non-existent policies explicitly permitted and encouraged officer misconduct can be quickly discredited upon review of the facts, he said.

Howell argued the policies created alongside the introduction of animal control officers has reduced the number of occasions where lethal force is used against an animal.

As it relates to the use of force during the execution of search warrants, a formal threat matrix is used to determine when the S.W.A.T. team may be used to execute high-risk warrants, Howell wrote. Similar to all existing policies relating to the use of force, the threat matrix system was introduced prior to my appointment. This system was put in place to assess the threat level when the target of search warrants involved weapons, drugs, or dangerous felons.

The decision to settle the case falls under City Attorney Scott Letteneys authority, not Howells.

However, Howell wrote, the decision to hold attorneys and others accountable for making false and libelous statements is a remedy option I retain outside of the scope of my authority as a city department head.

Sugar settlement

Hanson and Hernandez are not the first to receive a settlement due to those killings.

In 2018, Sara and Joseph Harmon sued the department for the killing of their bulldog named Sugar. When Racine police SWAT executed a no-knock warrant in 2016, Sugar ran into a bedroom to hide. Racine Police Sgt. Ryan Comstock shot the dog five times after she appeared behind the bed and advanced toward him.

The Harmons sued the City of Racine and four Racine police officers in federal court and received a $10,000 settlement, approved by the City Council in December 2018. Then-Alderman Sandy Weidner, who had represented the 6th Aldermanic District, had voted against the settlement because she was concerned it would open the city up for more such litigation.

That search warrant was issued as part of an investigation into a shots-fired incident weeks earlier, although the search netted no evidence of illegal activity and no arrests were made.

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New Delhi, Oct 4 : Hathras, a small district in Uttar Pradesh, has become the epicentre for media reportage, political and social activism for the alleged gang-rape victim who died in a Delhi hospital recently.

This isn't the first time India is seeing protests across the nation over a gang-rape and sexual assault. India has seen brutal rapes and gang-rapes in the past, many of which resulted in a public outcry on the streets.

The most prominent was the 2012 Delhi gang-rape and murder case which involved a rape and fatal assault that occurred on December 16, 2012 in Munirka in south Delhi inside a moving bus. The incident took place when a 23-year-old female physiotherapy intern who was later dubbed 'Nirbhaya' (Fearless), was beaten, gang-raped, and brutally tortured in a private bus in which she was travelling with her male friend. Four of the adult convicts were hanged in Tihar jail in March this year.

The infamous incident in 2013 in Mumbai also known as the Shakti Mills gang-rape, where a 22-year-old photojournalist, who was interning with a magazine in Mumbai, was gang-raped by five people, including a juvenile. The incident occurred on August 22, 2013, when she had gone to the deserted Shakti Mills compound, near Mahalaxmi in south Mumbai, with a male colleague on an assignment.

Earlier in 1996, a 25-year-old law student, was found strangled in her uncle's residence. She had been raped, struck 14 times with a motorcycle helmet, and finally strangled with a wire by Santosh Kumar Singh, son of a former IPS officer, who was later arrested and convicted for the crime.

In November 2019, the gang-rape and murder of a 26-year-old veterinary doctor in Shamshabad, near Hyderabad, sparked outrage across India. Her body was found in Shadnagar on November 28, 2019, the day after she was murdered. Police found that her body was doused with kerosene and then burnt. Four suspects were arrested and were killed in a police encounter on December 6, 2019, under a bridge on Bangalore-Hyderabad national highway, while they allegedly tried to flee from police custody.

In 2018, the infamous Kathua rape case made headlines when an 8-year-old girl was abducted, raped, and murdered in Rasana village near Kathua in Jammu & Kashmir. The girl disappeared for a week before her body was discovered by villagers a kilometre away from the village. The incident made national news with protests across the country.

In April 2019, a nine-year-old girl was allegedly raped and killed by a man in Vile Parle area in Mumbai. The girl's body was found inside a public toilet at Nehru Nagar area in Vile Parle following which the accused was arrested.

Crimes against women increased 7.3 per cent from 2018 to 2019, and crimes against Scheduled Castes also went up 7.3 per cent in the same period, according to the annual National Crime Record Bureau's 'Crime in India 2019' report released on Tuesday. In terms of absolute numbers, Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number of cases in both these categories.

(Zafar Abbas can be reached at zafar.a@ians.in)
Energizer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:ENR), might not be a large cap stock, but it received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the NYSE over the last few months, increasing to US$52.98 at one point, and dropping to the lows of US$39.14. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether Energizer Holdings' current trading price of US$40.46 reflective of the actual value of the mid-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Lets take a look at Energizer Holdingss outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change.

View our latest analysis for Energizer Holdings

What is Energizer Holdings worth?

The share price seems sensible at the moment according to my price multiple model, where I compare the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average. Ive used the price-to-earnings ratio in this instance because theres not enough visibility to forecast its cash flows. The stocks ratio of 23.42x is currently trading slightly below its industry peers ratio of 25.34x, which means if you buy Energizer Holdings today, youd be paying a reasonable price for it. And if you believe Energizer Holdings should be trading in this range, then there isnt much room for the share price to grow beyond the levels of other industry peers over the long-term. Is there another opportunity to buy low in the future? Since Energizer Holdingss share price is quite volatile, we could potentially see it sink lower (or rise higher) in the future, giving us another chance to buy. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for how much the stock moves relative to the rest of the market.

Can we expect growth from Energizer Holdings?

Future outlook is an important aspect when youre looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so lets also take a look at the company's future expectations. With profit expected to grow by 66% over the next year, the near-term future seems bright for Energizer Holdings. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation.

Story continues

What this means for you:

Are you a shareholder? ENRs optimistic future growth appears to have been factored into the current share price, with shares trading around industry price multiples. However, there are also other important factors which we havent considered today, such as the track record of its management team. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at ENR? Will you have enough confidence to invest in the company should the price drop below the industry PE ratio?

Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping an eye on ENR, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for ENR, which means its worth further examining other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

If you want to dive deeper into Energizer Holdings, you'd also look into what risks it is currently facing. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 4 warning signs for Energizer Holdings (of which 1 is a bit unpleasant!) you should know about.

If you are no longer interested in Energizer Holdings, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
"Apparently Gaviscon has disappeared from the shelves," recalls (geddit?) Jane Stranger of Erskineville. "So our gang, the 'Aqua Girls', have searched all corners of our medicine cabinets and we now have a good supply. We are about to become dealers. Anyone interested? We are only selling to the over-70s, as they are in greatest need."

With summer on the horizon, Brad Campbell of Redfern, Russ Couch of Woonona, Ken Hudson of Wollongbar, John Rand of Belrose and Bart Fielden of Lindfield are keen to point out a handy hint in the reuse of the humble bread tag (C8). Brad says: "Should your thong have a plug blowout, just attach the tag to the plug of your thong and it should stop it pulling through. A short-term fix until you can purchase a new pair." We just hope any of our American friends won't be too troubled when reading this.

"I can top Grant Casey's old address," (C8), writes Mike Rose of Newport. "When presenting at the then new Northern Beaches Hospital 18 months ago, I was asked if my address was 12 Poole Street, Longueville. This was an address I last used on my driver's licence renewal in November 1971. The mystery was deepened by the fact that this address pre-dates any computer records, and Royal North Shore, Mona Vale and Royal Prince Alfred hospitals all have a more recent address on file, not to mention that it is an address that Medicare and Medibank have never had."

It's a case of chocks away for Kath Maher of Lidcombe: "David Grover (C8), you must take forever to read your paper if you noticed such a detail. Guess you won't be needing an eye test any time soon."

Frank McGrath of Bulli notes: "The afternoon newsreader on ABC Radio Sydney records a summary of the weather for major centres in NSW, to be replayed after the hourly news through the following night. When Jamelle Wells reads the news, she, and she alone, includes Cobar. Why? That's her home town. A sweet and responsible exercise of power!"
MOSCOW - Vladlen Los sat in a chair outside Room 239 of the Xander Hotel. It was midmorning on Aug. 20 in the Siberian city of Tomsk. The lawyer Los was determined that no one get inside the room that his colleague, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, had left hours before.

All that was known at that point was that Navalny was gravely ill - stricken on a plane returning to Moscow. But Los and a handful of other members of Navalny's inner circle immediately suspected a deliberate poisoning.

And they decided some clues could still be in the hotel room. They also knew they had to be first to get inside.

So began a pivotal, high-pressure gambit with four of Navalny's associates becoming forensic evidence hunters - recovering a hotel water bottle on which a German military laboratory later found traces of a Novichok group nerve agent. Novichok-linked poisons have been used in previous attacks that Western officials and others assert were carried out by Russia.

The effort to gain access to Room 239, described to The Washington Post by members of Navalny's team, has been largely overshadowed by Navalny's slow recovery in a Berlin hospital and widespread suspicion of Russian state involvement in the attack.

But the actions of Navalny's colleagues at the Xander Hotel were critical in attempts to piece together what happened that morning.

Some events described by Navalny's associates could not be independently verified, but a clip of the video from the hotel room search was posted online and fits with the accounts.

Their speed also contrasted with glacial police response, seen by activists as deliberate stonewalling. Police still have not opened a criminal probe.

In a statement posted by Navalny last week, he accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of the attempted killing.

"I certainly believe that Putin is personally behind the attempt on my life," he wrote Thursday.

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Thursday the accusation was groundless and offensive, and claimed Navalny was working for the CIA.

Russian political analyst Kirill Rogov said the full details may never be known, but speculated that it was not an "accident."

"From time to time, somebody is poisoned by groups close to the Russian government," he said. "This is the system, an institution, not an accident."

- - -

Around 10 a.m. on Aug. 20, Los was having breakfast with two other members of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, part of his political network. They had stayed an extra day in Tomsk. Navalny was on the early flight to Moscow.

Georgy Alburov, an investigator with the foundation, pulled up a flight-tracking app. He noticed Navalny's plane was diverted to Omsk. He fired off a lighthearted message - "How's Omsk?' - to Navalny press secretary Kira Yarmysh, who was on the flight.

"A couple of minutes later she replied that everything is terrible. Alexei is unconscious and he was poisoned," said Alburov. Not long after, in a video posted on Twitter by a passenger, Navalny was heard screaming and moaning.

In an interview with Der Spiegel published Thursday, Navalny said he was in no pain, but believed he was dying. He told Der Spiegel he became disoriented after takeoff and started sweating. He washed his face in the bathroom, then emerged to tell a flight attendant: "I'm dying. I've been poisoned."

In Tomsk, the three Navalny aides - Alburov, Los and Maria Pevchikh, the group's head of investigations - tried to set their next move. They decided it was worth trying to gather potential evidence.

At first, they didn't think the room search would turn up much. Theories were quickly circulated on social media that Navalny was poisoned by tea he drank at the airport.

First, they stationed Los outside room 239. They phoned former detective Anton Timofeyev, a Tomsk lawyer assisting the Navalny team. Pevchikh and Alburov approached the hotel reception.

Pevchikh tried to reason with the young hotel administrator to let them in room. "It would be the right thing to do, that she could make a huge difference and do something important," Pevchikh recounted telling the hotel worker. "She didn't care."

They were denied access to the CCTV footage. Proyekt, an investigative independent media site, reported that police later seized the video.

- - -

Finally, the hotel staff agreed to let them in. At 11.45 a.m. the team donned rubber gloves and entered the room, filming everything. They were accompanied by a hotel employee who warned nothing could be taken without police permission, the Navalny team members said.

"Unfortunately we can't agree to that demand," Timofeyev recalled saying.

Alburov had bare feet, a fact pro-Kremlin media would later seize on.

"We knew exactly what we needed," said Alburov. "We started to collect and pack all possible things we could carry with us without being charged with robbery."

They took the shampoo bottles, water bottles and hotel towels. Timofeyev bagged and labeled the items.

"I really wanted to take his pillowcase. I tried everything. I tried convincing them to let me buy it," she said. The hotel refused.

She thought the chances they would save anything useful were slim.

"We were doing it for the minor, tiny chance that he had been poisoned within the room with something traceable.'

They divided the items and carefully hid them in different parts of their luggage.

Vladimir Uglev, one of Novichok's developers, said in an interview the banned substance came in two forms: a liquid like vegetable oil and a solid that looked like salt. He believes the substance may have been put on Navalny's clothing.

Navalny has demanded the return of his clothing, but Kremlin spokesman Peskov retorted: "With no disrespect to the patient, we don't deal with clothes," Peskov said. "That's not our area."

- - -

After the room search, Pevchikh and the team drove 165 miles to Novosibirsk, arriving around 5 p.m. to get a flight to Omsk. There was no Internet access for much of the journey through remote Siberia.

"We were very worried about Alexei," said Pevchikh. "It was an awful ride."

In Omsk, Navalny's wife Yulia and his staff faced Russian doctors refusing permission for him to be flown to Germany for care.

On Aug. 22, Navalny was finally allowed to fly to Berlin. Pevchikh, carrying the hotel room evidence, flew out on the same air ambulance as Navalny. She handed the items to the Berlin hospital. Evidence of a Novichok group chemical weapon was established from analysis of samples taken from Navalny.

The water bottle recovered from the hotel room showed traces of the nerve agent on the outside, suggesting that Navalny touched the poison before he grabbed the bottle for a drink.

"It was very useful not in identifying the actual Novichok. It was very useful for the timeline," Pevchikh said.

Georgy Satarov, Russian political scientist who was one of the authors of the Russian constitution under former president Boris Yeltsin, said the evidence on the bottle was crucial because it discredited the many contradictory theories promoted by pro-Kremlin media, doctors and others that there was no poisoning, or Navalny had a metabolic illness.

- - -

Russian state media have launched a blizzard of conspiracy theories centered on the trope of a "villain" torn straight from the Soviet KGB disinformation playbook, casting Pevchikh as the beautiful, seductive, clever lover and attempted murderer of Navalny.

A fake biography was conjured that she was U.S. Navy SEAL trained and had a chain of Australian bookshops. Neither is true.

"Then they started the hunt," said Pevchikh. "These troll factories and fake media and state-owned channels started this whole operation."

State media were dispatched to question former neighbors for gossip. Unidentified men started following Pevchikh'smother constantly, she said. Journalists for state media sought out the grandmother.

"It's a dirty game that they're playing. It doesn't get lower than this, approaching an 85-year-old woman saying, 'What do you think about your granddaughter being a murderer?' I hate them doing that," she said.

State television broadcast Pevchikh's passport photo and innocuous surveillance video of her going back to 2014, suggesting she had been under watch for years.

"I guess they just wanted him to die in the hotel room and we would find him in the morning. And then the poisoning would always be a conspiracy theory," said Pevchikh. "Whereas now it's a medical fact."

Putin told French president Emmanuel Macron in a phone call Sep. 14 that Navalny was a troublemaker who may have poisoned himself, according to Le Monde, citing leaks recently. Peskov said the report was "not precise."

One state TV host, Dmitry Kiselyov, recently stayed in Navalny's room, filming himself shaving in a bathrobe in a baffling effort to prove that no poisoning could have occurred more than a month earlier. Another TV presenter, Vladimir Solovyov, argued that Alburov could not have been barefoot if there was poison in the room.

Pevchikh said Russia would probably never open an investigation because it would automatically give Navalny access to all the investigation materials, including surface tests for poisoning, results of a police room check and hotel CCTV footage.

In recent weeks authorities have stepped up harassment, freezing Navalny's bank account and barring him from selling or mortgaging his home.

"My task now is to remain a guy who is not afraid. And I am not afraid." Navalny told Der Spiegel.
The scientific case for the range of vaccines recommended by public health officials in the U.S. remains as solid as ever. But anti-vaccine propaganda has found its way into many reaches of American life.
(Natural News) What motivated the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a pandemic at the time they did? How much of the pandemonium, governments lock downs and corporate control is an overreaction? How much of it was planned? Whose agendas do these lock downs and economic controls ultimately serve? Did you know that covid-19 testing kits were distributed before the pandemic was declared?

A group of 600 medical doctors gathered in Spain and called the covid-19 outbreak a false pandemic created for political purposes. Locking people down and convincing them they can spread infections they do not have is a tyrannical curse of oppression. These doctors urge other healthcare professionals, the media and political authorities to stop this criminal operation, by spreading the truth.

Why are human rights being challenged during a time of human need?

In September 2019, the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board released a report titled, A World at Risk which detailed how the UN and WHO conduct system-wide training and simulation exercises, including one for covering the deliberate release of a lethal respiratory pathogen. Why did Dr. Anthony Fauci and Bill Gates go on record about an impending pandemic, long before one was declared? Why are both these men so adamant about vaccinating the world population?

Why are medical edicts being enacted with such punitive force and why is the public health response so focused on restricting personal liberty and controlling economic activity, in mere anticipation of infectious disease? Why is the state taking away personal rights, medical privacy and forcing PPE onto populations through fear and coercion? In October 2019, Bill Gates organized a coronavirus pandemic exercise in New York called Event201. The event focused on how everyone on the planet should be vaccinated. In order to achieve this goal, the population would have need to be conditioned to surrender their rights for the good of all.

Covid-19 testing kits distributed in 2017 and 2018

Are covid-19 testing kits strategically designed to produce false positives, to overstate the number of cases to justify government intervention and isolation of healthy people? The CDC owns not only the patent on the coronavirus but also a patent and exclusive rights to the testing methodology. Why are the covid-19 testing kits producing false positives in those who are not sick, producing false evidence to force quarantines on healthy people and to declare outbreaks that arent even real? Why is the medical fraud allowed to persist?

If covid-19 appeared in China late 2019, why were covid-19 test kits distributed worldwide, two years before the pandemic? The World Integrated Trade Solution database reveals that covid-19 test kits were sent to countries in 2017 and 2018.

After this trade information went viral, the World Integrated Trade Solution tried to relabel covid-19 with an inconspicuous term, Medical Test Kits. In the world of trade, this level of vagueness is not permitted. Even though WITS tried to cover up the label, they cannot change the product code. Medical Test Kits has the same product code, HS 300215 and it stands for Covid-19 test kits.

Why has so much focus been put on faulty detection protocols while effective treatments for covid-19 respiratory illness is suppressed? Why are hospital systems so ill-equipped to help patient immune systems? Why are these questions not even allowed on social media, as Facebook unites with the scientific dictatorship known as the WHO and the CDC to control information?

For more information, check out, Stop World Control. This organization was created to bring together dissenting voices who care about personal liberty, who care about stopping the rise of a fascist and totalitarian medical police state that has swept the globe in 2020.

Sources include:

Lifesitenews.com

StopWorldControl.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com
Actor Sushant Singh Rajputs sister, Shweta Singh Kirti has said that her attention is now focussed on the Central Bureau of Indias findings in the actors death case, after an AIIMS panel tasked with re-evaluating his post-mortem report concluded that he died by suicide. Many, including the lawyer representing Sushants father, had suggested that the actor could have been murdered.

Shweta in an Instagram post wrote, The test of faith is when you can stay strong and unshaken during the testing time....I urge my extended family to have faith in God and pray from all your heart....Pray that the truth comes out. #AllEyesOnCBI. Sushants ex-girlfriend, Ankita Lokhande, reposted Shwetas message with the same hashtag.

On Saturday, a panel of AIIMS doctors termed Sushants death a case of hanging and death by suicide. In a report submitted to the CBI on September 29, the six-member team of forensic doctors said that there were no injuries on the body other than of hanging nor was presence of any seductive material detected, dismissing claims of strangulation and poisoning.

Vikas Singh, the lawyer of Sushants family has called the report inconclusive since the team relied on photographs. AIIMS report is not conclusive and CBI in its charge sheet can still file a case of murder in Sushant Singh Rajput death case, he said. Sushant was found dead in his apartment on June 14. His family has accused Rhea Chakraborty of abetting his suicide and misappropriating his funds. Rhea is currently in jail, on drugs-related charges pertaining to the case.

Vikas Singh had previously claimed that an AIIMS doctor had told him that the ligature marks on Sushants neck were consistent with strangulation. AIIMS doctor told me that Sushants death was by strangulation, he had said in a press conference.

Also read: Prasoon Joshi breaks silence on Sushant Singh Rajputs death, says suicide is a bigger concern than murder

Rhea Chakrabortys lawyer Satish Maneshinde said that they will await the CBIs report. I have seen the statement of the doctors from AIIMS concerning SSR case. The official papers and report are only with AIIMS and CBI, which will be submitted in court once investigations are over. We await the official version of CBI. We on behalf of Rhea Chakraborty have always said that truth cannot be changed under any circumstances. The speculations against Rhea in some quarters of the media are motivated and mischievous. We remain committed to Truth Alone. Satya Meva Jayte, read his statement.

If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist. Helplines: Aasra: 022 2754 6669; Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918

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There are who talk and those who do. Rahul Dua and Kainaz Contractor fall firmly into the second category. Politely bemused that we want more pictures of them than their food, they promise to send what they can, but not to expect professionally shot profile images. Pictures of their food and restaurants? No problem. Its also why when you ask them which of them fulfils what role in their restaurant business, theres a slight pause followed by laughter.

Interiors of Rustoms;

We find it best not to get in each others way because then therell be conflict. So we do everything together, from menu conception and testing to operations, says Rahul, with Kainaz agreeing, to at least this, chuckling, Dividing work is something we have never been successful at. The 32-year-old hotel management grads met at the Taj Management Training Program.

A couple years later, while Kainaz was working in BBC Good Food, I needed someone to write an article on wine for me, and I remember Rahul is amazing at that stuff. Thats how we reconnected. Soon, in 2013, after Rahul returned from Dubai where he had been a sommelier at Gordon Ramsays Verre, the pair started dating and Rahul took over the kitchen at Cafe Lota, while Kainaz was still at Good Food.

As the pair wound up their stints at their places of work, they decided to open up a Parsi restaurant together, a shared dream of theirs, given Kainazs Parsi background and Rahuls long fascination with the cuisine. In 2015, they opened Rustoms Parsi Bhonu in Adchini, which quickly became a palpable hit with the populace, Parsi and otherwise. Their clearly winning combination also encouraged cafes Blue Tokai and Dori to ask the pair to design their respective food menus.

Through Rustoms, they took over the management of the Delhi Parsi Anjumans restaurant in 2018, run by for decades Dhun Bagli, an institution in her own right, with the Adchini outpost having closed shutters. We didnt mean to move to the Parsi Anjuman lock, stock, and barrel and thought it would be a second outlet, notes Kainaz, but burgeoning problems with parking and road constructions, led them to close down in Adchini.

the meal spread from Bhawan

We also decided we didnt want it to become a chain anyway, and wed rather focus all our energy and attention on one project at a time. Kainaz and I have very similar tastes, we believe in dining, we want everything to be prepared in the restaurant, and for people to come eat a fresh meal, elaborates Rahul. Indeed, its this attention to detail and focus on getting things right that has ensured the success of their ventures, the latest of which is Bhawan, originally meant to be a restaurant, but has pivoted to a cloud kitchen. Because we worked so closely with our staff for the first year or so of any of our projects, they became self-sufficient enough to subsequently run it without supervision.

Thats why we dont need to go into Rustoms everyday, and can concentrate on getting Bhawan just right, explains Kainaz. Bhawan is a collective of street foods, chaat, and sweets from around the country (watch this space for more), which Rahul and Kainaz thoroughly researched by travelling the country over the last year.

We have always enjoyed travelling together and even for Bhawan we went to various parts of the country to taste as well as document the regional snacks and mithai, reminisces Kainaz. Over the years, we have realised that this nostalgia thing can get dangerous and make people pretty partisan. You may be very happy serving all these old classic dishes, but everyone has their own treasured memories of having it in a particular way, and if they dont get exactly that, they have no problem calling up the next morning and telling us just how we got it wrong. So we are still learning everyday, laughs Rahul. Given their record so far, for all the nostalgia Kainaz and Rahul dish out, they always manage to keep it fresh.

New joint venture

Bhawan is a collective of street foods, chaat, and sweets from around India, which Rahul and

Kainaz researched by travelling the country over the last year. We have always enjoyed travelling together and even for Bhawan we went to various parts of the country to taste and document the regional snacks and mithai, reminisces Kainaz.
TDT | Manama

Imposing travel ban is a sovereign decision of Bahrain and a purely internal matter on which Iraq will not interfere, an AlAyam report quoting a top Iraqi embassy official said. The Charge dAffairs of the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq to Bahrain, Muhammad Adnan, was responding to the report that entry is denied for Bahrainis citizens to Iraq via Bahrain International Airport over pandemic concerns. Muhammad Adnan said Iraq respects the principles of national sovereignty and would not interfere in Bahraini decisions.

Its a sovereign matter of the Kingdom of Bahrain, in which the Iraqi authorities do not interfere, Adnan told AlAyam. The Charge dAffairs said Iraqi authorities have started issuing visas for the Arbaeen pilgrimage, which takes place forty days after the day of Ashura.

The event commemorates the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad, who got killed on the 10th day of the month of Muharram. The official said that some Bahraini citizens obtained visit visas to Iraq, with prior- approval from the official authorities in Iraq.

AlAyam report said the embassy of Iraq has started issuing visas for the fortieth-day visit which falls this year on October 8 on a quota basis. The embassy is receiving applications through tourism offices authorised to organise religious trips, and not directly through individuals, AlAyam report quoted the embassy official as saying.

The decision follows a directive from the Iraqi government to issue a limited number of visas, 1,500 visas for each country, on October 1. Arrangements are in place to receive travellers for the Arbaeen at airports at the Baghdad and Najaf. The city of Karbala in Iraq is the centre of the proceedings which many pilgrims travel miles on foot to reach.

The Iraqi embassy resumes the issuance of visas after a hiatus of several months since the start of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Earlier, Iraq has banned entry to travellers coming from Bahrain, China, Iran, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand in March.

In early September, the Iraqi embassy had also distanced itself from advertisements by travel and tourism agencies on organising trips to Iraq, AlAyam report says. Iraq had recorded more than 372,000 cases of COVID-19, over 9,000 deaths since the pandemic began to spread, according to statistics.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 21:47:52|Editor: huaxia

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URUMQI, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- China's aquatic products are exploring the market in Kazakhstan after a slump due to COVID-19.

A company recently exported a batch of sturgeons to Kazakhstan through the land port in Horgos, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It was the first batch of live sturgeons exported through a Xinjiang port.

The company plans to continuously export sturgeons through Horgos to expand its sales channel. It mainly conducted business in Russia and Vietnam before the epidemic. As business gradually resumed, it is tapping potential in the market in Kazakhstan.

Produced in Yichang, central China's Hubei Province, the artificially bred sturgeons weighed 12 tonnes and were worth 2.4 million yuan (353,500 U.S. dollars).

Customs authorities in Horgos opened a "green passage" for the exports to make sure that the sturgeons remained fresh and alive. Enditem
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Editors Guild of India on Sunday hit out at the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh, alleging that the law enforcement agencies under it "prevented" media persons from reporting on developments in and around Hathras in connection with the alleged sexual assault and murder of a Dalit woman.

In a statement, the Guild said not allowing the media to visit the incident spots and tapping the phone conversations of journalists undermine and obstruct the functioning of the media.

The Guild demanded that the government create conditions in Hathras that do not obstruct journalists in any way.

The Editors Guild of India has issued a statement pic.twitter.com/mDegUOXEQ2  Editors Guild of India (@IndEditorsGuild) October 4, 2020

"The Editors Guild Of India condemns the manner in which the law enforcement agencies of the Uttar Pradesh government, led by Yogi Adityanath, have prevented media persons from reporting on developments in and around Hathras after a brutal assault on a woman leading to her death and the hurried cremation of her body by the authorities without the presence of the family of the deceased," the statement said.

Equally "reprehensible" is the way the government has tapped the telephones of journalists engaged in covering the Hathras incidents, the Guild said.

"Worse, the tapped conversation of the journalists has been selectively leaked, leading to a social media calumny against them," it said.

"Hathras is the worst such case in the scale of interference but the Guild also notes with concern that such attacks against the media are becoming part of a growing trend seen in recent months, in which a few other state governments have also indulged in such harassment of journalists," the statement said.

The Guild condemns these and demands corrective action, it said.

The 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped at a village in Hathras by four men on September 14.

After her condition deteriorated, she was referred to the Delhi's Safdarjung hospital where she succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday.

She was cremated in the early hours of Wednesday, with her family alleging the local police forced them to conduct the last rites in the dead of the night.

Local police officers, however, had said the cremation was carried out "as per the wishes of the family".
Two environmental groups are asking Mayor Carlos Gimenez and county commissioners to delay a vote on a murky deal for a new commercial aviation operation at Homestead Air Reserve Base.

Little information has been released to the public for what has been described only as a fixed base operator that would provide storage, fuel and other general services. But a vote is still scheduled for tomorrows commission meeting. Because the base is close to a planned Amazon distribution center, there is speculation the deal is designed to benefit the online retail giant.

Attorney Paul Schwiep, representing the nonprofit Friends of the Everglades, sent Gimenez a letter on Monday requesting the deferral because the proposal raises more questions than it answers. The letter lists several questions about the project including what services would be provided and potential impacts to nearby Everglades and Biscayne national parks.

In the letter, Schwiep says that Friends was  intimately involved in the battle that blocked Miami-Dade Countys plan two decades ago to convert parts of the base into commercial cargo hub, citing noise and a slew of environmental impacts to the parks.

The same concerns that drove the successful opposition to use of the air base for private purposes in the late 1990s and early 2000s apply with equal, if not greater, force today, he wrote.

The Everglades Foundation, in a letter addressed to Commission Chairwoman Audrey Edmonson, also asked commissioners to postpone the vote, highlighting concerns about the countys apparently incremental approach that has had the effect of obscuring a much larger, longer-term objective for the project.

While, on its face, the countys potential action tomorrow appears to be part of an effort to expand small-scale, general aviation activity, it has become impossible to ignore the paper trail that precedes it, pointing to a much more ambitious vision for commercial aviation at this facility, CEO Eric Eikenberg wrote in the letter.

Story continues

Environmentalists are concerned the proposed business could potentially turn into a large commercial operation that may threaten wildlife and water quality, and that there should be more details and public discussion before moving forward.

Last month, it took less than a minute for commissioners at a Public Safety and Rehabilitation Committee meeting to approve a resolution asking the county to finalize a deal for a fixed base operator at the base. Commissioners provided limited details on what exactly the project  first reported by WLRN News, The Heralds news partner  is about.

The air of secrecy surrounding this item  from the unclear language of the draft resolution to the lack of public comment during the approval process so far  has environmentalists concerned.

I found it disconcerting that a resolution was proposed without any kind of public input and failed to recognize the years of controversy over commercial aviation at the base, said Alan Farago of Friends of the Everglades. The fear is that this is not just a proposal for a fixed base operator, this is the camels nose under the tent.

A U.S. Air Force Hercules C-130 plane sits on the runway at Homestead Air Reserve.

The battle to keep commercial aviation from coming to the area, so close to two of Floridas most iconic ecosystems, isnt new. After Hurricane Andrew ravaged Homestead in 1992, the idea of transforming the heavily damaged base into an airport was one of the options considered to support the areas economic recovery. But after opposition from environmentalists  and influential residents of the Ocean Reef Club, a wealthy North Key Largo enclave in the flight path  the facility instead was rebuilt as a reserve air base.

But plans for a new fixed-base operator at the Homestead base resurfaced in 2014, when Gimenez began negotiating a joint use agreement with the Air Force for general aviation operations and services. In late 2015 county commissioners approved a resolution directing Gimenez to propose a deal for limited civilian use at the air base, with only small planes using the facility.

Two years ago, WLRN reported, the county auditor issued a report listing some revenue-generating benefits of expanded civilian use of the base.

A joint-use Homestead Air Reserve Base would relieve congestion impacting cargo operations at Miami International Airport, the report said. This would also open MIA for additional, and more lucrative, passenger flights.

Amazon is one company that could potentially put the airport to use.

Commissioners in July voted to sell a vacant lot at 13200 SW 272nd St. in South Dade to Amazon. The site, sold for $22 million, could be the e-commerce giants biggest warehouse in South Florida: Plans call for the construction of a distribution center of at least one million square feet. And its less than three miles from the base. FedEx is also already in the vicinity, with a distribution center that opened in 2018.

During the committee meeting on Sept. 9, Commissioner Jose Pepe Diaz asked to co-sponsor the item with Commissioner Dennis Moss, saying the project to have a dual-use airport at Homestead Air Base is getting close to reality.

In emailed response to questions, Moss said a specific operator would be selected in the future to provide basic aviation services and operations that are provided at our other general aviation airports such as private plane storage, fueling, landing and take off services, etc.

He said it was important for the countys economy to plan for a growing aviation demand.

As the gateway to the Caribbean and South America, and because of expanded tourism and business growth in Miami-Dade, it is important to add additional aviation facilities when you can, he said. Homestead offers a unique opportunity, because of the infrastructure that is already there.

But activists fear the latest proposal could be the start of a project to create a massive cargo operation at the base that could require new roads and bring more traffic to the area.

The thing to remember here is that we dont know whats going on, said Richard Grosso, a Nova Southeastern University law professor and an attorney who represented environmental organizations in prior litigation that halted plans for a major commercial airport at the air reserve base. The potential uses this could lead to are a huge enough problem that the public deserves to know whats going on.
CAIRO  Egypt inaugurated over 300 new mosques in several governorates across the country in September. This step comes in response to accusations by the Muslim Brotherhood and the foreign-based opposition that the Egyptian authorities have been demolishing mosques in a crackdown on illegal buildings, which caused widespread anger in several governorates.

In a Sept. 3 statement, Minister of Religious Endowments Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa said the government would open and renovate 314 mosques in September and October.

The foreign-based opposition and the Muslim Brotherhood had launched a vicious attack on the Egyptian authorities, whether through their satellite channels or social media, after the demolition in May of nearly 30 mosques in Alexandria to make way for the construction of roads and bridges.

At the time, the Egyptian authorities said these mosques were built on state lands, whose demolition is part of its campaign against illegal construction, and squatting public and agricultural lands. The demolitions had raised the ire of Egyptians in several governorates.

During the inauguration ceremony of a national project in Alexandria Aug. 29, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi responded to these accusations by saying, We demolished 30 mosques, but we rebuilt them for the national interest and development  not because of what they had accused us of.

Sisi expressed strong discontent with the accusations, which he considered far from reality and aimed at sabotaging the state and spreading sedition.

Gomaa said during a telephone intervention with "Al-Hekaya" broadcast on MBC Misr satellite channel Sept. 12, that mosques and "zawiyahs" (islamic religious school) number nearly 140,000, and that Egypt would soon be called the country of "the 100,000 minarets." He added that Cairo is known as the city of 1,000 minarets, and therefore these accusations are lame and unfounded, aimed to push agendas and stir up ill feelings and sedition, discord and instability.

These evil people [a jab at the Muslim Brotherhood] are spreading lies and rumors to create chaos and sedition to stop the wheel of stability and development that Egypt is witnessing right now. Egyptians should not fall prey to this ruse and these false accusations. Over the past six years, 1,200 new mosques have been built, and nearly 3,600 mosques have been restored. This is a huge achievement that has not been done before, Gomaa added.

Spokesman for the Ministry of Endowments Abdulla Hassan told Al-Monitor that new mosques are opened every day and listed on the ministrys website. These accusations are baseless and serve one purpose only  to undermine the stability of the country, he said.

Hassan said that Egypt is the heart of the Islamic world and Egyptians are religious by nature, and therefore promoting false statements and news is evil. These accusations will fall on deaf ears. The revolution of June 30, 2013, was the death sentence of this organization, he noted in reference to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Ahmed Karima, professor of comparative jurisprudence and Islamic law at Al-Azhar University, told Al-Monitor, Egypt builds mosques and does not destroy them. Egypt is home to Al-Azhar, which is the heart of the Islamic world. So there is nothing to defend here or to apologize for. Egypt has done nothing wrong to be condemned.

He added that the rumors about destroying or removing mosques are baseless reports aimed at spreading confusion by some dark groups, in reference to the Muslim Brotherhood. A few mosques were previously illegally built, squatting public land and without the necessary construction license. It would not be possible to build places of worship in an illegal way. This is wrong and against the teachings of Islam and the law. These mosques were removed as per the provisions of the law, he said.

Shukri al-Gundi, undersecretary of the parliamentary Religious Committee, warned against these false accusations. He told Al-Monitor that Egypt has been facing a deliberate smear campaign by the foreign-based opposition to send the country spiraling into chaos and the unknown, and to stop the journey of development and construction.

He added that the state banks on the awareness of Egyptians and their willingness not to fall prey to these extremist ideas. Egypt would never remove mosques, Gundi said, denouncing these ridiculous accusations.
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.




The Prince of Wales travelled to Kuwait on Sunday to offer his condolences following the death of the countrys ruler, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah.

Charles expressed his sympathies on behalf of the Queen to the new emir of the tiny oil-rich country, His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah and other members of the ruling family.

The prince also met Kuwaits prime minister, Sheikh Sabah Al Khaled Al Hamad Al Sabah and the Queens ambassador to Kuwait, Michael Davenport.

He later met the Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace.

The Queen has also said she was saddened to hear of the emirs death on Wednesday, adding she deeply valued his friendship with the UK, and praising his humanitarian work.

The Queens message of condolence to The Amir of Kuwait, following the death of The Amir. pic.twitter.com/uSn38zjvHA  The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 30, 2020

The Queen wrote in the condolences, which were also shared on the royal familys official Twitter account: Your distinguished brother devoted his life to the service of the State of Kuwait and especially its relationship with its allies and friends.

He will be long remembered by all who work for regional stability, understanding between nations and between faiths, and for the humanitarian cause.

I have deeply valued his friendship towards the United Kingdom, and his memorable State Visit in November 2012.

I offer Your Highness my sincere condolences. I offer also my sympathy to the people of Kuwait.

May the long history of close companionship between our two families continue.

Charles has visited Kuwait seven times before, including a trip with the Princess of Wales in 1989, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Independence as the guest of the emir in 2011, and most recently during his tour of the Middle East in 2015.

He also paid his respects in the nation on January 17 2006, when the previous emir died.

Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, 91, was taken to a US hospital in July, and Bayan Palace announced his death on Tuesday.

His coffin will be flown back to Kuwait from Rochester, Minnesota, home of the Mayo Clinic, where he had been receiving medical treatment after falling ill in July.

His funeral would typically draw tens of thousands of mourning Kuwaitis and scores of foreign leaders and dignitaries, but because of the coronavirus pandemic his burial will be a private family service instead.

As ruling emir, he faced falling oil prices, internal political disputes and the fallout from the 2011 Arab Spring, but he will be known for resolving regional disputes including the ongoing deadlock between Qatar and other Arab nations.

His younger half-brother, Crown Prince Nawaf, was sworn in as the new leader on Wednesday, after deputising for the emir since his hospitalisation.

At 83, Sheikh Nawaf is not expected to deviate from the diplomatic path charted by his half-brother, but his accession has sparked speculation about who will become the next crown prince in Kuwait, which is known for its lively elected parliament and relative independence in a region of Gulf Arab monarchies.

Sheikh Sabah was foreign minister for 38 years, establishing Kuwait as a force for peace and stability in the region.

He was also a strong advocate for the close friendship between the UK and Kuwait and between the royal family and the Kuwaiti ruling family.
IBM and NIH want to find out if artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to detect people at risk of developing schizophrenia. The International Business Machines announced that it will work with researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, the Northern California Institute for Research and Education, and Stanford University.

Also Read: Experts Bring a Faster and More Accurate Synthetic DNA Manufacturing Process

IBM's new initiative, funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), will study if AI can be used to identify better people at risk of developing mental illness. The new project is part of the multimillion-dollar, multiyear Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP) program, a collaboration between the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), NIH, non-profit organizations, and biotech firms.

The AMP program aims to develop new diagnostics and therapies for patients. On the other hand, NIH's new Schizophrenia initiative (AMP SZ), a five-year, $99 million effort, will address the heterogeneity of those at risk of developing psychosis, a symptom of schizophrenia.

The institute, together with IBM and collaborators, including the American Psychiatric Association Foundation, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness, will coordinate with the FDA to develop biomarker algorithms from new and existing data sets, compiled by AMP SZ's research investigators.

What are biomarkers?

Biomarkers can be used to detect a range of health-related outcomes. For example, the algorithms could inform an objective measure of pain and allow remote patient monitoring, enabling medical experts to address patients who require urgent in-person care.

The AMP SZ initiative wants to predict outcomes and trajectories and generate risk calculators that can be used in future trials for treatment intervention by leveraging these biomarkers. NIH and BIM aim to prevent psychosis onset progression, mood disorders and anxiety, drug abuse and alcohol, suicidal behavior, and more.



IBM announced that it will contribute to data-driven AU and brain imaging for neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders. The company also plans to guide and observe the collection of data, including language samples.



"The ... initiative as a whole will be a unique opportunity for IBM to be a leader in the realization the enormous potential of integrating large volumes of data, artificial intelligence, and basic neuroscientific research to help impact mental health," said Guillermo Cecchi, a principal research staff member at IBM.



For more news updates about new biotechs, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Also Read: Gennaris 'Bionic Eye' Surpasses Neuralink in World's First Brain Implant Human Trials That Can Restore Vision

This article is owned by TechTimes,

Written by: Giuliano de Leon.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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President Donald Trump, who was flown to a military hospital for treatment of COVID-19, is in "exceptionally good spirits" and has been "fever free" for the last 24 hours, his doctors said on Saturday.

Col. Sean N Dooley said that President Trump is not on oxygen and is not having difficulty breathing or walking around.

"He is in exceptionally good spirits," he said while updating on the president's health. "We are monitoring him very closely for any evidence of complications from either the coronavirus illness or the therapies that we are prescribing to make him better," CNN quoted him as saying.

Dooley said the president's cardiac, kidney and liver functions were all normal this morning.

Trump's physician Dr. Sean Conley said the president had a "mild cough and some nasal congestion, fatigue" on Thursday, "all of which are resolving and improving."

"The first week of COVID and in particular the days seven to 10 are the most critical in determining the likely course of this illness. At this time the team and I are extremely happy with the progress the President has made," Conley said.

Trump, who showed "mild symptoms" of COVID-19, was flown to Walter Reed Military Medical Centre in Bethesda, a Maryland suburb of Washington DC, on Friday. Trump walked from his residence to take Marine One at the South Lawns of the White House to travel to Walter Reed hospital.

Trump, 74, and his wife First Lady Melania Trump, 50, tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday.

"Going well, I think! Thank you to all. LOVE!!!" Trump tweeted on Saturday morning.

While the president was taken to the military hospital, the first lady stayed back at the White House.

Conley earlier said the president was "fatigued but in good spirits".

He said medical specialists have recommended Remdesivir therapy to treat the president's COVID-19 infection.

"I am happy to report that the president is doing well," Conley said in a health bulletin on Friday night, the first after the president was moved to the military hospital as a precautionary measure.

"He is not requiring any supplemental oxygen, but in consultation with specialists we have elected to initiate Remdesivir therapy. He has completed his first dose and is resting comfortably," he said.

The Trump administration had issued an emergency use authorisation for Remdesivir earlier this year after the drug showed moderate effectiveness in improving outcomes for patients who were hospitalised with the coronavirus.

In a video shared on Twitter, Trump said he is "doing very well" and thanked people for their support.

"I think Im doing very well but we're going to make sure that things work out," Trump said in the 18-second video that he tweeted moments after he arrived at the military hospital.

"The first lady is doing very well. So, thank you very much. I appreciate it. I will never forget it," he said.

Conley earlier said that as a precautionary measure the president received a single 8-gram dose of Regenerons polyclonal antibody cocktail. "He completed the infusion without the incident," the doctor said.

In addition to the polyclonal antibodies, the president has been taking zinc, vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin and a daily aspirin, he said.

Conley said the first lady remains well with "only a mild cough and headache", and the remainder of the first family "are well and tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 today".

"Out of an abundance of caution, and at the recommendation of his physician and medical experts, the president will be working from the presidential offices at Walter Reed for the next few days," White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said.

Meanwhile, two Senators, a former adviser to President Trump, his campaign manager and three White House journalists tested positive for COVID-19, joining several officials working at the presidential palace to have contracted the infection.

Republican Senators Thom Tillis from North Carolina, and Mike Lee from Utah confirmed they have been tested positive for coronavirus.

Tillis along with Lee were seen at the White House last Saturday when President Trump announced his Supreme Court nomination.

Former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway also announced on twitter that she was tested positive.

Like Tellis and Lee, Conway had participated in the White House event on Saturday.

Trump Campaign Manager Bill Stepien tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday as well. According to Politico, Stepien was experiencing mild flu-like symptoms."

Several White House staffers have tested positive with COVID-19 in recent months, including National Security Advisor Robert OBrien and Katie Miller, Vice President Mike Pence's press secretary.

In a series of memos, the White House Correspondents Association confirmed that three member journalists have tested positive for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday wished a speedy recovery to Trump and the first lady.

In a message, Xi said that after learning Trump and Melania have tested positive for COVID-19, he and his wife Peng Liyuan extend sympathy to them and wish them a speedy recovery.

Trump has repeatedly blamed China for the spread of the coronavirus which first emerged in Wuhan in December before spreading across the world, killing more than a million people, including over 200,000 in the US.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, former presidents - Barack Obama and Bill Clinton - also wished the couple a speedy recovery.

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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An Australian man and his British-Australian partner have recalled how their round the world adventure turned into a harrowing nightmare after they arrested at gunpoint and detained in a Iranian jail for almost three months.

Western Australian-based travel bloggers Mark Firkin and Jolie King were falsely accused of espionage after they were arrested last June near Tehran for illegally flying a drone.

They were taken to a holding cell and spent almost three months in the notorious Evin Prison before being released thanks to assistance of Australian authorities.

A year on since their release, the couple have broken the silence about the dramatic moment they were woken at midnight while being blindfolded and guns held at their heads by police.

It's been a year since ravel bloggers Jolie King and Mark Firkin (pictured) were released from Iran's Evin Prison following a three month ordeal

'They weren't having a bar of what we were trying to communicate with them and they just didn't believe we were who we said we were,' Mr Firkin told The West Australian.

Mr Firkin and Ms King were charged with espionage, which carries a maximum penalty of death in Iran.

The couple claimed they were denied access to Australian consular officials and told they weren't entitled to lawyers.

They also recalled being taken to a judge, where their interrogators also acted as translators.

'At this point the judge had then issued us with another sheet of paper saying that the charges for espionage had been dropped but we were being charged with taking pictures of an atomic site, which again, was a complete fabrication,' Ms King said.

Her partner Mr Firkin added: 'It went from 10 years for espionage or death, to three years for taking photos of an atomic site.'

Mark Firkin and his partner Jolie King quit their jobs in mid-2017 to travel the world

The couple returned to Western Australia following their release from Evin Prison last October.

Foreign minister Marise Payne told reporters the couple were in good health and in good spirits at the time of their release, adding that all charges had been dropped.

Mr Firkin and Ms King are now working to get themselves re-established and pay off their hefty legal bills.

They gave their 30,800 followers an update on their The Way Overland Instagram page on the one year anniversary of their arrest.

It was also the first post uploaded since their arrest.

'A lot can happen in 12 months,' the post states.

Tonight, June 30 at midnight will mark 12 months to the minute we were taken at gunpoint from our beds.'

Jolie King and Mark Firkin (pictured) are back home in Western Australia but plan to complete their round-the-world adventure

The couple spoke for the first time about their ordeal of the anniversary of their arrest

The couple hinted they would soon break their silence about their ordeal in Iran.

'We might give some more info shortly on what actually happened, in the meantime, we're Ok and Troopy (their vehicle) has been relocated and is currently waiting patiently in safe hands until we can be reunited and continue on,' the post continues.

'Thanks for anyone who has assisted or sent messages or support; we hope everyone is safe and well, where ever you are in the world.'

In mid 2017, Mr Firkin and quit their jobs to 'travel to countries given a bad rap in the media'.

Mark Firkin and Jolie King (pictured) have recalled how they were woken up by police before being blindfolded and had guns held to their heads during the terrifying arrest

The round-the-world driving expedition they had been documenting online that started in the Perth suburb of Cottesloe and was due to finish in London.

The couple were en route to Europe when they were arrested in Tehran.

Their families said at the time the couple were unaware of Iran's strict drone laws.

British-Australian university professor Kylie Moore-Gilbert remains locked up in solitary confinement in one of Iran's most notorious prisons following her arrest in 2018.

The Cambridge-educated academic spends up to 23 hours a day in isolation inside the Qarchak prison in Tehran's east, widely considered the most abhorrent jail in the nation.
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US President Donald Trump (L) and Vice President Mike Pence - AFP

Mike Pence, the US vice president, announced yesterday he would be holding a Make America Great Again campaign event next week even as he braces to potentially take over presidential duties should Donald Trumps health deteriorate.

Mr Pence will be in Peoria, Arizona - a battleground state - on Thursday with an unspecified number of supporters in attendance, despite criticism at the way the Trump campaign has handled in-person events during the pandemic.

The US vice president is set to play a much more significant role on the campaign trail in the final month now that both Mr Trump and Trump family members have postponed all in-person events that had been arranged.

The debate scheduled between Mr Pence and Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, for Wednesday evening in Utah is still set to go ahead, despite the outbreak upending the campaign schedule.

Event organisers have announced that the two politicians will now be 12 feet apart during the debate, further than the usual gap needed to safely socially distance, in an abundance of caution.

There were some calls for even more changes to the debate format, such as more tightly limiting the number of people who can watch in the room.

Family members for Mr Trump, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and moderator Chris Wallace all watched in the room for their debate on Tuesday night.

Mr Pence and his wife Karen Pence received another negative test result on Saturday. They both also received a negative test on Friday.

The US vice presidents health is being watched closely given Mr Pence is believed to have had close contact with the president in the last week and it can take days between catching a virus and it being picked up on tests.

It is possible under the 25th amendment for a sitting US president to temporarily transfer power to the vice president.

George W Bush twice invoked the amendment to do that while president when he had colonoscopies in 2002 and 2007.

Story continues

Mr Pence was yesterday in his Washington DC residence. He was scheduled to have a briefing with the White House coronavirus taskforce, which he chairs.

US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence - AFP

Throughout the Trump presidency Mr Pence, 61, has been a loyal supporter of Mr Trump, almost never allowing any daylight between himself and the president on the issues.

He is a former governor of Indiana, so have experience at using executive power, and is known as a staunch conservative and a deeply religious Christian.

In books that have been published giving insider accounts of the Trump presidency Mr Pence has been quoted by others telling people to stick by Mr Trump and focus on the traditional conservative polices he has brought about.

Even before Mr Trumps positive test Mr Pence was playing a key role in the campaign but with the election less than a month away it is even more important.

Not just Mr Trump, but his family members have been forced to cancel in-person events due to the presidents diagnosis.

That means his children Donald Trump Jr, Eric and Ivanka Trump must all stop the campaign events that they had been doing in battleground states across the country.

With Mr Biden enjoying a seven percentage point lead over Mr Trump in nationwide polls such events were a critical part of the Trump campaigns attempts to close the gap.

Dividing up the Trump family and getting them to hold events in multiple different states on the same day allowed them to maximise their appeal among the Republican base, drawing big crowds and donors. That is no longer possible in-person now.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 22:37:09|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

KUNMING, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- A total of 82 people in southwest China's Yunnan Province were hospitalized with diarrhea and abdominal pain Sunday after they attended a banquet.

They are in stable condition in hospital, according to the government of Menghai County.

The patients had attended the banquet to celebrate the first month of a baby in the village of Manlei on Saturday, according to the government. The incident is under investigation. Enditem
WASHINGTON - As an unseen President Donald Trump battled the coronavirus at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, hundreds of maskless supporters gathered shoulder to shoulder for rallies on Staten Island and on the National Mall. In Iowa, a bright red "Team Trump on Tour" bus traversed the state for events, including at last one indoor stop where few were masked.

On a weekend when it felt like so much had changed, Trump's most fervid supporters across the country reacted to his illness with a fatalistic shrug about what that meant for him and for them.

"If the leader of the free world can get this, I think it's kind of silly for the rest of us to pretend a $3 handkerchief from Walmart is going to protect us," said Brian Westrate, the Wisconsin Republican Party treasurer who believes the coronavirus is a real threat and complies with a statewide mask mandate but is a "skeptic of the societal response."

"To some extent, our society is going to have to acknowledge that covid isn't going to go away and be solved," he said.

The president's diagnosis, announced early Friday morning, prompted some changes, like White House staffers suddenly wearing masks and the Trump campaign turning some events into virtual ones. As a rush of senators tested positive, the Republican-led Senate canceled its votes for the next two weeks.

But there was no sweeping transformation in the way many of the president's most devoted supporters view the virus - and no sense of urgency to alter their behavior to better protect themselves. The president's many arguments about the coronavirus - that it was mild for all but those with preexisting conditions, that it was overblown by Democrats, that it would fade away on its own - seemed to inoculate many in the Trump camp against rethinking their approach to the virus.

On Saturday, several Republican lawmakers continued to question the effectiveness of masks - which even Trump administration health officials view as essential - and need for mask mandates, including Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., who tested positive for the virus. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, whose state has faced an explosion of cases in recent weeks, appeared maskless at an indoor Sioux City event on the Trump bus tour.

Meanwhile, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, opted to not get tested despite attending a meeting with an infected person, and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., pointed to Trump's illness as reason for the country to continue to reopen schools and businesses.

Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien, who has tested positive for the coronavirus, launched "Operation MAGA" on Saturday with plans to send Vice President Mike Pence, Trump's children and other top surrogates out across the country to campaign for the president.

"If this virus can get into the Oval, into the body of the president, there's no place where it could not possibly infect one of our fellow Americans," Gaetz said on Fox News on Friday night, calling on the country to fully open as it protects those most vulnerable. "There is no lockdown that can be a panacea to save everyone from everything, and this is proof positive that's the case."

Among the president's base of support, there was a widespread sense of optimism that Trump will quickly recover from a virus many of them view as not nearly as deadly as scientists warn. The person they trust most, Trump, has yet to have a public change of heart about safety measures, so many of his supporters see little reason to do so themselves.

Just before checking into Walter Reed on Friday evening, Trump posted a short video thanking Americans for their support and assuring them that he thinks he is doing well. He did not wear a mask, mention the pandemic that has killed more than 208,000 Americans or share any tips for avoiding infection.

"I think it's just kind of in the air, you know - you're going to get it or you ain't," said Dwayne Hartwell, 57, a former grocery store worker who is on disability benefits and lives in Charleston, W.Va.

Hartwell said there was nothing Trump could have done to avoid catching the coronavirus and thus nothing anyone else could do either. He wears a mask when he goes to the store but only because it's mandated in West Virginia. Other than that, the pandemic has not changed much about his daily life - and Trump's diagnosis doesn't change much about his thinking.

"He's pretty strong and . . . he's got the best doctors you can get in the world, so I think he should be all right," he said.

He still plans to vote for Trump on Nov. 3 - "if he's still living," he said jokingly, in a way that made clear he did not think the president could die of the coronavirus.

When Trump first announced his diagnosis in a tweet, some Trump supporters didn't want to believe their leaderwas capable of becoming sick. In pro-Trump Facebook groups, some wondered if the president's test result was a false one, while others emphasized early reports that Trump's symptoms were mild. Others circulated baseless conspiracy theories that they seemed to find more believable than the president falling ill.

Trump has long presented himself as invincible, and his supporters often describe his stamina and strength in terms otherwise reserved for Greek gods. Vendors outside his rallies sell T-shirts and banners depicting the president shirtless, ripped and muscled. Trump often brags about his health and genes, and he has gleefully mocked the health of his political rivals, ridiculing Joe Biden for taking precautions to protect himself against the coronavirus and imitating how Hillary Clinton collapsed while fighting pneumonia in 2016.

Trump's slow walk to Marine One to be transported to the hospital Friday was a reminder of his mortality. But his supporters have continued to focus on his strength.

"President Trump is a fighter - through and through," House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., tweeted. A Trump campaign fundraising appeal sent Saturday morning opened with this declaration: "President Trump is a warrior." The campaign's Facebook page was filled with comments like: "Having contracted the virus will make him stronger and wiser!" "Superman!!!" "Trump is stronger than the CHINA-19." "That man never stops working!!! Lionheart."

David Samadi, a contributor to the conservative media outlet Newsmax, tweeted that the federal government's estimated survival rate for those over age 70 is 94.6 percent but he would "put POTUS in the 20-49 category due to his strength and stamina." That age group has a 99.98 percent survival rate, he said.

The White House's confused response has meant there is little clarity about when Trump might have been infected, when his symptoms started or when he first received a positive test - making it difficult for experts to precisely explain how the president could have avoided contracting the coronavirus. While Democrats have been hyperfocused on these details, some Trump supporters instead describe the president's infection as inevitable.

"I mean, he is the president. It's campaign time. He's got to do what he should do, and that's what he was doing instead of hiding out in the basement," said Burton LaPayne, 64, a retired welder and veteran who lives in Wyoming, Ill., taking a dig at Biden's virtual campaign events.

"In my book, he's tough and he's not gonna live in fear," LaPayne added. "And every day in life is a risk."

That was the sentiment Saturday in Staten Island, where hundreds of Trump supporters showed up at a previously scheduled rally, standing shoulder to shoulder behind barricades and shouting, "Get well soon, Mr. President!"

Though organizers said they would "encourage people to wear masks" in the wake of the president's diagnosis, many in the crowd did not.

More than a thousand Trump supporters gathered on the Mall on Saturday for an "Unsilent Majority" rally. People packed closely in front of a large stage to hear speakers organized by the #WalkAway Campaign, which encourages Democrats to leave the party and support the president.

While a few in the crowd wore masks, most did not, and a handful of them said the president's hospitalization did not alter their views of the coronavirus. It is contagious, they said, but not as deadly as many make it out to be.

"Yes, it's highly contagious. So are the measles," said Kaye Savage, 63, who lives in Georgia and flew to Washington for the rally. "But I'm a firm believer that if you get it, it's not a death sentence."

She said media coverage of the virus has overlooked the high rate of survival for those who catch it. Savage said Democratic governors have taken advantage of the coronavirus to shut down their states to make Trump look bad and the results - lost jobs, lost homes - are a bigger problem. If anything, Savage said, Democrats' reactions to Trump getting sick, including the notion that "karma" had exacted its punishment on him, only reinforced her belief that his opponents are unreasonable.

Savage said she practices social distancing, and she sat by herself more than 30 feet from the outer edge of the crowd. She knows three people who became seriously ill after catching the coronavirus, including a 75-year-old woman with underlying health conditions who died - so the president getting sick won't influence her views any more than those personal experiences did.

"It doesn't change my opinion of the virus," she said.
An enraged Bondi local has left a blistering note on a car after finding it repeatedly parked on 'private' land.

A man from Sydney's eastern suburbs shared a photo to Facebook on Sunday of a sign he found attached to a vehicle as hot weather over the weekend drew crowds to the famous beach.

'Hey d******d! What don't you understand? This is PRIVATE parking,' the letter read.

'You have ignored three requests to move. P*** OFF!'

The bitter message humoured the passer-by, who captioned the post: 'Summer is here', alongside a laughing emoji.

A man from Sydney's eastern suburbs shared a photo to Facebook on Sunday of a note (pictured) left on a car in Bondi

Commentators sympathised with the author's frustration, with some suggesting they should contact authorities.

'Call the council. They can tow or ticket it,' one man replied.

'The best way to deal with this in the short term is to call the local police station and ask them to call the owner,' a second added.

But many others felt the local should take matters into their own hands.

'Get side cutters and snip the tyre valves off,' one person said.

'Break the window and push it into the lane and block it off,' someone else wrote.

'Nothing a brick in the front and back windows wont fix and or the old Molotov cocktail or the ice pick through the roof but make sure you wear your balaclava and do it after midnight,' a fourth joked.

Finding parking at the iconic beach is notoriously difficult during busy months.

Landowner, owners corporations, community associations, and land occupiers are primarily responsible for protecting their property from uninvited parking, according to the NSW Office of Local Government.

Police can seize vehicles immediately under the Impounding Act 1993 if it is causing an obstruction to traffic or is likely to be a danger to the public, otherwise officers must locate the owner and provide notice before it can be removed.
Congress-ruled states are likely to summon a special session of their assemblies soon to pass a legislation that will override the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central governments new farm laws, people aware of the development said.

While Congress-ruled Punjab, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh are expected to put in place their own legislation, the union territory of Puducherry will bring in a resolution in this regard, a party leader said, requesting anonymity.

No specific dates for the special sessions have been finalised yet, he added.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi has already drafted a model bill to help the party-ruled states override the new farm laws and ensure that no farmer gets less than the minimum support price (MSP) for their produce.

Last week, Congress president Sonia Gandhi advised party-ruled states to explore the possibilities to pass legislation under Article 254(2) to negate the BJP-led central governments anti-agricultural laws and prevent the grave injustice from being done to farmers.

The opposition party cited the BJP governments move in 2015 when it asked party-ruled states to bring their own laws to override the Land Acquisition Act of 2013 passed during the tenure of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) or boosting infrastructure development.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government pushed three bills to deregulate agricultural trade, which were passed controversially by Parliament, overriding demands by the Opposition for greater scrutiny and voting.

Big farmers groups, particularly in Punjab and Haryana, are protesting the bills, fearing deregulation will leave them vulnerable to powerful corporate agribusinesses and in an even weaker negotiating position than before.

The reforms have cost the BJP one of its oldest allies, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which has quit the ruling alliance.

The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance, Farm Services Bill, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020 sought to liberalise farm trade, enable modern supply chains, allow agribusinesses and farmers to enter into contracts, break interlocked markets and enable seamless commodities trading. Alll three bills have been signed into law by President Ram Nath Kovind.

The Farming Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 allows barrier-free inter-state and intra-state trade of primary agricultural commodities, bypassing notified markets under the agricultural produce market committees. The bill will enable food traders to buy farmers produce from any market, rather than bind them to the specific markets where they are licensed to operate.

Earlier in the day, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi vowed to scrap the new farm laws if the Congress returns to power at the Centre, and alleged that the BJP-led government was acting at the behest of select corporate entities to destroy farmers.

Leading a protest tractor rally in Punjab against the farm legislations, Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and questioned the need for bringing in the new farm laws at the time of the coronavirus pandemic.

Union minister Jitendra Singh accused the Congress and other opposition parties of spreading false propaganda about the farm laws.

Apart from guaranteeing a fixed price for farmers, the new legislations prohibit the sale, lease or mortgage of farmland. Therefore, there is no substance in the allegation by Congress leaders that big companies will exploit farmers in the name of the contract, he said.
Reviewing the package as a whole reveals that it will deliver outcomes that further entrench social inequity, through three main avenues: a flawed method for managing underperforming students, misdiagnosis of equity issues across rural, remote and metropolitan areas, and a fee structure that risks perpetuating wealth inequalities.

At a time of COVID-created economic downturn, its correct that the government is focused on jobs. But a close reading of the governments package begs the question  jobs for whom?

The current governments leaning is clear. It is right there in the label of the latest policy to reform the sector, the Job-ready Graduates package.

Do universities exist to prepare young people for the workforce and the labour needs of the economy, or do they have a grander purpose to serve society and create new knowledge and insight? This is the ongoing debate about the purpose of higher education.

The legislation introduces a 50 per cent pass rate requirement for students to continue to be included as part of the Commonwealth Grant Scheme. This method for managing underperforming students is a cut and paste copy of the regulations introduced to respond to the FEE-HELP scandal that erupted when certain unscrupulous non-university providers roamed the country offering free iPads to any person prepared to sign up for a course, and is not fit for purpose for the university sector.

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University completion rates for students from equity backgrounds are often lower than the average, and when equity students are able to complete their degrees, they typically do so at slower rates. The reason for this is multi-faceted but has a lot to do with the fact that many students from equity backgrounds are the first in their family to attend university, are more likely to have additional work, caring and other responsibilities on top of their university studies, and have less overall financial, social and cultural support.

All universities take their responsibilities to low SES students seriously, and have robust practices in place to identify and support students who are at risk of failing their course. This is a key part of supporting low SES and first-in-family students to transition successfully to university. But the governments proposal creates an environment where it will be safer financially for the university to pre-emptively exclude lower-performing students, rather than investing in their academic success.

The package also proposes reallocating funding from equity groups in metropolitan regions to rural, regional and remote students. This does not reflect the significant differences between students outside metropolitan areas. There are many wealthy rural and regional students. They are now included in a universitys equity funding at the expense of a significant equity group; students experiencing disadvantage in metropolitan areas.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle plan on spending Christmas in the US with the duke's 'surrogate' father David Foster, a source has claimed.

The Duke, 36, and Duchess of Sussex, 39, are set to host their own Christmas soiree in Los Angeles and plan on inviting his 'surrogate' dad, Canadian record producer David, and his wife Katharine McPhee, The Mirror has reported.

'Meghan very much wants to host the first Christmas at their new home with her mum,' a source close to the couple claimed. 'Shes really excited and is planning on doing all the traditions she grew up with as a child, including the cooking.'

It will mark the second year the couple will have spent Christmas away from the Queen and other royals - having reportedly spent the last festive season with the duchess' mother Doria Ragland and their son Archie in Canada.

Prince William, 36 and Meghan Markle, 39, will not return to the UK for Christmas and will instead spend the celebrations in Los Angeles with Harry's 'surrogate' father David Foster, a source has claimed

It will mark the second year Prince Harry has spent the festive season away from his grandmother the Queen, 94 (pictured at the ceremony to present Captain Tom Moore with the Knighthood on July 17 2020)

The royal couple previously spent every Christmas since their 2017 engagement at the Queen's Sandringham Estate.

McPhee, 36, knows the Duchess of Sussex from their high school days in Los Angeles, having attended the same high school.

According to the source, David Foster and Katherine McPhee offered to host the festivities at their home, however, Meghan volunteered that she and Harry host at theirs.

It comes after another source claimed to Vanity Fair's Katie Nicholl that the royal couple are enjoying their new life in California and their new home, and have no plans of returning to the UK for Christmas.

Canadian record producer David Foster, 70, and his wife Katharine McPhee, 36, are set to spend Christmas with the Sussexes, according to reports (pictured in Beverly Hills in 2018)

They also suggested that Harry and Meghan might be trying to avoid tensions after the reported fall out of the 'Fab Four.'

'Let's just say that while things are better between Harry and his brother, it's not what it was, and I don't think anyone is ready for a cozy family Christmas right now,' the source added.

It comes as historian and royal biographer Robert Lacey is set to release a book called Battle Of Brothers, which picks apart  in uncompromising detail  the feud between Prince William and Prince Harry.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: 'When I started to look into this supposed feud between the two princes, I didnt believe it.

A source close to the couple claimed Prince Harry and Meghan are trying to avoid tensions following rumours of a rift between the Duke of Sussex and his brother Prince William (pictured, attending this year's Commonwealth Day Service in Westminster)

'I thought it was newspapers stirring up something that wasnt there. I didnt want to believe it, in truth. None of us does. Yet it most definitely exists. Actually, its worse than anyone thinks.'

He continued: Some say, Oh, it doesnt matter. It will blow over. But thats not what historians will be saying in ten years time.

'If this breach between the brothers is not healed in some way it will come to stand with the Abdication crisis and the death of Diana as one of the traumas that changed the monarchy.

'There is time to change things in a positive direction, but at the moment the Palace is not working in that direction.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trumps long-hidden tax returns leaked out. His first debate performance ignited a firestorm over white supremacy. He was hospitalized for COVID-19 after months of playing down the threat of a pandemic that has killed more than 200,000 Americans.

And that was just this past week.

Trumps reelection team, battered on all sides, now enters the final month of the campaign grappling with deficits in the polls, a shortage of cash and a candidate who is at least temporarily sidelined.

The crises, many of Trumps own making, have come so quickly that they are hard to keep straight.

Recordings revealed that he acknowledged minimizing the dangers of the coronavirus earlier this year. A blockbuster story raised questions over whether he privately belittled members of the military. And even the first lady was captured on tape expressing disdain for having to decorate the White House for Christmas.

Are the political gods simply saying, Your run is over? That four years of chaos has caught up to you? asked Michael Steele, former head of the Republican Party. He predicts the presidents coronavirus diagnosis will overwhelm all the other massive storylines.

We are a caring, forgiving people, Steele said of the American public. But while they may show him empathy, they also wont forget that he didnt do all the things he needed to protect himself and the American people.

The presidents team is launching what it calls Operation MAGA to propel his campaign forward, even as he was being treated Sunday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Although Trumps medical team raised the possibility that he could be released as early as Monday, significant questions remained about the presidents health and schedule.

The challenges facing the reelection team are enormous.

Both heads of Trumps political apparatus  campaign manager Bill Stepien and Republican National Committee head Ronna McDaniel  tested positive for COVID-19 this week. Also infected: several outside advisers who had been involved in the presidents debate preparations last week, including former White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

And that comes just days after Brad Parscale, who was demoted from his campaign manager post over the summer but remained in a senior role, was hospitalized. Police were called to his Florida home after his wife said he had a firearm and was acting suicidal.

Deputy campaign manager Justin Clark is temporarily overseeing the campaigns headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. Stepien organized a late Saturday staff call to project an optimistic tone, even as he acknowledged the loss of the campaigns best asset, the president.

We built a team thats stronger than any one of us singularly, he said.

With early voting already underway in many states, Trump has consistently trailed Democrat Joe Biden in national polling even as the margins in most battleground states have been closer.

This race is going to be super close. This is officially October. Its officially game time, Stepien said. These are crazy times. These weeks feel like months with the amount of action and news packed into each week.

Vice-President Mike Pence outlined plans to launch a new effort to ramp up campaign appearances by Trump lieutenants who havent been infected. Pence himself will star in the new effort, in addition to Trumps children. Pence promised that he and the first family would begin fanning out across the country aggressively in person after Wednesdays vice-presidential debate.

Weve got a campaign to run, Pence said. I promise you, this president, as soon as his doctors say so, hes going to be back out there.

But Pences business as usual approach faced questions.

Although Pence tested negative for the virus on Sunday, COVID-19 can have a lengthy incubation period. Pence attended a Sept. 26 White House event where Trump announced his Supreme Court pick. Several attendees at that event have since tested positive. Pence also has interacted with key aides since then who have also been exposed.

With Trump still not out of the woods, in the words of his doctors, Pence plans to travel to Arizona on Thursday, Indiana on Friday and Florida on Saturday for events rather than isolating himself after potential exposure and trying to protect himself from contracting the virus anywhere else.

Were in a campaign. We have a month to go, senior campaign adviser Jason Miller said Sunday on NBCs Meet the Press. We see Joe Biden and Kamala Harris out there campaigning.

The Trump campaign was already facing a significant cash deficit to Biden, and now the president has been sidelined from in-person fundraising as well as his signature rallies just as the campaign was about to ramp up his travel schedule. Plans for upcoming events in Florida, Wisconsin, Arizona and Nevada were all scrapped after his diagnosis, and it remained unclear when  or if  the president would be able to resume campaigning.

Hes losing, and the debate was a disaster, and the campaign is imploding, said Republican strategist Steve Schmidt, a vocal Trump critic.

The presidents hospitalization also underscores what has long been the Trump campaigns greatest challenge: its inability to shift the national discourse away from the virus. For months, even as the campaign has tried to frame the election as a choice between Trump and Biden, the race has been perceived largely as a referendum on the presidents handling of the pandemic.

And Trumps tone on the virus has changed little despite his illness. In a video released late Saturday from the hospital, he expressed no contrition for his handling of the virus and still spoke of quickly moving beyond the pandemic.

He is a struggling incumbent, and this all makes reelection much harder. More importantly, the more the nation is discussing the pandemic, the harder the debate gets for the president, said Julian Zelizer, a presidential historian at Princeton University. Still, Zelizer said it would be premature to count Trump out, with a full month to go until Election Day.

He has three tools still at his disposal  unyielding Republican loyalty, the Electoral College and the power of the presidency, Zelizer said. His ability to tie up voting and spread disinformation remains formidable.

For some Democrats, burned by Trumps late surge to defeat Hillary Clinton in 2016, Nov. 3 cant come soon enough.

Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville declared: Lets go to the polls tomorrow.

___

Peoples reported from New York. Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in Washington contributed to this report.
Forbearing readers of National Review might recall that, going back to the early 1990s, I have often advocated for reforms in law to assure animal protection, a cause I consider underrated by both major political parties and deserving of more serious attention than it receives. We humans tolerate or overlook some extremely harsh practices that just dont stand up to reason or conscience. Sparing animals from such abuse is a cause I will gladly compare with most of the things we demand and argue about in politics, in any fair test of moral importance.

Todays harangue, however, is directed not at fellow conservatives but at the progressive left, with special attention to woke twentysomething activists lately emerging from college to instruct us all in social justice. For reasons mostly unwarranted, young progressives as a group are assumed to have a concern for mistreated animals. Its an impression that the bad actors in animal-use industries are happy to promote, so that we think of animal protection as some strange outgrowth of leftist ideology  something normal people dont have to worry about.

In reality, of course, men and women of every political stripe care about animal cruelty, whenever the issue comes up in controversies at the state or federal level. Youre about as likely to find conservatives (such as Senators John Kennedy of Louisiana and Martha McSally of Arizona) alert to the matter as you are progressives, though its true that exploitative industries have more connections to and a generally more pernicious influence on Republicans. With the admirable exception of Senator Cory Booker, the Democrat from New Jersey, its hard to name any prominent figure on the left who has had much to say on the subject, or who has challenged such large-scale cruelties as factory farming. And in any case, whatever good instincts woke progressives have arent worth a lot in practice, given the manias of ideology that dominate their agenda.

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This explains why, for instance, when Chinas wet markets were in the news as a suspected source of the coronavirus  complete with details of tortured wildlife and slaughtered dogs  we heard rebukes from commentators on the left over the racism and xenophobia of those criticizing the markets. They know that certain culinary habits tolerated in Asia are vicious and barbaric, and a pathogenic nightmare besides. But in progressive circles youre not allowed to talk that way anymore, least of all from the shameful position of some white Westerner daring to judge another culture.

There was a time when college-aged activists used to champion such noble and still-urgent causes as saving elephants, whales, Newfoundlands baby seals, and other creatures from the depredations of their human enemies. These days, cruelty to wildlife is a peripheral concern and the great foe is carbon. In environmental matters, China is again by far the worlds worst influence, whether the problem is CO 2 emissions, wildlife destruction, plastic waste in the oceans, or most anything else. But that country gets a pass, and as rule youre never in big trouble with the environmental lobby unless youre American and in the business of fossil fuels.

To take just one example of a neglected global concern, elephants remain as persecuted as ever by poachers serving the Asian ivory market and by what President Trump memorably called the horror show of Western trophy hunters. These creatures are not only among the most wonderful and intelligent on earth; theyre also a keystone species whose travails have grievous ecological costs. Yet from our progressive environmentalists, for years we have heard practically nothing about the problem, because theyre too busy redirecting economies, transforming global paradigms, calling out climate deniers, and all the rest.

When environmental groups do focus on animals, often it would be better if they hadnt. Consider the fact that, as a matter of course, industry and government scientists still poison millions of creatures in the testing of pesticides and other chemicals, because the environmental lobby demands that toxicity tests on animals be mandated in federal regulations. The Environmental Protection Agency itself is trying to end such testing as needless, redundant, and inferior to modern alternatives. But a cruel and archaic practice continues thanks to the same people who are forever faulting the anti-science views of others.

Its an environmental agenda today marked by cold abstraction, sterile, save-the-planet platitude, eco-apocalyptic hysteria, statist solutions, and constant virtue-signaling about our downsized footprints, with animal protection a detail purely incidental to other, less benevolent objectives. Even giving up animal products, which come from an industrial sector that accounts for as much carbon emissions as any other, has never really caught on among progressives. Going vegan would require personal effort, and its still not quite fashionable enough.

Searching for some hopeful sign in the agitation of the woke left, we can allow at least that those of the new generation are filled with zeal, only they have no clue how to channel it to constructive purpose. At just the time in life when means and ability can catch up with moral energy, millions of young men and women have been so steeped in pretentious theories of race, class, and gender, so carefully tutored in self-pity, outrage, and social-justice posturing, as to be rendered useless in any actual cause of charity or justice.

The extent of this loss began to sink in recently as I read the elaborate guidance of one self-described woke college student, offered to help fellow students do the work, in the phrase of the day, on their own woke journeys. Its a convoluted discourse explaining why being woke is no longer enough, why the very claim of wokeness could, in fact, be considered appropriation, and how, at every turn, privilege plays a role in our own awareness and what we can do to make sure that our wokeness isnt coming across some kind of way. And on and on, deeper and deeper into absurdity and self-involvement. Has activism ever been so idle?

Even to serious social-justice efforts, wokeness contributes nothing but preening and sanctimony. The civil-rights cause in America was the work of mostly Christian men and women holding their country to its own standards and to its founding promise. But you dont get their kind of fervor from readings of Howard Zinns A Peoples History, or from whatever the definitive telling of far-left fairy tales might be on campus nowadays. Nor does it even occur to the woke young how their indignant talk of ever-present structural racism diminishes the heroic sacrifices and achievements of previous generations. All that remains, in their own ranks, is a cultish muddle of moral relativism, white guilt, conformity parading as diversity, and a resentment toward ideas or institutions of Western, and especially Anglo-American, origin. They dont even know that the very ideas of inherent human rights and equality that they echo in their silly chants are themselves products of Western civilization, accounting for pretty much all of the moral progress of humanity for hundreds of years. Talk about cultural appropriation!

A mark of the best causes is that they ask something of us  more virtue and less signaling. There are all kinds of such campaigns today, aimed at real wrongs and needs, that could have used these young men and women  including, of course, efforts to assure equal treatment and opportunity for all. And among humanitys more altruistic endeavors, we should always include efforts to spare animals from affliction at human hands. Indeed, the humane movement reflects an ethic and spirit that might be exactly what are missing most in our woke progressives, or that at least might help to shake them of their narcissism and self-pity. Just for starters, do the work of studying animal cruelty  witness the things that some people and industries do to animals  and youll think twice before ever again calling yourself a helpless victim.

What better therapy to clear the mind of ideological fixations, and to let in the fresh breeze of real life, than contemplating animals and their humble lot? Defending them from gratuitous harm neednt be everyones top moral priority for us to appreciate the effort as, at least, an outward-looking cause, with the chance to do good things for their own sake, never mind whats in it for us, and to extend human compassion as far as it can reach.

The cause invites attention away from conflicts, resentments, and trivial differences of race and background that can so consume us, affording a vantage point that all of us can share. Think of humanity from the perspective of other creatures  all of us as a whole, one vast interest group that always gets its way  and then consider some of the demands we make on them. Animals are without appeal against our every decree and whim. We all bear responsibility not to abuse or tyrannize them. Were all potential oppressors with privilege to check. The choices we make are a measure of character, a test of our capacity for unselfish purpose, and reveal more about who we are than anything in all of the lefts catalogue of identity.

There is surely something to the idea that tranquil societies cannot be predicated on the systematic abuse of animals; that so long as we permit a ruthless exploitation of them, we cannot truly learn to be lenient and peaceful toward one another. And it is not by chance that people who have experienced oppression and injustice, who know what its like to be treated as nothing, tend to have the deepest empathy for animals. The feeling was captured long ago by the late Dick Gregory, when he explained why he was a vegetarian: Because Im a civil-rights activist, I am also an animal-rights activist. Animals and humans suffer and die alike. Violence causes the same pain, the same spilling of blood, the same stench of death, the same arrogant, cruel, and vicious taking of life. We shouldnt be a part of it.

There are no subtle or imagined micro-aggressions on the list of our offenses against animals; just blunt, relentless, at-times-horrific abuse. And its true that surveying, for instance, the miseries of modern farm-animal production, we see an underside of capitalism that civilized societies could do without, and that progressives should be the first to point out (as Senator Booker has done). Take the elementary fact that pigs, cows, fowl, and other farm animals suffer when abused, then combine this with the fact that at any given moment tens of billions of these creatures must endure the punishments of factory farming, and no matter how well it might work out economically, or how easily we might change the subject and forget about it, we still have got a big moral problem to deal with. A dominant paradigm, to borrow a phrase of the woke, that needs questioning.

Even so, in the face of such obstacles, the humane cause stands in stark and instructive contrast to the interminable grievance-collecting of the left. Its a cause that doesnt try to shut down debates  with mobs, preemptive cancellations, the rage of challenged groupthink  but, on the contrary, views a chance at open debate as half the battle, and always fares better when all the facts are known and all sides are heard. And to advance their case, animal-protection advocates need no invented vocabulary of right and wrong  no PC litany of intersectional offenses, patriarchal affronts, crimes of disempowerment, othering, or erasure. Instead they rely on simple and tangible terms like cruelty, maliciousness, and hardness of heart, and they answer these evils with universal ideas like fellow-feeling, mercy, and the moral restraint of the strong toward the weak.

This has made it as well an inclusive cause, to which people of all backgrounds are drawn: men and women alike; Christians and Jews, Hindus and Buddhists, along with those of other faiths and those of no faith; and African Americans and as well as whites. If you doubt this consider that according to a Pew survey some 8 percent of adult black citizens are vegan  about twice the percentage of whites. A few of them have followings on YouTube, and their commentaries on the ethical and health reasons for going meatless are among the most compelling youll find. No need for inclusion seminars or inspections by the diversity police in the animal-protection movement. Its starting point has always been a willingness to think for oneself, a feeling of respect and concern for our fellow creatures and a refusal to be complicit in abuse, and people of such conviction come from everywhere.

Animal protection is also a straightforward cause, modest in its way and not a pretext for any larger agenda or reordering of society, though modesty of this kind can make for intensity and focus unlike anything among the woke with their diffuse and endless complaints. Theres no wallowing in discontent among animal advocates, no wasting fervor on ideological dead-ends, not counting a few theoretical types with their notion of speciesism. In this cause, any form of wrongdoing that we can name has resourceful activists dedicated to its abolition; people doing the actual work of applying their talents to real-world concerns, with no time for self-enamored inventories of personal awareness, fragility, entitlement, privilege, appropriated identity, or other states of mind.

I have a friend named Josh Balk, who, for example, while still in his early 30s helped devise and market a now-popular plant-based alternative to a common factory-farm product, and has set up a charitable trust into which his share of profits will go. As his company scales up, the stuff is going to make billions of dollars, and all hes thinking about is the suffering that will never happen because of his and his colleagues innovation. Now thats altruism  allied with entrepreneurialism in a combination hard to beat.

Whats even more remarkable is that there are many other enterprises like his, offering plant-based goods that one after another will challenge the products and methods of modern animal agriculture  a trend so obvious that the meat, dairy, and egg industries are rushing to sell plant-based options of their own. Activists on the left think theyre striking blows for justice when they pressure corporations to adopt progressive symbols and pieties, in the meaningless gestures of what Ross Douthat calls woke capitalism. Here, meanwhile, are serious people who step by step are effecting fundamental change in industries as brutal and backward as any.

My friend the entrepreneur could be expressing his grievances in less quiet ways  denouncing capitalism for its sins, demanding safe spaces for vegans, or as a last resort maybe heading for Corbin, Ky., to topple its statue of Colonel Sanders. But if you were running a big livestock conglomerate, and if you had to choose whether to face a mob of angry protestors or else to confront free-market competitors selling successful products with all the protein and flavor but none of the cruelty, which group would you fear as the true revolutionaries?

Or I think of a woman I have long admired, an activist and brilliant photojournalist named Jo-Anne MacArthur. For years she has devoted herself to traveling the world and exploring laboratories where primates, dogs, rabbits, and other creatures are experimented on, factory farms and slaughterhouses where mainstream reporters almost never venture, and all of the other unlighted places where the spirit of mercy is nowhere to be found. Her mission is to make animal-use industries visible and accountable, and no one perusing her work will doubt the need for that effort. Find your own Calcutta was Mother Teresas advice when asked how to discern a charitable calling. Ms. MacArthur found hers, not in hopeless places where humans have no power, but in hopeless places where they have far too much of it. Her pictures, in books like Hidden and Captive, show battered, frightened, and lonely creatures who never before encountered a human who wasnt trying to hurt them, each the representative of uncounted others.

The effect is more subversive than any uprising of ideology from the left or the right, as you begin to ask yourself how any of this could possibly square with simple standards of humanity that all of us profess. Indeed, how irrelevant and self-indulgent so many of our displays of public outrage can seem, when you remember that all the while we permit abuses so outrageous they have to be concealed from public view.

A final example of everything that the woke left is not, of what well-directed protest looks like, comes from the acclaimed documentary The Cove. A brief part of the film features the actress Hayden Panettiere, who was 18 at the time. There she is in a cove on the coast of Taiji, Japan, having just tried, with five or six others, to intervene as local fishermen were trapping and slaughtering a school of dolphins, including the babies  this mayhem a cherished annual custom in that area. We see her pleading with the men to stop, crying at her helplessness to save the dolphins, while they go on clubbing and stabbing and turning the waters red.

In a rational world, such savage people would have to face much more formidable opposition than a brave and kind-hearted young woman and her friends. But the moment certainly did Ms. Panettiere credit, and she has kept returning to that same cove to try again and again. Thats what I call doing the work  to stop real malefactors from doing theirs.

Easier causes were available to her, struggles less fraught with disappointment, more inner-directed, more in vogue or on brand, more attuned to national conversations and media-manufactured moments of reckoning. What does she get, if she ever manages to end that one towns miserable tradition? Just the knowledge that beautiful, intelligent, and innocent creatures will be left alone in peace. Not much in the grand order of things, maybe. And yet its a hell of a lot more than all of our woke social-justice warriors will ever accomplish, unless they can just get over themselves and start doing something real.

Editors Note: This piece has been amended since its initial publication.

More from National Review
By Cho Eun-il





On Sept. 16, Yoshihide Suga took office as prime minister of Japan after serving as the chief cabinet secretary throughout Abe's nearly eight-year term. Two weeks after Shinzo Abe's decision to step down, Suga won a landslide victory in the election for leadership of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), defeating former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba.



Suga is expected to stay in office until the next election in September 2021, focusing on the coronavirus pandemic and economic reform policies. But there is a possibility to call a snap election this year if Suga decides to consolidate his power in the long run.



Abe's legacy



Abe is the longest-serving prime minister in Japan's postwar history. Before Abe, Japan was known for short-lived prime ministers that led to discontinuities in domestic and foreign policies. During his tenure, Abe brought unusual continuities in Japanese foreign and defense policies and stabilized Japanese politics.



When he started his second term in December 2012, Abe put his priority on extensive economic reform policies widely known as "Abenomics." Abenomics was a package of monetary and fiscal policies combined with structural reforms. Through Abenomics, Abe aimed to lift Japan's struggling economy, achieving moderate success. But as the pandemic has hit the world economy, Japan's economy has slumped marking negative growth.



The Abe administration published the first National Security Strategy (NSS) and established the National Security Council in 2013. Based on the NSS, it reinterpreted the constitution to allow Japan's right to collective self-defense, strengthen U.S.-Japan defense cooperation under the revised guidelines and expand its international stature vis-a-vis the free and open Indo-Pacific. In recent years, the Abe administration made significant achievements in its China policy.



Although China's aggressive military posture posed a growing threat to Japan's security around the East China Sea, Japan managed day-to-day tensions with China and established the Maritime and Aerial Communication Mechanism. Japan expects Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Japan, after his original official visit was postponed due to the pandemic.



Policy priorities under new leadership



Suga pledges to continue his predecessor Abe's economic policies. Suga's continuity policy sends a positive signal amid the pandemic-stricken economy. This is why the Suga administration puts a top priority on rejuvenating the economy.



The Suga government has further pledged to implement monetary and fiscal policies to bring its economy back onto a growth track. Suga prioritizes stabilizing markets and creating millions of new jobs while expecting the postponed Tokyo Olympics next year. But uncertainty over the upcoming U.S. presidential election and a possible third wave of the pandemic will be destabilizing factors for his new leadership.



In foreign and defense policies, the Suga administration favors policy continuity rather than exploring new opportunities as well. This is why Toshimitsu Motegi continues as foreign minister. Also, Suga appointed Nobuo Kishi, who is Abe's younger brother, as defense minister. By doing so, the Suga administration seeks to further align security policy with the U.S. and build stable relationships with China and Russia.



Similarly, the Suga administration carries on the free and open Indo-Pacific regional strategy by expanding its relations with Australia, India and ASEAN countries. A sudden change in foreign policy can bring uncertainty to Japan's strategic partners as well as its allies. Thus, Suga will continue Abe's approach and avoid controversial decisions at least until the next election.



For the Suga administration, setting a new direction for Japan's NSS is an urgent matter. The Abe administration decided to revise the NSS this year as Japan canceled Aegis Ashore plans due to technical challenges and cost overruns in June. The Abe administration decided to purchase two Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense batteries from the U.S. in December 2017, in response to North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile testing.



After the cancellation of the decision, Abe said that the NSC is discussing deterrence including Japan's alternative ballistic missile defense options that replace the Aegis Ashore plans. The LDP submitted a proposal that Japan should have strike capabilities to halt ballistic missiles within enemy territory. Now the deciding power has passed to Suga who looks to complete Abe's legacy.



Implications for Korea-Japan relations



During Abe's tenure, Japan's relations with South Korea have worsened considerably. So far, bitter disputes have been common between South Korea and Japan. Not only wartime legacy issues but also trade and military information-sharing agreements became catalysts for deterioration. In this situation, both in Seoul and Tokyo, many are skeptical about any improvements in Korea-Japan relations in the short-term.



The Suga administration is likely to adhere to the stance that the Moon Jae-in government is providing the causes of disputes while moving toward a "normal state" that expands its free and open Indo-Pacific regional strategy and strengthens defense capabilities to improve the deterrence power of Japan.



However, there is no rush for Seoul to presuppose pessimism in dealing with the Suga administration. While concerns remain over key issues such as wartime sex slavery, forced labor and trade restrictions, Korea-Japan relations may begin to warm under Japan's new leadership.





Cho Eun-il is an associate research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses. Her current research focuses on Asia-Pacific security affairs, the U.S.-Japan alliance and Japanese security policy. She holds a doctorate and master's degree from Yonsei University, and a bachelor's degree from Waseda University.


Russia, too, had turned up the patriotic volume along with the vaccine push. In a promotional video that was part of the rollout for Sputnik V  whose name itself taps into the pride of the Soviet Union being first out of the blocks in the Cold Wars space race with a satellite in 1957  the vaccine is portrayed circling a coronavirus-infected earth, wiping out the disease as it goes.
Given these precautions and given that he is probably the most protected person on earth, the fact that he still got infected shows us that unfortunately this virus has that kind of power, that kind of communicable ability, Cortes said. What this shows us for a policy perspective . . . is that we know that even the most severe of lockdowns cannot completely stop the virus. Therefore, we should take reasonable precautions, as a society, and we should not, as Joe Biden threatens, even think about shutting this economy and this society down again.
Representative image

After Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met the family of the 19-year-old who was allegedly raped and murdered in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad, too, met the family on October 4.

Here are all the latest updates on the case from October 4:

>> Bhim Army chief Azad demanded that the victim's family be given Y-security and said he will take them to his house if that is not done.

>> A Samajwadi Party delegation also met the family of the 19-year-old and assured them of all possible help.

>> A day after meeting the family, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra demanded removal of the district magistrate and an investigation into his role in the entire matter.

>> Scores of people held a meeting outside the house of a former BJP MLA in Hathras where they defended the accused and demanded registration of an FIR against her family members, news agency PTI reported.

>> The Uttar Pradesh Police apologised to Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra a day after the latter was manhandled, The Times of India reported.

>> According to a report by Hindustan Times, the family of the victim is against a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and wants a judicial probe into the case. The development came a day after the Uttar Pradesh government recommended a CBI probe into the crime.
By Perry N. Halkitis and Leslie M. Kantor

Donald Trumps illness can be viewed as a result of Donald Trumps COVID-19 disinformation campaign.

We wish him a quick recovery  and can only hope he did not infect many others  but we must hold the president accountable for political maneuverings rooted in disinformation that has undermined his health and the health of our nation.

Stopping COVID-19 disinformation is long overdue. We must allow public health experts to speak the truth to the American people without distortion and undermining. We witnessed the devastation of AIDS in the United States in the 1980s. Rock Hudsons death was a wake-up call to many Americans that HIV and other viruses can infect anyone, no matter how rich or powerful.

President Trumps infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, ought to be a similar moment of reckoning. All people can be infected with the novel coronavirus, and some will get very sick, be hospitalized or even die. As of this week, the death toll from COVID-19 in the United States approached 210,000. The United States, one of the worlds largest economies, has one of the highest case and death rates of any country.

In fact, the politicization of the pandemic has led to sometimes violent confrontations and to confusion and mistrust of public health leaders and recommendations. A new paper by Sarah Evanega, the director of the Cornell Alliance for Science at Cornell University, finds that President Trump is a major source of disinformation about the disease. Like other members of his administration and many of his supporters, he has cost the lives of many Americans by sowing distrust in science, discouraging the use of masks and encouraging the re-opening of businesses, schools and sports, even in areas of the country where the pandemic is surging.

Further, because of systemic inequities in our country, people of color and low-income people are much more likely to be employed as essential workers, unable to do their work from home and thus more likely to be infected. It did not need to be this way. Clear, consistent messaging and a willingness to communicate the best available science would have kept the pandemic at much more manageable levels as is demonstrated by many other countries.

The rules to avoid infection are simple: Wear a mask consistently, physically distance, socialize with non-household members outside with masks on, wash your hands regularly, get tested if you think you may have been exposed, and cooperate with contact tracers.

We also must keep the appropriate timing and accuracy of tests in mind, as it can take up to around eight days to get an accurate PCR test result. The PCR test, which is administered by a throat or nasal swab or using saliva, may yield false negatives early in the infection. An antigen test, which also identifies the presence of the virus and yields results within an hour, ranges greatly in its accuracy. Given these facts, it was disheartening to witness Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, conducting a news conference Friday without a mask. Again, politics trumped public health, and the country will pay the price with a prolonged pandemic.

We all must continue to engage our fellow citizens from a place of care, not adversity and hate. Altruism is a powerful tool for the health of a society. We wear masks not only to protect ourselves but our families and everybody else in our community. None of us knows how the virus will affect us or the people we love.

Perry N. Halkitis, Ph.D., MS, MPH, is a researcher, activist, author, professor, and dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health.

Leslie M. Kantor, Ph.D., MPH is a professor and chair of the Department of Urban-Global Public Health at the Rutgers School of Public Health.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

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Thousands of Iraqi pilgrims on Sunday started making their way on foot to the Iraqi city of Karbala for the Shiite pilgrimage of Arbaeen.

The pilgrimage, known in Arabic as the Ziara, marks the anniversary of the 40th day of mourning following the 7th century death of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson Hussein at the hands of the Muslim Umayyad forces in the Battle of Karbala, during the tumultuous first century of Islam's history.

Pilgrims streamed toward Karbala on foot from Baghdad, 90 kilometers (55 miles) to the north, and other places farther afield, while receiving free food and face masks amid the ongoing pandemic.

The pilgrimage usually includes millions of Iranians and other Shiites from abroad.

This year however, due to preventive measures to avoid further spread of the virus, the border between Iran and Iraq was sealed.

The Iraqi Health Ministry reported 3,672 new cases of COVID-19 infections on Sunday.

Arbaeen  Arabic for the number forty  draws far more pilgrims than the hajj in Saudi Arabia, a pilgrimage required once in a lifetime of every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able to make it

In neighboring Shiite-majority Iran, Arbaeen is a national holiday.

(This story has not been edited by www.republicworld.com and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed)
Bengaluru, Oct 4 : Kusuma H., widow of IAS officer D.K. Ravi, joined the Congress on Sunday, ahead of the November 3 by-elections to two assembly seats in Karnataka.

"Kusuma, 31, formally joined our party as a primary member earlier in the day," a party leader told IANS here.

Ravi, 35, a 2009 batch Karnataka cadre IAS officer, committed suicide in the city on March 16, 2015 for "personal reasons".

"The party is considering Kusuma as a candidate for the RR Nagar by-poll, as she is educated and young, and can connect with the youth," said Congress state President D.K. Shivakumar.

The by-election in the RR Nagar was necessitated by the resignation of sitting Congress MLA Munirathna, who joined the BJP in 2019.

The other by-election in Sira assembly segment in Tumakuru district is caused by the death of sitting JD-S legislator B. Satyanarayana on August 5 after prolonged illness.

The by-polls will be notified on October 9, the last date for nominations is October 16, scrutiny will be held on October 17 and last date of withdrawal is October 19. Results will be announced on November 10.

By-poll to the RR Nagar seat could not be held on December 5, 2019 along with by-elections in 15 assembly seats across the state, as its result in the May 2018 assembly polls was challenged in the Karnataka High Court by BJP runner-up Muniraju Gowda who cited alleged electoral malpractice by Munirathna.

With the court disposing off the case in favour of Munirathana in February, the poll panel has decided to conduct the by-election in RR Nagar along with Sira on November 3 with bypolls in 54 assembly seats in other states across the country.

Kusuma's father Hanumantharayappa is a former Congress council member from RR Nagar zone and former chairman of the Mysuru planning committee.

The ruling BJP and the JD-S are yet to nominate their candidates for the bypolls.
The White House scrambled to clarify on Saturday afternoon the timeline of Donald Trump's COVID diagnosis, which got clouded earlier on Saturday after Trump's doctor Sean Conley said the US president was diagnosed "72 hours" ago.

In a morning briefing on Saturday, Conley had said that Trump was diagnosed "72 hours ago" which would mean Wednesday morning EST.

Americans were informed of Trump's illness only after midnight on Thursday, October 1. At 12.54 a.m. on October 2, Trump tweeted that he and the First Lady had tested positive.

Conley shot off a short clarifying note titled "timeline clarification" on Saturday. In it, Conley said he had "incorrectly" used the term "72 hours" when he meant to say, "day three" and used "48 hours" instead of "day two".

The president, he said, received the Regeneron antibody cocktail on Friday October 2.

Shortly before noon on Saturday, Conley delivered a sunny, upbeat report on Trump's health, saying he's "doing very well", "not on supplemental oxygen right now" and has been "fever free" for the last 24 hours.

Minutes after that briefing, a person familiar with President Trump's medical condition informed a White House pool reporter that Trump had needed supplemental oxygen at the White House on Friday before he was hospitalised.

A White House chopper transported Trump to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Friday evening.

Trump's doctors did not confirm if the president had been on oxygen following his COVID-19 diagnosis. They only said that Trump was not on oxygen "at this moment" in the hospital.

Conley reported that the hospital plans to complete a five day treatment course for remdesivir. Trump has already got the first dose.

The "big plan for today" is for Trump to "eat, drink and stay hydrated".

Conley said Trump was brought into Walter Reed Hospital "as a precautionary measure" so that he could get "state of the art monitoring".

"At this time the team and I are extremely happy with the progress the President has made since Thursday. He had a mild cough and some nasal congestion and fatigue, all of which are now resolving and improving", Conley said.

Trump's cardiac function, kidney function and liver function are all "normal", Trump's medical team at Walter Reed said. "And the President this morning is not on oxygen, not having difficulty breathing or walking around the White House medical unit upstairs."

The team of doctors announced that Trump's cardiac function, kidney function are normal.

"The president this morning is not on oxygen, not having difficulty breathing or walking around the White House medical unit upstairs."

Conley said Trump's blood oxygen level is 96 per cent, which is in the normal range.

Trump has been treated with two experimental drugs, given intravenously. On Friday, Trump received a single dose of a drug made by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc, which helps turbocharge the system with antibodies to help the immune system fight back.

Friday night, Trump was started on a five-day course of remdesivir, a Gilead Sciences drug that has been found to help shorten the course of the COVID treatment.

"We're maximising all aspects of his care,a attacking the virus in multiple ways, Conley said. "I didn't want to hold anything back if there was any possibility it would add value to his care."

Meanwhile, Trump's Twitter thumb is back in the zone. Shortly after Conley's briefing, Trump tweeted: "Nurses and ALL at the GREAT Walter Reed Medical Center, and from likewise incredible institutions who have joined them, are AMAZING!!! Tremendous progress has been made over the last 6 months in fighting this PLAGUE. With their help, I am feeling well!"

As on date, three Republican senators - Ron Johnson, Mike Lee of Utah and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, have tested positive for the

--IANS

nn/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.)
South Korean automaker is vying for the top slot in the high selling entry-level, mid-SUV segments in India with Seltos and Sonet generating robust volumes for the company, according to a senior company official.

The company, which reported its highest-ever retail sales in the country in September, has already raced to number one position in the sub-four meter compact SUV segment last month with its newly launched model Sonet dominating the segment.

Kia sold 9,266 units of Sonet in September thus getting the better of the likes of Hyundai Venue and Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza. Similarly, it sold 9,079 units of Seltos last month to take the second spot behind Hyundai Creta which sold 12,325 units.

"We are now present in both SUV low and mid segments with Sonet and Seltos and we would be market leaders in both of them," India Vice-President & Head Marketing and Sales Manohar Bhat told PTI.

Both the models are high on design and features and come with wide range of trims so that a customer can choose according to his requirements, he added.

"We are not talking down to the customer, we are giving them what they actually want. So there is such a pull for our vehicles, especially the top-end trims," Bhat said.

Kia has already netted close to 35,000 bookings for Sonet which was officially launched on September 18 and it gives confidence to the company that it can deliver in the market, he added.

Due to high demand, the waiting period for both Seltos and Sonet has gone up considerably. Waiting period on Seltos has stretched close to a month depending upon the variant while for Sonet it is already around two months.

Bhat said the company may look at enhancing the production further at its Anantapur plant (Andhra Pradesh) to reduce the waiting period for the two models.

The plant has an installed capacity to roll out 3 lakh units per annum with three shifts running. With two shifts in operation currently, it can churn out 2 lakh units in a year.

When asked if the company would bring in third shift at the plant, he said: "We will do it depending on the demand. We were very quick to start second shift last year with bookings for Seltos increasing...we would like to have the third shift as our dream is to make sure that our entire capacity is fully utilised."



He, however, added that in order to raise production even component suppliers would have to increase their output.

"It is a very difficult time to run a factory during COVID times as our facilities are linked to so many other vendor factories and each one of them is grappling with the COVID thing. It is very difficult," Bhat said.

He further said: "It is not only about our own capacity alone but it also depends on the suppliers. Even for an example, a nut gets delayed then the entire vehicle is delayed. So, we depend on vendors also ramping up at the same time to be able to start the third shift and increase the production. So, we will do it at some point in time but when is that time would depend on vendors as well".

Bhat said that the entire sales network of the company is now functional and the automaker is also making efforts to increase penetration in certain regions where it had an inadequate presence.

"There are so many parts in the country where we are not represented properly. There are various states like Karnataka, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and the North East, where our presence is not adequate. So many outlets are going to come up in such regions. COVID has delayed this expansion but now they are going to be functional," Bhat noted.

The number of such new dealerships is going to be in double digits, he added.

Currently, the automaker has a network of 265 customer touchpoints, in 160 cities across the country.

On lukewarm customer response for the company's premium multi-purpose vehicle Carnival, Bhat said the demand has started to pick up with enquiries having gone up for the model significantly last month.

"We had just started with the campaign for the model when COVID pandemic happened, so that was the first problem. Secondly, in this particular segment, the purchasing power of a customer has declined. But yes we are now seeing green shoots here as well and enquiries for the model have gone up substantially this month. Going ahead we see good demand for it," he noted.

On company's sales expectations in the festive season this year, beginning mid-October and extending to November, Bhat said: "How much and all that is a million-dollar question. I believe it is definitely going to be much better than this month that's for sure."



He further said: "Our bookings give us ample confidence to say that yes we are bullish that we will do good numbers. We have a good number of bookings to back this up. We are very confident if production keeps up with will do the numbers, no issue in that. Kia has invested USD 2 billion in India, including USD 1.1 billion at its manufacturing facility.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-05 00:05:26|Editor: huaxia

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OTTAWA, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Toronto lawyer Annamie Paul became the new leader of the Canadian Green Party Saturday night after a year-long party leadership campaign, according to the party Sunday.

Paul won a bare majority of votes in the eighth round, defeating Dimitri Lascaris and succeeding Elizabeth May, who stepped down last fall after leading the party for 13 years.

She is the first Black and Jewish woman to be elected leader of a major Canadian party. Paul has said there needs to be better representation of Black, Indigenous and people of color in Canadian politics.

Born in Canada in 1972, Paul was a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Ottawa.

Before entering into Canadian politics, Paul worked as an advisor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague and as a political officer in Canada's Mission to the European Union in Brussels.

She was also an advisor for a number of international non-governmental organizations, including the Climate Infrastructure Partnership and Higher Education Alliance for Refugees. Before running for the top job, Paul was the party's international affairs critic.

Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the Green Party held the vote online and the 36,000 Green Party members had a week to cast their ballot for one of the eight contenders.

Paul ran under the Green banner in the general election in 2019 but placed a distant fourth to former Liberal finance minister Bill Morneau.

Paul has already been nominated to run in the Oct. 26 by-election in that riding after Morneau's abrupt resignation. Enditem
Sunday, Oct. 4 is National Taco Day, but Americans seem to celebrate it year round. Well eat about 4.5 billion tacos this year.

While a number of taco chains are offering National Taco Day deals, heres our list of 37 great tacos around the state  the best individual tacos to be found in New Jersey. Listed in no particular order, youll find these delicious offerings in taquerias that range from swanky to spare. Enjoy, and dont forget to grab some extra napkins and salsa verde or salsa roja.
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Linkedin Tri Indah Oktavianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, October 4, 2020 16:48 475 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4901f5f 1 National COVID-19,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,coronavirus,pandemic,Jokowi,optimistic,COVID-19-test,testing-capacity,COVID-19-death-toll,death-toll,deaths Free

President Joko Jokowi Widodo has claimed that the countrys COVID-19 control efforts are going well, as the nation enters its eighth month of the outbreak and exceeds 300,000 cases.

Lets judge this based on facts and data, not based on estimates, Jokowi said in a video posted on the Presidential Secretariats YouTube channel on Saturday night. I can say that COVID-19 handling in Indonesia is not that bad. In fact, it is quite good.

He said the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths in Indonesia was significantly lower than that of other countries with large populations. The video displayed the case counts of countries such as the United States, India and Brazil, which number in the millions.

He did not address the fact that Indonesias COVID-19 testing rate remains significantly lower than the rates of those countries. The nation has conducted 12,854 tests per 1 million people, compared to the USs 333,407 tests per 1 million and Indias 57,096 tests per 1 million.

The government has been criticized for a lack of transparency regarding the COVID-19 death toll. Suspected virus deaths recorded at the provincial level reached 12,362 on Friday, surpassing the 11,151 total confirmed deaths reported by the Health Ministry on Sunday.

The President called for optimism, saying the countrys economy had not been hit as hard by the pandemic as other Southeast Asian countries had.

We should look at the silver lining so that we stay optimistic and dont lose hope, he said.

Jokowi pledged that his Cabinet would work harder to find solutions to the pandemic and its consequences.

We have to continue to improve everything, and there is still a lot of work that we must do, he said. We have to continue to adjust policies to find the best ones.

As of Saturday, the central government had recorded 303,498 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 11,151 deaths.
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File image: JD(U) chief and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar

With the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) deciding against partnering with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) in Bihar citing 'ideological differences', JD(U) leader Ashok Choudhary asked the LJP to spell out the differences on October 4.

The JDU leader said they want to know the specific ideological differences that the LJP has with them. "During Lok Sabha polls, they partner with us & request Nitish Kumar's presence in their constituency & win the elections. Now for Bihar assembly polls, they claim the ideological differences," ANI quoted Choudhary as saying.



The JDU & the BJP have an unfaltering coalition. And the BJP, after seeing the work ethic of our leader, has again declared him (Nitish Kumar) as the leader of this 2020 Bihar Assembly election: Ashok Choudhary, JDU https://t.co/qsPecSKRsp

 ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2020

He added that both the JD(U) and the BJP have an unfaltering coalition, and Nitish Kumar has been declared as the leader of the coalition with the saffron party for the Bihar elections.

Earlier in the day, the LJP announced that they will not contest the forthcoming Bihar assembly polls in alliance with its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partner JD(U). However, the LJP made it clear that it would not field candidates on the BJP seats.

The Bihar assembly polls will be held in three phases on October 28, November 3 and November 7, and the counting of votes will take place on November 10.
The former head of the British Army has written a letter to Prince Harry pleading with him not to 'stay away for too long' - before claiming the veterans need him.

General Sir Richard Dannatt admitted that, despite his public plea and hopes the royal may have a change of heart, he cannot envisage the Duke of Sussex, 36, returning to his traditional duties.

He told Sunday People the veterans and people connected to the charities he was associated with 'miss him' and his support while he is living in America with wife Meghan Markle and their son Archie, one.

General Dannatt, who served as Chief of the General Staff between 2006 and 2009 and sent Harry to Afghanistan in 2007, said: 'Harry and Meghan are very much involved in other things and that's their life choice and I don't criticise them for that.

General Sir Richard Dannett told Sunday People that he wrote a letter to Prince Harry pleading with him to return to the UK to help veterans who 'miss him' and need his help. Pictured, the Duke of Sussex and General Sir Richard Dannatt during a tour of the Royal Norfolk Show, Norwich, in 2008

Despite his pleas, the General admitted he cannot envisage Prince Harry returning to his traditional royal duties since he moved from the UK in April with Meghan Markle and son Archie. Pictured, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey in March

'But it means that he is not as available, not supporting in such a high-profile fashion, the work of charities and the needs of veterans.

'I don't criticise him for that, he makes his own choices, but we miss him and I hope that in a change of circumstances, that I can't envisage, he returns to take up more traditional royal duties in this country.'

The General's pleading letter also follows the latest suggestions of a feud between Prince William and Prince Harry, with historian and royal biographer Robert Lacey set to release a book called Battle Of Brothers, which picks apart  in uncompromising detail  the brothers' battle.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: 'When I started to look into this supposed feud between the two princes, I didnt believe it.

General Dannatt served as Chief of the General Staff between 2006 and 2009 and sent Harry to Afghanistan in 2007. Pictured, together during a tour of the Royal Norfolk Show, Norwich, in 2008

The former head of the British Army said Prince Harry living in the US means he is not as available and therefore unable to provide as much high-profile support for charities and the needs of the veterans. Pictured, Prince Harry examining the cockpit of an Apache helicopter with a member of his squadron (name not provided) at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan in 2012

'I thought it was newspapers stirring up something that wasnt there. I didnt want to believe it, in truth. None of us does. Yet it most definitely exists. Actually, its worse than anyone thinks.'

He continued: Some say, Oh, it doesnt matter. It will blow over. But thats not what historians will be saying in ten years time.

'If this breach between the brothers is not healed in some way it will come to stand with the Abdication crisis and the death of Diana as one of the traumas that changed the monarchy.

'There is time to change things in a positive direction, but at the moment the Palace is not working in that direction.
India believes there is urgent need for major reforms in WHO: Harsh Vardhan

Harsh Vardhan applauds 'White coat warriors' for going beyond call of duty to attend to patients

Govt target to receive, utilise 500 million coronavirus vaccine doses by July 2021: Harsh Vardhan

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Oct 04: Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Sunday that the government plans to utilise 400 to 500 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine covering approximately 25 crore people by July 2021.

"Our rough estimate and the target would be to receive and utilise 400 to 500 million doses covering approximately 25 crore people by July 2021," he said. Harsh Vardhan also said that the central government is working to ensure there is a fair and equitable distribution of coronavirus vaccines, once they are ready.

"Our utmost priority is how to ensure vaccine for each and everybody in the country," Harsh Vardhan said, adding, "Topmost priority in coronavirus immunisation to be given to frontline healthcare workers."

Oxford University coronavirus vaccine could be rolled out within 6 months: Report

Last week Serum Institute of India's (SII), Poonawalla took to Twitter to highlight challenges in vaccine production and distribution. In his "quick question" to the government he asked if the Health Ministry had Rs 80,000 crore available over the next 12 months to buy and distribute the vaccine to everyone.

"I ask this question, because we need to plan and guide, vaccine manufacturers both in India and overseas to service the needs of our country in terms of procurement and distribution," he said.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Sunday, October 4, 2020, 15:41 [IST]
Sinn Fein has agreed to back former Independent senator Ian Marshall in the forthcoming Seanad by-election.

The move means Mr Marshall, who is from a unionist background, will command up to 42 votes in the by-election of TDs and Senators which has been triggered by the resignation of Fine Gaels Michael DArcy who is taking up a role as a financial services lobbyist.

Ulster Unionist Party leader Steven Aiken confirmed to the Sunday Times he intends to ask the leaders of the three government parties in Dublin to back the Armagh farmer.

Sinn Fein said it would be happy to provide signatures for Mr Marshalls nomination. The former president of the Ulster Farmers Union needs support from nine TDs to get on the ballot paper. Sinn Fein has 37 TDs and five Senators.

Mr Marshall welcomed Sinn Fein's backing and said he would also look for support from the three coalition parties. "There's no threat from my candidacy here, this has opportunities for everybody, that's how I see it," he told Independent.ie.

The former senator addressed the Green Party's National Convention on agriculture issues earlier on Saturday.

Mr Marshall was left disappointed in June after he was overlooked by Micheal Martin who did not make him one of the Taoiseachs 11 nominees to the upper house.

Mr Aiken said this week: "They say they want to be open to unionism, but Ian is a classic example. At the first opportunity, they dropped him for political expediency."

That decision was criticised at the time by Sinn Fein whose leader Mary Lou McDonald described the former senator as a strong, independent, unionist and anti-Brexit voice and a very welcome addition to our political discourse.

It is very important that Northern society be represented within the Oireachtas and that people from a unionist tradition be included, and so the Taoiseach got this one wrong, she said in June.

Tanaiste Leo Varadkar told his part this week that the coalition leaders have agreed that Fine Gael should select a candidate for the vacant seat. But given it is a secret ballot of Oireachtas members there is no guarantee the Fine Gael candidate will command support from Fianna Fail and Green TDs and Senators.

Speculation in Fine Gael is that former senator Maria Byrne or former TD Pat Deering could be in the mix for the party's nomination to run for the seat on the Agriculture panel.

Mr Aiken asked on Saturday: "Does anybody really think this isnt another stitch-up by the ruling parties to look after somebody who has lost his Dail seat and salary?

Is Ian even going to be allowed a proper run at it or is some former TD going to get a shoo-in? He should be given a fair chance.

One of the things Ian could do, when he was in the Seanad, was talk about Northern Ireland and northern unionism.

Ian being in the Seanad was able to point out to the political class that there are many points of view about east-west as well as north-south relations. This shared island unit [in the Department of the Taoiseach] . . . how is that going to improve east-west relations?

Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have been asked for a response.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-05 00:13:02|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran announced on Sunday an overnight registration of 3,653 new COVID-19 infections, taking the overall number of cases of novel coronavirus in the country to 471,772.

Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, said at her daily briefing that 1,483 new patients had to be hospitalized in the past 24 hours, official news agency IRNA reported.

From Saturday to Sunday, 211 deaths of people infected with the novel coronavirus were registered, she added, which takes the death toll of the pandemic in Iran to 26,957.

As of Sunday, 389,966 patients have recovered from COVID-19 and been released from hospitals, but currently 4,154 people remain on critical condition in intensive care units, according to Lari.

The number of laboratory tests for COVID-19 carried out in Iran has now reached 4,123,173, the spokeswoman noted.

The risk of infection is high in 26 out of 31 Iranian provinces, while four others are on alert over the spread of the disease.

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
When you need to warm up, what's your favorite winter comfort food?
President Trump delivered an address in a Twitter video Saturday in which he said that he was 'starting to feel good'

I want to begin by thanking all of the incredible medical professionals, the doctors, the nurses, everybody at Walter Reed Medical Center - I think its the finest in the world - for the incredible job theyve been doing.

I came here, I wasnt feeling so well, I feel much better now. Were working hard to get me back. I have to get all the way back because we still have to make America great again.

Weve done an awfully good job of that but we still have steps to go and I have to finish that job. Ill be back, I think, I'll be back soon and I look forward to finishing up the campaign the way it was started, the way weve been doing and the kind of numbers weve been doing.

Weve been so proud of it but this was something thats happened and it was something that happened to millions of people all over the world and Ive been fighting for them, not just in the US, I'm fighting for them all over the world.

We're going to beat the coronavirus or whatever you want to call it and were going to beat it soundly.

So many things are happening, if you look at the therapeutics which Im taking right now some of them and others that are coming out soon that are looking like, frankly theyre miracles, if you want to know the truth. People criticize me when I say that but we have things happening that look like theyre miracles coming down from God so I just want to tell you that Im starting to feel good.

I dont know the next period of a few days, I guess. thats the real test so well be seeing what happened over those next couple of days.

I just want to be thankful for all the support Ive seen whether its on television, reading about it, most of all I appreciate whats been said by the American people almost a bipartisan consensus, by the American people. Its a beautiful thing to see, and I very much appreciate it and I wont forget it

I also want to thank the leaders of the world for their condolences and they know what we're going through. They know what your leader is and what I have to go through.

But I had no choice because I just didn't want to stay in the White House. I was given that alternative: stay in the White House, lock yourself in, don't ever leave, don't even go to the Oval Office, just stay upstairs and enjoy it. Don't see people, don't talk to people, and just be done with it and I can't do that, I had to be out front and this is America, this is the United States, the greatest country in the world. This is the most powerful country in the world. I can't be locked up in a room upstairs and totally safe and just say "Hey, whatever happens, happens". I can't do that.

We have to confront problems. As a leader, you have to confront problems. There's never been a great leader that would have done that.

So that's where it is. I'm doing well, I want to thank everybody. Our first lady is doing very well. Melania asked me to say something as to the respect she has for our country, the love that she has for our country. And we are both doing well.

Melania is really handling it very nicely as you've probably read, she is slightly younger than me just a little tiny bit.

And therefore, we know the disease, we know the situation with age versus younger people and Melania is handling it statistically like it's supposed to be handled and that makes me very happy and it makes the country very happy but I'm also doing well and I think we're gonna have a very good result.

Again, over the next few days we're gonna probably know for sure so I just want to thank everybody out there, everybody all over the world, specifically the United States - the outpouring of love has been incredible. I will never forget. Thank you very much.
Laurence Fox has accused Sainsbury's of 'promoting racial segregation and discrimination' and said he will be boycotting the supermarket chain after they promoted Black History Month.

The actor, who recently announced he was launching his own political party to 'reclaim British values, denounced the supermarket on Twitter.

He said: 'Dear Sainsbury's

'I won't be shopping in your supermarket ever again whilst you promote racial segregation and discrimination. I sincerely hope others join me. RT'

It came after Sainsbury's announced they would be marking Black History Month, an annual celebration of achievements of the black community, recognising the central role black people have played in history.

Laurence Fox has said he will not be shopping at Sainsbury's after they announced they would be celebrating Black History Month which Fox said was promoting 'racial segregation'

The supermarket says it's aim is to be 'the most inclusive retailer' where 'every single one of our colleagues feels safe and supported at work'.

The company said it is actively pushing for change for black people in the UK and want all their customers and colleagues to be themselves and feel celebrated when they shop at Sainsbury's.

In a statement, Sainsbury's said: 'We are proud to celebrate Black History Month, together with our Black colleagues, customers and communities and we will not tolerate racism.

'We proudly represent and serve our diverse society and anyone who does not want to shop with an inclusive retailer is welcome to shop elsewhere.'

Fox told his 239,000 Twitter followers that despite it being his closest supermarket, they would not be getting his custom until they 'address their regressive and segregationist policies'.

His response sparked debate on Twitter with some backing his views while others said Sainsbury's tweet had had the desired effect.

Sainsbury's said anyone who is not happy with 'an inclusive retailer' is welcome to shop elsewhere as it says it is proud to celebrate Black History Month with their communities

Fox, who sparked controversy when he said suggestions of 'racism' over how the Duchess of Sussex was treated in some quarters was 'boring', says among his new party's aims are reforming the BBC, protecting free speech and celebrating Britain's contribution to the world

Actor has received substantial sums from former Tory donors to launch his own political party provisionally called Reclaim and hopes to stand dozens of candidates across the UK, he says

Laurence Fox and his past controversies January 16, 2020: Fox was involved in a heated debate with the academic and ethnicity lecturer Rachel Boyle after she called him 'a white privileged male' on BBC's Question Time. The 41-year-old accused Ms Boyle, an academic at Edge Hill University on Merseyside, of 'being racist' after she called him 'a white privileged male' for denying the Duchess of Sussex was hounded from Britain for being mixed-race. As the row continued the following day he quoted Martin Luther King's 1963 'I have a dream' speech about living in a nation where children 'will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character'. He said: 'This is the position I took last night and I live by in life. If you can improve on it, I'm all ears. Or you can keep screeching ''Racist!'' at me and I can carry on having a jolly good giggle at your expense. The tide is turning'. January 17, 2020: The actor later went on to reveal that he does not date women under the age of 35 because they are 'too woke' and many of them are 'absolutely bonkers' during an interview with the Delingpod podcast. During the podcast , Fox said that he called off a relationship with a former partner because she praised a Gillette advert which highlighted 'toxic masculinity.' January 23, 2020: Fox apologised for his comments about the inclusion of a Sikh soldier in the First World War film 1917 by Sir Sam Mendes. The actor had initially referred to 'the oddness in the casting' of a Sikh soldier and was met by widespread criticism by historians who confirmed that Sikhs had served in the British Army. Fox later tweeted: 'Fellow humans who are Sikhs, I am as moved by the sacrifices your relatives made as I am by the loss of all those who die in war, whatever creed or colour. 'Please accept my apology for being clumsy in the way I expressed myself.' June 18, 2020: In a piece for the Spectator, Fox, questioned if Meghan Markle stepped down as a working royal because she did not get the 'limelight' In September 2020, Fox said that he had been 'cancelled' by fellow actor Rebecca Front because she had blocked him on Twitter over his use of the 'All Lives Matter' counter-slogan in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. Fox later apologised for revealing this through tweeting a private text conversation between the pair, in which Front had explained her reasons for blocking him. Advertisement

One wrote: 'Beautifully put! I cannot believe how wrong Sainsburys has got this.

'This idiocy has to have come down from Board level. Really feel for their staff - how the hell do they handle this?'

Another posted: 'Sainsbury's say they don't want racists using their shop and racists doing exactly what they have asked by going elsewhere, bants'

A third penned: 'Will be making sure I pop there much more than I did before - will be a bigot free store by the state of the comments here.'

His website states: 'Over many years it has become clear that our politicians have lost touch with the people they represent and govern. Moreover, our public institutions now work to an agenda beyond their main purpose.

'Our modern United Kingdom was born out of the respectful inclusion of so many individual voices. It is steeped in the innate values of families and communities, diverse in the truest sense but united in the want and need to call this island home.

'The people of the United Kingdom are tired of being told that we represent the very thing we have, in history, stood together against.

'We are all privileged to be the custodians of our shared heritage. We can reclaim a respectful nation where all are included and none are ashamed to have somewhere to call home.'

He added: 'I have been so encouraged by the support I have received by those wishing to add their voices to this reclamation of our values.

'Our country is now in desperate need of a new political movement which promises to make our future a shared endeavour, not a divisive one. This is now my endeavour.'

Fox, who has been a fierce critic of the BBC, sparked controversy when he said suggestions of 'racism' over how the Duchess of Sussex was treated in some quarters was 'boring'.

He also hit out at black and working class actors for complaining about the industry once they have 'five million quid in the bank'.

A Westminster source said the new party is a version of UKIP for the culture wars and believes it could attract hundreds of thousands of unhappy Conservative voters.

Sources close to Fox said the party does not see itself as strictly left or right wing but will be a broad church.

Reclaim so far has three objectives, which include protecting free speech, reforming publicly funded institutions, and preserving and celebrating Britain's cultural history.

Planning has been underway for the last two months and backers include former Tory donor Jeremy Hosking.

Staff are already being recruited for the party after Fox was launched into the political arena after his performance on Question Time in January.

Laurence Fox announced last month that he was launching a new political party called the Reclaim Party in a bid to 'reclaim British values'.

The actor, 42, has received substantial sums from former Tory donors and hopes to stand dozens of candidates across the UK.

The Lewis star says he wants to provide a movement for people who are 'tired of being told that we represent the very thing we have, in history, stood together against'.

He hopes to launch the party next month and the name is subject to the Electoral Commission's approval.
A French flag flutters in the sky over the Elysee Palace in Paris, on Dec. 10, 2018. (Philippe Wojazer/Reuters)

New Caledonia Voters Again Reject Full Independence From France

PARISThe South Pacific archipelago of New Caledonia has voted against independence from France for the second time in as many years, a provisional final count showed.

A surprise yes vote on Oct. 4 would have deprived Paris of a foothold in a region where China is expanding its influence and dented the pride of a colonial power whose reach once spanned large parts of Africa, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.

The no vote won 53.26 percent of votes cast, a narrower margin of victory than in the 2018 poll.

The result will bring relief to President Emmanuel Macrons government, whose attention had been focused on the coronavirus pandemic in the run-up to the referendum.

Voters have had their say. They confirmed their wish to keep New Caledonia a part of France. As head of state, I salute this show of confidence in the Republic with a profound feeling of gratitude, Macron said in a televised statement.

New Caledonia became a French colony in 1853. Tensions have long run deep between pro-independence indigenous Kanaks and descendants of colonial settlers who remain loyal to Paris.

The referendum was the second of up to three permitted under the terms of the 1998 Noumea Accord, an agreement enshrined in Frances constitution and which set out a 20-year path towards decolonization.

France stood ready to organize a further vote within two years if that was the wish of New Caledonians, at which point both sides would have to accept the result, Macron said.

We have two years to look to the future, the president continued.

The island chain already enjoys a large degree of autonomy but depends heavily on France for matters such as defense and education.

Turnout was high at 85.6 percent of eligible votersafter a stronger-than-expected independence vote in the 2018 referendum.

New Caledonia lies some 1,200 km (750 miles) east of Australia and 20,000 km (12,500 miles) from Paris.

Under French colonial rule, the Kanaks were confined to reserves and excluded from much of the islands economy. The first revolt erupted in 1878, not long after the discovery of large nickel deposits that are today exploited by French miner Eramets subsidiary SLN.

Today, its economy is underpinned by annual French subsidies of some 1.3 billion euros ($1.5 billion) and nickel deposits that are estimated to represent 25 percent of the worlds total, and tourism.

The territory has, however, largely cut itself off from the outside world to shield itself from the coronavirus. It has registered only 27 cases of COVID-19.

For a third referendum to take place, a third of the local assembly in New Caledonia must vote in favor of one.

By Mathieu Rosemain
Mumbai: Actor Arjun Bijlani on Sunday said his wife Neha Swami has tested positive for COVID-19 and his family is currently home quarantined. Bijlani and Swami, 34, got married in 2013 and have a five-year old son. The Left Right Left star requested those who came in contact with the couple to get themselves tested. Hey guys my wife has tested positive for COVID-19. Me and my family are self quarantined for the next 14 days. Request anyone who has come in contact with us to please get tested. We are healthy and fine and I hope we continue to be so. Keep us in yours prayers, Bijlani tweeted.

In an Instagram story, Swami said she was asymptomatic and asked fans to pray for the familys safety. On Saturday, Maharashtras COVID-19 tally reached 14,30,861.
(1) Whereas the Yoruba Nation (and other Nations inside Nigeria) experience constant and relentless negation of their preferred mode of existence thereby depriving them of their capacity to address their existential paradigms within the global order.

(2) Whereas there are different currents of opinion within the Yoruba Nation at home and the Diaspora on what should be the Yoruba Response to her social, cultural, and philosophical alienation by the Nigerian Post-Colonial State.

(3) Whereas these differences of opinion exhibit the overall Yoruba preference for multiplicity of views and opinions, reflected in several Yoruba aphorisms, all combined, giving a specificity to Yoruba Existentialism.

(4) Whereas this Cultural Existentialism, embedded in the resolution of social contradictions and translated onto the economic and political spheres through the establishment of a Social Democratic, Welfarist Region experienced during our Golden Era.

(5) Whereas the Yoruba Nation has the capability to resolve the current differences through the combination of her Cultural experience and the internationally recognized Referendum mechanism, already utilized in many instances all over the world, including Scotland, which played a major role in the colonization of Nigeria by the United Kingdom.

(6) Whereas the Referendum is the most peaceful way to establish the maxim that Sovereignty resides in the People, the source of all political power.

(7) Whereas worldwide and locally, precedents exist where issues of fundamental nature are decided by direct reference to the People rather than their elected representatives, representing a better measure of the decision of the people and therefore legitimacy.

(8) Whereas such was the position in 1963, when a Referendum was used to determine the separation of the Mid-Western Region from the Western Region and in 1959 to determine Union of Cameroons with Nigeria and 1961 when Northern Cameroons voted for Union with Nigeria and Southern Cameroons for Union with (formerly French) Cameroun.

(9) Whereas in the UK in 2014, the people of Scotland Nation had a Referendum to determine if they wanted to be separated from the United Kingdom and in 2016 the EU Referendum took place and the people of the UK voted to leave the EU.

(10) Whereas the Nigerian Post-Colonial State cannot feign ignorance of this universal truth and therefore cannot deny the Peoples the right to exercise their Sovereignty; nor seek to invalidate it merely because there are Yoruba elected officials in the State Houses of Assembly, the National Assembly as well as elected and appointed officials of the Nigerian Post-Colonial State.

(11) Whereas the Yoruba in Kogi and Kwara States have expressed their desire for a Referendum to determine the acceptability or otherwise of their desire to become part of the Yoruba National Geo-Political space.

(12) Be it noted, and it is hereby noted, that the YORUBA REFERENDUM COMMITTEE says that the Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti State Houses of Assembly owe it a duty to the Yoruba Nation to re-establish the Sovereignty of the People by passing this Bill for a Referendum into Law.

DRAFT BILL FOR A REFERENDUM LAW

A Law of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Ogun State House of Assembly, Osun State House of Assembly, Oyo State House of Assembly, Ondo State House of Assembly and Lagos State House of Assembly for the holding of a Referendum on the proposal to Federate Ekiti State with Ogun State, Osun State, Oyo State, Ondo State and Lagos State and constitute same into Oduduwa Region of Western Nigeria, within the Federation of Nigeria.

A: REFERENDUM ON FEDERATION OF EKITI STATE WITH OGUN STATE, OSUN STATE, OYO STATE, ONDO STATE AND LAGOS STATE AND CONSTITUTION OF SAME INTO ODUDUWA REGION IN A FEDERATION OF NIGERIA.

1. On the. Day of  2021, a Referendum shall be held in Ekiti State, Ogun State, Osun State, Oyo State, Ondo State and Lagos State of Nigeria on:

(i) Whether the Governments of Ekiti, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Ondo and Lagos States should negotiate with each other with a view to forming a FEDERATION of STATES to be known as the ODUDUWA REGION OF WESTERN NIGERIA and (ii) whether the said REGION should negotiate with the Government of Nigeria and the remaining 30 states or any group of states that have also agreed to Federate and the administration of the Federal Capital Territory to achieve AUTONOMY/SELF-DETERMINATION for the said REGION within a Federation of Nigerian Constituent Units.(ANNEXURE)

2. The questions or propositions to be voted on in the Referendum and form of the ballot paper to be used for that purpose are to be in the form set out in the schedule herein contained.

3. Those entitled to vote in the Referendum are the persons who, on the date of the Referendum, would be entitled to vote as electors at a local government election in the electoral area/ward of the State in which they reside and/or carry out business.

4. The Governor of Each State shall appoint a Chief Electoral Officer who shall appoint an electoral officer for each Local Government Area.

5. Each Local Government Electoral Officer shall (a) Conduct the counting of votes cast in the area under his/her authority in accordance with any directions given by the Chief Electoral Officer and (b) Certify the number of ballot papers counted by him/her and the number of votes cast for each question/proposition.

6. The Chief Electoral Officer must certify:

(a) The total number of ballot papers counted for the whole of Each State and (b) the total number of votes cast for each proposition/question for the whole of the State.

7. The result of the Referendum shall constitute the entire position of the people of Ogun State, Oyo State, Osun State, Ekiti State, Ondo State and Lagos State (WESTERN/ODUDUWA REGION OF NIGERIA).

8. In the event of a YES vote on the Referendum, the Governors of each State shall appoint members into a Constitutional Council of Western/Oduduwa Region.

9. The Constitutional Council of Western/Oduduwa Region shall include not more than twelve (12) other members chosen at random throughout the Region and four (4) members from Kwara and Kogi States.

10.The Constitutional Council of Western/Oduduwa Region shall be vested with powers to present and represent the views of Western/Oduduwa Region and negotiate on behalf of the Western/Oduduwa Region with all the agencies of the Nigerian Government and non-Governmental organizations involved in the process.

B: The short title of this Law is Referendum Law of Ekiti State, Ondo State, Osun State, Oyo State, Ogun State and Lagos State.

SCHEDULE

FORM OF BALLOT PAPER: Ekiti State House of Assembly, Ondo State House of Assembly, Osun State House of Assembly, Oyo State House of Assembly, Ogun State House of Assembly and Lagos State House of Assembly, have decided to consult the People of Each State on this . Day of , 2021 on the proposal to Federate the Government of Ogun State, the Government of Osun State, the Government of Oyo State, the Government of Ekiti State, the Government of Ondo State and the Government of Lagos State with a view to constituting a REGION of Western Nigeria within a Federation of Nigeria.

THUMBPRINT in the box containing:

(YES)

1. I AGREE that the Governments of Ekiti State, Ondo State, Oyo State, Osun State, Ogun State and Lagos State should negotiate with each other with a view to forming a FEDERATION of STATES to be known as the ODUDUWA REGION OF WESTERN NIGERIA which shall negotiate with the Yoruba persons in Kwara and Kogi States, whether they want to be part of the ODUDUWA REGION or not; shall further negotiate with the Government of Nigeria and the remaining 30 states and the administration of the Federal Capital Territory to achieve AUTONOMY/SELF-DETERMINATION for the said REGION within a Federation of Nigeria.

OR

(NO)

2. I DO NOT AGREE that the Governments of Ekiti State, Ondo State, Oyo State, Osun State, Ogun State and Lagos State should negotiate with each other with a view to forming a FEDERATION of STATES to be known as the ODUDUWA REGION OF WESTERN NIGERIA which shall negotiate with the Yoruba in Kwara and Kogi States as to whether they want to be part of the ODUDUWA REGION or not, and further negotiate with the Government of Nigeria and the remaining 30 states and the administration of the Federal Capital Territory to achieve AUTONOMY/SELF-DETERMINATION for the said REGION within a Federation of Nigeria.

ANNEXURE

 A Federal Nigeria, through a valid Federal Constitution, to be known as The Union of Nigerian Constituent Nationalities, with a Federal Presidential Council, whose members will be selected or elected from each of the Nationalities as Federating Units and from whom a Head of State will be selected or elected as the primus-inter-pares with an agreed term.

 Western/Oduduwa Region shall be a Constituent Unit of the Nigerian Union.

 Western/Oduduwa Region shall adopt a Parliamentary System of government.

 The Central Government of the Union shall have no power to interfere nor intervene in the affairs of the ODUDUWA REGION, save as shall be agreed to by three quarters of the members of the Regions Parliament.

 There shall be a Division of the Federal Armed Forces in the Region, 90% of which personnel shall be indigenes of the Region. The Divisional commander shall be an indigene of Oduduwa Region.

 The Judicial power of the Region shall be vested in the Supreme Court of the Region, Court of Appeal, High Court, Customary Court and Other lower courts as the Parliament may establish. There shall be a Court of Appeal in each of the provinces. There shall be, in each province, a High Court from which appeals shall lie to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of the Region.

 Western/Oduduwa Region shall have its own internal security system.

 Each Constituent Unit of the Nigerian Federation shall control primary interest in its own resources with an agreed Tax Model for the Federation.
By PTI

PURNEA/PATNA: An FIR was registered against RJD leaders Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Tej Pratap Yadav and four others in connection with the murder of Dalit leader Shakti Malik in Purnea district of poll-bound Bihar on Sunday, police said.

After the killing, a video in which Malik accused Tejashwi Prasad Yadav of seeking Rs 50 lakh as donation to give him party ticket to contest the poll from Raniganj seat and threatening to eliminate him if he continues with his good work in the constituency, went viral.

Superintendent of Police of Purnea Vishal Sharma said that an FIR lodged against six persons including RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and his brother Tej Pratap Yadav in connection with the murder.

Three bike-borne men entered Malik's house in Purnea this morning when he was sleeping, and shot him in the head killing him on the spot.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin on October 4 expressed concern saying that although the coronavirus situation in the city has stabilised, people are still being hospitalised in large numbers on daily basis. "We see how actively our hospitals are being loaded, the situation has somewhat stabilised, but the number of hospitalised patients is still slowly but surely approaching a thousand people a day, many of them are seriously ill," ANI quoted Sobyanin telling Russia-1.

Read: German Foreign Minister Assures Of Sanctions If Russia Gets Implicated In Navalny Case

Sobyanin, however, added that the overwhelming hospitalisation of people in the city will not see regular hospitals being turned into specialised COVID-19 treating centres. The Mayor said that there are enough mobile hospitals for that purpose and the city council has also marked several buildings in case more hospitals are required.

Read: US Presidential Elections 2020: Who Do Russia, China And Iran Root For And Why?

Russia has so far recorded more than 1.2 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and is one of the worst affected countries in the world. Over 21,000 people have died in the country to date. Moscow remains the hardest-hit region in the former Soviet Union with 2,87,000 cases and 5,100 deaths. The country recorded more than 10,000 new cases on Sunday for the first time since May.

Read: Russia Claims Over 47.2 Million COVID-19 Tests Conducted Till Date

Russia's vaccine development

Russia on August 11 announced its COVID-19 vaccine 'Sputnik-V' aptly named after the first artificial satellite launched by the Soviet Union in 1957. The vaccine garnered a lot of criticism over the lack of data provided by the Russian researchers regarding the clinical trials of the drug. Russia had not conducted the final stage of the clinical trials before announcing the vaccine, which was the main concern of the international scientific community.

Russia had allegedly inoculated some high-profile people with its vaccine including, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, and one of the daughters of President Vladimir Putin.

Read: Russian Cosmonauts Refuse To Take COVID-19 Vaccine Announced By Putin

(With inputs from ANI)


Mr Dunleavy sen, also Steve, was a photographer on the rival evening newspaper, The Sun, and had taken potential front page pictures in the 1950s of hikers who had been lost. Young Steve, a reporter on the Mirror, did not think twice. The Mirror had to be first with the story and the pictures. He slashed his old man's tyres.

One of the more engaging stories told about the Daily Mirror involves Mr Steve Dunleavy and how he slashed his father's car tyres in the Blue Mountains.

The story makes two points about the Mirror: It had a certain raffish character, probably in keeping with the city that read it. And it is hard to think of the Mirror without thinking of The Sun.

The two papers fought a series of fascinating battles for circulation until The Sun closed in 1988. Then the Mirror urged advertisers: "The Sun has set... now watch the Mirror sales really rise |"

Well, the sales rose for a while with old Sun readers, then slumped in keeping with the sales for the few remaining evening newspapers in the world. A city that was supporting two evening newspapers just a few years ago will have, from Monday, about half an evening paper.

It might be unfair to describe the Mirror as dead. Mr Mark Day, a former editor, said yesterday: "It's a pre-emptive rationalisation rather than a death."

There is no denying, however, that the Mirror - and the Herald in Melbourne- have lost their sovereignty as newspapers. They may work, even thrive, in the new hybrid, 24-hour form, but they will no longer be the Mirror or the Herald.
The Delhi University is planning to announce its first cut-off list for undergraduate courses on October 10, two days before the admission process starts.

The latest move is aimed at providing more time to the new students to choose colleges amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier on September 25, the Delhi University released a schedule stating admissions under the first cut-off list will begin on October 12 and end on October 14.

The last day for submitting fees is October 16.

Court directs Delhi University to issue digital degrees within 7 days to students with urgent need

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

This is for the first time that DU is holding the entire admission process online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The varsity administration had stated that the new academic session will commence from November 18.

A webinar for new applicants will also be organised on October 9, PTI quoted DU's Shobha Bagai as saying.

St. Stephens College had already released the schedule for the interviews of undergraduate applicants for various courses.

It had said the interviews will be conducted between September 28 and October 27.

Meanwhile, Bagai, DU Dean (Admissions), said the webinar will be conducted to brief students on how to calculate their cut-offs, choose courses and colleges on the dashboard.

She also advised the applicants to read the notices uploaded on the DU website.

"We will be holding a webinar for students on how to calculate their cut-offs, choose courses and colleges on the dashboard. We will also be holding a meeting with college conveners. There is a need to sensitise anybody - from colleagues in colleges to candidates, who tend to get anxious," Bagai said.

"We are aiming to release cut-offs on October 10 so that the applicants have a day to go through it and make themselves familiar. We have requested the principals to share the cut-offs with us in time. It will depend on when they give us the cut-offs," Bagai said.

This year, a total of 5,63,351 students have registered for the UG courses on the website of the university. In 2019, DU had received 2,78,574 applications for the UG courses.

(With inputs from PTI)
A fire service helicopter flies over flooding in the town of Ornavasso, in the northern Italian region of Piedmont (Firefighter Vigili del Fuoco/AP)

French authorities deployed about 1,000 firefighters, four military helicopters and troops on Sunday to help search for at least eight people still missing in a mountainous south-eastern region after devastating floods that killed two people in neighbouring Italy.

Floods washed away houses and destroyed roads and bridges surrounding the city of Nice on the French Riviera after almost a years average rainfall fell in less than 12 hours.

Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi said more than 100 homes had been destroyed or severely damaged.

Rescuers were also providing emergency assistance, including food and water, to residents living in isolated villages.

The missing people include two firefighters whose vehicle was carried away by a torrent when a road collapsed south of the village of Saint-Martin-Vesubie.

Expand Close Firefighters evacuate people from flooding in the town of Ornavasso, in the northern Italian region of Piedmont. (Firefighter Vigili del Fuoco/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Firefighters evacuate people from flooding in the town of Ornavasso, in the northern Italian region of Piedmont. (Firefighter Vigili del Fuoco/AP)

Authorities fear more victims as many families could not contact relatives due to mobile phone services being down.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex, who flew over the area in a helicopter, expressed grave concern over the toll of the flooding.

About 10,500 homes were left without electricity on Sunday, French energy company Enedis said.

In Italy, a firefighter was killed during a rescue operation in the mountainous northern region of Val dAosta.

A search team also found a body in the Piedmont regions Vercelli province, where a man had been swept away by floodwater.

Italian firefighters also rescued 25 people trapped on the French side of a high mountain pass due to the flooding.
This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 1535 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in the financial realm. Please join us and participate via our donation page, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Read about why were doing this fundraiser, what weve accomplished in the last year, and our current goal, more original reporting.

We have a video interview where we need a super easy video edit.snipping about a minute and a half at the end off. It was recorded in Zoom, so that will hopefully tell you what you need to know about the format.

Anyone who is game and has time free, please ping yves-at-nakedcapitalism-dot-com and put Video editing in the subject line.

Thanks!.

******

50 States, 50 Cuisines: The Food Worth Traveling For in Every State Conde Nast Traveler

Tom Stoppards Luck American Conservative

Thousands defy lockdown as they call for Netanyahu to resign Al Jazeera

The return of Europes largest beasts BBC

Investment in Fossil Fuels Yields Much Less Returns Than the Green Sector FAIR

Dramatic plunge in London air pollution since 2016, report finds Guardian

Deportation Nation New York Review of Books

#COVID-19

Science/Medicine

Survival of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus on the human skin: Importance of hand hygiene in COVID-19 Oxford Academic. From the Abstract: The stability of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on human skin remains unknown, considering the hazards of viral exposure to humans. We generated a model that allows the safe reproduction of clinical studies on the application of pathogens to human skin and elucidated the stability of SARS-CoV-2 on the human skin.

RIP Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Trump Infected

Trump giving thanks from his sick room for all the wonderful things that have been said by almost a bipartisan consensus of America is weirdly sad https://t.co/a4xW4cVfSF  Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) October 4, 2020

Imperial Collapse Watch

The United States Is Not Entitled to Lead the World Foreign Affairs

Nagorno-Karabakh

2020

Class Warfare

Little Rock Teachers Refuse to Teach In-Person  Virginia Municipal Workers Win Bargaining Rights  Payday Report. I have yet to ask my sister-the-teacher-of-several-decades her views. (But we typically dont speak often.)

Brexit

Police State Watch

India

China?

Did Xi Just Save the World ? Foreign Policy. From last month and we may have linked to it before; nonetheless, in case you missed it.

Russiagate

All Russiagate Did Was Advance Pre-Existing Agendas Of The Same Spy Agencies Who Started It Caitlin Johnstone

Julian Assange

Syraqistan

Antidote du Jour (via):

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Mr Trump has been taken to hospital as a precaution

Donald Trump is taking an antibody cocktail set to be rolled out to coronavirus patients in 40 hospitals in the UK next week.

The US President, who has tested positive for Covid-19 along with the First Lady, was taken to Walter Reed military hospital in Maryland late on Friday as a precaution after experiencing mild symptoms, including fatigue.

Mr Trump is being given the anti-viral drug Remdesivir, as well as an antibody treatment which is part of pioneering trials in the UK and has shown promising results.

The cocktail, called REGN-COV2, is made by the pharmaceutical company Regeneron, which previously developed a similar antibody drug against Ebola.

Peter Horby, professor of emerging infectious diseases at Oxford University and co-chief investigator of the RECOVERY trial, which is now testing the cocktail, said it going to be made available to dozens of UK hospitals.

"We have it in the RECOVERY trial in the UK - we started that over last weekend. It's currently available in about three hospitals in the North. We'll be rolling it out next week to another 30 or 40 hospitals," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"It's antiviral so will work in patients in which the virus is still replicating, but could be used at any stage of the disease and for any age group.

"It's an artificial antibody and a cocktail of two antibodies. It's designed so it binds strongly to a protein on the surface of the virus. It helps prevent the virus from attaching to the cells, entering the cells and replicating. It also helps our own immune system to attack and kill the virus.

"The class of drugs, these artificial antibodies, have been around for quite a while now and are extensively used in inflammatory conditions and cancers. They're pretty safe and well understood. This particular drug has probably been given to 400 or 500 mild or severe patients in different trials and so far there's be no worrying safety signals.

Story continues

"It's very promising, it's very potent. In the laboratory in cell cultures it has a very strong effect against the virus and there have been some studies of artificially infected animals in which it showed benefit. Of the drugs available, it's one of the most promising."

Professor Horby said the response to vaccines can be poorer as you get older, but this class of drugs have a long life so one treatment can provide protection for a month or six weeks - making them "attractive for the older population".

Mr Trump leaving the White House to travel to hospital - Drew Angerer /Getty Images North America

Remdesivir, which Mr Trump is taking alongside the antibody cocktail, was the first drug approved to treat Covid-19 in the UK.

The antiviral was developed by biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences to tackle Ebola and is administered intravenously. It works by disrupting the virus's replication process.

Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, described it as probably the biggest step forward in the treatment of coronavirus since the crisis begun.

Mr Trump is also said to be taking Vitamin D, Zinc and Melatonin, which have been found to potentially reduce the severity of Covid-19 symptoms.

He is also taking aspirin, which can shorten the length of hospital duration and reduce the incidence of cardiovascular complications.
The decomposed body of a 15-year-old girl, who had been missing for about a fortnight, was found in a maize field in Kanpur Dehat district Saturday, with the police saying it appears that a property dispute led to the killing.

Superintendent of Police (Kanpur Dehat) Keshav Kumar Choudhary claimed that the girl was abducted by her uncles and was subsequently killed in a cold-blooded manner.

He said the Dalit girls body, spotted Saturday morning by locals 500 metres away from her native Gaholia Rura village, was partially eaten, possibly by wild animals. The villagers immediately passed on the information to the police.

However, the parents of the minor alleged she was raped before being murdered, according to NDTV. Police have ruled out the possibility of rape.

The SP said the body has been sent for autopsy to ascertain the exact cause of her death. He said the girl had gone missing about a fortnight back and her family members had lodged a case a week ago.

Police said they have arrested the girls two uncles  Brij Lal (65) and Jiya Lal (60)  who allegedly confessed they killed her over a property dispute.
But Toomey had often expressed frustration with how the Senate operates and had never promised to run for a third term. Still, the news of his future plans that broke Sunday has reshuffled the deck for Republicans looking ahead to the two major statewide races in two years.
04.10.2020 LISTEN

"You and I, like the rest of us in Ghana and around the world, we all know what had happened during the Fourth Republic and the three before that one...wasting money, signing indemnity clause into the 1992 constitution to sanctify corruption practises as a normal part of society for the only benefit for the elite of Ghana with a tripling down effect to all lower ranks of our society, was it the Custom Officers in Tema Port or the Police Officers along the roads at various checkpoints or when reporting crime money was needed to pay officers for them to react to the request of help and pay for the fuel to enable them to reach the crime scene."

King Thomas gave thanks to the young and always smiling stewardess for the chocolate cake served on simple propellant, seeing Rama Singh in the back of the plane involved in serious discussion with Mats van der Heuvel and Noam Cohen: "We have a working cabinet and not a showcase cabinet, people seriously interested in what they do to better the life of Millions and not of a handful family members. I am so, so happy about the team we have onboard working for Mother Ghana and all of Africa. It is a great privilege for me that they have al signed up for their positions and are doing an excellent job."

"Yes, it is true, your Royal Highness, myself I am very proud that we work all on the same level equally as a team even we come from so many different countries and backgrounds determine to show to the world who Ghana was always meant to be in world history and to help other African countries to learn from us and follow in our footsteps by transforming their countries in their own way as long as that way shows upwards in all aspects of their nations," enjoyed George Agbo born once into a very humble family with a mother always worried about what to feed her six children while seeing her husband being a drunker useless to work and bring money home. Determination, hard work, persistence, and belief were the ingredients he used to make it to the position of Minister for the Interior. "We are like a small United Nation in our cabinet people all experts in their fields, one of the words best...and we all have a common vision for the new Kingdom of Ghana and the rest of the African continent. It is a one in a life-time experience which humbles me each and every day...your Royal Highness."

"When I look at Rama Singh, our Indian Minister for Information Technology, let me tell you how much I admire his sharp mind. I mean, when he talks to me about Computer and Internet matters...honestly speaking, my mouth is always wide open, and I simply do not understand half of what he tries to explain!"

"We all have our strengths and weaknesses, your Royal Highness. We can never be equal but should always be determined to contribute our very best and when we need help simply ask for it so that we all can move forward into a better and better future, "got George Agbo up to stretch his back. Since an accident, his back was always his greatest concern getting injections from his doctor on a regular basis. He started to walk up and down the aeroplane time for Noam Cohen to take his seat.

"Thomas," started to share Noam Cohen his impression from the General Assembly still underway for three more days, "I had the most wonderful discussions in these short time that we were in Addis Ababa with many colleagues from African countries as well as my own people from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. One Professor from Haifa University shared with me his latest scientific research results that he even had not yet made public...exclusively for us as he loves to support what we are doing and has great trust that we can perform on our promises. I guess we are the only country in the entire world that...."

"Sorry, I do not mean to disturb you and hope...," said Mats van der Heuvel while standing before King Thomas and Noam Cohen smiling down on them. He was a blond tall man with sharp blue eyes; a man as most people assume that a man from Holland should and would look like.

King Thomas asked him to have a seat next to him and ordered another piece of chocolate cake having a friend at heart in him for everything that was sweet: "Bring us your water!" Both were laughing their heads off. Noam Cohen meanwhile looked down to the ground underneath seeing DR Congo and their dry parts of the land where harvesting crop was a serious challenge.

"To be the Minister for Water does not mean, dear Thomas, that I am a magician and can find water in my palm just like that," corrected Mats van der Heuvel who had worked in his country of birth Holland all his working life in making sure the country would not be eaten up by the North Sea and go under finally. His creativity was seeing many projects under the water in the rock and heavy sand formation of the seabed and landmass as well as floating cities and workplaces like factories and office buildings on pontons secured by strong ankers. Right after his retirement and before accepting the call to help out in Ghana he had seen his former colleagues create huge farmlands above the water on artificial islands. "When you look here at our best friend from Israel responsible for Agriculture...even a Minister!" was Mats van der Heuvel teasing his colleague who was trying as usual not to mind him, a game they played among themselves very well. Instead of retaliating Naomi Cohen would rather wait for the right moment in time to pay him back which could last for weeks and came over the Dutchmen like a hurricane. But it was only a game they enjoyed playing, nothing serious and most definitely not disturbing their good working relation. "Noam can also not create soil just by talking, only by working on his ideas. I mean, that sets us far apart from African history that was once in darkness...big mouths everywhere and promises that in the end failed their people."

Noam Cohen looked at Mats van der Heuvel and pushed himself to smile at him wanting not to disclose any signs of how he would possibly pay him back. His facial expressions kept his secret.

"We white people made the same mistakes again and again in the past," looked King Thomas out of the window feeling his Ministers would flow his examples and look down on Africa. "We were all thinking about our values and our solutions should be valid, meaningful and right for the entire world especially for Africa which we had under our own feet thanks to colonization and later to finance them with loans to death, strangulation through the back door!"

"But history forced us to wake up and eventually change our strategy and position, Thomas. So, in history, it is never too late. It should have only come much earlier as the signs for change were visible to the once that can see," was King Thomas hearing Lian Xi speaking from behind. He had joined them without the three realizing it. Minister Lian Xi was born in Beijing. His parents had been strict followers of Mao and seen Communist ideology as the blessing to mankind. Only close to the end of their lives had they distanced themselves from an ideology that proved itself as intellectually interesting but not viable in practice and daily life of humans. As a typical Chinese did, he has black hair and dark brown eyes with around face and was small in the statue. Looking at his body shape and facial expression one could easily think he was a nobody, someone easy to be mistaken for a man of low education and training. Instead had he worked as an English teacher who one day had come up with a great invention, had established a successful company and developed the wish to give back to society seeing the end of his life approaching faster and faster? When Prime Minister Mawuena Trebarh had called him up and asked him to be the Minister for Economy in her cabinet Lian Xi had boarded the very next plane from Beijing to Ghana. Like half of the cabinet members was he working for no money from the state of Ghana only accommodated in a humble house paid for by the Kingdom of Ghana. Some of the expenses of his service in the Ministry Lian Xi paid out of his own pocket to follow the example not only of King Thomas but his other cabinet colleagues. He insisted not his own Chinese Government had sent him to Ghana to take part in ruling the country but it had been his own independent decision to take up the responsibilities of being a Minister in the Kingdom of Ghana stressing out to his own Government in Beijing and to everyone that had asked him about his motivation that he would only serve the Kingdom of Ghana in his capacity and capability to manage the Economy of a country, as an independent candidate.

King Thomas looked out of the window seeing the plane was overflying the old capital of the fourth Republic of Ghana, Accra on route to the new capital of the Kingdom of Ghana Bergo and said with sentiment and a look ahead in his voice: "By moving the capital to the new location between Beraku and Gomoa...I think was one of our best decisions. I mean the old city of Accra was no longer fit for purpose. To modernize it for a new dawn, a great beginning of a great future for Ghana and Africa at large, we simply needed to plan and construct a new city not only as a symbol of our mission but to reshape Accra in a reasonable time and make it fit for purpose was simply impossible. While here down there, you can see the ongoing building activities so well, we were able to start from scratch and make our capital a truly well-functioning capital of a modern state...that is benefitting the people very well...as we have proven during the past few years already."
According to a media release published by the Australian Minister of Defense, New South Wales based company, Electro Optic Systems (EOS), has been awarded a $94 million contract to supply 251 Remote Weapon Stations to increase the lethality of the ADFs (Australian Defence Forces) protected mobility vehicles.

Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link



Hawkei 4x4 protected vehicle with EOS R150 RWS Remote Weapon Station. (Picture source EOS)

Australian Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds CSC said this investment delivers on the Morrison Governments commitment to accelerate capability initiatives that stimulate the economy and support Australians. EOS (Electro Optic Systems) will introduce a new-generation Remote Weapon Station capability to equip the Bushmaster and Hawkei protected mobility vehicles within a Battle Group.

This work with EOS forms part of the Standardisation of Protected Mobility Vehicles Fleet program within the 2020 Force Structure Plan. Delivery of the new capability is expected to occur from December 2020 to December 2021.

EOS Defence Systems signed a contract with the Commonwealth of Australia (COA) on September 29, 2020, to deliver 251 Remote Weapons Systems (RWS). The contract is valued at over AU$94 million and will not only enhance Australian Army capability and secure EOS supplier base but will boost Australian jobs and create opportunities for small businesses.



Electro Optic Systems Pty Ltd (EOS) is a leading Australian technology company operating in the space and defense markets. Our products incorporate advanced electro-optic applications based on EOS core technologies in software, laser, electronics, optronics, gimbals, telescopes and beam directors, and precision mechanisms.



EOS offers a family of fully stabilized remotely operated weapon stations that can be integrated on various vehicle platforms and used for different mission profiles. Our Remote Weapon Systems ensure full weapon readiness while the crew operates the system protected within the vehicle. All are designed with a high level of commonality and modularity to offer clients a flexible firepower solution.
Mithun Chakraborty was worried for his family as the the 'only earning member' during the pandemic
Michael Gove has backed two prominent Brexiteers to win key broadcasting jobs as part of the Government's drive to challenge the Left-wing's grip on the Establishment.

In an interview with The Mail on Sunday, the Cabinet Office Minister said he would be 'delighted' if former Daily Telegraph editor Charles Moore became chairman of the BBC and former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre took up the same position at the regulator Ofcom  citing the BBC's 'kill white people' row as evidence of the need for change.

The Corporation received more than 1,300 complaints after black comedian Sophie Duker joked about killing white people on the Frankie Boyle programme New World Order on BBC Two.

Michael Gove has backed two prominent Brexiteers to win key broadcasting jobs as part of the Government's drive to challenge the Left-wing's grip on the Establishment

Mr Gove  who has been dubbed Boris Johnson's 'chief executive' because of his far-reaching influence in the Government  said that when 'you have a group of comedians who engage in a 30-minute seminar informed by Marxist ideas and they think jokes about 'killing whitey' are worth the licence fee, then you have to ask a question. And the question is, why should it be the case that people in Middlesbrough and Mansfield should pay out of their salaries so that Oxbridge graduates can trash their values in that way?'

The Mail on Sunday revealed two weeks ago that Lord Moore was being lined up as chairman of the BBC, and then last week that Mr Dacre was in contention at Ofcom, which regulates the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries.

Offering his support for their appointments, Mr Gove said: 'They have been painted in primary colours as somehow demon kings. That is just not true.

The Corporation received more than 1,300 complaints after black comedian Sophie Duker joked about killing white people on the Frankie Boyle programme New World Order on BBC Two

'There is a need for greater diversity in public appointments everywhere.'

In his exclusive interview to coincide with the annual Tory Party conference, he also:

Defended the imposition of a 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants on the grounds that Covid-19 could not be allowed to 'rip through the population', and said new measures were 'definitely helping' to stem infections but it was 'too soon to put out the bunting';

Claimed 'progress had been made' in Brexit trade talks with the EU, but that the UK was 'standing absolutely firm' on differences over fish quotas and state subsidies;

Revealed he was talking to business figures and political leaders, including First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, about moves to preserve the Union following a surge in support for Scottish independence;

Insisted Mr Johnson was '120 per cent fitter than ever' following his Covid-19 infection.

Lord Moore, 63, has accepted an approach to replace Sir David Clementi when he steps down as BBC chairman in February, and has already discussed pay and conditions according to sources.

Mr Dacre, 71, who has been asked to consider succeeding Lord Burns at Ofcom, is understood to be favoured by No 10 because of his history of railing against the bureaucracy and Left-wing bias of the BBC, his support for freedom of expression and a determination to rein in giant digital monopolies.

Mr Gove said that while there was a 'proper selection process' under way  with Whitehall mandarins protesting that the jobs should not be 'stitched up' by Downing Street  he backed appointing Lord Moore and Mr Dacre to help to usher in cultural change.

He said: 'Charles Moore is one of the most brilliant writers, journalists and thinkers in Britain today. Anyone who knows him knows he is open-minded, fair-minded, passionate about this country's success.

'The BBC is an amazing institution and Charles is someone who would bring a properly Reithian approach to it. He would want to make the BBC succeed.

'Paul Dacre is probably the single most successful newspaper editor of the past three or four decades and he is someone who has defied expectations in the campaigns that he's run on the environment and to pursue the killers of Stephen Lawrence.

'Because both men are Right of Centre, and because both of them  like 52 per cent of the people in this country  thought we should leave the European Union, they have been painted in primary colours as somehow demon kings. That is just not true.

'If you are seen as firmly Conservative, if you compound that sin by having been a Brexiteer and if you show no signs about being apologetic about either, then that puts you into a particular box.

The Mail on Sunday revealed two weeks ago that Lord Moore (left) was being lined up as chairman of the BBC, and then last week that Mr Dacre (right) was in contention at Ofcom, which regulates the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries

'I know people at universities who voted to leave, who don't dare reveal that because of the prospects for their academic future.'

He said the row over the BBC's banning of Rule, Britannia during the Last Night Of The Proms was the 'exemplar' of the situation, adding: 'It should be a fun cultural moment in the life of the nation, but there were people who were afraid of our history and afraid of their own shadow who thought it was somehow the right thing to do to drive five minutes of patriotic music to the margins of our culture.

'If you look at the world inhabited by some of the people who run our universities, or some of our major institutions, they are good, decent, open-hearted people but they have overwhelmingly been drawn from a narrow social circle with a particular set of views. There is still a golden circle of appointees and those deemed appointable and we just need to broaden that.

'There are too many institutions where the people at the head of them inhabit that thought-world which is insufficiently open to the values and the experiences of the majority of people in this country.'
People of China and India need friendship and peace, not war

Representatives from various Indian organizations called for friendship and peace between China and India in a recent virtual meeting with Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong.

"People need friendship and peace, not war, so it is the duty of each and every friend to work hard to strengthen people-to-people friendship between India and China," said V Bhaskran, general secretary of the Karnataka India-China Friendship Association (ICFA).

"People may change, rulers may change, but the friendship shall never change," Bhaskran said at the video conference. "It will grow from strength to strength."

On the occasion of the 71st anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Indian representatives from various organizations expressed their congratulations and good wishes, and extended their appreciation for China's achievements in various fields and its successful fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

This annual event is rare since the Chinese National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival are celebrated on the same day, Oct. 1, this year, said Das Bikash Kali, general secretary of the Pondicherry ICFA.

"India and China are both ancient civilizations and there have been cultural exchanges for more than 2,000 years," Das said, adding that cultural and educational exchanges between India and China have been carried out at various levels through different channels and with a rich content.

Inderjit Singh, director of the Dr. Kotnis Acupuncture Health and Education Center, said it is well known that India and China are Asian neighbors sharing a long and similar history in the fields of medicine and culture.

Singh, also a doctor who has been practicing acupuncture for the past 45 years, said acupuncture is a key component of traditional Chinese medicine acting as a bridge of friendship serving mankind.

"There should be more and more people-to-people exchanges for the sake of medical knowledge, cultural exchanges and values and opening-up of joint research centers," he said.

The Indian representatives recalled the historical exchanges between the two great civilizations, and hoped India and China could continue to promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

They expressed the hope that bilateral relations will be brought back to the right track of healthy and sound development, and that India and China can join forces to realize the so-called Asian Century.

Praising the role of friends from the ICFA in promoting friendship between the two countries, Sun said as China-India relations are facing challenges, it is all the more important for people of the two countries who support and care about the China-India friendship to play a positive and bigger role in cementing public opinion and accumulating consensus on bilateral relations.

Sun noted that this year, people-to-people exchanges have been affected by the pandemic and other factors. However, the history of friendly exchanges between the two peoples lasting more than two thousand years will endure despite the pandemic or temporary difficulties in bilateral relations.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and India.

"Over the past 70 years, China-India relations have forged ahead against all odds," the Chinese ambassador said. "China-India relations go far beyond the bilateral scope and have great regional and global significance."

Sun stressed that over the years, no matter how bilateral relations have changed, ICFA has always adhered to faith in the China-India friendship, spread the positive energy of friendship to the Indian society and people, and made significant contributions to enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

Quoting a Chinese saying that a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, the ambassador said promoting the China-India friendship needs to start small and also needs the participation of more people of insight.
Struggling Regal Cinemas plans to temporarily close all of its U.S. movie theaters, including 11 in New Jersey, according to multiple reports.

British parent-company Cineworld will shutter 543 U.S theaters indefinitely as well as its locations in the United Kingdom and Ireland after losing $1.64 billion in the first half of the year due in large part to the coronavirus pandemic, Variety.com and Reuters reported.

The tipping point, according to Reuters, was the delayed release of the new James Bond film "No Time To Die, from November to April 2021.

Movie theaters were allowed to reopen at 25% capacity in New Jersey last month after being closed since March when the pandemic started.

Crowds have been light at theaters across the U.S. since they reopened, Reuters reported.

Regal is the second-largest theater chain in the U.S behind AMC.

There are New Jersey locations in Burlington Township, Turnersville, South Plainfield, Hamilton in Mercer County, Moorestown, Sewell, North Brunswick, Vineland, Mays Landing, Manahwakin and Phillipsburg.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JGoldmanNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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The owner of a mattress shop that is embroiled in a corruption probe into Casey council was seeking to become a councillor and engaging in preference talks with a Liberal Party candidate who suggested the children of same-sex couples are "orphans" at higher risk of being abused by their parents.

Robert Halsall, owner of the Mattress Shop in Chelsea, was running for election to the City of Kingston council, which takes in south-eastern suburbs including Moorabbin and Mordialloc.

Developer John Woodman leaving an IBAC hearing. Credit:Justin McManus

At 8pm on Sunday, following the online publication of this story, Mr Halsall withdrew his nomination for council.

In Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission hearings last November, former state Liberal MP turned property lobbyist Lorraine Wreford confirmed Mr Halsall's mattress shop was used to funnel cash to council candidates as part of a "covert" $100,000 campaign to control Casey council.
Detailing the roadmap on vaccine procurement and distribution, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan spelt out the governments priority and what to expect in the coming months vis-a-vis vaccine development and inoculating the population. Interacting with social media users during the fourth edition of Sunday Samvaad, the minister said the government plans to receive and utilise 400-500 million Covid-19 vaccine doses and that of the 1.3 billion population, 20-25 crore people would be getting the first shot by July 2021.

RISK GROUPS IDENTIFICATION

The government in the process of identifying the high risk groups would require the assistance of states and it is for this reason that states have to send details of priority population groups by the end of October. The list of frontline health workers will include both government as well as private sector doctors, nurses, paramedics, sanitary staff, ASHA workers, surveillance officers and many other occupational categories who are involved in tracing, testing and treatment of patients.

VACCINE TRACKING AND BLACK MARKET

Harsh Vardhan has also indicated that vaccine procurement is being done centrally and each consignment will be tracked real time. The minister assured another respondent that there would be no diversion or black-marketing. Vaccines will be distributed as per pre-decided priority and in a programmed manner. To ensure transparency and accountability, details of the entire process will be shared in the coming months.

THREE VACCINE CANDIDATES IN INDIA

Dr Harsh Vardhan also said all three vaccines in India undergoing trials have proven to be safe, immunogenic and efficacious in clinical trials outside India and need to undergo bridging studies to prove their safety and immunogenicity in the Indian population as well although these studies can be conducted with much smaller sample size and end quickly.

It is desirable to have a single-dose vaccine, he said. However, it is often difficult to achieve desired levels of immune protection using a single dose. He added that two-dose vaccines are suitable for attaining the desired immunogenicity as the first dose gives some immune protection, and the second dose augments it further.

SPUTNIK V?

Regarding Phase 3 clinical trial of Russias Sputnik-V vaccine in India, Harsh Vardhan clarified that the matter is still under consideration and no decision has been taken as yet.

HUMAN CHALLENGE EXPERIMENTS RULED OUT

The minister also ruled out the human challenge experiment. India is not planning to venture into such trials until the method is proven to have an established benefit as per global experience. India has robust processes in place to ensure the vaccines that successfully complete the clinical trials are safe and effective against the novel coronavirus. When conducted, human challenge studies should be undertaken with abundant forethought, caution, and oversight. The value of the information to be gained should clearly justify the risks to human subjects, he added.

Human challenge trials involve exposing volunteers to dangers beyond those posed by potential side effects of the substance being tested.
An elderly Colorado couple who went missing on a hike over the weekend has been found shot dead near a trail, officials say.

Lee and Stella Vigil, who were in their 70s, were reported missing around 8.30pm on Friday in Colorado Springs after they didnt return from a hike near Edmundson trailhead on Woodmen Road.

When relatives of the Vigil's and El Paso County Search and Rescue officers arrived to the trail they found the couples car, according to KKTV.

Colorado Springs couple Lee and Stella Vigil, who were in their 70s, were reported missing Friday around 8.30pm after they didn't come back from a hike

Four hours later around 12.30am officials found the couples bodies off the Santa Fe trail near Fountain Creek, about a three hours walk away from where the couple first started the hike.

The couple apparently suffered gunshot wounds.

Police have not released further details surrounding their death.

DailyMail.com has reached out to the Colorado Springs Department for more information.

Locals were shocked to learn of their deaths in the hiking area frequented by couples and families.

'I don't want my wife to come here alone. She always has to come with me from now on, if we come back,' Morty Zand who was hiking near the trail on Saturday said to KRDO.

Around 12.30am officials found the couples bodies off the Santa Fe trail near Fountain Creek. A view of Fountain Creek above

'Up until today I usually feel pretty good. You have to be a little careful, sometimes there are some sketchy people,' Michael Hollenbeck who recognized the couple said to the outlet.

'It's sad, it's upsetting, I think I've seen them on the trail before,' he added.

Detectives from the Violent Crimes Homicide/Assault Unit are currently investigating the two deaths.

If you have any information you think could help, you're asked to call CSPD at (719) 444-7000.
Her selfie game is always on point, and Saturday's entry was no exception.

Kourtney Kardashian shined in strapless black bandana top on Instagram over the weekend, sharing a series of selfies where she milked the camera to the maximum.

The reality star, 41, posed in the sexy patterned top while shouldering a Christian Dior purse and wearing black leather pants.

Savage selfie: Kourtney Kardashian shined in strapless black bandana top on Instagram over the weekend, in a series of selfies in which she milked the camera to the maximum

The Poosh founder had her sleek raven black hair parted in the the middle, hanging down over her shoulders and bare collarbone.

The eldest Kardashian sister stood by a marble side table, wearing heeled black sandals and holding a pair of glasses.

She looked like she was all dressed and ready to head out on the town.

Flawless: The reality star posed in the sexy patterned top while shouldering a Christian Dior purse, and wearing black leather pants

For the first duo of selfies, the mother-of-three included the cryptic caption, 'I love you more than yesterday and less than tomorrow.'

And next to a following suite of full-body selfies, she used a solitary spider emoji by way of messaging.

The posts came after Kourtney took part in the #ShareTheMicUK initiative on Thursday, geared toward magnifying Black womens voices.

All dressed up and ready to go: The eldest Kardashian sister stood by a marble side table, wearing heeled black sandals and holding a pair of glasses

For the challenge, Kardashian handed over her IG account to Vanessa Kingori MBE, publishing director of British Vogue.

During her one-day takeover, Kingori discussed the initiative 'to inspire women coming together in respect and love to magnify the voices and talent of Black British women.'

She focused on her experiences with regard to motherhood, clean beauty, business and social justice.

Sending the right message: The posts came after Kourtney took part in the #ShareTheMicUK initiative on Thursday, geared toward magnifying Black womens voices
By Express News Service

MYSURU: Dasara elephants that arrived in the city on Thursday have been put under strict quarantine to prevent them from catching coronavirus. So much so that they have not even been taken out for their weight test, which is an annual ritual.

The forest department has dropped the procedure and is strictly against any outing for the elephants and mahouts and kavadis.

Deputy Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) J Alexander said they are being extra careful this time and added that elephants were already weighed while they left Veeranahosahalli in Hunsur.

On the proposal to test the pachyderms for the pandemic, veterinarian Dr Nagaraj said so far no rapid kits have been developed for testing them and added that they are consulting the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bengaluru.

All mahouts, kavadis test -ve

Mahouts and kavadis as well as those who accompanied them were tested for Covid by health officials on the palace premises. All 19 of them tested negative in the Rapid Antigen Test and their swabs have been sent for RT-PCR test.
When Dr. Sean P. Conley delivered a briefing at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Saturday, it seemed intended less to inform the American public than to satisfy the public relations demands of a famous and famously demanding patient  President Trump.

Hes doing great, Dr. Conley said. But moments later, the presidents chief of staff, Mark Meadows, speaking off camera and on the assumption he would not be identified, offered a contradictory assessment, noting the presidents vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning, and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care.

Were still not on a clear path to a full recovery, he added.

The radically different message was stunning, and at first attributed, at Mr. Meadowss insistence, to a source familiar with the presidents health speaking on background, but later identified as the chief of staff himself.

Mr. Trump posted a video to Twitter on Saturday evening, offering his own account of his health. Im starting to feel good, he said, adding well be seeing what happens over those next couple of days.
In 1987, Mark Rylance got the kind of phone call every actor dreams of. He was 27, an up-and-coming Shakespearean player, when Steven Spielberg rang and offered him a part in Empire of the Sun. When the actor politely declined, Spielberg came back with a bigger role.

"I was very excited to do it," Rylance said, but straight afterwards, he was offered a year's work at the National Theatre in London with a director he greatly admired. Spielberg would have to wait.

In fact, the great director waited 28 years before Mark Rylance finally appeared in one of his films, the well-received 2015 Cold War drama Bridge of Spies, for which Rylance won an Oscar.

Though arguably the greatest stage actor of his generation, Mark had done hardly any films in the 1990s and 2000s, but since Bridge of Spies has embarked on a remarkable streak of film roles, working with everyone from Christopher Nolan to Terrence Malick. "I'm glad I waited," he says of that early movie opportunity his peers would have killed for. "I had a lot to learn. I still do."

Perhaps, but while many stage actors struggle to reduce the scale of their performances on screen and come across as hams, Rylance's work in films like Dunkirk and Ready Player One and the TV drama Wolf Hall has a spare and elegant minimalism to it, a haunting elusiveness. And he is, in many ways, the glue that holds together Aaron Sorkin's ambitious new political drama The Trial of the Chicago 7.

Set in 1969, the film dramatises the infamous trial of the "Chicago 7", a disparate group of anti-Vietnam War campaigners, who'd been involved in street protests outside the Democratic National Convention in August 1968.

Those protests had turned into a very unpleasant riot and most observers blamed the over-zealousness of the Chicago police for the incident, with Gore Vidal pithily commenting that "the police were rioting, behaving like the pigs that they were known as".

But incoming President Richard Nixon's radically Right-wing Attorney General, John Mitchell, did not agree and decided an example needed to be made.

The group ended up in the courtroom of Judge Julius Hoffman, an intemperate monomaniac, and endured a months-long process that had little to do with the law and was reminiscent of one of Stalin's political show trials.

Sacha Baron Cohen plays Abbie Hoffman, the charismatic leader of the Yippie movement, Jeremy Strong plays Hoffman's associate Jerry Rubin, Eddie Redmayne is the more moderate activist Tom Hayden and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is Black Panther Bobby Seale.

Trying his best to defend this disparate, bickering group is William Kunstler (Rylance), a radical lawyer, who would become famous for championing the causes of civil rights leaders, the American Indian Movement, the Black Panthers and the Attica Prison rioters.

Loathed by the Right, championed by the Left, Kunstler knew the law, but in this trial, he faced a blatantly biased judge and defendants who didn't want to be defended.

"He was a fascinating character," Mark tells me via Zoom, "a cultured man, one of the most articulate people I've played, who put himself at the heart of some very difficult situations."

In preparing to play Kunstler, who died in 1995, Rylance read transcripts of the Chicago 7 trial and watched some of the lawyer's more colourful TV appearances.

"I particularly enjoyed an interview he did with William Buckley (the famous American conservative commentator and sworn and mortal enemy of Gore Vidal). It was an hour-long interview with Buckley and I just watched it over and over again. I knew bits of it by heart by the end of the filming, actually, because they really go at each other."

Sorkin's film is a densely written ensemble piece, which involves many actors sparking off each other at once. In fact, it's almost play-like: did they rehearse it together, I wonder, and work it up? Rylance laughs.

"No - we had one read-through. And Aaron said to us, 'Listen, at the end of the reading, we'll have a discussion and you can ask me questions', but then, when we did get to the end, he said, 'Thanks very much, I'll see you tomorrow' and wandered off, worrying about his words. But you know he'd hired a talented cast, so I suppose there wasn't really a lot to talk about; he'd clearly imagined it in great detail.

"And, actually, though we were all of different styles, our styles suited the characters we were playing pretty well. Like, Eddie Redmayne's a very particular and classically trained actor, who checks the takes very carefully - he's aiming for something very specific. Sacha (Baron Cohen), on the other hand, can't help himself with his incredible wit. It suited the character he was playing, yes, but at times it wasn't always what Aaron had imagined. It made us laugh a lot. And then you had Jeremy Strong, who would stay in character, so that drew us all into a playful way of treating it. It made it fun."

The film culminates in a depressing display of contempt for justice and democracy that has grim parallels with the present. "Yes, it's all rather familiar, isn't it? I read recently that, if Trump succeeds in getting his candidate (Amy Coney Barrett) into the Supreme Court, he will have matched Nixon's record for making the most politically motivated judicial changes during his presidency.

"But that whole Nixon period fascinates me. I mean, I think I must have about 10 different books about the Vietnam War. And it's very interesting to look back, because we can see now in hindsight who was right and who was wrong about what was going on - we can see how visionary those young protesters were."

Meanwhile, Mark's cinematic adventures continue apace and he's just finished playing the Devil in The Last Planet, a new film by Terrence Malick. "We'll have to talk again when that film comes out," he says, "because it may not be for four or five years. What an amazing, radical, creative man - I loved working with him."

And dare one mention Wolf Hall? The last part of Hilary Mantel's historical trilogy, The Mirror and the Light, was released in the spring. Will a TV drama follow?

"It's been put back a year, because of Covid, but the plan is certainly to do it, with Peter Kosminsky again, and the wonderful Peter Straughan. I think he's meant to be handing in his screenplay any month now."

When I tell him I'm really looking forward to seeing him play Thomas Cromwell again, he smiles. "It's very generous of you. My Catholic friends told me it was a bit like whitewashing Himmler, but what can you do."

The Trial of the Chicago 7 will be on Netflix from October 16
It's going to be a star-studded week as this year's Mill Valley Film Festival features tributes to Dame Judi Dench, Kate Winslet, and Sophia Lorenand, of course, drive-in and virtual movie screenings.

Plus, get ready for 150 Litquake events, an outdoor stencil class with street artist Jeremy Novy, fried chicken at Kin Khao's new Dogpatch location, and keynotes by Janelle Monae and Malala Yousafzai during Fast Company's Innovation Festival.

Support the #PrintmakersAgainstRacism fundraiser, a weeklong event in which more than international 60 artists will be selling piecesthink prints, zines, and stickersto benefiting orgs including Color of Change, The Okra Project, and Loveland Foundation; Monday through Oct. 12. // printmakersagainstracism.com







Attend Fast Company's Innovation Festival. Your ticket gets you access to endless virtual panels and workshops; keynote sessions with Susan and Robert Downey Jr. (8am Monday), Janelle Monae (8am Tuesday), and Malala Yousafzai (8am Thursday) are free; Oct. 5-8. // fastcompany.com





Celebrate Oktoberfest at Willkommen, where groups of up to six can make reservations for a $120 package that includes six liters of Black Hammer Brewing beers, pretzel sticks, and wursts or schnitzel. // Find details on Facebook, reservations at OpenTable.







View Napa Valley Museum's Real/Time: Art of the MomentTested By Firea free virtual exhibition of images of the Wine Country wildfires by photographer and journalist Tim Carl. // napavalleymuseum.org



Get takeout or dine outside at Kin Khao's new Dogpatch location. The casual spot's offerings include curry-broth khao soi, fried chicken sandwiches, and popsicles; noon to 8pm Wednesday through Sunday. // kinkhao.com





Watch Jennifer Siebel Newsom's new documentary, The Great American Lie. The film examines economic inequalities in the Bay Area and beyond, and explores how, with change and conversations, the American Dream can become a reality for all. // therepresentationproject.org





Stream Cal Performances at Home. Enjoy a live performance every Thursday, starting this week with the Tetzlaff Quartet, comprised of two Beethoven string quartets. Mark your calendar for future shows including Manual Cinema's Frankenstein (just in time for Halloween) and Yo-Yo Ma; Thursdays at 7pm. // Free for Cal Performances subscribers and donors, or $15/viewing, calperformances.org.





Get ready to rumble during Litquake 2020. Things kick off with a conversation between Crazy Rich Asians author Kevin Kwan and local legend Amy Tan, co-presented by 7x7. Then choose from daily programming with 150 authors during 60+ events. Plus, don't miss Lit Crawl on Oct. 24this year's virtual edition is going global; Thursday through Oct. 24. // litquake.org

Spend an evening with rock and roll legend-slash-author Patti Smith. During this online event, Smith will share passages from her memoir, Year of the Monkey, and play some tunes with longtime bandmate Tony Shanahan; 7pm Thursday. // Register ($35, includes a paperback copy) on Eventbrite.







Listen in on "Raising LGBTQ+ Voices in the Media," a discussion moderated by Eye of the Bay host Liam Mayclem with ABC7 Mornings anchor Reggie Aqui; activist and publisher Mark Segal; NYT national food correspondent Kim Severson; and Kara Swisher; 2pm Thursday. // Register (free) on Eventbrite.





Attend the Mill Valley Film Festival. Kick it off with a drive-in screening and world premiere of Edward Hall's Blithe Spirit, or transform your home into a makeshift theater for a variety of virtual screenings. Look for a spotlight on Regina King and tributes to Dame Judi Dench, Sophia Loren, and Kate Winslet; Thursday through Oct. 18. // Get tickets and browse films on mvff.com.

Cross your fingers for nice weather and celebrate San Francisco Fleet Week: The Virtual Experience; Friday through Sunday. // fleetweeksf.org







Attend a Hella Secret Comedy & Tiki Bar Night. While you LOL with five comics (whose credits include Punchline and Cobbs), sip a Mai Tai and munch on Korean deep fried chicken or bibimbap; 5pm and 7pm Saturday. // Purchase tickets in groups of four to allow for social distancing ($15-$25 per ticket, food and drinks available for purchase) on Eventbrite.





Learn all about Bay Area architecture in the 1970s during "The '70s Turn 50 in Northern California." During this virtual walking tour, you'll explore Larkspur, Sea Ranch, San Francisco, and Santa Cruz; 11am Saturday. // Register ($5) on docomomo-us.org.

Catch drag showplus grab dinner and drinksat Oasis' newly reopened rooftop deck and parklet. Alternatively, grab cocktails to go or order a mini drag show and meal delivered straight to your door. // Reservations on sfoasis.com







Take an outdoor spin class with Rise Cycle Co., benefiting Sonoma County Pride. Choose between '70s, '80s, and '90s themed rides (bonus points if you dress up) hosted by Santa Rosa drag queen Lolita Hernandez and with tunes by DJ Rotten Robbie; 6pm, 7pm, and 8pm Saturday. // Tickets ($45) on sonomacountypride.org





Attend a socially distanced plant swap in Golden Gate Park. For every plant you bring you'll receive stickers that can be used to bid on other plants; Saturday at 10am PST. // Register on Eventbrite





Dig deep into the vast and thrilling world of conservation during the Virtual Wildlife Conservation Expo. More than 50 conservationists, including Dr. Jane Goodall, will be speaking about their work to protect elephants, lions, penguins, sharks, bears, and many other species during this interactive experience; 8am to 2pm Saturday Oct. 10 and Oct. 17. // Register now at wcnexpo.org.

Thank you to our partners at Wildlife Conservation Network.

Design, cut, and spray your own reusable stencil with street artist Jeremy Novy. Come with ideas and be prepared to get a little dirty during this outdoor workshop slash mini stencil and street art history lesson; 2pm to 4pm Sunday. // Register ($65) on Eventbrite







Snap a pic at Madame Tussauds. The wax museum is reopening at 25 percent capacity with specially priced tickets. The best part? For every guest who shares a photo on social media, Madame Tussauds will donate a ticket to a local healthcare worker; 12:30pm to 6:30pm Friday through Sunday. // Tickets ($20) on madametussauds.com





Get all the loaves, bagel galettes, and crumb cakes at Turkey and Sharkey Bread Company's Sunday sidewalk popup. You'll also find an assortment of offerings including Jar Jar Jams, macrame plant holders, and Flowerhead Tea; Sundays at noon until sold out. // Details on @turkeyandsharkey



See four new murals created by 22 Bay Area youth in the Lower Haight. Painted on walls at CVS, Kate's Kitchen, Nickie's, and KIbatsu, the murals by local high schoolers feature themes of protest and equality.





Roll around Lake Merritt during a funky outdoor roller disco. While you skate (and social distance, of course), groove to hip hop and disco tunes (bring your own FM radio speaker), then stick around for arcade games and competitions; Sunday from noon to 5pm. // BYO skates; details on Facebook.





Receive an adorable kitten in your inbox every day in October, courtesy of Berkeley Humane. // Sign up on berkeleyhumane.org
The Bihar Police have registered an FIR against six people including leader of states opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Mahua MLA, Tej Pratap Yadav, senior RJD leader Anil Kumar Sadhu and three unidentified assailants in connection with murder of former secretary (SC/ST cell) of the state unit of the Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) Shakti Mallik on Sunday.

Purnia superintendent of police (SP) Vishal Sharma said On the basis of the complaint of the wife of the deceased Khushboo Devi, an FIR against six people including senior RJD leaders Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Tej Pratap Yadav, Anil Kumar Sadhu has been lodged in connection of murder of the leader. A probe is underway to ascertain the involvement of the leaders in this incident.

Mallik, 35, was shot dead on Sunday morning when in his home at Mugi Farm Road by unidentified assailants in Purnia district. The deceaseds family has alleged that he was eliminated at the behest of RJD leaders as he was set to contest Raniganj (SC) assembly seat in Araria.

Click here for full coverage of Bihar Assembly Election 2020.

Mallik joined the RJD in 2019 and was later made state secretary (SC/ST cell, Bihar). However, in recent weeks he had levelled serious allegations against RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav accusing him of demanding Rs 50 lakh to contest from Raniganj (SC) seat on a party ticket.

At about 6 am on Sunday three masked men came and fired at my husband from close range. We rushed him to the Sadar hospital where doctors declared him dead. My husband was killed at the instigation of Tejaswi Yadav, his wife said.

According to police three unidentified armed criminals entered his room and shot him dead from close range. He was shot thrice and he died on the spot, a police official said.

The RJD has rubbished the FIR as a political move before the assembly polls. State spokesperson of the RJD Mritunjay Tiwary said the charges against Tejashwi and Tej Pratap were baseless and false. The FIR is politically motivated, he said.

Police will probe the matter and the truth will come out. RJD leaders never play such a dirty game in politics, said RJD senior leader in Purnia, Kamal Kishor Yadav.

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Former President Barack Obama and Senator Kamala Harris of California offered their prayers for President Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, on Friday evening, colliding with the timing of an emailed fund-raising appeal from the Trump campaign.

The subject line: Lyin Obama.

Lyin Obama and Phony Kamala Harris are calling up their Liberal MEGA DONORS to come and rescue Joe Bidens failing campaign, read the message. Theyre holding a COASTAL ELITE fund-raiser RIGHT NOW.

Just minutes earlier, Mr. Obama and Ms. Harris, the Democratic nominee for vice president, had opened their virtual fund-raiser by wishing the president and his wife a speedy recovery, with the former president urging all Americans to hope for the presidents recovery even in the middle of a contentious campaign.

The combative tone of the email came hours after the Biden campaign pulled down all its negative ads against the president, though some already in circulation could take time to stop airing.
Chandigarh, Oct 4: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said the National Highways Authority of India has given its final nod for the Karnal Eastern bypass, which will be constructed at Rs 1300 crore, to decongest the city. The bypass will be 35 kilometres long and 7 kilometres wide. It will start from GT Road, covering the area between Madhuban and Kutel in Karnal, and will connect to Jhanjhari village.

Khattar said that the bypass will ease the connectivity of the nearby villages too. The chief minister was addressing the gathering at a function held at Deenbandhu Chaudhary Chhotu Ram Namastey Chowk in Karnal city.

He saidKarnal is developing as a smart city and an amount ofRs 1,000 crore will be spent to achieve this target. So far, development works worth Rs 350 crore are in progress under the Smart City project, said Khattar, who is the MLA from Karnal.

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
Donald Trump and Melania Trump have tested positive for coronavirus, but he still intends to debate Joe Biden on 15 October. (Getty Images)

Donald Trumps top spokeswoman insists the president will continue seeking a second term despite his positive coronavirus diagnosis, saying his next scheduled debate with former Vice President Joe Biden is still on.

Hes on the ballot, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told Fox News. Hes absolutely hard at work.  Were having to hold him back a bit.

That comment came amid a 12-hour-plus lull in presidential tweets. Mr Trump also did not appear on a noon-hour call with vulnerable seniors to talk about the virus he now has; Vice President Mike Pence took his place.

Ms McEnany was asked about a New York Times article that raised the possibly that some might question, now that the 74-year-old president has coronavirus, about him removing himself from the presidential ballot. She slammed that report as inaccurate, saying it appears merely the hope and the wish of the newspapers journalists that the president drop out.

What a ridiculous assertion by the New York Times, she told Fox.

Asked about the planned 15 October debate with Mr Biden, Ms McEnany did not mention a possible cancellation. That date, however, falls within the presidents 14-day quarantine period.

Havent gotten that far just yet, she said. Were focused on the president.

He is convalescing in the White House residence, aides say, with his top spokeswoman saying he is feeling good despite mild symptoms.
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association in the Gulf (PHRMAG) has said it is committed to redoubling efforts to support governments and healthcare providers in a united effort to meet the Covid-19 challenge across the Gulf region.

PHRMAG recently held its General Assembly meeting in the UAE, where it confirmed that there are now more than 500 research projects devoted to developing a new generation of therapeutics and vaccines that will offer effective treatments, preventatives or cures for the disease.

Collectively, PHRMAG member companies are investing billions of dollars in the global effort to develop cutting-edge new medicines and vaccines, the association said in a statement.

Additionally, PHRMAG members confirmed Mohamed Ezz Eldin (Novartis) as the new Chairman, for the association.

PHRMAG, representing 24 globally leading innovative biopharmaceutical companies discovering, developing, manufacturing and marketing new medicines and vaccines in the Gulf region, reviewed recent efforts to maintain the supply of essential, high quality medicines in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic challenges.

Commenting on the General Assembly, Mohamed Ezz Eldin underscored the outstanding collaboration with governments in the Gulf during the past six months.

PHRMAG and its member companies have always collaborated closely with governments to advance human health in the region, said Ezz Eldin and added: Whats so encouraging is how weve built on that this year to ensure that weve been able to ensure the uninterrupted supply of high quality, essential and innovative medicines to patients in the region.

At the individual company level and collectively as PHRMAG, weve reached a new level of collaboration and collective effort as we turn the tide on this pandemic, Ezz Eldin said.

Im optimistic about the scientific outlook for breakthrough medicines and vaccinesthere is an unprecedented global effort underway, he added.

The PHRMAG General Assembly discussed the growing interest in the region in developing the innovative life sciences and biopharmaceutical sector. PHRMAG is committed to working with policy-makers and officials to ensure that Gulf economies are able to compete and win investment, employment and innovation in our sector, Dream Samir, Secretary General at PHRMAG said.

No other sector is as research-intensive, and the Gulf offers tremendous potential to succeed in life sciences, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
She's preparing to welcome her first child with boyfriend Jamie Jewitt in just a matter of days.

And on Sunday Camilla Thurlow shared her latest pregnancy update, as she took to Instagram to announce that she is now 37 weeks pregnant.

The 31-year-old reality star wore a figure-hugging dark purple dress that showed off her pregnancy curves.

Any day: Camilla Thurlow shared her latest pregnancy update on Sunday, revealing that she is now 37 weeks pregnant

The Love Island star looked more than ready for motherhood, as she stood with her hands on her waist in a power stance and looked squarely onto the camera.

Camilla tied up her chestnut tresses, while she wore just a light smear of gloss and a hint of dark eye-shadow to emphasise her natural beauty.

Explaining why she was decked out in the elegant ensemble, Camilla captioned the post: 'Little spruce up for my virtual baby shower today (although still cosy in my slippers thankfully) #37 weeks'.

Camilla and her boyfriend Jamie - who met each other on the 2017 edition of ITV's hit reality show - have been regularly sharing updates with their fans as they prepare for the arrival of their baby.

Supportive: Camilla revealed there's been 'ups and downs' with her pregnancy, but she's 'very happy'

Getting ready: The couple have shared updates of their preparations, including a babygrow tie-dying session and their new baby changing table

These have included snaps of their new changing table, as well as pictures of their attempts at tie-dying babygrows.

But it has not all been fun and games: Camilla admitted while talking to Andi Peters on Lorraine that there have been 'ups and downs' with her pregnancy, although she's generally 'very happy'.

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.

'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.'
An Oxford graduate who says she didn't encounter racism until she moved to the UK, has revealed how she overcame childhood discrimination to carve out a stellar academic career.

Varaidzo Felistus Kativhu, 22, who lives in Dudley, has fond memories of spending her early years living in Zimbabwe, but was forced to move to the UK at the age of seven following the death of her father.

She told FEMAIL that her mother made the decision to allow herself to grieve, and most importantly to access 'better' opportunities for their family.

The Harvard student explains that she began learning English at primary school in the UK and while her classmates were welcoming, she began to encounter racism for the first time after starting high school.

Despite the discrimination impacting her studies, Varaidzo managed to achieve the grades to study at Oxford University and is now completing a course at Harvard in the midst of the pandemic.

Varaidzo Felistus Kativhu, 22, (pictured) who lives in Dudley but was born in Zimbabwe, reveals how she was able to overcome adversity - including racism at school - to study at two of the world's most prestigious universities

Varaidzo (pictured as a child) said in times of bullying, she found refuge in books and embraced her mother's 'rise above it' attitude

'My memory of my childhood in Zimbabwe is both a happy and sad one. I loved my country and the people. It felt like the sun was always shining and people were trusting and carefree,' she reveals in an interview with FEMAIL.

'There werent as many rules about how families and households should be run as there are in England. Every child belonged to every adult, so youd find yourself being raised by the street.

'Doors were always open and people cared deeply for their community. Its a different culture here in Britain - its not uncommon to not know your neighbours last names.

'It was during my childhood in Zimbabwe that I lost everything I loved. My father passed away when I was two years old and my mother moved to England the same year to grieve and create a better future for me and my sister.'

She recalls: 'My sister and I were separated and lived apart with different family members for four years while my mother worked, raised money and prepared to have us join her in England.

There was a lack of diversity and understanding of the ethnic minority community in Wales... Varaidzo Felistus Kativhu on her childhood schooling in Wales

'For the first six to seven years of my life I felt lonely and lost. Once I moved to England I felt whole again - I was reunited with my mother, got to know my sister properly and began my new life.'

Varaidzo explained that her primary school experience was positive, although at times other children couldn't understand her because of the language barrier.

She says: 'My first high school was in Wales, where we stayed for a year because my mother got a job there. I loved living there, but struggled academically because of bullying and racism.

'There was a lack of diversity and understanding of the ethnic minority community, so school often felt like living under a microscope. The level of discomfort became too extreme so we decided to move back to the Dudley area.

Varaidzo (pictured, with her mother) said she didn't experience racism until she moved to the UK from Zimbabwe, following the death of her father

'I then attended a high school and I loved it. It was here that I found myself  what I liked and the hobbies I enjoyed. I made lifelong friends and joyful memories that I will never forget. My high school allowed me to find my voice as someone who liked to entertain, loved music and learning languages.

'Everyone was kind, considerate and allowed each person to be their authentic self. There was still a lack of diversity, but it didnt result in racism or a lack of understanding, so I never felt like an outsider or that I was treated differently because of my race. There were small incidents of microaggressions from the odd student here and there, but my overall experience was positive.'

Varaidzo admits it was a shock to be treated differently by her peers because her skin was darker and her hair was coarser.

Revealing how racism influenced her outlook, she says: 'Being born in Zimbabwe meant that I hadnt encountered racism until I was experiencing it. It saddened me, but helped me build resistance at an early stage, so much so that I have now become somewhat immune to it and rarely ever react or respond.

'Racism should never be normalised or an experience that someone becomes numb to because they have encountered it so many times. As a child I found refuge and escape in reading books and writing my own short stories where people were kind and beauty lay beneath the surface.

Varaidzo (pictured) claims the teachers at her primary school and high school weren't adequately equipped to respond to incidents of bullying

'My mother has always been supportive and maintained a "rise above it" mentality which proved useful in moments when I felt like giving up.;

However, Varaidzo claims the teachers at her primary school and high school weren't adequately equipped to respond to incidents of bullying.

She explains: 'They were as supportive as they could be, but I wish they had done more and stood up for their students who were being bullied.'

The 22-year-old adds that despite the adversity she wanted to make her father proud and strives to achieve her best.

Varaidzo (pictured) said the lack of racial diversity in universities like Oxford is dangerous because their graduates often go onto make important decisions for the country

'I had been raised by my mother to aim for the best in life and when I was researching universities to attend, Oxford kept coming up and I decided there was no reason why I couldnt do it.

'I wanted to make my father proud and make sure the sacrifices my mother had made  uprooting her life and leaving everything she loved  would not be in vain. I would make the best of what life had to offer.'

Making it to one of the UK's leading universities wasn't without its trials, namely because there's still a lack of diversity.

Varaidzo (pictured) who is completing her studies at Harvard remotely amid the pandemic, urges others to continue pursing their goals

She says: 'Oxford University wasnt very diverse, a fact that they are aware of and are working on. The lack of diversity is a factor I didnt like about the campus and city because it sends a message to students from underrepresented backgrounds that they are not welcome and that intelligence has a race, accent and class, which it does not.

'The lack of representation is dangerous if a space like Oxford is the place that produces people who go onto run the country and make the important decisions. We need to have diversity in these fields to make sure there are fair institutions, rules and policies being put in place - we need every voice to have a seat at the table .'

Varaidzo urges others who face adversity to continue pushing forward with their aspirations regardless of external factors.

She says: 'Remember that you are absolutely worthy of everything you are dreaming of and aspiring for. You can do it, it might take 10 weeks, 10 months or 10 years but eventually you will get there, so keep going and believe in yourself always.

Varaidzo (pictured, with her mother) said it's important not to allow external negativity to define you

Varaidzo (pictured) is currently sharing workplace with others through the LinkedIn Changemaker programme

'Keep pushing and remember that when life throws lemons we have to make the best tasting lemonade the world will ever experience. You can do this

'Dont let the negativity around you define you or allow the external barriers in your way stop your dreams. They can make the journey longer and harder, but we cannot let them defeat us. Reach out to others who are going through something similar to you, theres comfort in numbers, collaborating and venting to people who get it.

'Im so pleased to be a part of the LinkedIn Changemaker programme, which is helping to promote voices like mine to help encourage others from unsupported backgrounds to aim high and reach their goals.

'As part of the programme, Ill be sharing resources on how to improve your CV, how to use LinkedIn to network,find internships, work experience and more. I am hoping that this role will help employers realise how much support students who come from backgrounds such as mine may need when they transition into the world of work.'

Vee Kativhu is a higher education advocate who is part of LinkedIns Changemaker programme, which is spotlighting those who are promoting positive change in the workplace.

Follow Vees progress on LinkedIn as she looks to help and support those from all socio-economic backgrounds in their journey to the world of work.
Harpreet Bajwa By

Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: Kick-starting a three-day 'Kheti Bachao Yatra' against the contentious farm laws, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that the day his party comes back to power at the Centre, these 'black laws' will be scrapped.

Addressing a rally at Badni Kalan before taking off on a tractor rally through districts Moga and Ludhiana, he described the BJP government as a 'kathputli' (puppet) government, whose strings were in the hands of the Adanis and the Ambanis.

He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was lying to the people and misleading the nation for the past six years to serve the interests of two to three large corporate houses of his billionaire friends.

"What was the need to implement these laws amid COVID-19? What was the haste? If you had to implement you should've discussed in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Prime Minister says laws are being framed for farmers. If it's the case, why didn't you discuss openly in the house," he said.

President Ram Nath Kovind had given assent to the three contentious bills -- Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill; Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill; and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill.

Gandhi said he is standing with the farmers in this fight for their survival and livelihood, which the Modi government was trying to destroy with these draconian laws.

"Together we will change these laws, said Gandhi.

The new laws, said Gandhi, were aimed at eventually dismantling the MSP and FCI procurement system, and would break the backbone of the farmers, just as the British had done to seize control of India. The Congress will stand with the farmers in their fight and will not move back an inch, he vowed.

Pointing out that the farmers of Punjab and Haryana had given the nation its food security with the tried and tested system that stands on three pillars -- MSP, Food Procurement and Mandis, Gandhil said while the system needed reforms and change there was no way the Congress would allow it to be destroyed.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, AICC general secretary in-charge of Punjab affairs, Harish Rawat, Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal were also in attendance at the venue.

Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said the Union Government's approach to agriculture would kill farmers and Punjab. " India used to borrow from across the world to feed its people till the time Punjabi farmers took the charge of feeding them. Attempts were being made to stifle the collective voice of the farmers, who had come together in this fight to protect their livelihood and future. The battle against the farm laws was being fought across the country and the Congress was with the farmers every step

of the way," he said.

Gandhi along with Amarinder sat on a tractor which was driven by Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar while Navjot Singh Sidhu and other leaders sat on another.
Any hopes that the worst of the coronavirus crisis could be near an end were shattered early Friday morning on news that the president of the United States has contracted the disease already responsible for killing more than 200,000 Americans. No matter ones politics, the news that the nations top elected official has contracted a serious illness must be treated with utmost gravity.

What effect the diagnosis will have on the presidential election, now only weeks away, remains to be seen. But elected leaders from across the political spectrum were rightly wishing President Trump a speedy recovery. No matter who anyone plans to vote for, COVID-19 is a deadly serious ailment that everyone must be united in fighting.

Its another reminder, in case one was needed, that precautionary measures such as masks and social distancing are as important as ever. In the absence of a vaccine that can be administered to millions of people, everyone will need to take steps to limit the virus spread. That will only get more difficult as the weather cools and more people are stuck inside, but nothing can be taken for granted.

In Connecticut, there are worrying signs that the relative calm in recent months could be in for a reversal. The infection rate has trended up over the past week, with hospitalizations on the rise and outbreaks tracked in various hot spots.

This has come as the state prepares for new easing of coronavirus restrictions, a response to the economic damage that a prolonged shutdown has wreaked on Connecticut businesses. Though bars will remain closed, restaurants will be allowed to increase their capacity and some larger gatherings will be allowed. At the same time, the school year is in full swing, with some districts easing their own restrictions and bringing students in for more in-person learning if local infection rates allow it. Other schools are closing for days or weeks at a time in the event of new cases.

Gov. Ned Lamont has shown flexibility in the past six months in responding to changing conditions, and more of that flexibility will be necessary as the situation continues to change. Of concern is a rising caseload in nearby New York City, which in the spring coincided with the worst of Connecticuts outbreak. State officials must be prepared for the outlook to again deteriorate.

This is also flu season, which adds another potential wild card. Though widespread use of face masks could limit the spread of traditional illnesses, everyone needs to be prepared for an uptick in sick people, COVID or otherwise. Every cough could be enough to cause alarm, and officials need to be prepared. And everyone needs to get a flu shot.

We wish the president a prompt recovery, and hope this unfortunate development might inspire more unity. COVID-19 affects different people in a variety of ways, and there is no predicting anyones long-term prognosis. Even young and healthy people who have contracted the disease have reported lasting problems, from fatigue to heart trouble. So much is still unknown.

As winter looms, were all about to get yet another lesson in the importance of disaster preparedness.
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"Most of our cases, well over 90 per cent, in recent weeks are linked to clusters and outbreaks, and the current one at The Butcher Club just shows the five-kilometre rule isn't effective for workplaces," Professor Bennett said. "Even if one of those secondary cases had passed it on before you got them into quarantine, what's it matter whether they went to Woolworths three kilometres or eight kilometres away? They're no longer where the outbreak started." She said the government's focus should shift from strict restrictions  such as the limit on movement  to successfully following up close and secondary contacts, and containing outbreaks. "When case numbers are this low, there is real opportunity to be absolutely precise," she said. Professor Brett Sutton said mystery cases "remain" a concern. Credit:Chris Hopkins

Melbourne needs a 14-day average of fewer than five cases, and fewer than five mystery cases, over the same period for restrictions to ease on October 19. The city's rolling 14-day average dropped to 11.9 on Sunday, but Professor Sutton said mystery cases were "always a concern". The public health team has identified three new mystery cases in postcodes 3145, 3023 and 3019. Professor Sutton said he was "absolutely" worried by the stagnation in dropping active cases today, but fewer aged care cases should ensure lower numbers over coming days. Over a two-week period between September 18 and October 1, the Department of Health and Human Services identified an average of 13 mystery cases in metropolitan Melbourne and nine in regional Victoria.

"One single case of unknown acquisition, we don't know what it represents, but it might represent five true cases out there, might represent 10 or 15 true cases out there because we don't know where they got it from," the chief health officer said. Professor Sutton said the Chadstone cluster was a "salient" lesson that regional Victoria, where there are only three active cases, remained at risk because of essential workers moving between the regions and metropolitan Melbourne. Victoria recorded 12 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday and one death. Six of the 12 cases were linked to outbreaks; three to The Butcher Club and three to the Electra Park Medical Centre in Ashwood. The other six cases remain under investigation. Public health teams in the new suburban hubs are doing the bulk of the contact-tracing work to contain The Butcher Club-Chadstone outbreak. Mr Andrews said he would soon announce the locations of the two remaining suburban contact-tracing hubs he flagged last month, and that "there might be more than two".

The Premier said the decentralised contact-tracing model, lauded by leading epidemiologists and described by Prime Minister Scott Morrison as the "gold standard" in contact tracing, would become a permanent feature of Victoria's public health team. Professor Sutton welcomed the announcement, describing it as a "really critical evolution" to respond to communicable diseases, such as COVID-19 and legionnaires' disease, and rapidly expand the workforce as necessary. "I have been an advocate for a decentralised ... public health function for a long time," Professor Sutton said. "The ability to understand that on-the-ground intelligence is much greater and the agility and flexibility as well as the surge capability, because you got those in place ongoing, is much greater. "It's an opportunity to build experience and to build, you know, the kind of credentials for public health that will be an asset right through."

Mr Andrews said he expected a further easing of restrictions on October 19, and was "as confident as you can be" that the state's 14-day average would drop to fewer than five daily cases in a fortnight. "Regional Victoria is in a different place today than they were three or four weeks ago. And hopefully on 18 or 19 October, so just in a couple of weeks' time, metro Melbourne will be in a different place than they are right now," he said. "Certainly a very different place weeks and months after that, it will have - it needs to evolve in that safe and steady way. I'm really confident that it can." Internal DHHS modelling accounts for the assumption that people could flock to beaches and parks in large crowds as the weather warms up, and has formed the thresholds and timelines set out in the road map, Professor Sutton said.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services (Preliminary) examination is being conducted on Sunday with various precautionary measures in place amid the coronavirus pandemic. Several state governments have made special transport arrangements for UPSC aspirants appearing for the exam.

In the national capital, Delhi Metro Railways Corporation (DMRC) started its operation as early as 6am to facilitate the movement of candidates. The Metro services on Sundays generally begin at 8am.

I used public transport to reach the centre. It was not safe, but what can I do? I had to appear in the exam, news agency ANI quoted a candidate as saying in Delhi.

In Maharashtra, the ministry of railways gave permission to candidates and people escorting them to the examination centres to travel by special services over the Mumbai Suburban Railway network on Sunday. Candidates can use the exam call letter and I-card for entry at the station.

With their face masks on, students arrived at the examination centres. The situation is unprecedented, described one student in Telangana. This is a very unprecedented situation. Pandemic is nowhere to end in the near future, so it is better to conduct exams, said Jaswant Kumar, according to ANI.

The Union Public Service Commission is conducting the civil services preliminary examination 2020 at 2,569 centres across 72 cities in the country. This year, more than 10.58 lakh candidates have applied for the UPSC prelims examination.
RTHK: France and Italy step up rescue efforts after floods

French and Italian rescue services stepped up their search efforts on Sunday after floods cut off several villages in the mountainous border regions, causing widespread damage and killing three people.

Eight people remained unaccounted for on the French side of the border after storms, torrential rain and flash floods battered the area, washing away roads and houses, cutting off entire villages and triggering landslips.

In Breil-sur-Roya, a French village close to the Italian border, houses were buried in mud and turned-over cars stuck in the riverbed.

Rescue efforts were concentrated on the Roya valley where roughly 1,000 firefighters, backed by helicopters and the army resumed their search for survivors and helped people whose homes were destroyed or inaccessible.

Storm Alex barrelled into France's west coast on Thursday bringing powerful winds and rain across the country before moving into northern Italy.

"What we are going through is extraordinary," said Bernard Gonzalez, prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes region, after as much as 60 centimetres of rain fell in 24 hours in the worst-affected areas.

Italy confirmed two people died on Saturday, a volunteer firefighter on a rescue operation and a man whose car was washed away. France suffered its first fatality on Sunday, a shepherd whose body was pulled from a river near the border.

France has declared the region a natural disaster zone.

Saint-Martin-Vesubie, a French village home to 1,400 north of Nice, was completely cut off by the storm. A bedraggled group of tourists and residents gathered in the village square to be airlifted to safety.

"My three-storey house, it's in the river," said villager Sandra Dzidt, 62, who had to flee the floods dressed only in her nightgown. "All I have left is a tiny piece of wall and a door."

Across the region, emergency crews were handing out food and airlifting thousands of bottles of water into remote villages cut off by the storms.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex inspected the damage by helicopter on Saturday, saying he feared the number of people missing could rise after dozens of cars and several houses were swept away in apocalyptic scenes.

Gonzalez called on the families of the missing not to give up hope.

"Just because their loved ones haven't been able to get in touch doesn't mean that they have been taken by the storm," he said.

Many landline and some mobile phone services were disrupted, with some villages using satellite phones to communicate with rescue services.

Despite forecasts of more rain, rescue efforts were to continue throughout Sunday, Gonzalez said.

"The helicopter procession will continue all day long," he said.

The presidents of Italy's Piedmont and Liguria regions signed a joint letter calling on the government to declare a state of emergency with several villages cut off.

"The situation is very serious. It is like it was in 1994," when 70 died after the Po and Tarano rivers flooded, Piedmont's president, Alberto Cirio, told La Stampa newspaper.

"The difference being 630 mm of water fell in 24 hours - unprecedented in such a small timeframe since 1954."

Cirio added Italy was already struggling to cope with the effects of the coronavirus which has left some 36,000 dead and shattered the economy over the past six months.

"We are already in an extraordinary situation. Because of the pandemic the region will this year receive 200 million euros less in tax receipts. If the state does not intervene (with rescue funding) we shall not recover." (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2020-10-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
A total of 462 more cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Northern Ireland (PA)

A further 462 cases of Covid-19 have been diagnosed in Northern Ireland in the last 24 hours, the Department of Health has said.

There has been one death, bringing the death toll to 584.

Health Minister Robin Swann said decisive action will be taken to combat the spread of the virus.

He said: "Our hospitals are already under growing pressure and this will inevitably intensify in the coming weeks given the extent of the new cases.

"Additional planned interventions are under active consideration. I do not want a return to a long-term or indefinite lockdown.

Urging everyone to adhere to the regulations and guidance now in place, the Minister added: "The restrictions are based on a fundamental irrefutable principle  cutting down contacts between people is a proven way of reducing the spread of the virus.

"I would appeal to people not to look for loopholes or grey areas in the regulations. Lets all take responsibility for our own actions and do everything we can to look after each other."

The latest official data brings to 14,074 the total number of positive cases here. There are 65 patients in NI hospitals, with nine patients in intensive care units.

In the Derry City & Strabane council area, the positive test rate is now 1,006 per 100,000 of population, according to the new figures. There have been 731 positive cases in the past seven days there.

In other areas of concern, the infection rate per 100,000 of population in the Newry, Mourne and Down council district is up to 775 while Belfast has risen to 1,010.

The figures at a glance

Antrim and Newtownabbey: 987 cases (+143 in past 7 days) and 62 deaths

Ards and North Down: 765 cases (+92 in past 7 days) and 46 deaths

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon: 1505 cases (+237 in past 7 days) and 69 deaths

Belfast: 3,445 cases (+733 in past 7 days) and 168 deaths

Causeway Coast and Glens: 642 cases (+124 in past 7 days) and 39 deaths

Derry City and Strabane: 1,516 cases (+731 in past 7 days) and 21 deaths

Fermanagh and Omagh: 410 cases (+102 in past 7 days) and 11 deaths

Lisburn and Castlereagh: 1,034 cases (+153 in past 7 days) and 50 deaths

Mid and East Antrim: 898 cases (+52 in past 7 days) and 46 deaths

Mid Ulster: 909 cases (+266 in past 7 days) and 30 deaths

Newry, Mourne and Down: 1,396 cases (+521 in past 7 days) and 38 deaths

Not known: 567 cases (+135 in past 7 days) and 4 deaths

Read More

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he is sure Donald Trump is "going to be fine", as the US president is treated for coronavirus in hospital.

Mr Trump posted a video on social media on Saturday in which he declared he felt "much better", after conflicting reports over his condition.

Mr Johnson said the American leader is being given the "best" medical care available.

He told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: "I'm sure that President Trump is going to be fine, he has got the best possible care.

"The most important thing to do is follow his doctors' advice."

Read More

In England, a further 28 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths reported in hospitals to 30,166, NHS England said on Sunday.

Patients were aged between 69 and 94 years old. All had underlying health conditions.
State of mind to commit crime must be visible to prove offence says SC

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Oct 04: State of mind to commit a particular crime "must be visible" to determine the culpability for offence of abetment, the Supreme Court has said while setting aside the conviction of a man who was accused of abetting his wife's suicide in 1997.

The apex court said that ingredient of "mens rea" (intention) cannot be assumed to be ostensibly present but has to be "visible and conspicuous".

A bench headed by Justice N V Ramana said this while setting aside the March 2010 order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court which had upheld the trial court's verdict convicting the man for the offence under section 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code.

Prashant Bhushan moves Supreme Court, seeks review plea of fine imposed on him in contempt case

"As in all crimes, mens rea has to be established. To prove the offence of abetment, as specified under sec 107 of the IPC, the state of mind to commit a particular crime must be visible, to determine the culpability," said the bench, also comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hrishikesh Roy.

The top court said that in order to prove mens rea, there has to be something on record to establish or show that the man had a guilty mind and in furtherance of that state of mind, abetted the suicide of his wife.

The bench delivered its verdict on a plea filed by the man against the order of high court which had dismissed his appeal and upheld the four-year jail term awarded to him by the trial court in the case.

An FIR was lodged in the matter in August 1997 at Barnala on the basis of statement of the deceased's father and the prosecution had alleged that the woman was harassed after marriage for insufficient dowry.

The apex court noted that there is no direct evidence of cruelty against the husband or the in-laws in the case.

"Insofar as the possible reason for a young married lady with two minor children committing suicide, in the absence of evidence, conjectures cannot be drawn that she was pushed to take her life by the circumstances and atmosphere in the matrimonial home," the bench said.

"In view of the foregoing, we are persuaded to conclude that the decisions under challenge cannot be legally sustained. Consequently, interfering with the impugned judgment of the high court and the trial court, the appellant's conviction under section 306 IPC is set aside and quashed," it said.

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Story first published: Sunday, October 4, 2020, 10:36 [IST]
President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden participate in the first presidential debate at the Health Education Campus of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 29, 2020. (Win McNamee-Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Biden Will Be at Next Debate as Scheduled, Campaign Official Says

Trump adviser says president doesn't favor remote debates

Democratic nominee Joe Biden will participate in the next debate with President Donald Trump in mid-October as scheduled, according to senior campaign adviser Symone Sanders.

Sanders told CNN on Oct. 4 that the former vice president is looking forward to the debate in Miami on Oct. 15.

Her comment came several days after Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19 and was later taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment and observation.

We are looking forward to the debate on Oct. 15 in Miami, Sanders said. Its a town hall and, as you know, Vice President Biden loves a good town hall. And we are hoping President Trump can participate. Were hoping that hes medically able to participate, and that is up to his doctors to clear him. But Joe Biden will be at that debate.

White House physician Dr. Sean Conley said in an update Oct. 4 that Trump has continued to improve and could return to the White House as early as tomorrow. The doctor noted that Trumps oxygen saturation level dropped twice after he was diagnosed with the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Conleys team said that Trumps vital signs are stable, and he hasnt complained of shortness of breath. He is still taking the anti-viral drug Remdesivir after completing his second round of the drug on Oct. 3, the team said. While his oxygen level dropped to around 93 percent, Conley said, that has improved and is now at 98 percent as of midday Oct. 4.

While not yet out of the woods, the team remains cautiously optimistic, he said on Oct. 3.

Trumps senior campaign manager, Jason Miller, told Meet the Press on Oct. 4 that the presidents campaign doesnt favor a remote debate format.

Were in a campaign. We have a month to go, Miller said. We see Joe Biden and Kamala Harris out there campaigningcertainly theyre not asking for a remote debate.

Miller added that Vice President Mike Pence will remain on the campaign trail.

I have no concerns at all, he added. The vice president takes very serious all of these measures. Anyone around the vice president is tested. People are kept very safe.

Again, we cant hide from this virus forever, Chuck, Miller added. We have to take it head-on. We have to reopen our economy. And weve got to develop this vaccine and defeat the virus.

First Lady Melania Trump, Trump 2020 campaign manager Bill Stepien, Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel, White House adviser Hope Hicks, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), former White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also have tested positive for the CCP virus in recent days.

Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Bidens pick for vice president, are scheduled to debate this week.
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev demanded on Sunday that Armenia set a timetable for withdrawing from the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding Azeri territories, and said Azerbaijan would not cease military action until that happened. In a televised address to the nation, Aliyev said Azeri forces were advancing in a week-long offensive to retake lands that they lost to ethnic Armenians in the 1990s."The Azeri soldier is chasing them like a dog, the Azeri soldier is standing at their posts, we have taken their weaponry, we are carrying out the mission of ...
The Kano State Police Command on Saturday said it has launched a manhunt for a woman whose two kids were found dead in a pool of their own blood.

The woman allegedly killed the children in protest of her husbands decision to take another wife. The incident happened while the husband was staying with his new wife in another house.

The woman, only identified as Hauwa, also allegedly violently assaulted other residents who attempted to apprehend her while fleeing the scene of the alleged crime.

The police spokesperson for Kano State, Abdullahi Haruna, confirmed the incident that occurred at Sagagi, Disco quarters in Kano metropolis.

A community head in the area, Ahmad Bello, told reporters that the incident happened while the husband was spending time with his new wife in another house, as both women were not staying in the same apartment.

An uncle to the deceased children, Sadiq Aminu, said the relationship between Hauwa and her husband had soured since the husband took another wife.

He identified the deceased children as Yusuf Ibrahim, aged five and his sister, Zahra Ibrahim, aged three.

He added that the mother stabbed the deceased children several times until they stopped breathing, while her oldest daughter Zainab, aged 10, watched on.

The Kano police said they are investigating the situation and would address a press conference as soon as investigations were completed, while they gather more details about the incident.
ROME  Pope Francis criticized the failures of global cooperation in response to the coronavirus pandemic in a document released on Sunday that underscores the priorities of his pontificate.

As I was writing this letter, the Covid-19 pandemic unexpectedly erupted, exposing our false securities, Francis said in the encyclical, the most authoritative form of papal teaching. Aside from the different ways that various countries responded to the crisis, their inability to work together became quite evident. For all our hyper-connectivity, we witnessed a fragmentation that made it more difficult to resolve problems that affect us all, he added.

Anyone who thinks that the only lesson to be learned was the need to improve what we were already doing, or to refine existing systems and regulations, is denying reality, the pope said.

Released amid another Vatican financial scandal and after changes in church rules regarding sex abuse, the letter steered clear of other contentious subjects. It instead returned often to some of the churchs hobbyhorses, including a secularism that has produced what the church sees as a throwaway, consumerist culture.
Shocking footage has emerged of a beachgoer involved in a violent scuffle with police at a popular Melbourne beach.

The violent confrontation was witnessed by hundreds of beachgoers who flocked to St Kilda's foreshore for a second consecutive day on Saturday night as temperatures climbed towards 30C.

Police have since confirmed a man, 32, was arrested and later charged after he allegedly struck a police vehicle while officers were patrolling the broadwalk at around 6.20pm.

Nearby crowds cheered and filmed as the man allegedly tried to resist arrest and break free from the officers by pushing them away.

The man managed to break free but fell on the ground, prompting the officers pile on top of him.

A man (centre) was piled on by four police officers (two pictured) and arrested near Republica bar on the boardwalk at St Kilda beach at 6:20pm on Saturday

Another man tries to intervene and confronts police by shouting at them before he was pushed away by a male officer.

Police were forced to use pepper spray during the arrest while waiting for public order response officers arrive.

The man was then escorted by at least 10 officers into a police van.

The man (pictured being escorted to a police van) was later charged with resisting arrest, assaulting police, being drunk and disorderly and Covid breach

Victoria Police have released a statement about the incident, alleging the man approached and struck the police van while it was driving along the promenade.

Police allege the man, who appeared alcohol affected, refused to provide his details when asked by officers and a scuffle ensued.

'During the incident OC spray was deployed before the man was arrested and transported to a police station,' the police statement read.

The man, 32, was charged with resisting arrest, assaulting police, being drunk and disorderly and Covid breach.

He was bailed to appear in Melbourne Magistrates Court on April 1.

After two months of tough lockdown, hundreds of young people partied at St Kilda beach as temperatures climbed above 25 degrees on Friday.

Despite stern warnings from health officials, large crowds persisted on Saturday, prompting a large police presence on the city beach.

Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton issued a heartfelt plea after disturbing footage emerged of hordes of young people partying on Melbourne's beaches, ignoring social distancing and gathering in large groups.

'Don't risk everything. What we can hold back now means a truly normal summer. Please - Hold. The. Line,' Professor Sutton tweeted on Friday night.

Victoria recorded 12 new coronavirus cases and one death on Sunday, pushing the 14-day rolling average of coronavirus cases in Melbourne down to 11.9 and 0.1 in regional Victoria.

Bayside councils have threatened to close beaches, urging Melburnians to stay away after large gatherings so far this weekend.

Port Phillip council chief executive Peter Smith has vowed to close the St Kilda foreshore if the illegal behaviour continued.

Melbourne is forecast to reach a top of 27C on Sunday.

Victoria has recorded just eight new cases of coronavirus on Saturday after beach-goers (pictured) sparked outrage by partying in crowds in Melbourne on Friday night

'We are extremely disappointed by the number of people who breached the Victorian Chief Health Officer's orders and gathered on St Kilda Beach last night,' Mr Smith told the Herald Sun.

'Unfortunately, if we have large crowds of people doing the wrong thing, then we will have no choice but to close the beach or park as a last resort.'

'We are trying to prevent closure through a range of measures, however, we will only be able to keep our beaches and parks open if each person plays their part by sticking to the Chief Health Officer's orders.'
A social organisation has started a langar or community kitchen in Tripura to provide free food to the needy, including orphans and old-age home veterans, amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The langar has been named Mohamarir Heshel which means pandemic kitchen or kitchen during pandemic.

Sourav Bhattacharjee, a theatre student of Rabindra Bharati University in West Bengal, got the idea to open a community kitchen from langars at Jadavpur in Bengal during the first lockdown in March. He came back to Khowai district of Tripura, his hometown, during Unlock 2.0 and started the pandemic kitchen along with nearly 30 people from different professions.

The organisation comprises graduate and postgraduate students, teachers, advocates, writers, media persons, movie directors, among others. It was started in October with an aim to provide cooked food, once a week, to children living in orphanages and veterans of old-age homes in and around the capital city.

Also read: Donald Trumps condition had been worse than revealed, confirms White House

They provide rice, dal, vegetables, chicken and a citrus fruit in the meal to children who sit by maintaining social distance.

Many people lost their source of livelihood during the Covid-19 lockdown. Food is most necessary in this period. So, we are trying to provide meals to the poor at least once a week now, said Sourav.

The organisation is also looking to open its pandemic kitchen in slums, bordering villages and other areas.

The state has reported 26,552 Covid-19 patients so far, of whom 290 have died. Another two patients died by suicide. Total 21,387 patients have recovered from the disease.

The state has 5.79 lakh poor families including 4.70 lakh priority group and another 1.09 lakh Antodaya Annapurna Yojana (AAY) families, according to state government record. Nearly 1,969 migrant workers are living in the state and among them, many have returned during different Unlock phases.

During the first lockdown in March, the urban development department started community kitchen and provided free meals to the homeless people.

The state government had also requested different non-government organisations and self-help groups to provide food to the homeless.

Earlier, the state government provided Rs. 1,000 to each 8,666 identified hawkers, vendors and others who are engaged in menial jobs. The state also provided free ration to AAY and Below Poverty Line (BPL) families and subsidised ration for Above Poverty Line (APL) families amid the pandemic.

The pandemic kitchen, three days back, provided food to an orphanage located at Aralia in the outskirts of the capital city.

The Mohamarir Heshel came to our orphanage and provided food to the children. They are doing a very good job, said Kalyan Dasgupta, one of the founders of the orphanage.
The Data Protection Commission has ruled that Wexford County Council failed to adhere to the law by using drones to monitor public movement during the Covid-19 lockdown.

The ruling sets a noteworthy precedent, given the prevalence of drone use by Irish local authorities, that any such use of unmanned aerial technology is answerable to data protection law and the EUs General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

It emerged in April of this year that the Wexford council had been redeploying its UAV drones from monitoring of illegal dumping to surveillance of caravan parks and holiday homes.

That move was designed to ensure compliance with the Covid-19 travel limits of two kilometres that were in place at the time.

However, when it became clear that no data protection impact assessment (DPIA), a prerequisite for any project likely to have privacy implications under GDPR, had been carried out prior to the projects start, a complaint was lodged with the DPC against the council by local data protection consultant Daragh OBrien.

The investigation

In its investigation the Commission learned that 13 hours of drone footage had been captured by the county council between April 10 and 29, relating to drone observations of beaches, caravan parks, and holiday home estates.

The local authority had told the DPC that it had no case to answer as any people or vehicles filmed were unidentifiable.

Images captured were distant and of low image quality and thus did not contain any personal identifiable information, the council said in its submission to the DPC.

As there was no personal data captured in the drone deployment, it is the Councils view that no data processing took place.

The DPC said that it was satisfied however that the use of the drones fell under the law enforcement provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018.

"While the commissioner, having examined the drone footage available, agreed that the captured film by design did not contain any personal or vehicle registration data, it said that a DPIA should still have been carried out.

The DPC considers that the drones deployed by WCC constituted a system carrying out surveillance which had the potential to collect personal data and therefore a DPIA should have been carried out by WCC prior to the drones being deployed, Eunice Delaney, assistant commissioner, said in her ruling.

However, she said that, given the county council had moved to amend its drone policy so that a DPIA will be carried out before the future purchase or use of drones, and given that no identifiable footage had been recorded, no further action would be taken.

Wexford County Council could have stood liable for a heavy fine for the GDPR breach.

However, in the two years since GDPR first went live, the DPC has only applied two fines - both to child and family agency Tusla.

:: This article was updated as an earlier version mistakenly displayed an image of a Manna drone. Manna drones do not have surveillance capability and are not used to record data on people.

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Its really the only place in Chicago that you get the sense of what a church would have looked like in the 19th Century, she said. History only becomes interesting when its personal, to be able to tell people, this is where you came from. Holy Family looks remarkably like what your ancestors first saw. Its amazing and unusual for Chicago.
Tash Mitchell, 24, found a tiny lump under her armpit while washing off fake tan

Doctor told her the symptom was almost certainly only an exposed lymph node

But specialist tests found Ms Mitchell had stage two triple-positive breast cancer

Said hardest part of diagnosis was not losing hair but having to cancel wedding

'Your life was more or less tipped upside down in a second,' the Kiwi woman said

Dunedin woman speaking about diagnosis for the Change and Check campaign

A young woman has spoken of her horror after discovering a small lump in her armpit while taking off her fake tan - and how her life was 'tipped upside down in a second' following the devastating diagnosis.

Tash Mitchell, 24, found the tiny lump while washing off her tan about a year ago but was told by her GP the symptom was almost certainly only an exposed lymph node.

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With the lump having failed to disappear a month later, the sales manager from Dunedin on New Zealand's South Island was referred to a breast specialist.

Multiple tests confirmed she had stage two triple-positive breast cancer - and a tumour that was small but one needing fast treatment because of how aggressively it could spread.

Tash Mitchell, from Dunedin on New Zealand's South Island, last year discovered a tiny lump under her armpit - which later turned out to be a very small but aggressive breast cancer

The Kiwi woman - who this year was declared cancer-free after more than four months of chemotherapy - is opening up about her illness as part of the Change and Check campaign encouraging woman to monitor the health of their breasts.

Ms Mitchell said one of the most crushing parts of the diagnosis was not the prospect of losing her hair, but having to postpone her wedding to the love of her life.

'It was devastating to hear your life was more or less tipped upside down in a second. All of the unknowns were overwhelming,' she told the NZ Herald.

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'It was enough to get the better of me if I did nothing about it and all my doctors kept saying I was so lucky to have found it.'

Having seen her tumour shrink by 75 per cent following extensive treatment, Ms Mitchell said her experience had given her a new outlook on life.

'It's really changed my perspective and how I think about things and deal things - we all have nitty gritty things but I just think I get to stand up every day on my own two feet and feel good about getting a whole other shot at life, and I'm so grateful for that,' she said.

The Kiwi woman is pictured with her fiance. She said one of the hardest parts of her diagnosis was having to cancel her wedding

Ms Mitchell hopes her treatment does not prevent her from having children one day, and was fortunate enough to fertilise six eggs through IVF treatment.

The Change and Check campaign is being led by New Zealand broadcaster Sarah Gandy - who herself was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 36.

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'This project is all about getting women thinking and checking their boobs at a time that works for them,' she said.

The Change and Check campaign is being led by New Zealand broadcaster Sarah Gandy - who has previously been diagnosed with breast cancer

The campaign encourages woman to monitor the health of their breasts and to get tested if they notice any changes

'We all know the signs of a cold. How great would it be if women had that same level of knowledge about what their boobs are telling them?'

Research published by Breast Cancer Foundation NZ has showed one in six Kiwi women under the age of 45 never check their breasts for changes.

Almost one in 8 respondents under 45 have ignored a lump or other symptom, rather than getting it checked out by a doctor.
By Dr. Jessica Johnson

Johnson is a political theorist with the University of Virginias Democracy Initiative.

When President Donald J. Trump accepted the Republican nomination for president, he called the Democratic left a radical movement. Many Republican convention speakers also used the term radical Democrats to criticize the attitudes, actions and policies of the Democratic presidential candidate and members of the party and its supporters.

One must view the term radical, however, with a critical eye, given the charges of treason Trump and his backers have frequently launched at those investigating or criticizing his administration. Officials in his administration have also called government scientists seditious for failing to align with Trumps COVID-19 statements on mask use, treatment and vaccine timetables and have proposed that Black Lives Matter protestors who broke the law be charged with sedition.

In this political context, the use of the term radical suggests that those who are labeled radicals are also rebels. But who are the real rebels? This question was addressed by a political thinker whose language and arguments echo in the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

John Locke, the 17th century author of the Second Treatise of Government, wrote that the only form of legitimate political power is that which is consented to by the people. The consent between the people and their government is called a social contract. Political power exercised beyond the boundaries of the contract is tyranny. Tyranny is the exercise of power beyond right, he wrote.

The point of the contract is to set the terms for the use of political power so that it is not exercised arbitrarily. Lockes work around the time of Englands 1688 Glorious Revolution helped establish a constitutional monarchy.

Several phrases in his Second Treatise are repeated verbatim in the Declaration of Independence, and many of his arguments provided the grounds for the American founding fathers political resistance.

For Locke, the rule of law was crucial to the freedom of the individual. As such, those in authority who abused their power and ignored or broke the law were acting as tyrants. Wherever law ends, tyranny begins, he argued. If this happened, the people had a right and even a duty to resist.

Therefore, just as the phrase all men are created equal has a Lockean resonance, with a profound and continuing presence in American political thought and law, so too does his language of resistance.

The centrality of resistance in Lockes thought meant that he also needed to make the argument that his ideas about the limits of political power were not a recipe for constant political upheaval.

He acknowledged that those entrusted with public office do make mistakes or act badly, sometimes even engaging in manifest acts of tyranny. But if unconcerted and under ordinary circumstances such acts would not disturb or cause the people to resist.

Yet, if such illegal acts extend to the majority of the people or, as he says, if the mischief and oppression appear to only affect a minority but the precedent such actions set and the consequences seem to threaten all, the groundwork has been laid for the people to resist the illegal force.

As Locke said in a familiar refrain, if a long train of abuses, prevarications and artifices, all tending the same way, make the design visible to the people, and they cannot but feel, what they lie under, and see wither they are going; tis not to be wonderd that they should then rouse themselves and resist.

In many ways the current occupant of the White House is the radical. It is radical to have the United States president channel public funds to enrich his own businesses. It is radical to hold a political campaign event at the White House. It is radical to undermine relationships between long-time global democratic allies and embrace authoritarian leaders. It is radical to order the Department of Homeland Security to send its officers into a domestic city to tear gas and arrest protestors. Moreover, the president has routinely violated democratic norms, if not intentionally flouted the laws.

Locke argued that it is the people themselves who need a fence against rebellion. The right to exercise the powers of public office are founded only in the constitution and laws of government, and rebellion is an act that abuses that authority.

Those in public office who violate the constitution and laws of government, according to Locke, are truly and properly rebels.
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday that New York state will begin to increase its enforcement of coronavirus (COVID-19) rules at businesses  specifically in the states 20 coronavirus hot spots, which previously included one zip code on Staten Island  similar to its enforcement at restaurants and bars.

One Staten Island zip code, 10305, which includes several East Shore communities, was previously included on the states hot spot list on Thursday. As of Saturday, it was no longer on the list of the 20 hot spot zip codes, according to the state.

During a call with reporters on Sunday, Cuomo said the state is putting together a task force like he did with bars and restaurants, which he called very effective, that will do targeted enforcement in each of the states clusters.

After local governments didnt step up to enforce compliance at bars and restaurants, the state stepped in with a special task force to conduct enforcement themselves. Cuomo said compliance went way up, because compliance works and enforcement works.

Cuomo said he wants local governments and businesses in the hot spot zip codes to know the state is going to come in and ramp up enforcement.

The state has been oversampling its testing in the affected hot spot areas, which account for just 6% of the states population. The state found the areas with the greatest concern to be in Brooklyn and upstate New York. One Staten Island zip code, 10305, was the last hot spot on the list with a 7-day average infection rate at 2% on Thursday, the Advance/SILive.com previously reported. As of Saturday, the zip code was no longer on the list.

The state is going to start direct enforcement in these hot spot zip codes," Cuomo said. We have started yesterday. We are going to be increasing the states enforcement itself starting tomorrow. Local businesses that are in violation of the law will be fined and can be closed just like the bars and the restaurants. If there are businesses that are violating the gathering rules, they can be fined and they will be closed. They know the state is serious because they can look back at the bars and restaurants. They were fined and they were closed when they were in violation. And it was highly effective.

He said he believes the task force will be highly effective in the hot spot zip codes.

Local governments have not done an effective job of enforcement in these hotspot ZIP codes.



NYS will be doing aggressive enforcement starting tomorrow.



As we saw with bars and restaurants, when the state initiated enforcement actions compliance greatly increased.  Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) October 4, 2020

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

Cuomo also said Sunday that he wants local governments to increase coronavirus testing around schools for the states dashboard, COVID-19 Report Card. The governor said schools can be a transmission point because there are congregate gatherings and people from different communities can mix.

New Yorkers are able to see the number of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in their childs school using the states online portal.

All school districts in the state are required to send daily data on the number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in each school to the Department of Health (DOH). The dashboard collects data from each individual school, including public, charter, and private schools, as well as higher education institutions and State Universities of New York (SUNYs).

The governor said there is reporting on a daily basis on the dashboard, but there are very few coronavirus tests in the hot spot zip codes. He said the first priority should be to ramp up testing in those areas.

If you look at the districts and you look at the districts in the hot spot zip codes, youll see very few tests, Cuomo said. So Im saying to the local school districts in those hot spot zip codes, you need to do more tests, more quickly in those schools, in those hot spot zip codes because they can be a transmission point.

If local governments have any issue with doing more tests in those schools and districts, they can contact the state and they will help or do it for them.

We want additional tests right away starting tomorrow in those schools, report the data on the dashboard and lets find out whats going on because it is the schools, in this case, will be the canary in the coal mine and we want to see whats going on," the governor added.

You can go here for step-by-step instructions on how to find the number of coronavirus cases at your childs school.

CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS

Of the 110,000 tests conducted Saturday, Cuomo said 1.1% of people tested positive. That includes the hot spot zip codes that made up 21% of all positive tests despite representing 6% of the states population.

There were 14 coronavirus-related deaths in New York reported Saturday. Hospitalizations, the number of people in the intensive care unit (ICU) and COVID-19 intubations were all down, Cuomo said. There were 618 hospitalizations, 138 people in the ICU, and 67 intubations.

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Washington, DC - The Department of Justice Wednesday announced it has awarded more than $295.8 million to improve public safety, serve victims of crime and support youth programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

American Indian and Alaska Native communities experience rates of violent crime and domestic abuse that are among the highest in the nation, said Attorney General William P. Barr. The awards announced today underscore the Department of Justices deep commitment to improving public safety in tribal communities throughout the United States. This administration will continue to work closely with our tribal partners to guarantee that they have the resources they need to combat violence and bring criminals to justice.

More than $103 million was awarded under the Justice Departments Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) to enhance law enforcement and tribal justice practices, expand victim services and sustain crime prevention and intervention efforts. CTAS grants are administered by the departments Office of Justice Programs ($41.5 million), Office on Violence Against Women ($39.1 million) and Office of Community Oriented Policing Services ($22.5 million).

Public safety officials and victim service providers in Indian country face exceptional challenges, but they bring to their work an extraordinary array of skills and resources that enable them to meet and overcome any obstacle, said OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan. The Office of Justice Programs is proud to help fulfill Attorney General Barr's strong commitment  and the federal government's long-standing responsibility  to our tribal partners in the matter of their citizens' safety and wellbeing.

OVWs funding supports Native American and Alaska Native communities as they work across their communities to prevent and respond to gender based violence, said Office on Violence Against Women Principal Deputy Director Laura L. Rogers. These awards represent the strong commitment that OVW has made to help protect the most vulnerable members of tribal communities.

Ensuring our nations tribal communities have the resources they need is paramount for the COPS Office and the Department of Justice, said COPS Office Director Phil Keith. These awards are a critical component to the overall public safety strategy for tribal law enforcement and the COPS Office is honored to provide vital resources to hire more sworn officer positions, advance tribal training and procure equipment needed to keep communities safe.

An additional $113 million was awarded to 133 applicants under the Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside Program. This program, managed by OJPs Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), is designed to help tribes develop, expand and improve services to victims of crime and promote other public safety initiatives.

In addition to the CTAS and Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside awards, the Office on Violence Against Women made additional tribal awards of more than $31 million to support a wide range of efforts to address the crimes of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking and human trafficking.

Additional awards to support tribal public safety efforts were made by OJP and the COPS Office. OJPs Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) made six awards totaling more than $3.4 million to provide training and technical assistance to federally-recognized tribes and villages. OVC awarded more than $2.2 million to tribes to develop a workforce of direct victim service providers for American Indian and Alaska Native victims of crime in hard-to-staff positions and locations. OJPs Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention awarded $16.1 million to address the needs of tribal youth, and its Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, and Tracking awarded nearly $7 million to implement the sex offender registration and notification provisions of the Adam Walsh Act.

BJA also awarded almost $1.9 million to 17 tribal communities to address the public safety challenges posed by the outbreak of COVID-19. Funding was made available from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act signed by President Trump in March. In addition, BJA awarded over $9.4 million to combat substance abuse in tribal communities, almost $4.3 million to help tribes reintegrate ex-offenders into their communities and $435,843 to tribal jurisdictions under the Justice Assistance Grant Program.

OJPs National Institute of Justice made one award totaling $99,637 to fund tribal research to address the challenges of fighting crime and strengthening justice in Indian country and Alaska Native villages. The COPS office awarded nearly $800,000 to support tribal law enforcement agencies through training and technical assistance around community policing efforts.
Hathras gangrape case: SIT records statements of victim's family

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Lucknow, Oct 04: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrived at the residence of the victim of the Hathras case. The team is recording the statements of the members of her family.

Despite Section 144 CrPC, upper caste group meeting underway in Hathras as they demand FIR to be registered against the victim's family.

The Dalit teen died of her grievous injuries in the early hours of Tuesday in a Delhi hospital and cremated in the dead of night near her home on Wednesday with her family alleging that they were forced by local police to hurriedly conduct her last rites, triggering outrage nationwide and protests in several places. She was attacked on September 14.

Hathras Protests: Priyanka Gandhi saves Congress worker during police lathicharge at DND

On Thursday, the Hathras administration clamped prohibitory orders barring the assembly of more than four people in the district, where scuffles broke out as politicians, including from the Congress and the TMC, as well as the media tried to access the village. About 300 police personnel stood on guard to prevent anybody from entering.

Today, however, the administration lifted restrictions on the media''s entry.

"Only the entry of media has been allowed into the village of the victim as the probe of the SIT has completed," Joint Magistrate Prem Prakash Meena told reporters.

Adityanath had set up three-member Special Investigation Team on Wednesday and instructed that it submit its report by October 14.

The state's government's top officials, Awanish Awasthi and police chief H C Awasthy, will meet the woman's family members and submit their report to the chief minister on their return.

"After returning from there we will be submitting a report on the entire incident to the chief minister," Awanish Awasthi said.

The death of the young woman, whose brutal assault recalled for many the horrors of the Nirbhaya case, continued to snowball into a major political issue

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Sunday, October 4, 2020, 13:20 [IST]
HONOLULU - Zan Timtim doesn't think it's safe for her eighth-grade daughter to return to school in person during the coronavirus pandemic but also doesn't want her exposed to a remote learning program that misspelled and mispronounced the name of Queen Lili?uokalani, the last monarch to rule the Hawaiian Kingdom.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 4/10/2020 (475 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This photo provided by Adrienne Robillard shows her son, name withheld by parent, doing school work at a computer at home in Kailua, Hawaii, Friday, Sept. 18, 2020. Parents spotting questionable content on a program called Acellus is forcing some school districts across the country to reconsider the program or stop using it. (Adrienne Robillard via AP)

HONOLULU - Zan Timtim doesn't think it's safe for her eighth-grade daughter to return to school in person during the coronavirus pandemic but also doesn't want her exposed to a remote learning program that misspelled and mispronounced the name of Queen Lili?uokalani, the last monarch to rule the Hawaiian Kingdom.

Timtim's daughter is Native Hawaiian and speaks Hawaiian fluently, so to see that inaccuracy with the Hawaiian history side was really upsetting, she said.

Even before the school year started, Timtim said she heard from other parents about racist, sexist and other concerning content on Acellus, an online program some students use to learn from home.

Parents have called out towelban as a multiple-choice answer for a question about a terrorist group and Grumpy from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" described as a woman hater. Some also say the program isn't as rigorous as it should be.

As parents help their children navigate remote classes, theyre more aware of what's being taught, and it's often not simply coming from an educator on Zoom. Some schools have turned to programs like Acellus to supplement online classes by teachers, while others use it for students who choose to learn from home as campuses reopen. And because of the scramble to keep classes running during a health crisis, vetting the curriculum may not have been as thorough as it should have been, experts say.

Thousands of schools nationwide use Acellus, according to the company, and parents' complaints are leading some districts to reconsider or stop using the program.

We wouldn't have had this visibility if it weren't for all of us at home, often sitting side by side and making sure: Is this working for you?'" said Adrienne Robillard, who withdrew her seventh-grade daughter from Kailua Intermediate School after concluding Acellus lacked substance and featured racist content.

When school officials said her daughter could do distance learning without Acellus, Robillard reenrolled her.

Acellus officials didnt respond to multiple calls from The Associated Press seeking comment. In an online message to parents, founder Roger Billings called the controversy an organized attack and said they have not found anything in our content that is really racist or sexist. An automated closed-captioning system misinterpreted some words, he said.

Kansas City, Missouri-based Acellus was created in 2001, according to its website, which says it delivers online instruction, compliant with the latest standards, through high-definition video lessons made more engaging with multimedia and animation.

This photo provided by Charles Timtim shows his daughter, name withheld by parents, doing schoolwork from home in Waipahu, Hawaii, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020. Timtim's mother doesn't think it's safe for her daughter to be back at school but she also doesn't want her exposed to an online learning program called Acellus that misspelled and mispronounced the last queen to rule the Hawaiian kingdom. Parents spotting questionable content on Acellus is forcing some school districts across the country to reconsider the program or stop using it. (Charles Timtim via AP)

In a video on his website, Billings responds to criticism about his credentials by saying he earned a bachelor's degree in composite fields of chemistry, physics, engineering and other subjects from a university he doesn't name. He says he started a company focused on hydrogen energy technology and that he later earned a doctor of research and innovation degree at the International Academy of Science, the non-profit that develops Acellus courses.

Hawaii selected Acellus based on an implementation timeline as well as cost effectiveness and other factors, Superintendent Christina Kishimoto said in a memo.

I dont think its unreasonable to think that price was the main factor, said Charles Lang, visiting assistant professor of learning analytics at Columbia Universitys Teachers College in New York City. And to some extent, you do get what you pay for in terms of content.

Vetting educational programs takes time, but with the pandemic, districts needed to quickly find remote learning platforms, said Eric Hirsch, executive director of EdReports, which helps schools review instructional materials.

So this spring, we saw a scramble, a dash, he said.

And evaluating curriculum is like the Wild West  it varies across school systems, Lang said.

We were in some serious situations with the pandemic, and we had to figure something out, Hawaii school board member Kili Namau?u said at a recent meeting. And I think schools made some pretty quick decisions. Maybe they werent the most accurate decisions.

She later said in an interview that it would be more problematic to pull Acellus in the middle of the quarter.

But as a Native Hawaiian, she wants to ensure Acellus has corrected appalling and inaccurate information about Hawaiian history: Im particularly dismayed with that particular module.

Seeing the queen's name misspelled and information that the Hawaiian islands were discovered" by Europeans was enough for Timtim and her husband to decide their daughter should join Waipahu Intermediate School's hybrid remote and in-person program despite their concerns about COVID-19.

Then most of Hawaii's public schools, which began virtually on Aug. 17, extended remote learning until mid-October.

I just pray we figure out what to do if she does have to go to school once or twice a week, Timtim said.

The Hawaii Department of Education, the nation's only statewide school district, is considering what to do about Acellus, but some schools decided on their own to stop using it. Other U.S. districts, like Alameda Unified in California, quickly dropped the program after complaints surfaced.

In a recent memo, the California Department of Education said it has learned through examples shared that Acellus lessons may contain highly inappropriate content and may not meet state legal requirements surrounding instructional materials. The memo to superintendents and school administrators cited racist depictions of Black Americans and at least one question that perpetuates Islamophobic stereotypes.

A Sept. 17 memo Hawaii's superintendent sent to the school board said education officials were working with Acellus to address inappropriate content.

Mariko Honda-Oliver heard concerning things from other parents but didn't find anything she considered racist. She was troubled, however, that her son, a second-grader at Makalapa Elementary, blew through more than a week of material on his first day.

Similarly, Cassie Favreau-Chung said her son, a freshman at Mililani High School, was looking forward to the independence of remote learning but found he wasn't getting a quality education because the program had no writing assignments.

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He hasn't found anything on his own that he thought was racist or sexist, she said. However, I will also say that a lot of kids, it'll go over their heads.

For example, towelban, Favreau-Chung said.

She switched her son to the hybrid program next quarter to avoid Acellus, hoping the school will let him keep learning from home.

The experience has made Favreau-Chung lose faith: It's the first time that I have not been proud to have my kid in public school.

Honda-Oliver, whose military family has experienced schools worldwide, also is disappointed.

This experience of having to see how other districts and other states are doing distance learning compared to Hawaii has kind of reinforced that Hawaii really is not the place to come if you want to give your children a good education, she said.
With the case tally crossing two lakh last week, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will in the next two months draw up a strategy for distribution of vaccine for Covid-19, which is expected to be available in the coming months.

According to BMC, initially, 30% of the citys total population of over 1.24 crore, including frontline workers and senior citizens, will need vaccine. The civic body plans to take help of private hospitals, along with government and civic-run hospitals for vaccine distribution.

The strategy will be drawn after BMCs door-to-door survey under My Family-My Responsibility initiative concludes in the last week of October. Starting September 15, BMC, with the help of 5,000 teams consisting 15,000 frontline staff, has started to screen citizens for Covid-19 symptoms. Along with it, the civic body is also educating citizens about safety and precautions to be undertaken for living with Covid-19 in the coming months.

The civic body said it will have to use the network of civic hospitals, clinics, health centres, maternity homes along with several private hospitals in the city to give vaccines to the vulnerable group.

Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner of BMC, said, The arrival of the vaccine may take some time, but we will start our planning from November, once the My family-My Responsibility programme is completed. The programme will give us data on individuals or groups who need to get the vaccine first. The planning for the vulnerable target group can be done in a week. Whenever the vaccine arrives, we can give it to this vulnerable target audience within 15 days using our civic-run health infrastructure and with the help of private health care institutions.

BMC officials said they also have some data on senior citizens, who were screened as part of initiative to bring down the mortality rate. The civic body has screened over 10 lakh senior citizens and recommended several of them opt for oxygen therapy, as their oxygen levels were low. Several Covid-19 cases among senior citizens were also identified owing to this drive, BMC officials said.

BMC also said the vaccine distribution strategy will be amended from time-to-time based on the guidelines from the Central and state government. The Central government has already formed an expert committee comprising representatives from all relevant ministries and institutions to oversee all aspects of its Covid-19 vaccine plan, from identification of the vaccine to buying to financing the purchase to distribution and administration.

A week ago, BMC kicked off trials of Covid-19 vaccine developed by the Oxford University. The trial is being undertaken at the civic-run KEM Hospital.

Kakani said, We are going to conduct trials on around 100 individuals to start with, and they will be monitored for around six months to check the reaction to the vaccine. We are also conducting trials using anti-tuberculosis vaccination (TB)  Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG)  vaccine. In the BCG vaccine, we will monitor the patients for at least three months.
The government is weighing its legal options after losing the high-profile international tax arbitration case against Vodafone as it looks to limit damages not just in this matter but also in case of a separate lawsuit with Cairn Energy goes against it.

Last month, an international arbitration court ruled that the Indian government seeking Rs 22,100 crore in taxes from telecom giant Vodafone using retrospective legislation was in "breach of the guarantee of fair and equitable treatment" guaranteed under the bilateral investment protection pact between India and the Netherlands.

Finance Ministry sources said the government will decide on challenging the award before a court in Singapore - which was the seat of the arbitration, after taking legal opinion.

While the cost implication in the case is limited to having to pay Rs 85 crore to Vodafone in legal cost, what is weighing on the government mind is a separate arbitration involving UK's Cairn Energy plc.

If a separate arbitration panel were to hold a demand for Rs 10,247 crore in taxes using the same retrospective legislation as illegal, the government will have to pay Cairn as much as $1.5 billion (Rs 11,000 crore).

This is the amount equivalent to the value of shares of Cairn that the government had sold to recover a part of the tax demand. It also includes the dividends and tax refund seized.

Sources said Vodafone International Holding (a Netherland company) had in February 2007 bought 100 per cent shares of Cayman Island-based company CGP Investments for $11.1 billion to indirectly get 67 per cent control of Hutchison Essar Ltd - an Indian company.

The Tax Department felt the deal was designed to avoid capital gain tax in India and so imposed a tax demand, which was rejected by the Supreme Court in 2012.

To stop abuse and plug the loophole of such indirect transfer of Indian assets, the government in 2012 amended the law to make such transfers taxable in India, they said adding Vodafone was slapped with a fresh demand which the firm contested through international arbitration.

The tax demand on Cairn Energy, they said, is different as it pertains to alleged capital gains the firm made on transfer of Indian assets to a new company and listing it on bourses.

Dheeraj Nair, Partner, J Sagar Associates, said the government "should challenge the (Vodafone) award since this award will have persuasive value in other treaty arbitrations which concern the retrospective tax measures".

"Any party dissatisfied with the award has a right to challenge it, therefore such challenge is justified," he said.

Sonam Chandwani, Managing Partner at KS Legal & Associates, however, said "as the Permanent Court of Arbitration situated in The Hague had passed the award in favour of Vodafone, there lies no further authority for putting up appeal".

"The government can only go back to the Permanent Court of Arbitration on some technical point, but that will not serve any purpose," she said.

Since the Indian Arbitration Act obliges the government to implement a foreign tribunal award, Vodafone can ask for the same in case the award was challenged in Indian courts, she said.

"However, in the present scenario, since all the property, both tangible and non-tangible of Vodafone, lies outside India it will be difficult for the government to procure the same," she said.

She said in the case of Cairn Energy, India in order to procure the retrospective taxes has already expropriated all their investment.

"In circumstances such as when the Permanent Court of Arbitration gives a decree in favour of Cairn, the government of India still has the option to procure the desired retrospective taxes via grounds such that taxation is not covered under any bilateral investment protection treaty and as such cannot be arbitrated. It is challenging the jurisdiction of such panels to adjudicate on a tax matter," she said.

Nair said the government certainly has the option not to appeal in Vodafone but do so in the case of Cairn as each case is independent and brought under a different treaty, which gives different protections.

Cairn's claim is under the India-UK treaty whereas Vodafone's claim was under the India-Netherlands treaty.

While Nair said there would not be any additional negative impact on investor sentiment as they recognise that challenge proceedings are part of the norm, Chandwani said appealing against an international arbitration award will disincentivise the investors.

"Any investor will start contemplating on investing in such countries as any dispute arises the government of such countries might not comply with the international order, putting the investors to losses. It creates hindrance in the ease of doing business in such countries and thus discourage them to make any investments to indulge in any form of funding," she said.

ALSO READ: Vodafone retro tax: Fight not over as I-T dept to seek Attorney General's views

ALSO READ: Cairn seeks Rs 10,300 crore in losses due to retrospective tax demand
The Gwalior bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court has allowed registration of an FIR against a political party by anyone if more than 100 people assemble in any election rally.

The courts directions come ahead of the Assembly by-polls which are scheduled to be held in the State.

It was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), filed by advocate Ashish Pratap Singh, which sought a ban on political events in the State in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic. The Gwalior Bench of the Madhya Pradesh HC had earlier issued notices to the Chief Secretary, District Collector and Superintendent of Police and asked them to submit replies by September 28.

The HC had also appointed three lawyers as Nyaya Mitras to keep a watch on the political activities in the state and in case of any breach of protocol, they would have to report the matter to the court through its registrar.

Advocate Ashish Pratap Singh, who had filed the PIL on September 11, said the political parties were holding rallies, which attracted huge crowds, increasing the risk of disease spread.

On September 29 the court had been presented with a joint report of the Amicus Curiae was on record citing further instances of breach of COVID-19 protocol because of various congregations that have taken place of political and social nature where a large number of political functionaries were either present or had presided over the said congregations comprising of numbers of people far exceeding the maximum limit prescribed.

The court had then decided to hold an in-camera hearing of DM, SPs, of Morena, Bhind, Gwalior, Datia and Shivpuri, where by-elections are to be held shortly.

While stating that the politicians, leaders, and functionaries of thegovernment and the State should set an example for the public by abiding by the COVID-19 guidelines, and ensure they do not indulge in any activity, which can lead to the collection of a large number of people.

The DMs of the nine districts falling within the territorial jurisdiction of this Bench i.e. Gwalior, Guna, Morena, Bhind, Vidisha, Ashok Nagar, Datia, Shivpuri and Sheopur are directed by writ of mandamus to register offences by invoking penal provisions of Disaster Management Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) not only against the defaulting members of the congregation but also against political/governmental/State or social functionaries in whose name or on whose behest and behalf the said congregation takes place, failing which the DMs of the concerned nine districts shall be liable for contempt of this Court and shall also be exposed to the rigours of penal provisions of relevant laws, a portion of the interim order read.

The petitioner, Advocate Ashish said, Any person who feels responsible and sees a crowd of over 100 assembling can click a photograph and register a case.

He further added that the court has accepted that the administration is facing difficulties in stopping such rallies.

The court said that either the Amicus Curiae or any person who feels responsible can click a photo of such congregations/events and place it before the appropriate bench for adjudication, through the Principal Registrar.

The matter has further been listed for hearing on October 15.
Visited the Hotel for the fourth time with my family to celebrate my daughter's birthday. As it was a last minute booking, I informed Reservations that I was booking to treat my daughter for her 21st.



On arrival, we found that the room was decorated with confetti and it was a surprise for my daughter ... we went by the pool and on our return to the room, we found another surprise, as the management presented us with a cake and a bottle of sparkling wine.



It was a very nice gesture, as they were very attentive to details and surprised us both.



Service in general was excellent as usual.



Cleanliness is outstanding, especially now due to the current Covid situation.



Unfortunately the Hotel was not busy, however we were still treated extremely well and special arrangements were done to offer alternatives for breakfast. As the Harruba was closed, we were served a delicious breakfast in the Executive Lounge on the 15th floor.



I will definitely return back to this hotel in the very near future.
The Da Nang land market has been in a crisis for many reasons.

Two years have elapsed since the historic land fever period, but the Da Nang land market has still not revived.

Golden Hills project

The land price showed signs of recovering in early 2020, but it was beaten by Covid-19 and has been falling again dramatically.

Many land plots had seen prices increase by twofold earlier this year compared with August 2019, until the Covid-19 outbreak. But prices have decreased again to the previous levels.

The land prices in many urban areas have decreased by VND1 billion per plot. In Hoa Xuan Ecological Urban Area in Cam Le district and Nam Hoa Xuan Urban Area in Ngu Hanh Son, the price has fallen from VND4 billion per plot in peak days to VND3 billion.

In FPT City, a 90 square meter land plot was priced at VND3 billion in hot days, and is now being offered at VND2 billion.

H, a woman, who is seeking buyers for a series of land plots under projects around the city, said the land is now cheap compared to earlier this year.

She is offering a 125 square meter land plot in B area of Golden Hills project, next to a school, at VND2.2 billion. The same land plot was priced at VND2.7 billion last year.

H said she is offering such a low price because the land market has been frozen for many months.

The prices moved up a little after Tet and then have dropped since then, she explained.

Even with the price decreases, there have been very few transactions. People dont want to buy land right now, because they believe that prices will continue going down. Meanwhile, speculators are trying to sell land as quickly as possible, but cannot find buyers.

H.A.D., an investor from Hanoi, said she bought three land plots in early 2019, when the market was scorching hot with borrowed money. Now she wants to sell the land at a loss to get money back to pay debts.

A real estate expert in Da Nang said the land prices began falling after the news that an officer at the land registration office in Son Tra had been prosecuted for losing peoples red books (land-use right certificates).

The expert believes that the market will still be frozen until Covid-19 is controlled. Buyers who have witnessed a lot of price waves recently will be more cautious with their investment deals.

DKRA Vietnam, a market analysis firm, confirmed that in the first seven months of the year, the real estate market in Da Nang witnessed sharp falls in most market segments because of the pandemic.

Cong Sang - Kieu Oanh

Local people amazed as Da Nang bridge raises spans When Typhoon Noul recently swept through Da Nang, many local people were surprised to see a bridge in the city lift its spans in certain sections to allow boats to pass by and anchor at the port in the Han River to avoid heavy seas and high winds.
Professionals to map out strategy to stabilise businesses By Jayampathy Jayasinghe View(s): View(s):

Sri Lanka is known for its fair share of manmade and natural disasters but COVID-19 is perhaps the biggest challenge that the country is ever facing. Therefore it is imperative that professional bodies such as CA Sri Lanka come forward to help navigate the professional community including chartered accountants through such unchartered territories, said the President of the Chartered Accountants Association (CA) of Sri Lanka, Manil Jayasinghe at a press conference held at the CA auditorium in Colombo this week.

He spoke on CAs 41st National Conference scheduled to be held on December 2-4 under the theme Navigating through shattered norms embracing Abnormal. The National Conference attracts over 2000 participants every year.

He said the road to recovery both at global and local level is likely to be long and arduous but was confident that Sri Lanka with the help of its dynamic business and professional community will support to overcome this challenge as in the past. These abnormal times are a reminder to understand the importance of thinking outside the box and moving away from our comfort zones. Abnormal is going to be our new normal and we need to adapt to change fast and remain innovative and creative while utilising technology to the maximum advantage. Referring to COVID-19, he said the local businesses have been impacted due to the global shutdown that have spiralled beyond the control of any one. Tourism and hotel industry sectors have been badly impacted as a result.

Chairman of the Conference Committee Tishan Subasinghe said that the National Conference Committee was determined to go ahead with this years conference despite the challenging situation surrounding everyone. I believe this conference will be an important platform to engage and assess the issues facing us all and also to explore solutions from the accounting profession.

He said health guidelines will be given attention at the conference venue where arrangements will be in line with the Health Ministrys approved regulations. The safety of the delegates attending the venue will be their top priority.

Chairperson of the National Conference Technical Committee Ms. Anoji De Silva said despite the gloom since COVID-19, the pandemic has given many an opportunity to redefine and come up with a new corporate culture that focuses on stakeholder capital and not just shareholder profit. We must use the pandemic as an opportunity to redefine our values that will ultimately have a long term sustainable benefit to all stakeholders.

A high profile line-up of local and foreign speakers and panellists will steer the technical sessions by sharing their insights and expertise on how to rethink and rebuild businesses in times where abnormal has become the order of the day, she added.
Mumbai: Bobby Deols journey in Bollywood is not the one without ups and downs, but the actor, who completes 25 years in Hindi cinema on Monday, says he is grateful to his fans for being a constant support through thick and thin. Son of Bollywood veteran Dharmendra, the actor made a promising lead debut with Rajkumar Santoshis Barsaat opposite another star child Twinkle Khanna in 1995. As a child actor, he played the younger version of his fathers character Dharam in Manmohan Desais 1977 hit Dharam-Veer. Post Barsaat, Deol went on to give hits like Gupt, Soldier, Ajnabee, and Humraaz. After a lull phase in the late 2000s and early 2010s,the actor saw a revival with the success of multi-starrers like Race 3 and Housefull 4. Deol, who made his digital debut this year with the Netflix film Class of 83 and followed it with the MX Original Series Aashram, said he is looking forward to being around for another 25 years.

Describing his journey as not perfect but wonderful, the 51-year-old actor said the boom in the OTT space has been a career turnaround for him. Nothing is perfect, you make wrong choices. You can never decide when you choose a project whether it will be a big hit or not. This new chapter of my life is going well. I am part of the OTT platform and it has been very successful for me. People have appreciated my work in Class of 83 and Aashram. I am thankful to my fans, who always stood by me, Deol told .
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has desperately asked Manchester United's board to meet Porto's transfer demands for left back Alex Telles, according to reports.

Porto's asking price is 18million but United have so far offered 12m with time running out to secure a move before the transfer window shuts on Monday.

The club are reluctant to meet the Portuguese side's fee because Telles' contract expires at the end of this season, meaning he would be available on a free transfer - but Solskjaer wants him now.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is desperately hoping to complete a deal for Porto left back Alex Telles

The Manchester United boss has pleaded with the club's board to meet the 18m asking price

According to the Mirror, the United boss has pleaded with the club's board not to miss out on the Brazilian for the sake of 6m.

With 13 goals and 12 assists in all competitions last season, Telles' attacking prowess makes him an attractive option for United.

The defender also helped his side keep 20 clean sheets in the Primeira Liga.

Solskjaer has been frustrated in his attempts to strengthen his squad for the 2020-2021 campaign with Donny van de Beek the only new arrival at Old Trafford.

United could sign the Brazilian on a free transfer next summer but Solskjaer wants him now

But the Norwegian is finally set to see another player walk through the door with PSG striker Edinson Cavani having agreed a two-year deal with the club.

As Sportsmail revealed first, talks advanced quickly on Saturday and the Uruguay international striker will undergo a medical over the next 24 hours prior to signing a deal until 2022 on wages of around 210,000-a-week after tax. He is expected to be confirmed as a United player on Monday.

There could still be more new signings before the window shuts. Talks will continue for Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho but the Bundesliga side are refusing to lower their 108m asking price.
It had already been a hard year for kids.

They lost time with friends and teachers at school, their summer vacations and their everyday routines to the coronavirus. With the arrival of fall, and cases rising fast among children, another scary specter raised its ugly head: Would they also have to give up Halloween?

The answer is a resounding no, according to experts, but parents and children should know that this year will look different than previous ones.

You do have to take precautions.

First, you should be aware that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned in guidelines updated last month that traditional trick-or-treating would be higher risk than other ways of celebrating the holiday.

The guidelines were somewhat unexpected, given that epidemiologists and other scientists generally consider it safe to gather outdoors with face coverings.
Company: Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders | Day 1 subscription: 2.09 times | Total subscription: 157.4 times | Issue size: Rs 443 crore

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The initial public offering (IPO) of the country's largest defence company Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders got an overwhelming response and saw the eighth-largest subscription in a decade, knocking off Happiest Minds Technologies that was at number eight.

The company after consultations with merchant bankers is expected to finalise the basis of allotment with the designated stock exchange around October 7, as per the red herring prospectus. Given the huge subscription figures, a day's delay can't be ruled out.

Generally, the processing happens on working days. Hence, unblocking of funds from ASBA account or refunds are expected to be completed around October 8 and shares will be credited to all eligible investors by October 9. Shares will list on exchanges on October 12.

Here are five easy steps that can help you know the share allotment once it is done:

As Alankit Assignments is the registrar to the public issue, you can check its website for the allotment status:

1) Select Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders in the dropdown menu2) Check box either on application number or depository ID/client ID or PAN (Permanent Account Number)3) If you check box "Application Number" then select application type (ASBA/NON ASBA) in dropdown and enter the application number.If you check box DP ID/Client ID or PAN, then enter DP ID/Client ID or PAN accordingly;4) Enter "CAPCHA" in the box (which is available in numeric form, calculate and enter)

5) Press or click on the "Search" button.

You can also check the allotment status on the BSE website:

1) Check box "Equity" in issue type2) Select "Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders" in the dropdown under the issue name3) Enter your application number4) Enter PAN

5) Press or click the "Search" button.

Once the abovementioned information is correct, then you will see your application status. You can see the number of shares subscribed to and the number of shares allotted on the page.

The Rs 444-crore public issue of Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders was subscribed 157.4 times during September 29-October 1, the much higher subscription than recent IPOs Happiest Minds (151 times) and Chemcon Speciality Chemicals (149.3 times).

The IPO comprised an offer for sale of 3.06 crore equity shares by the Government of India which reduced stake to 85 percent post offer. Hence the company will not receive funds from the issue.

Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders is engaged in constructing and repairing warships and submarines and vessels such as cargo ships, multipurpose support vessels, barges and border outposts, tugs, dredgers, water tankers, etc for commercial clients.

It is the only shipyard to build destroyers and conventional submarines to be used by the Indian Navy with a maximum shipbuilding and submarine capacity of 40,000 DW.
Before she was a year old, Gracelynn Mercer was diagnosed with a rare form of epilepsy.

The now four-year-old from Gander had her first seizure when she was just six months old. It scared her mother Sonya and her daughter has been prone to them ever since.

At nine months, a genetic test revealed Gracelynn, affectionately known as Gracie, had Dravet syndrome. According to Dravet Canada, this form of epilepsy affects roughly one in every 30,000 Canadians and accounts for one per cent of the epilepsy population.

Gracie is prone to seizures, with some lasting several minutes while others have lasted as long as an hour.

They can come at any time, whether she is outside playing or in her room doing the same. Some signs of her seizures arent obvious, and right now, Mercer and her husband Terry always make sure Gracie is in their sights.

When she is at swimming lessons, there has to be a second lifeguard there to watch for any signs a seizure could be happening because it isnt always obvious.

It doesnt get easier, said Mercer of watching her daughter suffer through an episode.

Several months ago, Mercer started researching seizure alert dogs and approached Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides about helping Gracie get set up with an animal.

However, she didnt meet the qualifications because of her diagnosis. This forced Mercer to look elsewhere and she found a group in Pennsylvania called New Hope Assistance Dogs.

They could help, but it came with a hefty price tag of $18,500 and that was before travel and accommodations were factored in.

Mercer wasnt about to let that stop her. So, she set in on fundraising.

Considering the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing, those efforts started with the making and selling of masks.

That moved into a host of other events and plenty of donations from people and community groups alike.

Since the spring up until this week, theyve hit their mark.

Through the process, Mercer has been amazed by the support shes gotten from the people of Gander and the surrounding area.

She mentioned shes had complete strangers contact her and offer to donate to the cause.

The support has been phenomenal, said Mercer.

Gander Coun. Oz Fudge knew the kind of response Mercers fundraiser was going to get from the people of Gander and the surrounding area.

For the last 30 years, he has been involved with various fundraiser efforts in town and has seen the level of generosity people can achieve.

People step up, especially when it comes to helping children, said Fudge.

Early on, he was asked by Mercer to help with the gigantic task of raising an incredible amount of money in a short period of time.

He had been planning on taking some time away from helping with community efforts, but couldnt say no to the request.

Fudge helped with fundraisers and helped Mercer reach as many people as possible.

It was amazing to see, he said of people coming forward to help. In the pandemic, everything was against them.

If fundraising during a pandemic was the first hurdle to get over for Mercer and her family, travelling during the same pandemic is sure to be

the next one.

The family are scheduled to leave Saturday and fly to Ontario. From there, they will leave for Pennsylvania where they will spend four days with their new service dog.

Theye have been granted essential medical travel exemptions and upon their return to the province, they will have to quarantine for 14 days.

Im feeling anxious, Mercer said about travelling. Were still travelling in a pandemic.

The seizure alert dog will represent a step towards a better life for Gracie and her family.

The dog would allow her to attend school and give her a bit more freedom.

There is nothing (Gracie) is going to want for, said Mercer.
No matter which combination of management actions the Fish and Wildlife Commission takes, one thing seems clear. Everyone  whether floating the river atop an old tire tube or in a $10,000 drift boat  will have to acquire a Madison River use permit. The permit will be a way to track who is using the river, when and how. That information will help beef up FWPs knowledge about river use.

Weve heard from a lot of people that we need to address the overall increased use by noncommercial users, Ryce said. Were not quite sure what that mechanism would look like.

Loved to death

The growing popularity of the Madison River is reflected in numbers gathered by FWP that show angler numbers have climbed from 91,000 in 2003 to 207,000 in 2017. The majority of those anglers are from out of state. From 1982 to 2017, total angler pressure from nonresident anglers has remained stable at approximately 75% of users, FWP said.
Montana reported another 52 COVID-19 cases Monday morning, bringing the statewide total of active cases to 1,952.

The state also reported another death, bringing the total number of people who have died as a result of COVID-19 to 118.

Of those who have died, 48 were Yellowstone County residents. Of the Yellowstone County residents who have died, 43 of were age 60 or older.

The most recent person to die as a result of COVID-19 was a Big Horn County woman in her 50s. She had been hospitalized before she died, according to Rhonda Johnson, the county's public information officer.

Among the counties reporting new cases Monday, Yellowstone County reported the most with 21.

Yellowstone County had 802 active cases Monday morning. A week ago the county had 976 of the 1,987 active cases statewide. Two weeks ago Yellowstone County had 781 of the state's 1,556 active cases.

The new cases come as another 5,099 tests have been processed, according to the state's case mapping and information website, which relies on data supplied by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday he expected the next few months of the Covid-19 pandemic to be bumpy, but that things would look radically different in the spring.

Ive got to tell you, in all candour, its going to continue to be bumpy through to Christmas, it may even be bumpy beyond, Johnson said during an interview on BBC television.

If you talk to the scientists, theyre all virtually unanimous that by the spring things will be radically different and well be in a different world, that is the normal cycle of a pandemic like this, he said.
Republic Bank Ghana and the Green Republic Project over the weekend planted 1000 trees in the Northern Regional capital of Tamale, to kick start a two-year partnership to plant 2000 trees as part of the banks Corporate Social Responsibility and commitment towards building successful communities and sustainable environment.



Speaking at event, the convener of The Green Republic Project, Nana Yaw Osei-Darkwa commended Republic Bank Ghana for their total commitment and dedication to matters concerning the environment.



He noted that for business entities to thrive, they have to be dedicated to community engagement initiatives especially those that centers on the environment and landscapes restoration.



"I sincerely want to thank the Managing Director of Republic Bank, Mr Farid Anta for his concern for the environment. He has personally shown great interest in tree planting and been a part of our engagements with the bank since his very early days in Ghana when he attended our annual climate benefit dinner," he said.



The Marketing and Corporate Communications Manager of the Republic Bank, Ms. Genevieve Aboney, commenting on the initiative said the Republic Bank is very concerned about the environment hence their support to promote green building.



We are aware of the benefits that comes with greening and that makes us passionate about this project to protect our world. As a bank, we believe in protecting lives and impacting the communities we serve. We do this through what we call our power to make a difference as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility. We pride ourselves with the fact that, we are a Bank with a big heart hence our commitment to keeping our environment safe and green



The Northern Regional Manager of the Forestry Commission, Mr. Bernard Tabil applauded both Republic Bank and The Green Republic Project for their commitment to the fight against climate change and the promotion of environmental justice through Tree planting in the Tamale Metropolis.



The Green Republic Project (TGRP) is a youth-driven grassroots initiative that seeks to make Ghana green again by planting a total of 20 million trees by 2028. In total, the group has planted over 16,000 trees across Ghana since its commencement on July 1, 2018.

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 world of fashion has lost an icon.

Japanese-French designer Kenzo Takada has passed away at the age of 81. The fashion visionary, who founded the whimsical and effervescent label Kenzo, died in in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France after suffering from complications related to coronavirus, a spokesperson for Takada's luxury K-3 brand said in a statement to E! News.

"It is with immense sadness that the brand K-3 announces the loss of its celebrated artistic director, Kenzo Takada. The world-renowned designer passed away on October 4th, 2020 due to Covid-19 related complications," a statement read in part.

Moreover, the fashion mogul's Instagram account confirmed his death, writing, "It is with great sadness that we have learned that our dear friend Kenzo Takada passed away today."

"He was an inspiring and prodigious creator and we were proud to collaborate with him," the message continued. "We will always remember his smile and joie de vivre. The fashion, design world and all of us are mourning him tonight and extend our sincere condolences to his loved ones."

Celebrity Deaths: 2020's Fallen Stars

Takada took over the fashion industry in 1970 with the debut of his eponymous brand. From the very beginning, the designer created bright, bold and vivid pieces that were not for the faint of heart. His creations weren't limited to clothes, either as Takada had previously launched his fragrance line, according to Women's Wear Daily.

In 1993, the Kenzo founder caught the eye of luxury conglomerate LVMH, and by 1999, Takada left his namesake label. Last January, the designer introduced K-3, a luxury homeware and lifestyle brand.

"Kenzo Takada was incredibly creative; with a stroke of genius, he imagined a new artistic and colorful story combining East and Westhis native Japan and his life in Paris," Jonathan Bouchet Manheim, CEO of Takada's K-3 brand, said in a statement shared with E! News.

"I had the chance to work alongside him for many years, always in awe, admiring his curiosity and his open-mindedness. He seemed quiet and shy at first, but he was full of humor," the K-3 CEO continued. "He was generous and always knew how to look after the people close to his heart. He had a zest for life... Kenzo Takada was the epitome of the art of living."
The police on Sunday afternoon nabbed two suspects and seized 120 kilograms of marijuana worth nearly 12 lakh that was allegedly being smuggled from Orissa for distribution in the National Capital Region (NCR).

The recovery was made following an encounter between the Sector 20 police and the two suspects in which the latter were injured.

According to police officers, they had received a tip-off, after which the suspects were intercepted on Sunday afternoon near a drain in Sector 29. They were travelling in a Tata Zest car and when they were asked to stop, they allegedly tried to flee and fired at the police team chasing them. In the retaliatory firing, the two suspects were injured, said the police. They were taken to the district hospital for treatment. The vehicle was seized and police found 120 kg marijuana along with two countrymade pistols and live cartridges.

The suspects were identified as Ravi Singh and Chandan Kumar, both residents of Noidas JJ colony.

They were bringing the drugs from Odisha for distribution in NCR, said RK Singh, station house officer, Sector 20 police station.

Police said that Ravi has at least 11 cases registered against him at the Sector 20 police station of robbery, attempt to murder, Arms Act and Gangster Act, along with the NDPS Act, and Chandan has served time in prison in connected to a drug smuggling case from Odisha. Police said Chandans criminal history is being verified.

A police officer, asking not to be named, added that the vehicle which was recovered was registered in the name of a woman named Hema, an alleged drug smuggler who had gone to prison in 2019 from the Sector 20 police station for allegedly running a large and sophisticated narcotics operation in Noida.

Ravi is her brother and he had also gone to prison when the gang was busted, said the officer quoted above.

The suspects were booked under the Arms and NDPS acts.

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BJP set to pull out all stops in UP, SP main contender

UP elections: Blow to BJP; 4 MLAs resign, Sharad Pawar says 13 others will quit saffron party

Samajwadi Party delegation meets family of Hathras woman, assures help

India

oi-Deepika S

Lucknow, Oct 04: A Samajwadi Party delegation on Sunday met the family of the 19-year-old woman who died after she was assaulted and allegedly gang-raped in Hathras, and assured them of all possible help.

Earlier, the party had alleged that its delegation members were stopped briefly at a toll plaza near Agra by police at the behest of the government when they were on their way to meet the family.

"This forcible stoppage is a murder of democracy.... Samajwadi(s) will stand with the aggrieved family in their fight for justice," the party tweeted in Hindi.

SP president Akhilesh Yadav had on Saturday set up an 11-member fact-finding team headed by the party''s state unit chief Naresh Uttam Patel to visit the woman''s village on Sunday and meet her family members.

Hathras case: Caste-based meet held in support of rape accused

After the delegation met the family, the party said in another tweet in Hindi: "A ''nyay yuddh'' (struggle for justice) is going on to deliver justice to the deceased daughter of Hathras by the Samajwadis. On the directives of the national president, the SP delegation met the aggrieved family, expressed its solidarity, and assured all possible help. SP supports all the demands of the aggrieved family."

Meanwhile, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) in a press statement issued in Lucknow on Sunday alleged that its vice-president Jayant Chaudhary and party workers were lathicharged by police when they were on their way to meet the Hathras family.

Condemning the police action, RLD''s UP unit president Masood Ahmed said, "The BJP is trying to suppress the voice of the opposition."

The 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped at a village in Hathras by four men on September 14. After her condition deteriorated, she was referred to Delhi''s Safdarjung hospital where she breathed her last on Tuesday.

She was cremated in the early hours of Wednesday, with her family alleging the local police forced them to conduct the last rites in the dead of the night.

Local police officers, however, had said the cremation was carried out "as per the wishes of the family".

The visit by the SP delegation came a day after the visit by senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

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Story first published: Sunday, October 4, 2020, 19:30 [IST]
A day after Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath recommended a probe by the Central Investigation Bureau (CBI) in the alleged gang-rape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit woman in the states Hathras district, a special investigation team (SIT) recorded the statements of the victims family members on Sunday.

The SIT team led by senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Bhagwan Swaroop is continuing with its investigation even as CBI has been asked to take over. The victims family, however, is not in favour of the CBI investigation and wants a judicial probe to be conducted in the case, which has sparked outrage and protests in the country.

Also Read| From Hathras gang-rape victims death to CBI probe recommendation: What we know so far

The SIT team present in Hathras Boolgarhi village is interacting with the concerned people and has said, anybody who wants to give a statement is welcome. The team had earlier interacted with the villagers on Thursday and also visited the crime spot.

The woman was raped by four upper caste men on September 14 following which she was admitted to the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College of Aligarh Muslim University after she was left partially paralysed. She was later shifted to Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi where she died on Tuesday.

Also Read| What Hathras gang-rape victims family wants: Priyanka Gandhi lists in 5 points

The womans body was forcibly cremated by the UP police on the following day at 2:30am against the wish of her family members. We lied down in front of the ambulance but were removed and the cremation was forcefully performed at night, one of her relatives said on Saturday.

The opposition has sought the chief ministers resignation. Adityanath, however, has assured the harshest punishment for the culprits. For the purpose of intensive investigation of the unfortunate incident of Hathras and all the points connected @UPGovt The case is being recommended through the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). We are determined to bring the harshest punishment to all those responsible for this incident, he wrote on Twitter.
Samsung just wrapped up its 2020 launches with the release of the Note series as well as the new Galaxy Z Fold 2. We're still a few months away from the next big flagship from Samsung, but the rumour mill has already started churning out interesting pieces of info.

According to a few reports on the internet, it looks like the Galaxy S21 Ultra will support S Pen inputs. That being said, it looks like the phone won't ship with an S Pen because the Galaxy Note 21 or whatever they decide to call it, will still be coming out.

 YouTube/GadgetMatch

The Galaxy Note 22 or the next Galaxy Note flagship may not see the light of day because Samsung will have merged the two series by then. So think of the Galaxy S21 Ultra as a testing ground for Samsung before the big move.



This makes a lot of sense because currently there's not much of a difference between the Galaxy S20 Ultra and the Note 20 Ultra except the fact that it has S Pen support. Technically you could be either one of them and be absolutely happy with your purchase because they both are equally good, with or without the S Pen support.

 Akshay Bhalla/MensXP

Samsung will most likely push the power users towards its Fold line up, which may get the S Pen support down the line once the foldables are more prominent in the market. It'll be interesting to see how this all works out, so let's keep an eye on all the updates for now.



Source: Notebookcheck
Mumbai, Oct 4 : A day after an AIIMS report said that Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput had committed suicide, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and ruling ally Congress in Maharashtra were locked in a bitter political dogfight over the issue on Sunday.

BJP state spokesperson Ram Kadam continued to target the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition of Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress, alleging it ignored the drug angle probe in the Sushant "murder mystery".

However, the Congress state spokesperson Sachin Sawant hit back saying "even after falling flat on its face, the BJP was attempting to keep its legs in the air, their face is blackened but they are trying to show their hands are clean".

Attempting to turn the tables, Sawant said the Maharashtra government has written to the NCB to probe the state BJP's "drugs links", and why or whom one of the involved persons Ssandip Singh had called in the BJP office 53 times.

"There is no connection at all between the drugs probe and Sushant's death. The BJP has been completely exposed in this as the state government has written to the NCB to probe and unravel the BJP's drug-connections. Why did former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis do nothing about this for five years?" Sawant countered.

In a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, Kadam said in the probe by the Narcotics Control Bureau (BNC), 20 persons including actress Rhea Chakraborty, have been arrested so far.

"The NCB has initiated a massive crackdown to expose the Bollywood-drug cartel nexus. This drug link with Bollywood seems one of the significant aspects in the murder mystery of late Sushant," Kadam contended.

He called upon the Maharashtra government to "at least take full responsibility" for its failure and in permitting the Bollywood-drug chain to blossom.

The NCB stepped into the picture after some allegedly incriminating WhatsApp chats pertaining to the narco-angle surfaced during the investigations by the Central Bureau of Investigation even as the main Sushant case appeared to have been sidelined.

However, with the AIIMS report out now, the Sushant probe once again shot into the limelight and the MVA partners are now baying for action against those responsible for "defaming" the Maharashtra government and Mumbai Police in the matter.

Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery
Nothing that tracks something like a week from now, in a foreseeable environment, he dies, Cutz said. Less frequently, the NSC staff would move to a remote, classified location off the White House grounds for an exercise that delved deeper into ensuring lines of communication, such as how to ensure security briefings for the vice president, or the speaker of the House  who is second in the line of succession  or even further down the chain.
A Longford man who had to be forcibly removed from his car after allegedly being spotted driving erratically in the county town earlier this year has been banned from driving for four years.

Andrew Doyle (40), 5 Congress Terrace, Longford pleaded not guilty to failing to comply with providing two breath specimens at Longford Garda Station on June 21 2020.

That came after Mr Doyle had been arrested on suspicion of drink driving.

Garda Karl Foley said he and colleague, Garda Vincent O'Leary had been on patrol shortly before 9:30pm when the pair received a report of a grey coloured Audi A3 driving erratically in Longford town.

Less than ten minutes after the initial correspondence was received, Garda Foley said a second report was received.

A short time later, the two officers came across the vehicle parked at Congress Terrace with the defendant sitting in the front driver's seat.

Garda Foley said, as he approached the vehicle, he noticed Mr Doyle and his wife engaged in an argument.

After speaking to Mr Doyle, Garda Foley said his wife could be seen pleading with her husband to hand over the keys to the car.

It was at that stage the garda revealed Mr Doyle's wife told of the concerns she harboured for her husband's welfare and state of mind.

During his discussions with Mr Doyle, Garda Foley said he noticed an empty naggin of alcohol in the front side of the driver's door.

Garda Foley said he soon noticed how Mr Doyle's speech was slurred and could detect a strong sense of alcohol from his breath.

In his attempts to arrest Mr Doyle on suspicion of drink driving, Garda Foley said the accused declined, saying: I'm not going anywhere, I'm staying here. I'm going to listen to my music.

The court was informed it took both officers, together with a third rank and file member to remove Mr Doyle from the vehicle before he was brought to Longford Garda Station.

After Mr Doyle failed to produce an adequate breath reading following his arrest, Garda Foley said he was charged and released from custody.

In defence, solicitor John Quinn said while his client's keys were in the car's ignition, there was no evidence to suggest he was in charge of the vehicle.

He wasn't driving and all he said he was going to do was listen to the radio, he put it to Garda Foley in cross examination.

Mr Quinn also alleged Mr Doyle's wife had told the prosecuting garda that the defendant had only just been released from hospital owing to the fact he was a serious diabetic.

It was a charge Garda Foley denied.

Similar questions over why a doctor never arrived and whether Mr Doyle's request to engage a solicitor was heeded despite its alleged absence from custody records.

I can't answer that, said Garda Foley.

The garda, however, revealed Mr Doyle made no admissions to him over any difficulties he may or may not have had in providing two breath samples despite his medical history.

Garda Foley said had he intimated those concerns to him he would have sought samples of either blood or urine as an alternative.

Sgt Sean Trowell, who was the member in charge at the station when processing Mr Doyle said he made no request to see a solicitor and admitted he had been drinking spirits earlier that evening.

He did make me aware he had got out of hospital recently and was taking four insulin injections a day but didn't ask for medical assistance, said Sgt Trowell.

In taking the stand, Mr Doyle claimed he was not driving at all that evening.

I just wanted to play a bit of music in my car, he said.

I said I was playing a bit of music, I was doing no harm.

Mr Doyle also accused Garda Foley of fabricating the truth and was adamant in his insistence he informed gardai of his difficulties in complying with their requests to provide breath specimens.

On that Bible there, I told him, he said.

Everything he (Garda Foley) is saying is lies. My chest was in bits. I said I probably wouldn't be able because my chest was very bad as I was only out of hospital the last few days.

Mr Doyle continued his defence by revealing how he had been suffering from depression at the time and maintained his treatment by gardai was unfair.

I never asked for blood or urine (samples) because I thought they (gardai) would ask me. He kept me in the station for hours and I was as weak as water, he said.

Mr Doyle's wife, Deborah who revealed she had been been told to follow them up to the station before later being told to return home after being informed a doctor was en route.

Judge Hughes, however, contended the actions of Mr Doyle on the night were evidence enough of his culpability.

The bottom line is you weren't in a very cooperative mood that night, he told Mr Doyle.

You refused to get out of the car and you refused to give a breath sample.

Judge Hughes ultimately banned Mr Doyle from driving for four years and fined him 250.

Recognisances were fixed at 500 in the event of an appeal.
The president doesnt exactly have a sterling reputation for discretion, but if theres one area where he exhibits a remarkable, vault-like secrecy, its the substance of his own finances. Repeatedly saying hes really rich is one thing; actually proving it is another. The gilded atrium of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue symbolises the opulence and glamour that President Trump has always wanted to project, but as the Forbes reporter Dan Alexander suggests in his new book, White House, Inc., more telling might be the 43rd floor of a ...
BRIDGEPORT  The collapse of the city police departments Youth Bureau and retirements within the force have caused a backlog in the investigation of sexual assault cases.

Sources in the Bridgeport Police Department said as many as two dozen cases have languished in various stages of investigation for as long as five years.

Bridgeport States Attorney Joseph Corradino recently appointed two prosecutors to work with the police department to get the cases ready for prosecution. However, sources said because of the time lapse, some of the cases are already beyond the statute of limitations.

Capt. Brian Fitzgerald of the Detective Bureau has been working diligently to address the situation he inherited when the Youth Bureau was dissolved, Corradino said. Ive assigned two prosecutors and an inspector to provide whatever assistance he needs, given the existence of 17 vacancies in the Detective Bureau. I believe progress is being made on the open cases.

The bureau has a current staff of 37.

Police wont say how many cases are outstanding or for how long.

We are working in conjunction with prosecutors and inspectors from the States Attorneys office in Bridgeport to streamline the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault cases, said Fitzgerald, who heads the Detective Bureau. This partnership will help Bridgeport Police with resources to investigate these crimes while we await the promotion of new detectives to fill vacancies in the Special Victims Unit.

The Special Victims Unit was established in 2018 when then-Police Chief Armando Perez dissolved the Youth Bureau after allegations that case files were being stuffed in drawers and forgotten after detectives were transferred to other areas of the department.

READ MORE: Bridgeport Police Youth Bureau delayed arrests in sex cases for years

The Bridgeport Police Department has been undergoing restructuring and reorganization of divisions, Police Department Spokesman Scott Appleby told Hearst Connecticut Media earlier this year.

At the time, some detectives in the former Youth Bureau were reassigned to other entities within the Detective Bureau, he said. As part of the reorganization, Appleby said the Special Victims Unit was designated to investigate all sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse allegations. He said officers in this division undergo special training.

Detectives and supervisors of the Special Victims Unit uncovered several cases dating back to 2013 that were a part of the original Youth Bureau files, Appleby confirmed. These cases were reviewed, and when necessary re-investigated, and evidence was sent to the state laboratory when appropriate. If probable cause existed to charge, a warrant was applied for.

Previously, Perez had appointed Sgt. Joseph Hernandez, who had no prior experience in investigating cases having come from a patrol position, to lead the Youth Bureau.

Hernandez retired around the time the Youth Bureau was disbanded.The last straw for the Youth Bureau, according to law enforcement sources, was the two years it took to investigate the sexual assault of an 8-year-old girl.

Police acknowledged that although they began the sexual assault investigation in April 2015, Youth Bureau detectives didnt send the rape kit to the state lab for DNA processing until April 2017 when the suspect, 31-year-old Derrick Siberon, was being investigated for the death of his 10-month-old son.

The state police lab identified Siberons DNA in the rape kit taken from the girl.

As part of a plea deal, Siberon was sentenced to two concurrent 15-year sentences  followed by 20 years of probation.

Police also acknowledged in court documents that a 2015 sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl was not fully investigated for two years because the original investigator was transferred out of the Youth Bureau and not replaced.

But sources said while the Special Victims Unit looked good on paper, it failed to get off the ground.

Because of retirements in the police department there are only two detectives assigned to handle sexual assault cases  both new ones and the many old cases transferred from the Youth Bureau, the sources said.
GATLINBURG, Tenn. - Ian and Linzy Nicely have always known theres something special in the hills of East Tennessee, so they set out to create a space for others to discover the natural beauty of the Smoky Mountains at Camp LeConte, their family-owned and operated resort in Gatlinburg.

Camp LeConte has attracted travellers and attention from across the country. Most recently, the retreat has piqued the interest of a panel of experts for USA Todays 2020 10Best Readers Choice Travel Awards. Camp LeConte is a nominee for the nationwide search for the Best Vintage Trailer Hotel.

The Readers Choice Travel Awards recognizes 20 nominees in a variety of categories each year, and voters choose the top 10. Camp LeConte is one of the only nominees in the Southeast and the sole contender in Tennessee. The Nicelys have promoted the contest and hope to finish in first place when the polls close Oct. 12. Voting is available at 10best.com/awards/travel/best-airstream-vintage-trailer-hotel. Winners will be announced Oct. 23.

TRAILERS TAKE Travellers BACK IN TIME

You cant miss the robin egg blue and ruby red retro campers at Camp LeConte. Appropriately named, Glamping at Tiffanys and The Ruby Slipper, the trailers are a guest favourite at the resort and are reserved months in advance.

Both glampers, or glamourous campers, are a replica of the 1961 Shasta Airflyte 16SC Travel Trailer, even down to the iconic Shasta wings. The inside is just as Instagrammable as the outside and includes a booth dinette that can be converted into a bed. Glamping at Tiffanys and The Ruby Slipper also have microwaves, refrigerators and air conditioning.

Visitors can gather around fire pits outside the trailer doors to snack on smores or eat a supper prepared on the charcoal grill. Toiletries and towels are provided to be used at the shared bathhouse located steps away.

Glamper reservations start at about $115 a night, but if you want to stay in the one-of-a-kind rooms, youll have to plan fast. Limited dates are available through December.

The trailers have been a hit, Linzy told Knox News. Its a trendy experience that you dont get out here otherwise.

SEEING THE SMOKIES IN STYLE

The Nicelys bought Camp LeConte in 2013 with the help of their families. Fresh out of college, the couple had big dreams for the run-down property. They believed it had the potential to become the areas first outdoor luxury campsite.

No one had even tried doing something like that here, Linzy said. No one really knew what it was.

The family scoured Africa and Europe to find swanky glamping tents for the resort. They continued to add stylish spots for guests to stay including the vintage trailers and two open-air treehouses over the years.

Their vision was to create a place for people who arent outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy nature comfortably in East Tennessee. Camp LeContes proximity to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and downtown Gatlinburg make it perfect for travellers who want to get some fresh air and stay close to the city.

Camp LeConte gives guests access to wi-fi, a heated pool, community cookouts, trolley transportation and more to ensure they enjoy their socially distanced stay. The Nicelys said the campsite has been more popular than ever as visitors have more time to travel and work remotely amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our whole thing is to get people who wouldnt usually camp outside to come here and enjoy it, Linzy said. Anyone can do it and love it.

A YEAR UNLIKE ANY OTHER

Camp LeConte closed in March and April because of rising coronavirus cases. The Nicelys were overwhelmed by the demand when they reopened in May and told Knox News 2020 has been their busiest year yet.

The family has more than recovered from their losses during the temporary closure, and the campsite has been at capacity since. Camp LeContes recent success inspired the Nicelys to move forward with plans to expand the property by spring 2022.

Linzy told Knox News that Camp LeConte will add a themed glamping area with new kinds of accommodations. The Nicelys are waiting until next winter to begin construction on the venture, but they plan on making improvements to the existing sites by next season.

More information about Camp LeConte and reservations is available at campleconte.com.
Scientists have developed a new method of testing for Covid-19 that doesnt make use of key reagents but still delivers an accurate result, an advance that may lead to an inexpensive diagnosis technique in developing countries where chemical supplies are in short supply.

The method, described in the journal PLOS Biology, omits the step in the widely used reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test where the scarce reagents are needed, but has an accuracy of 92 per cent, missing only the lowest viral loads.

The researchers, including those from the University of Washington in the US, tested the new method using 215 Covid-19 samples that RT-PCR tests had shown were positive, with a range of viral loads, and 30 that were negative.

They said it correctly identified 92 per cent of the positive samples and 100 per cent of the negatives.

While the positive samples the new test failed to catch had very low levels of the virus, the scientists said ultra-sensitive tests that identify individuals with even the smallest viral loads may not be needed to slow the spread of the disease.

It was a very positive result, said Jason Botten senior author of the study from the University of Vermont in the US. You can go for the perfect test, or you can use the one thats going to pick up the great majority of people and stop transmission, Botten said. While standard PCR tests have three steps, the version developed by the researchers has only two, the study noted.

In step 1 of the RT-PCR test, you take the swab with the nasal sample, clip the end and place it in a vial of liquid, or medium. Any virus on the swab will transfer from the swab into the medium, Botten said. In step 2, you take a small sample of the virus-containing medium and use chemical reagents, the ones that are often in short supply, to extract the viral RNA. In step 3, you use other chemicals to greatly amplify any viral genetic material that might be there. If virus was present, youll get a positive signal, he explained.

In the new method, Botten said, a sample of the medium that held the nasal swab is taken directly to the third, amplification step, removing the need for scarce RNA extraction reagents as well as significantly reducing the time, labour and costs required to extract viral RNA from the medium in step 2.

According to the researchers, the test is ideally suited to screening programs, in both developed and developing countries, since it is inexpensive, takes much less processing time, and reliably identifies those who are likely to spread the disease. Its low cost and efficiency could extend testing capacity to groups not currently being tested, including the asymptomatic, nursing home residents, essential workers and school children, Botten added. He said the standard RT-PCR test could be reserved for groups, like health care workers, where close to 100 per cent accuracy is essential.
Girls Basketball: Rapid City Stevens opens weekend with win over Watertown

Fourth-rated Class AA Rapid City Stevens turned fast starts in each of the first three quarters into a 50-29 non-conference girls basketball win over Watertown.
A Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam member of Parliament and National Democratic Alliance constituent Pattali Makkal Katchi on Sunday criticised rail users in Tamil Nadu allegedly receiving train ticket confirmation SMS in Hindi, with the Parliamentarian lashing out at 'Hindi imposition'.

Image only for representation. Photograph: Hemanshi Kamani/Reuters

Southern Railway however clarified that the issue was the result of a particular user selecting Hindi as the preferred language while registering in the IRCTC website.

'Language is an option in e-ticketing,' a Southern Railway release said.

Earlier, DMK MP from South Chennai, Thamizhachi Thangapandian, took to Twitter to share a screenshot of the SMS purportedly received in Hindi.

'The #GovernmentofIndia despite its promises to not impose Hindi, continues to impose the language through insidious means. Stop forcing Hindi on the non-Hindi speaking states,' she said.

In a series of tweets, she tagged the Railway Ministry and urged it to take urgent steps to ensure non-Hindi speakers are also able to access the IRCTC services.

'#StopHindiImposition,' she added.

Party MP Kanimozhi also criticised the alleged Hindi imposition.

"They are not respecting people's feelings and are repeatedly imposing Hindi," she said in an apparent reference to the Centre.

"People (in TN) cannot read what is mentioned in the SMS since it is in Hindi," she told reporters at the airport in Chennai and warned of 'serious repercussions' due to such incidents.

PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss, whose party is an ally of the ruling BJP at the Centre, alleged that SMSes for e- tickets in Tamil Nadu are 'being sent in Hindi for the last two days'.

'This is a planned imposition of Hindi on non-Hindi speaking people. The Railways should stop this,' he said in a tweet.

He demanded action against those behind this and urged that all Central government related announcements in Tamil Nadu must be released only in Tamil and English.

Meanwhile, Southern Railway, which earlier 'flagged' the matter to the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC), the authorised e-ticketing agency, said that in the case on hand, the person had selected Hindi as the preferred language while registering on the IRCTC portal.

'Language is an option in e-ticketing...it is clarified that while registering the details under the section titled 'profile' in the IRCTC website, one needs to indicate the preferred language-- either English or Hindi, to enable receipt of ticket related messages in the language of one's

preference,' it said.

'In the instant case, in the profile of the person on whose ID the said ticket was booked, the preferred language was indicated as Hindi. This was the reason why the system generated message was sent in Hindi, which was the preferred language,' it said.

Southern Railway also requested users to choose the correct language option while registering their profile in the IRCTC website for booking e-tickets.

Alleged Hindi imposition has been a sensitive issue in Tamil Nadu for long.

The DMK had successfully heralded an anti-Hindi agitation in the 1960s, before coming to power for the first time in 1967.

Even recently, both the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and DMK have opposed the Centre's New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, with the former having rejected the three language formula proposed in it.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami had announced that his government will only follow the two-language system--Tamil and English.


By Lee Min-hyung



Korea' biopharmaceutical industry has drawn a media frenzy here for companies' timely development of COVID-19 test kits.



Most market players, which did see much of the spotlight before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, have achieved outstanding growth, intensifying competition in the new industry with huge potential amid fears over the potential outbreak of other global pandemics



As the market rivalry heats up, more and more "bio" companies are jumping on the bandwagon. Some of the first movers in the industry, such as Seegene and LabGenomics, are solidifying their position in the global COVID-19 test kit industry.



But it remains unclear whether latecomers will be able to report solid earnings in the market from the mid- to longer-term perspective even after the virus comes under control.



According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, 92 Korean companies have received a license to export 166 types of COVID-19 diagnostic kits as of Sept. 15, with 16 of them receiving emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).



The overseas response has also been overwhelming, with Korean firms  as of the end of August  exporting test kits to around 150 countries since the outbreak of the pandemic earlier this year. The kits can test more than 196 million people.



Due to the unexpected pandemic factor, the companies have enjoyed a heyday, with their shares reporting three-digit growth in less than a year.



Seegene, one of the biggest COVID-19 test kit manufacturers here, said Monday it would supply its kits to overseas markets for a maximum of two years with the focus being on underdeveloped nations.



Toward this end, the company has teamed up with UNICEF. Seegene has recently signed a supply contract with the global humanitarian aid organization to supply its real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) COVID-19 test kits. In April, the FDA granted a use authorization for the product.



"The latest contract will serve as a milestone for us to win more contracts globally," Kim Sung-yeol, vice president of the firm's global business unit, said. "We hope more Korean firms build a bridgehead in the overseas public procurement market."



The company reported 168.9 billion won in operating profit in the second quarter, a 50-fold growth compared with a year ago, establishing its position here as the emerging blue-chip biopharmaceutical stock.



A company official said it does not have any plans to diversify its revenue streams into other items, as the firm's expertise has been in developing virus test kits over the past two decades.



"We export the COVID-19 test kits to more than 70 countries and will keep our focus on developing the kit," the official said.



LabGenomics is another leading player in exports. The company's stock was traded at around 4,000 won per share, but surged to as high as over 50,000 won as of early August on a rosy market response to its COVID-19 test kits in countries such as the U.S.



But concerns are some late movers and relatively smaller kit developers may end up losing their competitiveness in the market amid the fierce rivalry with bigger firms. Korean companies exported test kits worth 162.3 billion won in July, down 18.6 percent from the previous month, according to data from the Korea Customs Service. The figure is on a decline after hitting the ceiling when the global spread of the pandemic reached its peak.



For this reason, small- and medium-sized kit developers are busy developing their next platforms, bracing for the post-coronavirus world.



"Most small companies recently tapped into the COVID-19 test kit market, as part of efforts to diversify their revenue streams and raise their global profile by developing the kit and winning a license from authorities here and abroad," an official from a small-sized company said on condition of anonymity.



For instance, Plexense, a local COVID-19 antibody kit developer, has expertise in developing and producing cost-effective immunoassay kits for clinical and biological testing. The company also succeeded in raising its profile by developing COVID-19 test kits and is awaiting their possible export to Columbia.



The company plans to continue enhancing its research and development capabilities for the development of similar kits even after the COVID-19 pandemic is over.




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

Indian, Chinese army likely to hold high level talks on October 12: Report

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Oct 04: The seventh round of Corps Commander-level talks between armies of India and China is expected to be held on October 12 with a specific agenda of firming up a roadmap for disengagement of troops from the friction points in eastern Ladakh, people familiar with the developments said on Sunday.

At the talks, the two sides are also expected to look into further steps to maintain stability on the ground and avoid any action that may trigger fresh tension in the region where troops from both sides will be facing difficult conditions in the next four months due to harsh winters, they said.

Following the last round of military talks on September 21, the two sides announced a slew of decisions including not to send more troops to the frontline, refrain from unilaterally changing the situation on the ground and avoid taking any actions that may further complicate matters.

The military talks were held with a specific agenda of exploring ways to implement a five-point agreement reached between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at a meeting in Moscow on September 10 on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) conclave.

The pact 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.

7th military commander India-China talks next week

Days after the military talks, the two sides held diplomatic talks under the framework of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs, but no concrete outcome emerged from the negotiation on September 30.

After the diplomatic talks, the foreign ministry said it was agreed that the next round of the meeting of senior commanders should be held at an early date so that both sides can work towards early and complete disengagement of the troops along the LAC in accordance with the existing bilateral agreement and protocols.

Interestingly, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, Naveen Srivastava, who has been leading the Indian side at the WMCC talks, also attended the military talks on September 21 for the first time.

Government sources said there is a possibility that he may be part of the Indian delegation at the seventh round of the Corps Commander talks.

The Indian delegation at the talks is likely to be headed by Lt Gen Harinder Singh, the commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps of the Indian Army.

It will be Lt Gen Singh's last round of talks with the Chinese military as he will take charge as head of the prestigious Indian Military Academy around October 15.

Lt Gen PGK Menon, who will succeed Lt Gen Singh at the 14 Corps, is also likely to be part of the Indian team at the seventh round of military talks.

The situation in eastern Ladakh further deteriorated following at least three attempts by the Chinese military to "intimidate" Indian troops along the northern and southern bank of Pangong lake area between August 29 and September 8 where even shots were fired in the air for the first time at the LAC in 45 years.

As the tensions escalated further, the foreign ministers of the two countries held talks in Moscow on September 10 where they reached on the five-point agreement to defuse the situation in eastern Ladakh.

The agreement was the basis for the sixth round of Corps commander-level talks.

In the last three months, the Indian Army rushed tanks, heavy weaponry, ammunition, fuel, food and essential winter supplies into various treacherous and high-altitude areas of the region to maintain combat readiness through the harsh winter of around four months beginning mid-October.

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Story first published: Sunday, October 4, 2020, 22:30 [IST]
CRRC, now the largest rolling stock manufacturer in the world, was established in 2015 after two of China's biggest rail firms merged to create a national export champion. It turned over more than $44 billion in 2018 and employs about 180,000 workers at more than 40 subsidiaries. Beijing's "Made in China 2025" policy lists 10 industries in which China seeks to become the global leader. At number six is rail equipment and CRRC is central to that ambition. The company is developing bullet trains for BRI signatory countries and has been involved in dozens of projects in BRI nations including Pakistan, Iran, Italy and Turkey. In a 2018 CRRC report, in a section titled, "Promote the Interconnection of the World", the company said it "responded positively to the Belt and Road Initiative  from the traditional export markets of Asia, Africa and Latin America to Europe, the United States and Australia". The second project listed in the report was the Victorian train deal. Though the Victorian government did not sign up to the BRI until 2018, it had embarked on its "China Strategy" in April 2016 which set targets for trade and strategic cooperation. The state government announced that CRRC won the contract on September 12, 2016, a week before Mr Andrews' 2016 trip to China to discuss with top Chinese officials the government's China Strategy and transport investment. Mr Andrews signed a memorandum of understanding for the BRI deal in 2018 and officially signed up to the program in October 2019 in Beijing. In the October trip, he met with leaders of local infrastructure firms including CRRC. Speaking notes prepared for the Premier's address to a delegation stated: "I see Chinese companies establishing a presence in Victoria and actively bidding for Victorian projects as essential."

"You will find the Victorian market accessible, and my government will welcome your participation and do what it can to facilitate success. My government is dedicated to this effort, and I will personally continue to share the opportunities present in my state's infrastructure agenda". Daniel Andrews unveiled the new CRRC trains at Downer's Newport facility in 2018. Credit:Justin McManus The CRRC offering was chosen ahead of bids that would have resulted in the trains manufactured locally at established factories in either Ballarat, owned by Alstom, or Dandenong, owned by Bombardier. CRRC did not respond to requests for comment. The federal government has repeatedly criticised the Victorian government for signing onto the $US1 trillion infrastructure-building plan and is preparing legislation that could be used to cancel Victoria's BRI deal. Many western governments and foreign policy experts believe the initiative is used by China to increase its geopolitical power and coerce developing nations by saddling them with debt. 'Knowing your supplier'

CRRC has also been active in trying to increase its footprint in the US over the past decade. It has built trains for the cities of Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles. However, increasingly, politicians from the left and right have voiced concern about CRRC's involvement in critical infrastructure. In June, the US Defence Department made public for the first time a list of Chinese companies operating in the US that have close ties to the Chinese government or military. Companies on the list, which includes Huawei and CRRC, can be subject to emergency economic powers and sanctions by the US president. "As the People's Republic of China attempts to blur the lines between civil and military sectors, 'knowing your supplier' is critical," Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Rath Hoffman said in a statement. "We envision this list will be a useful tool for the US government, companies, investors, academic institutions, and like-minded partners to conduct due diligence with regard to partnerships with these entities, particularly as the list grows." The transport department in Washington DC last year inserted cyber-security safeguards into its tender for metropolitan trains that CRRC hoped to build. Andrew Grotto, a former senior director for cyber-security policy on the US National Security Council, said malware could divert data collected from trains' security cameras and be used for facial recognition and to track riders.

Chuck Schumer, the Democrats' Senate minority leader, last year demanded the Trump administration investigate national security risks associated with CRRC's involvement in New York's subway system, while the Pentagon pointed to Beijing's 2018 hacking of US business secrets as reason to beware of Chinese involvement in train building. "The Chinese Communist Party's use of predatory economic practices like illegal state-sponsored cyber-theft reinforce concerns about Chinese companies playing a role in critical infrastructure  whether it be rail cars or 5G telecommunications networks," Mike Andrews, a US Defence Department spokesman, said in January 2019. China-Australian relations expert John Fitzgerald, emeritus professor at Swinburne University of Technology, said claims CRRC trains could be used for espionage or cyber warfare were "overstated". However, Professor Fitzgerald said the train deal could expose Australia to further economic coercion by China, which he said "had shown many times it is willing to leverage Australia's economic dependence for its political advantage." For the first half of last decade, he said, Australian governments had often opted for low-cost suppliers of core manufacturing such as automobile and rail equipment. As a result, Australia had lost its independent capacity for rolling stock manufacturing and had become reliant on China, exposing the nation to coercion. Professor Fitzgerald said the "extraordinary focus" on China by the Victorian government may come at the expense of deeper engagement with India and Japan. "Did [Mr Andrews] offer similar investment opportunities on projects to Japanese, Indian and other regional partners?" he asked.

Loading Questions over procurement A person formerly employed as a contractor by Downer, a member of the same consortium as CRRC, returned to work at Downer shortly after holding a top role in the Victorian government's high-capacity train tender process. The former worker was the Transport Department's project director, according to his LinkedIn profile which says he "managed a team of more than 100 staff and advisers to deliver and procure the [public-private partnership] up to financial close". He finished his role with the department in May 2017, eight months after the train contract was awarded, and soon afterwards, in July that year, took up a contractor job as Downer's director of major projects. He had also worked for Downer prior to working for the Victorian government. A 2018 Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission report on corruption risks states that movement between the public and private sectors is common and can be beneficial but sometimes presents risks. The report urged the Victorian government to consider Commonwealth Public Sector Commission guidelines that recommend restricting successful tenderers from employing government officials who managed the tender process after it is completed.

One of the key risks, according to the federal guideline, is that "the employee, while still employed in the [public service], would use their position to influence decisions and advice in favour of the prospective new employer." Downer spokesman Michael Sharp said the employee's "position at Downer has never posed a conflict of interest," and that "he has never held a Downer-related high-capacity metro train position". Downer did not begin contract discussions with the man until after he had completed his contract with the Victorian government, Mr Sharp said. The company "strongly rejected any questioning of probity" on the matter. Delays and faults The train deal is running more than 18 months late as trains have arrived from China with significant faults. According to leaked cabinet documents reported by The Age in September, the government is hoping for a December roll-out but pandemic-related delays could occur. The Victorian government announced in 2016 that 60 per cent of content used to build the high-capacity metro trains would be locally manufactured. However, work that was originally being done in Melbourne was off-shored to CRRC's factory in April 2019 in order to meet efficiency targets. Multiple union officials familiar with the project say trains now arrive in Melbourne with electrical wiring and cabin installations already completed, representing many hundreds of hours of lost local work.

The Victorian government said the plan to do more work in China did not impact on the number of local jobs or the local content target. "We've been through a rigorous and competitive tender process to deliver brand new trains that will travel through the Metro Tunnel. The train design meets and in many cases exceeds all of our requirements and standards," a government spokeswoman said. Luba Grigorovitch, secretary of the Victorian Rail, Tram and Bus Union, said in October 2019 that the state government was allowing the rail consortium to "prioritise meeting deadlines at the expense of local jobs." CRRC had a history of low local content usage and late delivery before the HCMT project. The company used no minimal local content to build NSW's Waratah trains from 2006 which were delivered years late and arrived with defects. In South Africa, trains had defects and criminal charges were laid over corruption allegations. About 40 CRRC trains were taken off the tracks in New Zealand due to asbestos contamination in 2014 and the Singaporean government shipped back 26 faulty trains in 2016. In 2015, China's rail operators blamed the rising number of train malfunctions on declining quality standards at CRRC.
Syracuse, N.Y.  Shadetta Franklin, a 29-year-old Syracuse native affectionately called Detta, documented her now 12-year-old sons life with photos.

She posted throwback photos of her son as a sleepy newborn wearing a white Jordan cap. She shared a photo of her standing back-to-back with her now 12-year-old boy, wearing matching grins to compliment their matching pants, shoes and New York Yankees shirts. Franklin, her son, stepdaughter and fiancee pose for another photo all wearing pinstriped Yankees shirts.

Franklin was trying to build a good life for her family, her posts on Facebook show. On Sept. 15, she shared a photo of a set of keys, announcing that she had a home to call her own. She posted the news with a happy emoji and a hashtag: #FreshStartFrMeNdMines.

But she didnt get to enjoy her fresh start.

Franklin was shot in the head around 7:15 p.m. on Sept. 17 near Burt Street and Oakwood Avenue. Syracuse police officers found her outside Hub Liquor Store.

Shadetta L. Franklin, 29, died two days after she was shot in the head outside of the Hub Liquor Store near Burt Street and Oakwood Avenue. She was shot on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020.

Franklin was rushed to Upstate University Hospital in critical condition. She died two days later.

Franklins family and friends are struggling to adjust to life without her.

I will never be the same without her, said Keyaisha Franklin, her niece.

The two were close: Keyaisha Franklin was listed as Franklins sister in her obituary.

Franklin grew up in Syracuse. Photos from Syracuse.com | The Post-Standards archives show Franklin,11, eating a snack and helping another student figure out a math problem during an after-school program at Pioneer Homes in 2003.

In this photo from February 2003, students use their fingers to explain a math problem to another student during an afterschool program at Pioneer Homes. Shadetta Franklin, then 11, is on the back right. She was 29 when she was fatally shot in Syracuse in September 2020.Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard's archives

Eleven years before her death, Franklin survived a brush with gun violence. She was just 18 when she was shot in April 2010 while walking alone in the 1100 block of South McBride Street. Franklin was shot in her forearm, police said at the time, and suffered a shattered bone.

Franklin is survived by her 12-year-old son, her 10-year-old stepdaughter and her fiancee. Shes also survived by her mother, siblings and a host of family and friends, according to her obituary.

Franklin was widely loved, her niece said, and was generous in return with her love. Shes free now, Keyaisha Franklin said, and was able to reunite with her father and the friends who died before her.

I can only take this as she went home happy," she said.

Police on Friday announced an arrest in the murder.

Anthony Sutton Jr., 22, of Syracuse, was charged Tuesday with second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon for Franklins death.

Sutton is being held in the Onondaga County Justice Center without bail, custody records show.

Staff writer Samantha House covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? Reach her at shouse@syracuse.com.
Aggressive gender-based lockdowns in Panama provably heightened the injustices faced by the trans community, a new report has revealed.

The rules implemented in April permitted women to leave the house for necessities only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while men were allowed to do the same on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. All citizens were ordered to stay at home on Sundays.

The controversial measures, which were finally lifted this month, were meant to halve the numbers of people on the streets at any one time. But a London School of Economics study has found that it left trans people vulnerable to victimisation.

This policy failed transgender and non-gender or sex-binary Panamanians from its inception, the authors write, noting early reports detailing the discrimination trans people suffered when leaving home on days in accordance with their gender identity.

It further states that Panamas approach to the lockdown failed to recognise diverse gender identities and may reproduce inequalities and injustice for non-binary individuals with unknown long-term effects.

The study, due to be published next month, collected GPS data to track the mobility of men and women between 15 February and 29 May and used the findings to interpret how the policy compounded existing inequalities.

Researchers also interviewed dozens of people affected by the measures to gain a full picture of their impact.

As one interviewee explained: Transgender people in Panama are being humiliated and accused of breaking the law under the quarantine policy simply for being themselves.

The trans community are damned if they do and damned if they dont.

When the rules were first announced, LGBT+ rights organisations immediately raised alarm, warning that they would inevitably harm trans people.

These fears were immediately realised when  on the first day of the new gendered social-distancing rules  a trans woman called Barbara Delgado was stopped by police on her way to work.

Story continues

Police saw the male gender marker on her ID card and took her to the police station, where she was accused of not being a woman, held for three humiliating hours and then released with a fine, according to Human Rights Watch.

In Panama, trans people can only change the gender marker on their ID documents if they can prove they have had gender-confirmation surgery, so many trans and non-binary people had no way to prove their right to leave the house.

One trans Panamanian told the BBC that she went to visit her regular corner shop on a Wednesday but was refused. The shopkeeper, who knew her well, said police had instructed him not to allow maricon, an anti-LGBT+ slur.

However, when she visited a larger supermarket on a Thursday, a mens-only day, six police officers made a beeline for her and pulled her out of the queue.

They began to do a body search on me. One of them squeezed my breasts in the search and said, laughing, Youre not a woman, and repeated a transphobic slur.

Cristian Gonzalez Cabrera of Human Rights Watch told the BBC: The gendered days in Panama mean the trans community are damned if they do and damned if they dont.

We have spoken to more cases like Monicas. It sadly isnt an isolated incident.

Elsewhere in Latin America, similar gender-based lockdown rules in Colombias capital Bogota were revoked after they fuelled a wave of violence against transgender people living in the city.

Gender-based rules were also lifted in Peru for similar reasons.
Hyderabad, Oct 4 : As many as 141 prisoners were released from various prisons in Telangana since Saturday following the remission granted by the state government on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.

About 40 convicts were released by prison authorities after completing the formalities as per the orders issued by the prison department.

A maximum of 39 convicts were released from Warangal Central Prison followed by 19 from Cherlapally Central Prison and 14 from Chanchalguda Central Prison. Official sources said 26 convicts were released from Cherlapally Open Air Jail and 20 from Chanchalguda Women Prison.

The orders were also issued for release of convicts from Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Sangareddy, Nalgonda and Adilabad district jails and Miryalguda sub-jail. However, in view of the model code of conduct in force for bye-elections to one Assembly and one Council seat, the release of convicts in four districts was put on hold.

Though the government had permitted for remission of convicts on August 15, framing of the guidelines for the same was delayed. The authorities finally decided to issue the orders to coincide with Gandhi Jayanti.

As per the guidelines, remission was granted only for convicts with good conduct and priority was given to elderly persons.

Those involved in serious offences like crimes against women and children, organised crime, murders, dacoities, narcotics and terrorist activities were not granted remission.

According to officials, the list of the convicts was prepared after scrutinising details of every convict along with their conduct in prison.

The convicts granted remission were asked to execute a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and appear before the nearest police station once in three months till the completion of their commuted sentence period.

The authorities made it clear to the convicts granted remission that if they commit the offences again, their remission will be revoked.

A majority of the convicts granted remission had completed more than 50 per cent of the sentence.

At Warangal Central Jail, Superintendent Murali Babu administered an oath to the released convicts before the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi that they will not commit crimes again and live with dignity in the society.

M. Bhikshapathi's name was also among the list of convicts lodged in Warangal Central Jail and granted remission. He had to deposit Rs 17,500 penalty imposed by the court. He was disappointed as he had no money to pay the penalty. However, some officer bearers of Warangal Chamber of Commerce came forward to arrange the money to ensure his release.

Those released from Warangal Jail included 27 men who had served a sentence of more than 14 years and 11 women who had spent more than eight years in prison.
Kuwait-based Jazeera Airways has announced the launch of service to the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, offering direct flights between Kuwait and Dhaka as well as transit flights to cities in the Middle East.



Served on the A320neo aircraft, the airline will land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and will operate flights on Tuesdays and Thursdays from Kuwait and Wednesdays and Thursdays from Dhaka.



Rohit Ramachandran, CEO Jazeera Airways said: We are extremely pleased to be able to open up a route to Dhaka as we climb back out of the difficult times we have all been through. It shows the strength of our airline that we are able to expand our network at this time. We are now able to serve the Bangladeshi community in Kuwait with a direct service and look forward to increasing our frequencies in the future.



Jazeera Airways appointed the Galaxy Group in Bangladesh to handle local sales. Managing Director Ahmed Yusuf Walid said: We are delighted to partner with Jazeera Airways. We see a huge opportunity for flights to Kuwait but also connecting our customers to Saudi Arabia and other destinations in the region.



Jazeera Airways has taken every safety and precautionary measure on its aircraft and at Jazeera Terminal T5 in Kuwait to ensure passengers fly safely, an airline statement said, adding that all passengers are required to wear face masks and gloves throughout their journey.



The airline also offers the Duo Seat feature that enables passengers to book the middle seat next to them in addition to their seat when travelling, giving passengers more comfort and security on their flight.  TradeArabia News Service




Regeneron Pharmaceuticals has found itself in the spotlight after President Donald Trump was treated with the companys experimental antibody treatment for Covid-19, just days after the unveiling of promising preliminary trial results.

The biopharmaceutical company has a major operations facility in Limerick and is currently adding more than 400 jobs there in order to maximise capacity at its New York facility to produce large quantities of their Covid treatment.

At the recent announcement of 400 new jobs at the Regeneron in Raheen, Limerick, were; Niall OLeary, Vice President and Site Head, Regeneron; Tanaiste Leo Varadkar TD; An Taoiseach Micheal Martin TD; and Mary Buckley, Executive Director IDA. Picture: Cathal Noonan

The New York-headquartered company said it had provided a single high dose of the drug for Trump after receiving a compassionate-use request from his doctors. Trump is at higher risk of severe Covid-19 complications due to his age and clinical obesity.

Last month Regeneron moved to phase three of its Covid treatment trials testing its REGN-COV2 drugs cocktail which will be given to hospitalised patients in the UK in a trial conducted by the University of Oxford where it will be assessed for all-cause mortality against those receiving the usual standard of care.

The researchers will also look at the length of hospital stay and need for ventilation. At least 2,000 people are expected to receive the cocktail.

Regeneron has signed a $450m (395m) contract with the US government to produce thousands of doses of the drug to treat and prevent infection from Covid-19.

This is despite the fact that the drug has yet to complete clinical trials.

If the trials confirm the effectiveness of the REGN-COV2, Regeneron aims to have hundreds of thousands of treatment doses ready for distribution this year.

Trump may be an ideal person to benefit from the experimental therapy, which is an artificial version of the antibodies the immune system naturally makes to fight off infection. Since Trump was diagnosed so quickly, the treatment could help jump-start his fight against the pathogen.

Regenerons cocktail therapy is a mix of two highly potent antibodies against the coronavirus spike protein. It is being tested in several clinical trials in both hospitalized Covid-19 patients and patients outside the hospital.

The preliminary results from one trial released this week showed the drug may help treat coronavirus patients outside of the hospital by reducing virus levels and symptoms. In a trial of 275 Covid-19 patients, those who got Regenerons experimental therapy had lower virus levels in the bloodstream seven days later compared with patients who received a placebo.

Additional reporting Bloomberg
A Gold Coast teenager will sue his former school for $750,000 after an injury he sustained on campus grounds robbed him of his dream job, a court heard.

Thomas John Harding, 18, fractured his ankle when he tripped while playing on the flooded oval at the St Michaels College, in Merrimac, on July 23, 2015.

He filed the suit against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane in the Southport District Court, claiming the injury stopped him from becoming an Australian Air Force pilot.

Doctors performed four surgeries and used at least six screws to rebuild the teenager's ankle, which he said still causes him pain and discomfort.

Gold Coast teenager Thomas John Harding, 18, is suing his former school, St Michaels College, in Merrimac, for $750,000 after he tripped and fractured his ankle (pictured) on the campus oval in 2015

Harding also tried to become a mechanic but had to give it up because of the ankle fracture, The Gold Coast Bulletin reported.

It was further alleged more than 26mm of rain fell in the two days before Harding's accident, leaving the oval so waterlogged inter-school sport had to be cancelled.

His solicitor, Amanda Gilmour, argued it was the school's responsibility to make sure her client wasn't on the oval that day because of the dangerous conditions.

'Now we have a situation where an 18-year-old boy wont be able to participate in high levels of physical activity for the rest of his life,' she said.

'His employment options are limited and he is forced to manage pain on a daily basis.'

Ms Gilmour said before the injury Harding had been selected for special courses at the Amberley RAAF base as part of his path to becoming an air force pilot.

The former Gold Coast student now works in IT but said his ankle fracture prevents him from being able to perform all the tasks assigned to him.

Ms Gilmour said the severe damage to her client's ankle would affect him for the rest of his life.

The case will continue before the Southport District Court later this month.
New Delhi: The Delhi University plans to announce cut-offs for various undergraduate courses on October 10, two days ahead of the commencement of the admission process to allow students adequate time to choose courses and colleges. The varsity is holding the entire admission process online for the first time due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to the schedule released by DU on September 25, admissions under the first cut-off list will begin on October 12 and end on October 14. The last day to submit fees will be October 16 and the new academic session will commence on November 18.

Delhi University, Dean (Admissions), Shobha Bagai said the varsity will hold a webinar for applicants on Friday. "We will be holding a webinar for students on how to calculate their cut-offs, choose courses and colleges on the dashboard. We will also be holding a meeting with college conveners. There is a need to sensitise anybody  from colleagues in colleges to candidates, who tend to get anxious," she said.

Bagai advised applicants to read the notices uploaded on the website. "We are aiming to release cut-offs on October 10 so that the applicants have a day to go through it and make themselves familiar. We have requested the principals to share the cut-offs with us in time. It will depend on when they give us the cut-offs," she said.

Professor Balaram Pani, the dean of colleges, said all principals have been asked to share the cut-offs with the varsity by October 9.

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South Summit 2020, the leading meeting of the global ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship kicks off next week. From October 6 to 8, a new edition of the meeting will take place with an omnichannel format, which allows it to be more open, innovative, global and transversal. In addition to showing the world the great capacity of Spain and its immense opportunities, with a thriving, open and international Madrid as the epicenter.

IE University co-organizes this international meeting with the aim of analyzing the challenges of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and business opportunities after the pandemic together with the Madrid City Council, BBVA, Endesa, BStartup of Banco Sabadell, Google for Startups and Telefonica, it will facilitate the interconnection of the key players in the ecosystem -investors, startups and corporations-, and the generation of real business opportunities, regardless of where they are.

Online event television format with a platform to do netwoking

The meeting can be followed through the multi-channel digital platform, which has a powerful tool for generating networking among all attendees and exclusive content from the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, hand in hand with global leaders, investors, corporations and startups.

A very television format (Prime Time), with a much more lively production that will allow the dimension of the meeting to be followed live, which will connect locations in different parts of the world with the most emblematic places of Madrid at all times.

Starting at 3:00 p.m. in Spain, prime time will take place every day, with the end of the competition of startups from each vertical and access to content from different personalities and the most prominent world leaders, among which are : Eric S. Yuan, founder of the leading Zoom video conferencing platform; Carlos Sainz, rally driver, two-time world champion and three-time winner of the Dakar Rally -the last one in 2020-; award-winning Spanish actor Antonio Banderas; Robin Richards, founder & Co-Chair of DRKF; Cady Coleman, NASA astronaut; Marcelo Claure, CEO of Softbank; Aubrey de Gray, a biomedical gerontologist who is a strong advocate of indefinite life expectancy; Sam Waterston, veteran actor and member of the Oceana Board of Directors; Wendy Koop, CEO of Tech for All; Will Shu, CEO and co-founder of Deliveroo; and Suzi Mcbride, COO of Iridium, among others.

Registration for this year's event will be free on the official website and users will be able to access all the live content, they will be able to meet the best companies to work with worldwide, access the networking tool, the Marketplace, follow the 10 content tracks and the top 100 start competition in which the Latin American Nilus (Argentina), Blox u Biosolvit (Brazil), Poliglota and Chatigo (Chile) and Tomi (Colombia) participate.

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Nigerian music star, Wizkid has attacked the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, for ignoring pertinent issues bothering the country,...



Old man! Police/Sarz still killing

Nigerian youth on a daily! Do something!

Nothing concern u for America!

Face your country !! Donald trump is not your business!Old man! Police/Sarz still killingNigerian youth on a daily! Do something!Nothing concern u for America!Face your country !! https://t.co/thxmoYb7VE October 4, 2020

In a series of tweets posted via his Twitter page on Sunday, October 4th, 2020, the music star attacked Buhari for ignoring the issues concerning re-occurring SARS brutality and focusing his attention on his counterpart in the United States, Donald Trump.NigerianEye recalls that the Nigeria Police Forces Special Anti-Robbery Squad came under attack on Saturday after some SARS operatives allegedly shot dead a young man in front of a hotel in the Ughelli area of Delta State.Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, Minister of Youths and Sport Development, Sunday Dare, and a global rights group, Amnesty international, were among prominent voices which condemned the recurring SARS brutality.
For our free coronavirus pandemic coverage, learn more here.

Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size In the 64 years he has worked as a tailor, Sam Hasham has seen some lean years. But nothing like the 70 per cent loss in business he's endured during the coronavirus pandemic. "There's no comparison to any other time at all," he says. "It has hit us very badly." It's been a double-whammy for business owners like Mr Hasham along Church Street, Parramatta, which was torn up for construction of the light rail just before the coronavirus hit. Since the bulldozers moved in, the outdoor tables for restaurant diners were moved out, silencing what was once a bustling area. Desertion of corporate offices in the Sydney CBD echoes through Sydney's other business districts including North Sydney, Macquarie Park and Parramatta. Small businesses on Church Street, Parramatta have lost a lot of passing trade since the start of the coronavirus pandemic and construction of the light rail. Credit:Wolter Peeters Mr Hasham's shop is open from 9am to 5.30pm, but his orders only demand about two hours of his time each day. "The vast majority of my clients are barristers, solicitors and judges and they are working from home now," he said. "People are not going out to work.

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"If I didn't have any regular customers, I'd have to close and go home. But retirement is out of the question for this 77-year-old who learned his trade at the age of 13 in Lebanon. He says he will keep working for as long as his hands and legs permit. "I don't want to retire," he says. "I get bored if I sit one day at home. "I love to make a suit for someone who is very hard to fit. I love meeting people. At least 90 per cent of my clients are my friends now." The timing of the light rail construction and COVID-19 could not have been worse for Bella O'Keefe, who has always dreamed of having a shop in Church Street and who spent more than $200,000 fitting out her hair and beauty salon with gold-trimmed chairs and mirrors in December. Bella O'Keefe, manager of Bella Hair & Laser (seated), with employee Sarmila Dallakoti. Credit:Wolter Peeters As the shop remains empty, her debts continue to grow. Like many business owners grappling with how they can keep paying high commercial rent, she has no alternative plan if business fails to pick up. She is determined to make it work.

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"Because of COVID, no one comes," she said. "I'm not happy. I've lost 100 per cent of customers. You can see no one. I've opened this shop for myself. I'm going crazy thinking about it." The constant noise and dust rising from the construction outside, which started in January, has made her dire situation even worse. "It didn't give me a chance to stand up," she said. "I always dreamed of having a shop in Church Street." For some, unexpectedly, their businesses have quickly recovered despite the disruption. Tattoo artist Taleah Russell from Parra Ink says she thought it "might struggle a little bit" but it's had a steady stream of clients since the lockdown lifted. Tattoo artist from Parra Ink, Taleah Russell. Credit:Wolter Peeters "The area is under construction which we thought would not be good for business, but since we've opened back up, it's been really busy," she said. "We've had to fit in a backlog of clients and on top of that we have been inundated with clients and work."

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Naomi Borg, marketing and events manager at Alex and Co, said it was among a few lucky eateries at the riverside end of Church Street that have not lost all their outdoor seating. It reopened on August 1 after renovations that include new private dining areas and a tropical-themed space designed to make it feel like a holiday destination. Naomi Borg, marketing and events manager at Alex & Co on Church Street in Parramatta. Credit:Wolter Peeters "We feel like people want to get out there and feel social and what they missed during [the] COVID [lockdown]," she said. Further down the street, closer to the city centre, restaurant owner John Chammas who runs Mama & Papas can no longer use the footpath for outdoor diners. Social distancing rules also mean he can only host 60 per cent of the restaurant's normal capacity. "Surprisingly it's been okay the last couple of weeks," he said. "When we first had the issues in Melbourne people were a little bit scared to come out, but the confidence has come back. "On a Friday and Saturday night we make people line up outside. Some people are lining up for 40 minutes."

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The loss of revenue has meant the restaurant was forced to shed 12 of its 30 staff. "It's sad it's like a ghost town wherever you go," he said. "I think the city has been affected a lot more." John Chammas, owner of Mama and Papas restaurant on Church Street, Parramatta. Credit:Wolter Peeters David McGuinness, director of Bourke Street Bakery which has 12 shops around Sydney's suburbs and CBDs said those in North Sydney, Barangaroo and Parramatta were doing much worse during the pandemic than others. Those in residential suburbs had benefited from customers living and working nearby. "The North Sydney bakery dropped up to 50 per cent at their worst and have now come back a little bit," he said. "But nowhere near normal trading. "I don't expect they will until people come back to the city areas. If they do come back." Mr McGuiness fears the worst is yet to come, when the Commonwealth JobKeeper payment is phased out in March.

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One Assam Rifles jawan was killed and another injured on Sunday after a group of suspected militants attacked Assam Rifles jawans in a water tanker in Changlang district in Arunachal Pradesh, which is used as a transit route by militant groups in the Northeast to reach their hideouts in neighbouring Myanmar.

The incident took place at Tengmo village under Jairampur police station in Changland district, about 300-km from capital Itanagar, sharing a border with Myanmar.

Security officials said the jawans were caught unaware as militants lobbed grenades and sprayed bullets at their water tanker at around 9.40 am. The injured jawan was rushed to a military hospital while a massive combing operation was launched against the militants.

Although no rebel group has claimed responsibility, members of Ulfa (Independent) and Yung Aung faction of NSCN-K is suspected to be behind the attack.

Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts, which shares the porous borders with Myanmar are still under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 1987, that gives sweeping powers to security forces engaged in counter-insurgency operations. On July 11 this year, security forces had killed six cadres of NSCN-IM in Longding district.

In May last year, militants had killed former Arunachal Pradesh MLA, Tirong Aboh and 10 others in Tirap district.
Concerns about more than a dozen hospital trusts that use Covid-19 as an excuse to enforce draconian policies on pregnant women have been flagged up by an MP.

The trusts refuse to implement government and NHS guidance to let partners attend key appointments and labour.

Tory MP Alicia Kearns wrote to NHS England last week after being told repeatedly about 16 trusts still not following the guidance, the Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Ms Kearns has been inundated with stories from women who have had traumatic experiences during labour and pregnancy without the support of a partner.

Shannon Steele, a nurse from Ipswich, said she had a stolen pregnancy after giving birth to triplets Emilia, Ronnie and Maddison in August

Some trusts have since relaxed their rules  but at least 12 retain outdated restrictions, including the Royal Wolverhampton, Royal Free London, and Southern Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland.

University Hospitals Dorset and Calderdale and Huddersfield ban partners when labour is being induced, while the Royal Wolverhampton requires partners to choose a three-hour slot during induction  even though the process can last for three days.

Partners are also banned from scans and antenatal appointments. Royal Wolverhampton apologised for any distress, and said its rules were reviewed regularly.

Ms Kearns, who is pregnant, said: Women and their partners across the country have reached out to me with utterly heartbreaking stories of traumatic births, miscarriages and still-births endured all alone.

Shannon Steele, a nurse from Ipswich, said she had a stolen pregnancy after giving birth to triplets Emilia, Ronnie and Maddison in August, adding that her husband, Matthew, could not attend any scans and missed out on so much, adding. It could have been so different. We could have enjoyed so much more.

The Mail on Sunday is campaigning to end the scandal of lone births. At least ten NHS trusts across England still do not let partners accompany expectant mothers when they are told of their babys progress at 12 weeks.

Tory MP Alicia Kearns wrote to NHS England last week after being told repeatedly about 16 trusts still not following the guidance, the Mail on Sunday can reveal

Of these, seven do not allow birth partners to join them at the 20-week scan either  including Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and East Kent Hospitals. Among other restrictions, South Tees said partners could only attend once in established labour, while University College London Hospitals and Royal Free London have time restrictions. Assessments are conducted at Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust based on the mothers needs.

The Southern Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland only lets partners stay for up to an hour when labour is induced.

However, a spokesman for NHS England said: While the approach taken by hospitals at the peak of Covid and during lockdown was understandable, our NHS advice now  backed by midwives and obstetricians  is clear that wherever possible mums should be able to be accompanied by partners for scans, antenatal visits and childbirth, which they have been able to do throughout the pandemic.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 4) The head of the country's intelligence agency on Sunday denied accusations that he has been spreading false information on social media.

"During the deliberation of the NICA (National Intelligence Coordinating Agency) budget, Congressmen Carlos Isagani Zarate and Sarah Jane Elago who are members of the Makabayan bloc accused that my posts in my Facebook account are fake, implying that I am a purveyor of false information," NICA director general Alex Paul Monteagudo said in a statement.

"I, therefore, categorically deny the said accusations," he stressed.

Monteagudo found himself in hot water during last week's House budget deliberations, as lawmakers questioned why he has been sharing supposed unverified and "unreliable" information on his social media account. These include posts linking some opposition lawmakers to terrorist groups.

The intel official, however, defended himself, saying the posts he shares on his personal page are those he finds " inspiring, entertaining, or informative."

"I am sharing the posts because I believe that it is the duty of every Filipino to defend our Constitution, our democracy, and our people against groups such (as) the CPP/NPA/NDF that seek to violently overthrow our duly constituted government," his statement read.

"I am sharing their posts which call for the protection of family and our children from exploitation and abuse of this communist terrorist group."

Around two weeks ago, social media giant Facebook announced it has removed dozens of accounts linked to state security forces for fake social media activity and "coordinated inauthentic behavior."
After witnessing a steady decline, the district has once again started seeing a surge in Covid-19 fatalities with as many as 10 patients losing their battle to the virus on Sunday.

Apart from this, 161 more patients tested positive for the virus, taking the cumulative count of cases to 18, 333. With the death toll at 770 and recoveries at 16, 872, the number of active cases in the district now is 849.

Among the dead are a 47-year-old male from Samrala, a 73-year-old-male from Jassian Road, a 62-year-old female form New Sabzi Mandi, a 53-year-old female from Lohara, a 32-year-old male from SBS Nagar, a 67-year-old male from Gobind Pura, a 57-year-old-female from Prem Vihar Colony, a 78-year-old male from male from Vikas Nagar, a 62-year-old male from Pratap Nagar and a 64-year-old female from South City.

The positive cases reported on Sunday include 63 patients with symptoms of influenza-like illness, 49 referred by the out-patient departments and 16 contacts of positive patients. Among them is one health care worker, a domestic traveler and a pregnant woman.

Deputy commissioner Varinder Sharma said efforts are on to keep people safe from Covid-19. He said that a total of 190 infections have been discovered in the last 24 hours, of which 161 are from Ludhiana while 29 are from other states/districts.

He further said that till date, a total of 2, 94, 230 samples have been taken, out of which reports of 2, 92, 276 samples have been received. As many as 2, 71, 437 reports came back negative reports of 1, 954 samples are still pending.

COVID tracker:

Tracker

Death: 770

Active: 849

Recovered: 16,872

Total: 18,491
Florida pastor, wife found murdered in Haiti after returning to work in missions

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A Florida-based Haitian pastor and his wife, who had returned to the island as missionaries to build a church and an orphanage about a month ago, have been found dead. Police say it was a home invasion-style robbery by an armed gang.

Fifty-seven-year-old Pastor Jean Phillippe-Quetant and his wife, Erna Plancher-Quetant, 54, who once lived in Fort Myers, Florida, were shot to death in their home in Haiti, where they had been serving together for over a month, NBC2 reported.

They were in their house where the invader came in and I guess found mom and dad, and shot both of them, their son, Kevin Quetant, was quoted as saying.

The invaders ransacked their home and stole many of their belongings. It just feels surreal, Tabitha Quetant, their daughter, said. They could have just taken everything and left them alone, they wouldnt have done anything.

If I could speak to them now, I would just say mom and dad I love you and I thank you so much for the way you raised us.

The couple left behind five young children.

The family started a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the couples funeral, saying they were desperately working on ways to bring both of their bodies home to Florida so that the family and children can bury them properly and say their final goodbyes.

Phillippe-Quetant and his wife moved to the U.S. from Haiti many years ago for a better life, the family states. They studied and worked very hard while raising triplets, a son and a daughter. They were the most giving righteous family.

The page adds, Our father Jean Phillippe was a very well-known Pastor who loved God and his community with all his soul. Jean Phillippe would often wake up nights and pray over their children as they slept. A true protector, loving father.

Our mother Erma was a dedicated frontline healthcare worker, working long hours in order to provide for her family. She would come home exhausted but always made sure she had her children ready for church every Sunday and a family dinner prepared every night.

The family says that Pastor Jean Phillipe felt it was the best time to follow his passion and extend his vision in Haiti, as their children were in college and the last son was ready to graduate from high school.

They continued working hard to complete their dream of building a church, orphanage and providing new resources; such as food and clothing donation faith-based services, along with basic necessity needs for an underserved community in Haiti.

As of early Sunday, the family had raised a little over $254,700 of the $28,000 they required.
Camper fire claims the life of two people in Marshall County
Last month, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), published two important resources that deserve special attention. While many of these CISA status reports may seem a bit like alphabet soup to those not familiar with the process, the importance of this National Critical Function (NCF) topic is paramount to our joint efforts to protect our nations critical infrastructure from numerous threats.The " NCF: Status Update to the Critical Infrastructure Community " was released directly to stakeholders in July 2020, and the NCF Fact Sheet is new.The release of this NCF report on progress in protecting our National Critical Functions is ground-breaking. In order to better understand the importance of this topic and dive deeper into what it means, I interviewed Thad Odderstol, deputy associate director of the National Risk Management Center. Mr. Odderstol has an impressive career track record with extensive public- and private-sector experience. He was the information security risk management lead at Freddie Mac; a security specialist with Deloitte; the director of strategy, engagement and program management at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and the director of industry engagement and resilience for DHS, as well as directing critical infrastructure protection cyber security for DHS.I have known Thad for well more than a decade, and we worked together in DHSs early efforts on critical infrastructure protection, while I was Michigan CISO and during the Bush and Obama administrations when he was with DHS. He is very smart and well-respected in the industry, and I can think of no one better to update us on these recent developments and important reports.
Michigan State Police have rescued 25 children whom were reported missing in the Greater Detroit area as part of a strategic operation to locate missing at-risk youth last week.

In a Twitter post Wednesday, MSP announced that Operation MISafeKid II was conducted on Sept. 23, and successfully located the missing children in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb Counties.

Police Metro North and South were assisted by the Special Investigation Division Fraud Unit to conduct the operation.

The sweep focused on finding children who were reported missing based on names, backgrounds, photos, and last-known locations.

(Illustration  Mama Belle and the kids/Shutterstock)

By the end of the operation, officers were able to close 25 missing children complaints, locating them and making sure they were safe or returned to their homes. Some only needed to be removed from the system to complete their case, the statement said.

Among the missing youths was a 9-year-old runaway from foster care and two teenage girls whom troopers suspected of being victims of sex trafficking.

Those victims cases were handed over to the South East Michigan Trafficking and Exploitation Crimes Task Force (which the MSP and the FBI are both part of).

Operation MISafeKid II is part of the Second Districts strategic vision to prioritize at-risk youth.

There are currently 4,016 missing person entries in the Michigan database, the police stated, with 974 of them being under the age of 18.

Meanwhile Wednesday in Louisiana, U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) announced the recovery of 11 children as part of a two-month operation to locate suspected runaway children in New Orleans. Operation Summer Rescue began Aug. 1 and ended Sept. 30 and involved several other agencies, such as Nashville Police as well as the FBI.

Authorities stated that a 16-year-old suspected to be involved in illegal gang activity was among the rescued youth, according to WSDU. A 13-year-old girl was also rescued, Nashville officials said.

The Marshals said they also arrested several individuals while recovering the children, including an adult male who was charged with aggravated statutory rape.

This is a very important mission that the USMS has been tasked by Congress to oversee, as the safety of children across the country is paramount to this nations future, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Louisiana Scott Illing stated, according to the news outlet.

While 11 recoveries may not seem high, this work, which is time-consuming, was accomplished while also running our normal day-to-day violent felony offender investigations and sex offender fugitive operations in the district, along with our other judicial missions.

We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc
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Opposition leader Judith Collins has followed the lead of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and voted early in New Zealand's election, heading to the polls in Auckland on Sunday.

Ms Collins said she voted ahead of election day, October 17, because 'it becomes a bit of a circus' on the day.

Unusually, Ms Collins stopped for a public prayer on the way into the polling place.

Opposition Leader Judith 'Crusher' Collins praying before casting her vote at St Thomas Tamaki church in Auckland on Sunday. She has denied politicising her Anglican faith

Ms Collins pictured casting her vote on Sunday. She will run against incumbent Labour Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in New Zealand's upcoming election

Ms Collins, leader of the centre-right National party, invited media to witness her voting on Sunday, picking church St Thomas Tamaki in the Auckland suburb of Kohimarama.

On arrival, she met priest in charge reverend Bob Driver and proceeded to pray in the hall before heading down the corridor to cast her ballots, alongside partner David Wong-Tung.

She denied politicising her faith or using her prayer as a stunt.

'I didn't ask people to come in. But I didn't want to make a fuss ... I wouldn't want to stop you going to a church,' she said, declining to reveal what or who she prayed for.

'It's between me and God,' she said.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern casting her vote on Saturday at a polling station in Auckland. Polls opened on Saturday ahead of the general election on October 17

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at the polling station on Saturday

The 61-year-old said she was a practising Anglican who 'sometimes' attends church on Sunday but who prays every day.

Radio NZ political editor Jane Patterson described Ms Collins as making 'increasingly frequent references about being a Christian' through the election campaign.

In last week's leaders debate, Ms Collins self-described as 'a Christian and a feminist'.

Prime Minister Ardern is famously agnostic, having left her Mormon faith in her 20s when she found the church's conservative religious beliefs clashed with her personal support for gay rights.

Ms Collins was happy to reveal who she voted for, casting her electorate and party vote for National, and voting against the cannabis legalisation referendum but for the euthanasia legislation poll.

Ms Ardern's Labour are strong favourites to be returned, but Ms Collins said she was increasingly confident of turfing the 40-year-old from office.

'I feel very, very confident in terms of the momentum going in the right direction,' she said.

'I'm absolutely devoted to spending every moment that I'm awake making sure that we have a better government than we have at the moment.'
With the 2020 election cycle on the horizon, a political committee organized last year to back candidates for the Nebraska Public Power District board who were in favor of an all-of-the-above energy mix rather than renewable resources.

The driving purpose behind Nebraskans for Reliable and Affordable Electricity, according to its website, is to counter the tens of thousands of dollars in out-of-state money spent in support of candidates who favor expanding wind and solar generation.

But a startup loan to the committee from Nebraska Electric Generation and Transmission  a private cooperative of rural public power districts  has raised questions from NPPD board members and ratepayers about whether public money is being used to back political campaigns.

According to financial documents filed with the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission, the co-op, whose day-to-day operations are funded through payments made by member public power districts, paid a $7,500 loan to the committee last year.

Two NPPD board members alleged the action amounted to a betrayal of the publics trust, but the general manager of the cooperative said the loan was made in full compliance with the law.

Nebraskans for Reliable and Affordable Electricity was formed independent of Nebraska Electric Generation and Transmission, said Darin Bloomquist, the cooperatives general manager, who also serves as an assistant treasurer for the political committee in his individual capacity.

Plus, Bloomquist added, once public power district funds are transferred to the cooperative, it would be no different than a power district paying a tire provider to outfit its utility trucks.

Once the payment is remitted to me, it is no longer public funds, Bloomquist said. We are a private company rendering a service, and this is totally within our purview.

Ratepayers file complaints

Still, ratepayers from multiple public power districts in the state disagreed, and several filed complaints with the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission against public power board members who also serve on the cooperatives board of directors.

Kate High, a Lincoln woman who filed a complaint against a director on the Elkhorn Rural Public Power District board who also serves on Nebraska Electric Generation and Transmissions board, said she doesnt believe money she pays to a public utility should be funneled to a political campaign.

I cant get my electricity any other place  Im locked into this, High said. Thats my light bill money they are using to make campaign contributions to someone I may or may not support.

Unless close attention were paid, said Lori Fischer of Shelby, who filed a complaint against a board member on the Polk County Public Power District board, ratepayers might not have any clue how their money was being used.

It just doesnt look right to me, she said.

Current board members from NPPD  which buys and sells power from the cooperative  called the action a money-laundering scheme with ratepayer dollars, and alleged it violated Nebraska law prohibiting public money from being used to finance political campaigns.

I believe its illegal to use public funds for the promotion of any candidate or issue, said Gary Thompson of Clatonia, the boards past chairman. You just dont do that. While (Nebraska Electric Generation and Transmission) is a private entity, they are using  exclusively  public funds to promote specific candidates.

Precedent exists

In 2014, the Nebraska Supreme Court said radio advertisements paid for by the Northwest Rural Public Power District opposing the development of wind energy in the Panhandle violated a state law because it used public money to oppose a candidate who was pushing for more wind development.

Nebraska statute says a public official or public employee shall not use or authorize the use of public resources for the purpose of campaigning for or against the nomination or election of a candidate or the qualification, passage or defeat of a ballot question.

But previous opinions by the Nebraska Attorney General, as well as the agency charged with enforcing campaign finance, lobbying and conflict of interest laws, put forward different interpretations for money transferred from a governmental entity to a private corporation for a legitimate purpose.

The attorney general in 1988 issued an opinion finding electric cooperative corporations such as Nebraska Electric Generation and Transmission were not considered public agencies under state law, and therefore, were not subject to either the Nebraska Open Meetings Act or the Nebraska Political Accountability and Disclosure Act.

A request from state Sen. John McCollister to State Auditor Charlie Janssen seeking an audit of Nebraska Electric Generation and Transmission public and private operations, its membership and the source of funding for its PAC was turned down in mid-September due in part to that opinion.

Two years after the attorney generals finding, the accountability and disclosure commission said nonprofit corporations whose members are governmental bodies could engage in certain specific activities such as opposing ballot measures, even though the government bodies themselves were strictly prohibited from doing so.

Advisory Opinion 127, issued in 1990, said a campaign by the Nebraska Technical Community College Association  funded primarily through dues paid by the states six community colleges  to oppose a ballot measure to impose a 2% spending lid did not violate state law.

A private association which receives public funds may use resources and funds which have lost their public identity to support or oppose the qualification, passage or defeat of a ballot question, the opinion states.

The caveat is, however, that the money has to be paid from a governmental agency to a private association or corporation for a lawful purpose, according to Frank Daley, executive director of the accountability and disclosure commission, which will field the complaints filed against public power district board members.

Groups have shared goals

Bloomquist said the money transferred to Nebraska Electric Generation and Transmission is for a legitimate purpose: To provide reliable electricity at an affordable rate to the customers of 19 rural public power districts and a separate electrical co-op.

Nebraskans for Reliable and Affordable Electricity, which shares an address with Nebraska Electric Generation and Transmission and has been granted time at the cooperatives quarterly board meetings to share updates about the candidates its backing, also shares that goal, Bloomquist said.

We are concerned about outside influences that perhaps dont have the best interest of Nebraskans at heart, he said, adding the committee wants to preserve the status quo of utilizing coal, natural gas, nuclear, hydro, wind and solar in combination to power Nebraskans homes.

Organizations such as the League of Conservation Voters back candidates who would set the Cornhusker state on a path similar to California, Bloomquist said, pointing to recent blackouts, including during the massive wildfires, as evidence of the unreliability of wind and solar power generation.

Documents from a presentation by Nebraskans for Reliable and Affordable Electricity during a Nebraska Electric Generation and Transmission board meeting earlier this year obtained by the Journal Star identified four candidates as being backed by the state chapter of the League of Conservation Voters.

The same presentation highlighted potential candidates Nebraskans for Reliable and Affordable Electricity solicited to run for the NPPD board in 2020.

Bloomquist said Nebraska Electric Generation and Transmission regularly invites guests to speak to its board of directors on a variety of topics, adding the committee update fit within the board's activities.

Were not widely known, so if someone has asked, I cant recall turning somebody down who had a legitimate reason for being in front of my group, he said.

'They found a loophole'

One of the candidates targeted by Nebraskans for Reliable and Affordable Electricity in this election cycle  Mary Harding of Plattsmouth, first elected to the NPPD board in 2002  said the cooperative and committee have wrongly characterized members positions on renewable energy.

Harding, who is being challenged by Bennet businessman Todd Calfee for the District 1 seat, introduced a resolution to the NPPD board last year to conduct a decarbonization study, she said, which included seeking input from national experts on the future economic risks associated with carbon emissions.

The Omaha Public Power District has announced a goal of zero carbon emissions by 2050, Harding added, calling it an issue NPPD needs to be prepared to guide the state through in the next few decades.

The effort to form a political committee to back candidates it agrees with marks a complete betrayal of public trust, done in the dark, Harding added, even if it is legal.

They found a loophole big enough to drive a truck through, in my opinion, she said. But I have never talked to a ratepayer who said, 'Yeah add some money to my bill so you can have a political slush fund.'

Reach the writer at 402-473-7120 or cdunker@journalstar.com. On Twitter @ChrisDunkerLJS

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Andrea Riseborough in Possessor Photo: Neon

If youre David Cronenbergs kid and youre also a filmmaker, there are really only two paths open to you. You either set out to create a career so separate from the enormously distinctive one of your dad that you establish yourself as a creator of cozy romances or cheery, repairing-an-Italian-villa comedies. Barring that, you could decide comparisons are inevitable and just lean into the legacy of body horror, technological nightmares, ruthless near futures, and memorable violence that comes with the Cronenberg name. The choice Brandon Cronenberg made was clear from his 2012 debut, Antiviral, a chilly if minor affair starring Caleb Landry Jones as an employee at a clinic that sells celebrity pathogens to fans looking to connect in some way with their idols. Possessor, his latest, belongs even more firmly in the tradition laid out by Cronenberg Sr., being an outrageously gory, emotionally aloof thriller about a woman named Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough), who is part of an agency that specializes in industrial assassinations. Possessor also owes something to the ruthless corporate-state worlds of William Gibson and the spiky nihilism of Vincenzo Natali  in short, its an attempt to stake out more ground on behalf of Canadian sci-fi and horror.

If Possessor ultimately feels more like a testament to its directors excellent taste in influences than a film that entirely gels in itself, its still a thoroughly troubling watch. It takes place in a glossy, anonymized Toronto  Toronto in an alternate 2008, per Cronenberg  that comes across as a thriving hub for international industry and a non-place at the same time. The company Tasya works for, Trematon, is based there and seems to have deep resources, though she mostly deals with Girder (Jennifer Jason Leigh), her handler and boss, a veteran with the tech that Tasya has become a specialist in. Trematons involvement in the killings it commits goes unnoticed because theyre done by other people. Agents put a brain implant in a chosen host, then Tasya uses a device to merge with the unlucky person and control their body to commit murder. The film starts with one of these missions, as Tasya puppeteers a young woman named Holly (Gabrielle Graham) through a hotel lobby and up to a party where she has been booked to work. Instead, Tasya has Holly march through the crowd and stab a man repeatedly with a steak knife. Blood spurts everywhere, and she rubs some of it thoughtfully between her fingers before putting a gun into her mouth. Then the cops arrive; she turns the weapon on them and is shot down.

Its a luxuriantly extreme sequence, though its brutality is meant to be a sign that all hasnt gone as planned. Tasya was supposed to shoot her target, not aerate him like a lawn, and she was supposed to make Holly kill herself, something she was unable to do. What went wrong, however, remains an open question. Riseborough, bleached blonde and almost monochromatic in this movie, is a chameleonic actor with a fascinating face, but Tasyas a stubbornly opaque character whose desires remain obscure. Maybe the obvious stresses of using the mind-meld device are getting to her, or maybe she just has a taste for violence. When shes at home with her son, Ira (Gage Graham-Arbuthnot), and her blissfully oblivious husband, Michael (Rossif Sutherland), from whom shes temporarily separated, she keeps having flashbacks to severing her targets artery on her last job. Its unclear if this indicates trauma or a repressed desire to inflict pain on whoever shes around. Even now, I can see a small thread running from your skull to a life I thought youd moved on from, Girder murmurs to Tasya, as though these human attachments were a chrysalis from which her protegee is refusing to emerge and leave behind.

The bulk of Possessor concerns Tasyas next job, one that finds her taking over the body of Colin Tate (Christopher Abbott), a neer-do-well who has stumbled into a relationship with Ava (Tuppence Middleton), the daughter of data-mining magnate John Parse (Sean Bean). The mission starts going woozily wrong almost immediately, with Tasya, as Colin, seeing strange artifacts in her field of vision and periodically having her control slip, the images onscreen smearing as she and her host separate into two people battling for control. It should be suspenseful, but it isnt, because neither Tasya nor Colin feels all that solid as a character, as good as Abbott is at playing a stranger in his own body. Neither his life nor Tasyas feels at all invested in, with these two figures serving as pawns in wars being waged by corporate executives. Instead, the universe through which the pair of them moves is whats enthralling  one thats all glass apartments and office towers and callous indifference. More disturbing than the films intense acts of remote-controlled slaughter and speculations about loss of self are the glimpses of Colins job drudging around the low levels of Parses company. He puts on VR goggles and skims through private webcam feeds to make note of whatever is in the room. Some videos are of empty rooms, some are of kids, and some are of couples fucking, and everyone seems indifferent or just resigned to this invasion. Its awfully close to our world, just a little bit more alien and a little bit worse.
If one imagined the anatomy of a protest, there would be many parts to witness. The rush of a crowd, the singular tears, the colours among red, and fire - within and without. The year starting a fresh decade continues to battle with a pandemic and has also managed to highlight the cracks in the walls of almost every nation. From calls against racism to a cry for Dalit women, and the seething demands of farmers - protests have lined 2020 like wildfire.Here's a look at some iconic moments the year has, and presumably, will continue to see.
04.10.2020 LISTEN

The police have arrested two suspects in connection with the murder of chief at Kaneshie on October 2.

The chief, Nana Ndoli Panin III, the Baamuhene of Enchi Kramokrom, was found dead in a pool of blood in a hotel room.

He is also the finance officer of Hot FM in Accra.

Police investigations into the killing were extended to Amasaman and Asuboi where the two suspects were arrested and they are being detained by the police for further investigations.

The two suspects have been identified as Kwame Ofori and Nana Kwame Kwakye, the deceaseds friend and spiritual father respectively.

The Assistant Manager of the Hotel, near the Kaneshie Takoradi lorry station, reported the incident to police.

The police proceeded to the scene and invited the crime scene management team from the National CID for processing of the scene.

In the course of investigations, a Toyota Rav 4 vehicle suspected to be that of the deceased was retrieved from a location at Takoradi lorry station and brought to the station.

The body has since been removed from the scene and deposited at police hospital mortuary for preservation, identification and autopsy.

Preliminary investigations revealed that on October 1, at about 1:00 pm, whilst Nana Ndoli Panin III was in his office, he received a phone call from his Spiritual father, a herbalist, to meet him at the hotel in Kaneshie.

According to police, he drove his Toyota Rav 4 to Takoradi lorry station at Kaneshie where he parked the vehicle and walked to meet the Herbalist.

citinewsroom
President Donald Trump's condition is improving as he is being treated for Covid-19 at a military hospital, and he could return to the White House as early as Monday, the doctors leading his treatment said on Sunday. That word came the day after a series of contradictory messages from the White House about Trump's conditions caused widespread confusion about his health. "The patient continues to improve. He has remained without fever since Friday morning, his vital signs are stable," Dr.Sean Dooley told reporters at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, ...
P riti Patel has condemned the tactics of Black Lives Matter and Extinction Rebellion protesters, as she criticised the "hooliganism and thuggery" seen on the countrys streets.

The Home Secretary, addressing the virtual Conservative Party conference on Sunday, said there was "no excuse" for the behaviour shown.

Footage on social media showed police in Westminster having objects hurled at them by anti-racist campaigners earlier this year, while a statue of Sir Winston Churchill had to be boarded up to protect it from vandalism during the Black Lives Matter protests.

In Bristol, those taking to the streets as part of the protests, sparked by the death of George Floyd in the US, tore down a statue of Edward Colston, who made his wealth through the slave trade.

There was also widespread condemnation last month when Extinction Rebellion climate change protesters blockaded the printing presses of national newspapers.

Ms Patel said police had the "backing of the Government, backing of our party, our Government and our Prime Minister" in their efforts to police the demonstrations.

She told members: "This Government will always defend the right to protest.

"That right is a fundamental pillar of our democracy, but the hooliganism and thuggery we have seen is not  it is indefensible.

"There is no excuse for pelting flares at brave police officers, for throwing bikes at police horses, for disrespecting the Cenotaph or vandalising the statue of Sir Winston Churchill, one of the greatest protectors of our freedoms who has ever lived.

"It is not acceptable for mobs to tear down statues and cause criminal damage across our streets.

"And it is not acceptable for thugs to assault our police officers, just for doing their job."

She said the Government had already agreed to double the maximum sentence for assaults on emergency workers and confirmed she was working with chief constables to ensure their officers "have the tools, support and the powers they need" to police such incidents.

Ms Patel also paid tribute to "hero" Pc Andrew Harper, who died when he became entangled in a tow rope as he tried to stop quad bike thieves, and Sergeant Matt Ratana, who was shot as he prepared to search a suspect who was handcuffed.

She vowed to work with Pc Harpers widow, Lissie Harper, to "ensure anyone who kills an emergency worker gets the sentence they deserve".

In an announcement briefed beforehand to the media, the Home Secretary committed to delivering "the biggest overhaul of our asylum system in decades".

She said she would "explore all practical measures and options to deter illegal migration".

It comes as ministers and officials faced a backlash last week over a string of reports on possible ideas for how to make changes to the asylum system, including processing those with claims on Ascension Island, some 4,000 miles from the UK, and placing them on disused ferries in the sea.

But Ms Patel said she would not be deterred from carrying out the reforms, even if that meant "being unpopular on Twitter".

She also hit out at Alastair Campbell, New Labours former head of communications, who had tweeted deriding Ms Patels Essex accent and her penchant for dropping her Gs.

Home Secretary announces biggest overhaul of asylum system in decades

"If at times it means Tony Blairs spin doctor mocking my accent, so be it, she said of her bid to shake up the asylum system.

"And if at times it means Labour members of Parliament attempting to silence me because I do not conform to their idea of what an ethnic minority woman should stand for, I will stomach it.

"Because as Conservatives, we do not measure the depth of our compassion in two hundred and eighty characters on Twitter, but in the actions we take and the choices we make."
The number of positive tests in UAE remains a mystery for me. Theyve done more tests than population and despite that they still have over 1k new cases on a daily basis...

Wondering if they are reporting repeated tests or there is a very big proportion of workers coming in an testing positive.
A drone image shows decommissioned cruise ships being dismantled at Aliaga ship-breaking yard in the Aegean port city of Izmir, western Turkey, October 2, 2020. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

Photos show rows of deluxe cruise ships waiting to be dismantled in a sea dock in Turkey as the coronavirus pandemic continues to sink the industry.

Around 2,5000 scrapyard workers are currently working to pull apart five cruise ships for scrap metal sales.

Among them was the Carnival Fantasy, a newly-refurbished cruise ship that was recently sold by Carnival Cruise Line.

"We are trying to change the crisis into an opportunity," Kamil Onal, chairman of a ship recycling industrialists' association told Reuters.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Related: Pence overruled CDC on extending cruise ship ban to 2021

British, American, and Italian cruise ships are being dismantled in a sea dock in Turkey as the coronavirus pandemic continues to sink the industry.

Five hulking cruise ships are currently being pulled apart for scrap metal in the port of Aliaga, a town 30 miles north of the Turkish city Izmir.

Among them was the Carnival Fantasy, a newly-refurbished cruise ship recently sold by Carnival Cruise Line after it reported a loss of $4.4 billion in the second quarter of 2020.

Three more ships are set to join, according to Kamil Onal, chairman of a ship recycling industrialists' association.

Before the pandemic, the Turkish ship-breaking yard handled cargo and container ships, Onal told Reuters.

"But after the pandemic, cruise ships changed course towards Aliaga in a very significant way," Onal said, according to Reuters. "There was growth in the sector due to the crisis. When the ships couldn't find work, they turned to dismantling."

Around 2,5000 scrapyard workers are currently working to dismantle the ships, stripping their walls, windows, and railings, according to Onal. It takes approximately six months to take apart a full passenger ship.

Decommissioned cruise ships are being dismantled at Aliaga ship-breaking yard in the Aegean port city of Izmir, western Turkey, October 2, 2020. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

Hotel operators have also visited the site to collect some non-metal fittings, so they do not go to waste, Onal said.

The Turkish shipyard is trying to increase the volume of deconstructed steel from 700,000 tonnes in January to 1.1 million tonnes by the end of the year.

Story continues

"We are trying to change the crisis into an opportunity," Onal said, according to Reuters.

The coronavirus pandemic has devastated the cruise ship industry after multiple outbreaks occurred at sea and ports worldwide.

Across the industry, by March 25 there had been coronavirus outbreaks on 36 cruise ships, as Business Insider reported.

Ongoing pandemic restrictions, including travel bans and social distancing rules, are still in place, leaving cruise ships empty, off coasts, or laid-up in docks.

Carnival Cruises, which includes P&O, Princess Cruises, and Cunard, has laid off workers and slashed salaries in recent months while Norwegian Cruises said it has "significant doubt" about its finances.

Read the original article on Business Insider
KOLKATA : Kolkata will get an underground metro station after 25 years on Sunday as the East-West line will be extended till Phoolbagan, an official said.

The Phoolbagan metro station is the first underground one to be opened on the line that will connect Sector V to Howrah Maidan, he said.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal will flag off the first train from Phoolbagan through a video link, the official said on Saturday.

Services of the East-West Metro began earlier this year between Sector V and Salt Lake Stadium in the first phase.

Commercial services between Phoolbagan and Sector V will commence from Monday, the official said.

Owing to the COVID-19 situation, there will be no formal function at the venue.

The underground MG Road metro station on the North- South line was opened in September 1995. All metro stations opened after that are either elevated or at grade-level.

The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) granted authorisation for extension of services from Salt Lake Stadium to Phoolbagan station in June.

Local TMC MP Sudip Bandopadhyay and MLAs Sashi Panja and Sadhan Pande, both ministers in the state government, will not participate in the programme, sources in their party said, claiming that the state government has been kept in the dark about the event.

According to the Metro Railway, Bandopadhyay and the two local MLAs have been requested to join the virtual event of the inauguration.

Bandopadhyay said he was unhappy with the way the Railway Ministry had tried to "bypass" the state government.

"I am happy about the project, but why the state government was bypassed? Why did they not inform or invite the chief minister, who is also the former railway minister? She had extended all sorts of help to the East-West metro project. I am unhappy with the attitude of the authority," he told PTI.

Bandopadhyay said he was out of Kolkata and could not join the event.

He also said that during Banerjee's tenure as the railway minister, she used to invite the state transport minister despite having political differences with the then Left Front government.

Panja, however, said she is yet to receive an invitation or letter from the Metro Railway.

Metro Railway said that as the programme is being held online and no inauguration ceremony was being held, the local MLAs and MP were requested to join the event.

"There is no proper inauguration ceremony. Everything is happening through video conference. So there is no invitation of any sort. The local MP and the MLAs have been requested to participate in the video conference," a senior Metro official said.

On February 13, the 4.88-km-long first phase of the East-West Metro got functional.

The public representatives of the TMC gave that event a miss as well, protesting against the absence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's name from the invitation card for the programme.

Senior TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Fire Services Minister Sujit Bose and Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation Mayor Krishna Chakraborty were invited but had stayed away in protest.

According to a senior Metro official, completion of the East-West corridor is likely to be delayed by up to one year due to an accident caused by an aquifer burst in the Bowbazar area during drilling operations in August 2019.

The 16.6-km-long rapid transit system, connecting the twin cities of Kolkata and Howrah, may be completed by mid- 2022.

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1. The mass strike movement of miners in the Soviet Union, the largest strike wave since the consolidation of Stalinist rule in the 1920s, is a historical milestone for the world working class. The Soviet working class is directly challenging the power and privileges of the bureaucratic caste which usurped power from the proletariat, murdered the Bolshevik leaders of the 1917 October Revolution and has served ever since as the main counterrevolutionary force within the international workers movement.

The strike by hundreds of thousands of coal miners is a rebellion not against communism and socialism, but against Stalinism. It expresses the grievances of the working class which have accumulated for decades against the parasitic bureaucracy, with its police-state despotism and criminal mismanagement of the planned economy, and now find their culmination in Gorbachevs plans to restore capitalist property relations and destroy all the gains of the October Revolution.

Despite claims by the Stalinist-controlled media that some Siberian strikers were returning to work, new sections of miners have joined the strike at Karaganda in Kazakhstan, at Dnepropetrovsk in the Ukraine, at Rostov on Don in European Russia, and at Vorkuta in the Ural Mountains.

The strikes began over economic demands which highlight the appalling conditions facing miners, among the best-paid sections of the Soviet working class. The strikers in the Kuznets basin of Siberia presented a list of 40 demands, including increased supplies of sugar, soap and detergent, meat, condensed milk, tea, coffee and cocoa, and warm winter clothing. The workers also demanded better working conditions and more concern for the environment.

These elementary demands soon were combined with political demands which directly threaten the power of the Stalinist bureaucracy: abolition of official privileges, control of the mining industry by local committees of miners, and the drafting of a new Soviet constitution with guarantees of democratic rights.

2. The class anger of the coal miners towards the parasitic Stalinist bureaucracy was expressed in some press interviews. Striker Alexander Kusaimov, a Siberian miner, said, Finally the time came for us to wage war with the bureaucrats. In the mines, bureaucrats are useless. They just take, take, take. And we work our lives away, and for what? We hear every day about reforms from Moscow, but in Kemerovo, we dont feel it. Everything is rationed. You cant even find a damned match to light a cigarette withif you can find any cigarettes.

Another miner, Alexander Polvetko, 35, said, In four years, life has gotten worse and worse. You work all day, 500 meters below the ground, your lungs fill up with garbage, and theres filth in every crease of your body, and then you come out seven hours later and you cant even get a bar of soap to wash with. How can I describe how humiliating this is?

These bureaucrats, they sit on their butts and get double and triple what we make down in the pits. They get regular vacations. They get Sundays off. They get a car, a decent regular life. And we get the butt-end of the stick.

Calery Sherbokov, a member of the strike committee, compared the governments concessions to throwing a bone to a hungry animal. Its demeaning.

Workers wanted their own voices to be heard, Sherbokov said, and this is our revolution from below. For years we have waited for everyone to tell us what to do. Now they say we have a democracy, and so its high time we took advantage of it. Its time we believed in ourselves and made ourselves heard.

3. The miners strike, while reported in the official media, has been met with unconcealed hostility by the Stalinist leadership under Mikhail Gorbachev. In a speech to the Supreme Soviet Wednesday, Gorbachev warned the miners of possible government intervention against the strike. He expressed special concern over the appeal by miners for railroad workers to join their strike on August 1. Such a development of events poses a threat to the implementation of perestroika, he said.

One Moscow newspaper made the first public comparison of the strike wave to the Solidarity movement in Poland in 1980-81, noting that the Polish strikes began over economic demands, but went on to raise political demands.

Whatever short-term concessions are made by the regime, the logic of the struggle leads inexorably to a violent settlement of accounts between the working class and the privileged bureaucracy. Despite the cosmetic changes of Gorbachevs glasnost policy, the Soviet bureaucracy retains full control of all the organs of state repression, including the KGB and the Red Army.

The Soviet working class can only carry forward successfully the struggle which the miners have begun by overthrowing the Stalinist bureaucracy as a whole through a political revolution, and reestablishing genuine Soviet democracy, the dictatorship of the proletariat through its own independent organs of struggle, democratically elected workers councils or soviets.

4. The capitalist media has sought to present the strike movement as support for Gorbachevs policy of perestroika and even distorted the demand for greater local control over the coal industry as though it were a demand for the establishment of private ownership, rather than a demand for workers control of the state-run industry. The truth is that the miners strike represents the independent intervention of the working class, which cuts across the whole thrust of Gorbachevs economic policies.

The essence of Gorbachevs policy is to restore capitalist property relations in the Soviet Union at the expense of the working class, while sections of the bureaucracy are transformed into a new capitalist class. Millions of jobs are to be wiped out as mass unemployment is introduced for the first time since the Russian Revolution. State subsidies for living standards and social services are to be abolished. State industry is to be sold off to private capitalists or foreign corporations or dismantled entirely as uncompetitive on the world market.

The demands being raised by the coal miners are not merely demands Gorbachev cannot affordthey are demands which are diametrically opposed to his entire policy. The miners are seeking to raise their living standards, not lower them. They aim not to dismantle the planned economy, but to rejuvenate it on the basis of purging the bureaucracy, restoring control to the workers themselves, and abolishing inequality and bureaucratic privileges.

5. The strike reveals that despite the acute shortages of consumer goods, Soviet miners enjoy an entirely different relation to the means of production and to the life of society as a whole than their class brothers in the United States and other countries where the mines are under private capitalist ownership.

The Soviet working class was the first in the world to seize political power, in the October Revolution of 1917. Despite the usurpation of power in the 1920s by the privileged Stalinist bureaucracy, the property relations established by the revolution have not been overthrown, and the revolution lives in the consciousness of millions of Soviet workers. At one demonstration in Prokopyevsk, miners rallied under a banner that read, Power to the Peoples Soviets.

The Soviet miners take it for granted that the profits of the coal industry should be used to improve their living standards and the social conditions throughout the mining region. Among their demands have been the use of coal profits to build better schools, hospitals and recreation facilities, the diversion of investment into agriculture to improve their food supplies, and greater investment in pollution control.

The capitalist class all over the world hates the Soviet working class and fears its movement against Gorbachevs restorationist policies. The Financial Times, the leading organ of British capitalism, noted the devotion of miners internationally to the egalitarian and fraternal ideals of communism, and warned Gorbachev that the miners economic demands were in direct conflict with his policies.

Change of any kind will not come through allowing the miners to retain their status as communist societys most fearful pressure group. Sooner or later, Mr. Gorbachev and his fellow reformers will have to take them on, the newspaper declared.

6. The Soviet miners strike is an integral part of the movement of the international working class, which on every continent is moving into enormous class battles. In the capitalist countries, the working class is in rebellion against the rotten leaderships, Stalinism, social democracy and the AFL-CIO bureaucracy, which defend the profit system. In the Stalinist-ruled countries, the workers are moving against the attempt by the bureaucracy to restore capitalism.

As the Soviet miners were walking out, they were joined by bus drivers and shipyard workers fighting the Jaruzelski regime in Poland, railway workers and oil rig workers in Britain, and coal miners in the United States.

The Soviet strike wave has vast historical significance. It means the revival of the great revolutionary traditions of the Russian and Soviet working class, which has already made three revolutions in this centurythe 1905 revolution which first challenged the tsarist autocracy, the February 1917 revolution which overthrew tsarism, and the October 1917 revolution which overthrew capitalist rule and established the first workers state.

This means a revival within the Soviet working class of the revolutionary internationalist program on which the Bolshevik Revolution was based.

The leaders of the October Revolution saw the taking of power by the Russian working class as the opening shot of the world socialist revolution, a historical process which would not be completed until the entire world working class was liberated from capitalist and imperialist slavery and unified in a worldwide socialist confederation.

Against the nationalist policy of Stalin, based on the anti-Marxist slogan of socialism in a single country, Trotsky and the Left Opposition fought for the perspective of world socialist revolution. Only on this basis could the resources be obtained to overcome the economic backwardness of the Soviet economy, inherited from tsarism, and make possible the construction of socialism, which can only be built on a world scale. While the enormous economic development of the Soviet Union over the last 60 years has proven beyond a doubt the superiority of the planned economy over capitalist anarchy, the Soviet economy remains isolated in a world market dominated by capitalism.

The policies of Gorbachev constitute an admission by the Stalinist bureaucracy that the perspective of socialism in a single country has completely failed. The bureaucracy proposes to resolve the crisis of the Soviet economy, rooted in its isolation from the world market, by integrating the Soviet Union into the structure of world capitalism, turning over the country to the capitalist multinationals and banks.

The only alternative to this policy is the integration of the Soviet economy into the world economy on a socialist basis, through the world socialist revolution. The movement of the Soviet working class against Gorbachevs pro-capitalist policy therefore must be accompanied by a turn by the Soviet workers once again to the road of international revolution.

The instinctive internationalism of the Soviet working class has already been demonstrated in the speed with which the strike has spread throughout the Soviet Union. The strike has united Russian, Ukrainian and Kazakh-speaking miners fighting for the same class demands, under conditions where the heavy hand of the Stalinist bureaucracy has fanned national antagonisms in the Baltic republics, the Caucasus and Central Asia.

7. The Soviet strike wave is a vindication of the struggle waged by Trotsky to preserve the heritage and traditions of revolutionary Marxism. Trotskys perspective of a political revolution against Stalinism was attacked by Pabloism, a revisionist tendency which arose in the Fourth International in the postwar period. For 36 years, the Pabloites spread illusions in the progressive role of Stalinism, preaching that the Soviet bureaucracy would be capable of self-reform and that no political revolution by the working class was necessary.

The International Committee of the Fourth International was formed in 1953 to fight the onslaught of Pabloite revisionism and defend the principles of Trotskyism. The International Committee has defended Trotskys analysis of the bureaucracy as the instrument of world imperialism within the first workers state and the principal counterrevolutionary force inside the workers movement.

In its perspectives resolution adopted less than one year ago, the ICFI examined the development of the world economic and political crisis of capitalism and declared that one of the major factors leading to a resurgence of revolutionary struggle by the working class on an international scale was the resistance of the Soviet, Chinese and East European working class to the turn to the market economy by the Stalinist bureaucracies.

In May, the Bulletin concluded a series of articles on the political developments in the Soviet Union with the prediction that the massive upsurge of the working class in China would shortly be followed by a similar movement of the Soviet workers:

Having made no secret of his admiration of the pro-capitalist economic policies of the Chinese bureaucrats, Gorbachev arrived in Beijing just in time to witness the beginning of a revolution provoked by the very program he seeks to emulate in the USSR. It is Tiananmen Square today; it is Red Square tomorrow.

The deep divisions within the Soviet bureaucracy, of which the recent elections are an expression, set the stage for the entry of the working class into active and independent political life. This will not be the first time when the masses entered into revolutionary struggle through the cracks opened up by the internal divisions within the ruling circles.

The victory of the Soviet workers requires the development of a conscious revolutionary leadership in the working class, fighting for the program of political revolution, the overthrow of the bureaucracy by the working class and the reestablishment of Soviet democracy based on genuine, democratically- elected organs of the workers.

This means the reestablishment of Trotskyism in the country where the working class first took power under revolutionary Marxist leadership, the building of the Soviet section of the International Committee of the Fourth International.
By ALEXANDRA JAFFE, LAURIE KELLMAN and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP)  Democrat Joe Biden offered sympathy to President Donald Trump over his coronavirus diagnosis Friday while casting the moment as a reminder of the worldwide health crisis that has hit the United States particularly hard.

Shortly after the White House announced Trump would spend a few days at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the Biden campaign said it would take down its negative advertising. Biden said from the battleground state of Michigan that it cannot be a partisan moment and that Americans must come together as a nation.

Speaking from the parking lot of a union hall while wearing a mask, Biden said Trumps diagnosis is a bracing reminder to all of us that we have to take this virus seriously.

Its not going away automatically, Biden added.

One month before Election Day, Biden faces a unique moment in what has already been a chaotic presidential campaign. He must balance his opponents illness and its destabilizing effect on Washington while making a closing argument that the coronavirus is serious and requires stronger leadership in the White House.

Biden has long offered a contrast to Trump in substance and style when it comes to the coronavirus, which has killed more than 205,000 Americans and more than 1 million people worldwide. Hes issued multiple plans for dealing with the public health and economic implications of the pandemic, while Trump has largely left state and local officials to create their own guidelines and frequently contradicts his own public health experts.

Biden has taken a low-key approach to in-person campaigning, largely keeping a thinner schedule of small, socially distanced events and adhering closely to state and local public health recommendations regarding masks. Meanwhile, Trump has proceeded with large in-person rallies where attendees often go maskless, and he regularly mocks Bidens decision to wear a mask in public.

The contrast between the two candidates was made even starker Friday as the president lay low in the White House before leaving for the military hospital. Trump confirmed the results of his test in an early Friday morning tweet, leaving much of Washington scrambling to assess the potential fallout, with little clarity on who in the administration may have been exposed and who had been tested.

Meanwhile, Biden, who spent 90 minutes on stage with Trump in their Tuesday debate, went forward with a planned event in Michigan on Friday afternoon after testing negative.

His running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris, also tested negative for the virus and held planned events Friday, a fundraiser with former President Barack Obama and a drive-in rally in Las Vegas. Throughout the day, she mentioned Trumps diagnosis only once  during the fundraiser, where she offered her deepest prayers for the president and his wife. She made no mention of the development during her later event in Las Vegas.

Some Democrats were careful to avoid gloating over Trumps diagnosis after his consistent flouting of health guidelines, aware of political implications of being seen as celebrating the presidents illness. New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a leading progressive figure, called news of the presidents infection tragic.

I personally dont think its appropriate for us to be talking about how a diagnosis of a disease is a political play, she said. I hope that this rallies the country to socially distance, to get more serious, if they havent, about mask-wearing and making sure that we are taking spread of this disease seriously.

Democratic strategist Maria Cardona said Biden doesnt need to tell voters explicitly that he was right.

He doesnt need to say I told you so. History is saying I told you so, she said. The VP just needs to continue to abide by what he has before: His true North has always been science, evidence, truth, the experts, and keeping the well being of voters front and center, and that will continue to be the case.

Jesse Ferguson, a former Hillary Clinton spokesman, said Trumps diagnosis crystalizes the stakes of the presidential campaign on the pandemic.

Americans dont need to just be reminded that theres a problem. They need to be reminded that there is an antidote, he said. Theres a better way to combat this fire.

The development comes at a pivotal time in the campaign.

The Biden campaign just began launching in-person canvassing, after largely focusing on virtual events because of the pandemic. Biden himself ramped up the pace of his campaigning earlier this week with a seven-stop train tour of Ohio and Pennsylvania, and he was planning to venture out West next week for his first campaign event in Arizona.

The Biden campaign declined to comment on whether those plans would change in the days ahead. Meanwhile, Trump has canceled all his in-person events, with plans to hold them online.

Trump campaign spokesperson Tim Murtaugh slammed Biden for his campaigns decision to begin in-person campaigning after expressing concern for volunteers' safety for months.

Joe Biden is a complete hypocrite because after months of saying door-to-door campaigning was dangerous and would kill people, his campaign is now engaged in doing just that because he knows hes getting outworked on the ground, he said.

But some Republicans acknowledged this marked a role reversal of sorts, as West Virginia GOP Rep. Alex Mooney said, noting that the president will be unable to engage in the massive rallies that have long fueled the energy behind his campaign.

Bidens been hiding in his basement for months  but now hes coming out to do in-person rallies, he said. And now Trump will have to do them by Zoom.

___

Jaffe and Kellman reported from Washington.
DALLAS - Several top deputies of Texas attorney general have reported to law enforcement that their boss engaged in crimes including bribery and abuse of office, according to an internal letter.

In a single-page letter to the director of human resources in the attorney generals office, the seven senior lawyers wrote that they reported Republican Ken Paxton to the appropriate law enforcement authority for potentially breaking the law in his official capacity as the current Attorney General of Texas.

We have a good faith belief that the attorney general is violating federal and/or state law including prohibitions related to improper influence, abuse of office, bribery and other potential criminal offences, the Thursday letter states. It was first reported jointly by the Austin American-Statesman and KVUE-TV and subsequently obtained by The Associated Press.

The letter does not offer specifics but nonetheless stands as a remarkable accusation of criminal wrongdoing against the states top law enforcement officer by his own staff, including some longtime supporters of his conservative Christian politics. It could deepen legal trouble for Paxton, who has spent nearly his entire five years in office under felony indictment for securities fraud, although the case has stalled for years over legal challenges.

Paxton pleaded not guilty in that case, and it is not clear whether the new accusations are related. Philip Hilder, the attorney generals defence lawyer, declined to comment Sunday.

Were going to look into these allegations, Brian Wice, one of the special prosecutor on the securities case, said of the new claims of wrongdoing by Paxton. He declined to elaborate.

In a statement to the American-Statesman Paxtons office said: The complaint filed against Attorney General Paxton was done to impede an ongoing investigation into criminal wrongdoing by public officials including employees of this office. Making false claims is a very serious matter and we plan to investigate this to the fullest extent of the law.

Its unclear what investigation is being referenced in the statement. Paxtons office did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment Sunday.

These allegations raise serious concerns, Gov. Greg Abbott, also a Republican, said in a Sunday statement. He declined to comment further until the results of any investigation are complete.

Indicted Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton is the top law enforcement official in the state, Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said in a statement. Yet, he has proven for years that he cannot follow the law himself.

The letter was signed by the deputy attorneys general for policy, administration, civil litigation, criminal investigations and legal counsel, as well as Paxtons first assistant, Jeff Mateer, and Mateers deputy. None of them responded to messages seeking comment Saturday or Sunday.

Mateer resigned from Paxtons office Friday to rejoin a prominent conservative non-profit law firm in the Dallas-area, according to the Dallas Morning News. The First Liberty Institute did not immediately respond to an inquiry about him Sunday.

Paxton, who is in his second term, has raised his national profile as a conservative crusader under President Donald Trump including leading Lawyers for Trump, a group supporting the presidents reelection. He also spearheaded a lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act that goes before the U.S. Supreme Court this fall and was previously chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association. A spokeswoman for the association declined to comment.

Michelle Lee, a spokeswoman for the FBIs San Antonio office, said its agency policy not to comment on whether it has received allegations of crimes or is investigating. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Texas declined to comment.

Bill Miller, a veteran Texas political consultant whos worked for Republicans and Democrats, said he couldnt think of any precedent for a current elected leaders staff accusing them of crimes.

Its like, wow, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 22:43:58|Editor: huaxia

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CHONGQING, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- A variety of art shows in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality are being organized by authorities to celebrate the National Day holiday.

Troupes and theaters in Chongqing will present about 60 art performances during the holiday, including Peking Opera, ballet, concerts, plays and acrobatics, according to the municipal commission of culture and tourism.

Meanwhile, scenic spots and even busy commercial areas in Chongqing are hosting performances to attract visitors. Enditem
He may be Ireland's best-known newscaster, but sitting in his comfortable Dublin home, surrounded by two towering walls of books, Bryan Dobson recalls a time when he struggled to read.

He remembers the feeling he had as his school friends moved on without him.

"I know it sounds silly now, but it really affected me," he says. "It was crushing. I felt I was inadequate in some way, that I had failed."

That was then. Failure was the last word to come to mind when a picture emerged on social media during lockdown of 'Dobbo' working from home, resplendent in a crisp blue shirt and black braces, tapping at his Apple laptop with his heavyweight books behind him.

Dobson was a mainstay of the Morning Ireland team when Covid-19 started dominating the airwaves. Six months on, he has just moved into a new slot as solo presenter of RTE's News at One.

On closer examination, those bookshelves hold weighty tomes on Admiral Horatio Nelson and Franklin D Roosevelt and stacks of poetry - his favourite is Richard Murphy, who writes about Inishbofin, where Dobson first laid eyes on his wife, Crea. A recent purchase is Ernst Gombrich's The Story of Art - "I treated myself to it in lockdown" - and there's an extensive section devoted to wine.

Dobson laughs nervously when I eye up his impressive collection of bottles nearby. Perhaps both of us are thinking of Oliver Callan's satire of a plummy news anchor who, exasperated with the world, signs off his bulletins shrieking: "There's only one thing for it - give me a bottle of Merlot and a straw."

"Ha, everything in moderation," Dobson says, steering me back to the safety of the front room. When I ask what he thinks of Callan's sketches, he says the impersonation is so good "one of my mother's friends said: 'I heard Bryan on the radio the other day - and I never realised he was so funny.'"

At his splendid home, there's no escaping the fact that Dobson is as cultured as his broadcasting persona would suggest. The mahogany surfaces are peppered with striking sculptures, the walls covered in oil paintings. He would have studied art if journalism hadn't worked out.

Every RTE source I ask in the run-up to our interview reports that he is "a gentleman". True to his reputation, he lays out a tray of tea and several kinds of sponge cake beside a tiny silver cake fork and cloth napkins. We chat away as an old grandfather clock chimes on the hour in the background.

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Dobson grew up in a Church of Ireland family in Sandymount. His father, a wine importer, supplied restaurants and a wealthy clientele. He won't tell me his favourite vintage, but admits he loves "a good burgundy".

"We were very, very fortunate. There wasn't a lot of money but there was enough. I never felt the lack of things," he says of his upbringing.

His parents didn't shower him with material gifts but they "were very encouraging and attentive... whatever you wanted to try, they were there to facilitate".

They also fought for him when he might have found himself on a slippery slope at school. When the secondary school he was attending moved him into a lower stream, for less academically minded boys, his mother was having none of it.

"She was so disgusted by it, she said 'we're not sending you there'." Instead, his parents enrolled him at Newpark Comprehensive in Blackrock. As his Leaving Cert approached, he had his eye on a career in journalism and applied to the only course in the country, at the College of Commerce in Rathmines.

"I failed to get an honour in English, probably because I can't really spell. I repeated my Leaving Cert to try and get in again - and I still didn't get it."

Undeterred, he took a course in communications and found it a "great grounding in TV and telling stories with pictures".

What he lacked as a scholar he made up for on the job. The BBC spotted his talent on pirate radio and brought him in as a presenter in the Northern Ireland bureau, aged just 22.

He honoured his parental support with hard graft.

"I didn't want to take any time off. I had got this incredible opportunity and I didn't want to waste it."

He recalls years passing by without a holiday and jokes: "My wife gives out to this day. We never did anything."

In his late twenties he moved to RTE, where he climbed the ranks to become the face of the Six One News and stayed for 21 years. On September 11, 2001, he interviewed Irish Times correspondent Conor Cleary, who was standing in his Manhattan apartment close by the Twin Towers, "describing the buildings and people jumping out of the windows to escape... it was horrifying".

On air during such major stories, he says he is "consumed" with adrenalin and the logistics of getting the story to the nation, but "after the event is when you think about it, in the quiet of your own home".

Nobody could ever accuse him of being controversial, but he has made occasional, fleeting appearances in the news cycle himself.

In 2006 he interviewed then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and asked him to explain how he had come into some cash during a difficult personal time. The exchange led to accusations that Ahern had 'played' the nation. In the Dail, Labour's Pat Rabbitte coined the phrase 'Bryan Dobson eyes' to describe how Ahern had gazed dolefully at his interviewer. Fourteen years on, Dobson says that although it was one of his biggest interviews, "it was impossible to prepare because we had no idea what his explanation was going to be".

More recently, it emerged that his co-anchor Sharon Ni Bheolain - or "Shaz", as he calls her - was earning between 60,000 and 80,000 less than Dobson.

"I thought it was very unfair," he says now. "I didn't see justification for it." He shrugs about the fact that his current salary becomes public every year as an RTE top 10 earner: "C'est la vie."

Dobson acknowledges that unequal pay is not the only issue women in the RTE news room have had to deal with.

"I don't think I have ever had anyone make a single comment about my appearance and I am perfectly prepared to say that it can be very different for women. I was really amused to hear about the Australian newsreader who wore the same suit every day for a year and no one commented on it.

"Donald Trump appears in a blue suit and a red tie seven days a week and no one ever tells him to get a different suit. It's very unfair."

In 2003 it emerged that he was training health board executives for media interviews. Although he had received permission from his then boss, head of news Ed Mulhall, he had to apologise and RTE's director general was asked to appear before an Oireachtas Committee.

"You feel bad for putting people in that awkward position. It's embarrassing," he says.

Would he still be forgiven if it happened today?

"It probably was a more forgiving world back then," he says. "But nothing stays the same. Standards change."

He points to last week's controversy involving Michael D'Arcy - the former Fine Gael senator resigned his seat to head up a lobby group for investment managers.

"What he did probably would have been fine a decade or two ago. There would be no controversy... but we have to adapt our attitude. That's the world we live in," says Dobson.

He turns 60 on Thursday and gets "the sense that I just need to do things now - the years are shooting by".

Unless things change at RTE, he will be required to retire at 65 whether he wants to or not. His colleague Sean O'Rourke was the most recent high-profile broadcaster to find himself in that position, and Dobson says: "A friend and colleague of mine, David Davin-Power, described it as 'redundancy by age' and I think he kinda has a point."

As for himself, he'll be "probably more likely to say I'd be happy to move on".

When that time comes, he would like to finally take those long and leisurely holidays sacrificed in earlier days - preferably on the high seas.

As "a bit of a sailing buff", he is in his happy place sailing yachts around Ireland and France. Another glance at his library reveals a huge section of sailing books, and most of his paintings are of boats.

"It's my escape. If you are on a boat and look at the horizon you think, 'We could just keep going, next stop America.' It's that sense that the world is opening wide for you. It's very magical."

The boy who once struggled to keep up will keep going full steam ahead for another while yet.

'News at One' with Bryan Dobson on RTE Radio 1, weekdays at 1pm
Enemy troops used rifles and different types of grenade launchers.

Russia-led forces on October 3 mounted five attacks on Ukrainian positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine.

"Enemy fire did not cause combat-related losses or injuries among Joint Forces personnel," the press center of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) Headquarters said in a morning update on Facebook on October 4.

Read alsoUkrainian army's top brass does not rule Donbas fighting may resume

Enemy troops used rifles near the village of Mayorsk, while grenade launchers of various systems were used not far from the villages of Prychepylivka and Novoselivka Druha.

What is more, Russia-led forces opened fire with rifles and a hand-lend anti-tank grenade launcher near the village of Vodiane and the town of Maryinka.

The Ukrainian military did not use weapons in response to the provocations.

Since the beginning of October 4, no ceasefire violations have been recorded in Donbas. From 00:00 to 07:00 local time, there was a truce along the entire contact line, the JFO HQ said.

More related news reports:
CLEVELAND, Ohio  The U.S. Marshals located a missing 14-year-old girl from Ravenna Saturday and arrested a 21-year-old man with whom she was staying, authorities said.

Cara Stefan was found safe Saturday in West Middlesex, Pennsylvania, just over the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, near Youngstown, according to a news release from the U.S. Marshals. She was reported missing by her family after she was last seen Oct. 1 at her house in Ravenna.

The teens family believed Cara left in the middle of the night with a 21-year-old man and that she was in danger, the news release says. The man was out of jail on bond with Portage County in connection with charges of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, importuning and possession of criminal tools.

Cara and the man were found together in Pennsylvania, the Marshals said. The man is being held in Mercer County jail until he can be extradited back to Portage County to face further charges. Its possible he could face federal charges as well.

Read more Northeast Ohio crime news:

Cleveland police search for man who tried to kidnap one woman, attacked and choked another in one day

8-year-old struck by car in Clevelands Woodland Hills neighborhood, police say

Cleveland man killed in Euclid shooting, police say
Syracuse University Urged to Drop Probe of Professor Who Used Term Chinese Communist Party Virus

A free-speech group has called on Syracuse University to drop an investigation into a chemistry professor who referred to the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease as Chinese Communist Party virus and Wuhan flu in his course syllabus.

Syracuse University, a private college in New York state, on Aug. 25 announced that it had placed a professor on administrative leave, pending an investigation, for using derogatory language in a course syllabus that was damaging to the learning environment for students. The school said the wording was offensive to Chinese, international and Asian-Americans everywhere who have experienced hate speech, rhetoric, and actions since the pandemic began.

The professor in question is Jon Zubieta, who has taught chemistry at the college for 30 years. Underneath a heading of the section of the syllabus titled, Special notices related to the COVID-19 pandemic, he included in parenthesis: Wuhan Flu or Chinese Communist Party Virus. Photos of the syllabus circulated on social media, prompting an outcry among some students.

My intention was to mock the euphemistic conventions of PC culture rather than the Chinese people or their great heritage and traditions, Zubieta said in a statement released by nonprofit Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). The actions of the university in placing me under suspension and in practice seemingly supporting the accusations of racism and Sinophobia are deeply disturbing.

The university is investigating Zubieta for inappropriate conduct, hostile work environment, and discrimination, FIRE said.

FIRE wrote to Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud on Sept. 22, urging to cancel the investigation and reinstate Zubieta. The group said that though the university isnt bound by the First Amendment because it is a private institution, it should still fulfill its own policies that espouse a commitment to free speech.

If youre going to promise your professors free speech, academic freedom rights, you have to uphold those promises, even when its difficult or unpopular to do, Zach Greenberg, author of the letter and a program officer at FIRE, told The Epoch Times.

Greenberg said that Zubieta has received many messages online calling for him to be fired.

The chemistry professor has been from all accounts a model employee, Greenberg said, noting that prior to this incident, Zubieta has never had any misconduct cases or allegations of misconduct made against him in his three decades at the university.

Greenberg said that while universities are free to publicly condemn hate speech, bigotry, and xenophobia, FIREs position is that the answer to distasteful, hateful speech is more speech. Its not censorship or violence, or in this case, firing professors.

Syracuse University said its speech policies are designed to balance free expression with the Universitys obligations under federal and state civil rights laws to maintain an educational environment that is devoid of discrimination or harassment aimed at certain protected groups.

As a community, we cannot and will not condone speech that harasses, threatens, or intimidates an individual or a group of individuals, the university said in a statement.

Voice of Support

While some Chinese students at Syracuse have expressed being offended by Zubietas descriptors of the pandemic, one Chinese student from nearby Buffalo University recently penned a letter decrying Syracuses move.

As a native Chinese, I do not feel offended when I heard [sic] these words, Liu Tianyu, a graduate student at Buffalos history department, wrote in a letter to the editor that was published on the school newspaper The Spectrum on Sept. 14. The student said that many Chinese people use the words Wuhan Flu and Chinese Communist Party Virus,' noting that earlier in the pandemic, Chinese people commonly referred to the outbreak as the Wuhan Flu before the Chinese regime prohibited its usage.

Liu also wrote that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) suppressed doctors from sounding the alarm about the outbreak in the early stages, worsening the diseases spread.

The two words Wuhan Flu and Chinese Communist Party Virus easily remind people of the shortcomings of the Communist Party system, and that is the reason that the Chinese Communist Party forbids people to use [it], he wrote.

Liu, in an interview with The Epoch Times, said he was very surprised when he first saw the news about Zubietas case.

If this happened in mainland China, a professor being fired for saying CCP virus, that would simply be a common occurrence. People have grown numb to this, he said.

But I never expected that something like this could happen in the United States.

This initial surprise later morphed to anger, Liu said. He believed Syracuses decision amounted to punishing an individual for a speech crime, a move Liu described as a big mistake. Liu wrote the letter to the editor because he was worried something similar might happen at Buffalo University, he said.

America, in my impression, is a country that values freedom of speech, and everyone should be able to freely express their thoughtsYou shouldnt receive an administrative penalty for a mere word or sentence, Liu said.

He believed that the professors expression did not amount to racial discrimination, as it was not directed against any racial group or other groups of students. Rather, it involved expressing concerns about the current Chinese regimes governance and criticism of the CCPs handling of the outbreak.

He raised a personal opinion, and perhaps he wants to use this to make people think more deeply about how this pandemic broke out and the virus connection with the CCP system. Regardless, he has the right to express these views, Liu said.

The Epoch Times refers to the virus as the CCP Virus. As explained in a March editorial, the word choice is intended to hold the Chinese regime accountable for its coverup of the outbreak, which led to the global spread of the disease.

This article was updated to include a statement from Syracuse University.

Cathy He CHINA EDITOR Follow Cathy He is a New York-based reporter focusing on China-related topics. She previously worked as a government lawyer in Australia. She joined the Epoch Times in February 2018.
He celebrated his milestone 40th birthday just weeks ago.

But on Saturday Chris Pine showed he's far from getting soft when he stepped out of a gym in Los Angeles looking buff.

The Wonder Woman star showed off his muscular arms in a white tank top shirt as he made his way back to his car.

Ripped: Chris Pine showed off his lean physique after a workout at a gym in LA on Saturday

Looking healthy and youthful, Pine paired the biceps-baring tee with black shorts that were worn over black tights.

He had his blondish-brown locks styled back off his face with a part on the left.

The California native appeared to be carrying a black protective mask in his hand that he likely was wore during his time inside the gym amid the still ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Youthful: The actor, 40, looked ripped in a white tank top and black shorts over black tights

Just last month, the release of Pine's much-anticipated film Wonder Woman 1984, the sequel to massive 2017 superhero hit with Gal Gadot, got pushed back from October to Christmas, according to Deadline.

This marks the fifth premiere date shakeup for the highly-anticipated sequel, which was initially slated to hit theaters in December 13, 2019, and then pushed up a month to November 1.

However, after the Joker's October release date was announced, the Patty Jenkins-directed flick was moved to June 5, 2020.

With the ongoing coronavirus raging and movie theaters largely closed, those plans were changed to August 14, then October 2 and, now, December 25.

The anticipation: The release of Pine's much-anticipated film Wonder Woman 1984, starring Gal Gadot, got pushed back from October to Christmas, according to Deadline

Coronavirus crisis: The sequel to the massive 2017 hit , Wonder Woman, has been delayed five times due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Pine currently has two films in different phases of production.

His upcoming action film, Violence Of Action, is now in post-production after wrapping at the end of 2019. It also Ben Foster, Gillian Jacobs, Eddie Marsan, Nina Hoss, Amira Casar, and J. D. Pardo

At this point there's still no premiere date set due to the coronavirus crisis.

His newest project, the Olivia Wilde-directed thriller film Don't Worry Darling, with Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, is now in pre-production.

Although little is known about the plot, the movie is reportedly set in an isolated, utopian community in the 1950s California desert
The Katy Area Chamber of Commerce in conjuction with the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce will host an online Vote 2020 presentation from 10-11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 8.

The featured speakers will be Marvin Marcell, governmental affairs consultant for the Fort Bend Economic Development Council, and John Oldham, election administrator for Fort Bend County.

To register for the webinar, go to https://tinyurl.com/FBCVote2020.

The event is being held in conjunction with the Central Fort Bend, Fulshear-Katy Area, Needville chambers of commerce; Fort Bend Economic Development Council; and Katy Area Economic Development Council.

Early voting for the Nov. 3 general election begins Oct. 13 and runs through Oct. 30.

District 28 forum

Just in time for the start of early voting, the 2020 Candidates Forum for Texas House District 28 will help voters learn about the candidates.

The online forum is scheduled for 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, via Facebook. It is being presented by Raise Your Hand Texas and the Katy Area Chamber of Commerce.

The candidates for the seat at Republican incumbent Gary Cates and Democratic challenger Dr. Eliz Markowitz.

District 28 includes a portion of Katy as well as a large swath of Fort Bend County.

The forum can be viewed at www.facebook.com/RYHTWestHouston

For more information, email Dr. Robert Long III at rlong@ryht.org.

District 132 forum

A 2020 Candidates Forum for Texas House District 132 is scheduled for 6-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, via Facebook at www.facebook.com/RYHTWestHouston.

The candidates are incumbent Democrat Gina Calanni and Republican challenger Mike Schofield.

House District 132 includes a portion of Katy as well as a large portion of west Harris County north toward the Cypress area.

The forum is being presented by Raise Your Hand Texas and the Katy Area Chamber of Commerce.

For more information, email Dr. Robert Long III at rlong@ryht.org.

Richmond Jaybird Monument

The ongoing discussion about what to do with a controversial monument in Richmond will take place this week.

The citys Monument Ad Hoc Committee will hold a workshop via video conference call at 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8.

To join the meeting go to https://zoom.us/j/91210034333 and enter meeting ID 912 1003 4333. To dial in to the meeting call 346-248-7799.

The monument is the Jaybird Monument located on the southeast corned of City Hall at 402 Morton St. in Richmond.

The Richmond City Commission approved the formation of the committee in August. Prior to the approval of the committee, Richmond and Fort Bend County residents urged city leaders to destroy or relocate the monument

The obelisk is the Jaybird-Woodpecker War monument that stands outside Richmond City Hall and pays homage to OUR HEROES. Its inscription reads, Capable county government and their fellow citizens have reared this monument to their memory and as a promise to them that their principles shall be maintained for all time to come. Go stranger and to the Jaybirds tell, that for their countrys freedom they fell.

The heroes are H.H. Frost, L.E. Gibson and J.M. Shamblin  three white supremacists that were part of the Jaybirds, a faction of the Democratic party devoted to overthrowing the Woodpecker Republican stronghold and denying Blacks the right to vote or run for office.

rkent@hcnonline.com
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  A man who dedicated much of his life in West Michigan to combating what he called the disease of racism has died.

Bob Woodrick died Friday, Oct. 2 at the age of 88, according to a news release from Grand Rapids Community College. He leaves behind a legacy of promoting community conversations and education surrounding the topic of racism, the release states.

GRCCs Diversity Learning Center, founded in 2006, was renamed the Bob and Aleicia Woodrick Center for Equity and Inclusion in 2016 to celebrate the couples work both on and off campus.

As a professional, Woodrick began his career in the family business, D&W Food Centers in Grand Rapids, and worked there his entire life, leaving only for college and the military, the release states.

Woodrick, according to a 1993 Grand Rapids Press story, started working for his father at the age of 14  just three years after the first D&W was opened in 1943 at the corner of Franklin Avenue and Chicago Drive SW in Grandville.

Over the course of his career, he served as president and CEO, as well as chairman of the board.

Bob Woodrick understood West Michigan cannot not truly be successful until everyone has an opportunity to thrive, GRCC President Bill Pink said in a statement.

For decades, he opened eyes, changed minds and challenged people to take a look at themselves and their communities," Pink said in the statement. "The world we are living in today shows us we have more work to do. Bobs leadership helped ensure GRCC is a place where that work can and will continue.

Through the Woodrick Center, GRCC and surrounding communities are provided with the opportunity to experience cultural competence by way of community partnerships, academic colloquium, youth conferences, student engagement initiatives and programming that advances responsive social justice.

I believe that racism is real, and that it is wrong  and that its presence with us has not diminished, Woodrick wrote in a 1996 essay in The Grand Rapids Press. Furthermore, I believe our denial plays a significant role in masking racism; only when we acknowledge our denial can the healing of racism begin.

Woodricks advocacy led to the Institutes for Healing Racism, now a partnership between GRCCs Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce. The Woodricks also collaborated with Aquinas College to establish the Woodrick Institute for the Study of Racism and Diversity.

GRCC has always been dedicated to helping students be everything they are capable of becoming. And learning to appreciate and understand the role that diversity plays in that process can not be underestimated, Woodrick said at the GRCC centers dedication.

Its an honor for Aleicia and I to be able to support GRCC and build upon the Diversity Learning Centers decade of success. The future of our community depends upon us getting it right.

Also on MLive:

Why Black Lives Matter to those leading protests in Kalamazoo

Agreement aims to ensure equity, affordability in large-scale Grand Rapids development

Are snow days a thing of the past for Michigan schools?
A surprising fact about Prince Charles recently came to light in a high-profile UK court case. His daughter-in-law  Meghan, Duchess of Sussex  is suing the Mail on Sunday over privacy violations. During a witness statement, it was revealed that Prince Charles does not have a mobile phone. This fact was brought to light after authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand claimed in their book Finding Freedom that Prince Harry texted his family, including his father, after Archie Harrisons birth. In addition to not carrying a cell phone, here are ten more odd facts about the Prince of Wales.

Prince Charles | Tim Rooke  WPA Pool/Getty Images

1. Prince Charles made a unique upgrade to his most prized possession

According to BoredomTherapy, Prince Charles most prized possession is a present he received fifty years ago. His 21st birthday present was an Aston Martin DB6 MKII. The eco-conscious royal made an interesting upgrade in 2018. Instead of running on gasoline, the car now runs on wine.

2. The Prince of Wales enjoys leftovers

Prince Charles is such a picky eater that he will often bring his own food when visiting friends. He also has quirky rules for his personal chef. For example, eggs must be boiled for exactly seven minutes or the Prince of Wales wont eat them. He knows what he likes, and he doesnt allow anything to go to waste.

If we made roasted lamb and there were leftovers, wed probably go and make Shepherds pie the next night, former royal chef Carolyn Robb revealed. The prince was very economical and very much believed that nothing should go to waste.

3. Prince Charles is a magician

Royal fans might be surprised to learn that Prince Charles is a skilled magician. In 1975, he passed an exam to join a social organization of magicians called the Magic Circle. The Prince of Wales also has artistic talent. He has painted his own artwork, and he has also performed in a Shakespeare play. As a teen, he played the role of Exeter in Henry V as well as the lead in Macbeth.

4. The future king is a workaholic

According to Readers Digest, Prince Charles works seven days a week. As a rule, he begins his workday after breakfast and will regularly work past midnight. In the BBC documentary Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70, Prince Harry said that his dad needs to slow down.

RELATED: Prince Charles Just Made 1 Major Change Proving He Is Preparing To Take the Throne

This is a man who has dinner ridiculously late at night, and then goes to his desk later that night and will fall asleep on his notes to the point where hell wake up with a piece of paper stuck to his face, Harry said.

5. Prince Charles wrote a childrens book

Prince Charles is a published author. In 1984, he wrote a childrens book titled The Old Man of Lochnagar. Its based on a story that Charles told his brothers Andrew and Edward when they were little. The book is about an old man who lives in a cave near Queen Elizabeths Scottish estate, Balmoral. The book was eventually turned into a musical, an animated film, and a ballet. All of the proceeds benefit The Princes Trust, a charity for at-risk youth.

6. The Prince of Wales was in love with Camilla Parker Bowles when he married Princess Diana

It was not widely known at the time, but Prince Charles didnt want to marry Princess Diana. Instead, his heart belonged to Camilla Parker Bowles. Charles and Camilla dated before they both married other people. Princess Diana later revealed that she knew from the beginning that there were three people in her marriage.

RELATED: Prince Philip Thought It Was Silly For Prince Charles to Risk Everything for Camilla Parker Bowles

Things were very different in those days, the Prince of Wales later said. The power and influence of the media driving matters towards an engagement were unstoppable.

7. Prince Charles had a crush on Barbra Streisand

When he was at university, Prince Charles reportedly developed a massive crush on Barbra Streisand. Charles did get the chance to meet the music legend a few times. Despite rumors of a brief affair, there is no proof it actually happened.

8. The British heir started an organic food company

Prince Charles has managed the Duchy Home Farm for 30 years. The farm uses organic farming methods and the prince raises cattle, pigs, and sheep. As a proponent of organic eating, Charles started his own organic food company in 1990. Known as Duchy Originals, Charles donates the majority of the profits to charity.

9. The Prince of Wales was the victim of bullying

Even though he is heir to the British throne, Prince Charles was a victim of bullying in school. When he was at boarding school in Scotland at Gordonstoun, Charles classmates picked on him relentlessly. In a 1963 letter to his family, Charles wrote that the people in his dorm were foul and horrid.

10. Prince Charles talks to plants

The Prince of Wales does not just love nature, he has a strong relationship with it. Charles has the odd habit of talking to his plants. He once explained that he believes talking to plants helps them grow, flower, and thrive. Prince Charles also threatens to toss his plants in the compost pile if they do not listen.
The ruling Zanu PF is continuing with primary elections to choose candidates to fill vacant parliamentary and local government seats despite the suspension of by-elections that were set for December 5 by Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga.

Chiwenga on Friday ordered that holding by-elections will remain suspended for the duration of the period of declaration of Covid-19 as a formidable epidemic disease.

The ban, however, did not stop the ruling partys own internal electoral processes, fuelling confusion over the VPs intervention that has been described as illegal by lawyers.

VP Chiwenga doubles up as Health and Child Care minister, but his decision to suspend electoral processes, citing Covid-19 is largely viewed as influenced more by politics than science.

Zanu PF will today hold primary elections in President Emmerson Mnangagwas hometown of Kwekwe, the partys Midlands spokesperson Cornelius Mupereri confirmed.

We announced that the primary elections will be held (today), Mupereri said. That is our position and nothing has changed.

Mnangagwas party is accused of using Covid-19 to stifle democracy and legal experts told The Standard that Chiwengas ban was part of efforts to close the democratic space.

Trust Maanda, the Election Resource Centre chairman, said the suspension of by-elections by Chiwenga was unconstitutional.

It is not only illegal, but unconstitutional because elections are timed in terms of the provisions of the constitution and there can be no regulation particularly by a single minister that can overturn or usurp the authority of the constitutional provision, Maanda said.

You cannot postpone democracy and provisions of the constitution unless you amend that constitution.

Power to govern is derived from the people through constitutional means and the constitution provides for how people must be governed and anything outside that is illegal and also affects one of the three arms of the state, which is Parliament, and there will be a crisis.

Douglas Coltart, a human rights lawyer, said Chiwengas ban delivered through a statutory instrument cannot withstand legal scrutiny.

Firstly, it effectively suspends section 158 sub-section 3 of the constitution, which stipulates the time within which by-elections need to be conducted. A statutory instrument has no power to suspend a constitution, Coltart said.

The minister of Health has no authority to determine the conduct of elections. That is determined by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) and the Electoral Act, which is administered by the Justice minister, not the Health minister.

So he has no power to do what he has done. Zec last month said by-elections to replace over 30 MDC Alliance legislators and over 100 councillors controversially recalled by the rival MDC-T would be held on December 5.

Constitutional law expert Arnold Tsunga said Chiwengas decision to reverse Zecs plans raised a lot of questions.

The decision is not supported by facts and looks irrational and arbitrary, Tsunga said. Unfortunately it is a type of decision that makes strong the arguments of those, who argue that Zimbabwe is using Covid-19 to stifle enjoyment of fundamental rights, including political rights that are constitutionally guaranteed.

You cant in one breath open schools and in other close elections. The veteran lawyer said it was now clear that Mnangagwa was using Covid-19 to launch an assault on democracy in Zimbabwe.

Tsunga said the number of Covid-19 cases locally did not justify the suspension of elections.

South Africa has not suspended elections, but Zimbabwe has. Totally different attitudes towards the development of democracy right there, Tsunga added. Hopefully, someone will test the constitutionality of this statutory instrument that looks totally unconstitutional.

It is irrational and not proportionate to the dangers posed by Covid-19 as many countries have been able to hold Covid-19-compliant elections.

Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi yesterday insisted that Chiwengas order was above board.

They are lost, Ziyambi said referring to the lawyers. (Chiwenga) is not controlling conduct of by-elections, but he is saying gatherings at this stage are not yet necessary.

If he had not done that, the law says, especially section 158, if a vacancy exists, a by-election must be held within 90 days.

So he declared a state of pandemic and suspended all activities so the effect of that is to say, because I have suspended everything, stop counting the 90 days until the state of public pandemic is over, then you start counting as if the vacancy occurred on that particular day.

The government has been relaxing lockdown restrictions to control the spread of Covid-19 as new cases continue to decline.

Inter-city travel is now allowed and schools are reopening in a phased manner with the last classes resuming on November 9. Standard
Romania was running an agri-food trade deficit of 968.2 million euros in H1 2020, down 11 percent from the 1.087 billion euro deficit registered a year ago, shows data centralized by the Ministry of Agriculture And Rural Development (MADR) made available at the request of AGERPRES.

Romania's trade balance with the EU in the first six months of the year was at a negative 1.74 billion euros, but registered a surplus of 781.4 million euros with non-EU countries.Exports increased by 12.4 percent in H1 2020 to 3.42 billion euros, while imports increased by 6.2 percent to 4.391 billion euros.Agri-food exports in the reporting period totaled 8.35 million tons, while imports stood at 5.28 million tons.Of the agri-food exports to the EU and third countries, the products to bring the highest revenues were corn - with about 665.4 million euros for 3.377 million tons, followed by wheat and meslin with 507.63 million euros (2.55 million tons) and cigarillos, cigars and cigarettes, with 384.87 million euros for 22,165 tons.At imports, fresh, chilled or frozen pork holds the first position with 292.2 million euros for 122,961 tons. Also, Romania imported in the first six months of this year 858,020 tons of corn (worth 201.03 million euros) and 76,749 tons of bakery products, pastries and biscuits worth an aggregate 166.31 million euros.Romania registered last year a deficit of 1.225 billion euros in agri-food trade, up by over 8 percent compared to 2018, when the deficit was 1.133 billion euros, the Ministry of Agriculture said.
For the first time in its history, the annual conference of the country's top police brass will be held virtually next month amid the coronavirus pandemic, officials said on Sunday.

About 250 officers in the rank of DGP and IGP from all states, Union Territories and central government will take part in the two-day virtual meeting to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, NSAAjit Doval among others.

The key role played by police during a disaster and pandemic, new-age crimes like cyber terrorism, radicalisation of the youth and the Pakistan-sponsored militants in Jammu and Kashmir will be discussed during the conference, to be held in multiple sessions, a Union Home ministry official told PTI.

The conference will be held in the last week of November, the official said.

As the role of police during the ongoing pandemic came under wholesome praise from all quarters, the meeting is expected to discuss how to enhance their knowledge and capabilities to handle natural disasters and such health crisis, the official said.

The state police chiefs will share their experiences in handling the pandemic and how the police have helped the distressed people and the migrant workers during the nationwide lockdown.

The prime minister is likely to make special mention about the exemplary work done by the police personnel while fighting the coronavirus, the official said.

According to an estimate, about 75,000 police and paramilitary personnel were infected by coronavirus in the country and about 600 of them succumbed to the virus.

Among those infected include about 32,500 paramilitary personnel and 24,000 policemen in Maharashtra, the worst hit state in India.

Among the deaths include 100 paramilitary personnel and about 250 in Maharashtra Police, almost all of them while playing different roles during the pandemic.

This is for the first time in the history that the annual conference of the DGPs and IGPs, organised by the Intelligence Bureau, will be held virtually and all of them will participate from their respective headquarters, another official said.

The role of social media in instigating violence, violence perpetrated by Pakistan-based terrorist groups in Jammu and Kashmir, curbing of blackmoney and narcotics and a few other issues are also expected to be discussed in the meeting.

The implementation and activation of decisions taken at previous conferences will also be reviewed during the meeting.

The DGPs and IGPs conference is an annual affair where senior police officials of the states and the Centre meet and discuss issues of importance.

The Modi government has been organising it outside the capital since it came to power in 2014.

The last conferences have been held in Guwahati, Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, Hyderabad, Tekanpur in Madhya Pradesh and Pune.

(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.)
With the aviation sector facing huge losses amid the coronavirus pandemic, Airbus SE is mulling to carry out its job-cutting plan and proceed with eliminating 15,000 positions, Bloomberg reported on October 4, quoting the company's Chief Operating Officer Michael Schoellhorn.

Airbus' Chief Operating Officer Michael Schoellhorn said the company currently has 'no plans to expand the program'. Schoellhorn said this 'is the minimum of what we have to do' during an interview with German daily Handelsblatt.

Airbus to be 'resized,' could cut output again: Sources.

The top planemaker is grappling with an unprecedented loss due to the decline in air travel across the globe amid the coronavirus restrictions. Reports also said that the firm has been trying to convince its workers to leave voluntarily to limit tougher measures.

Meanwhile, the European rival to Boeing Co. is in talks with the labour unions on the restructuring procedure. However, Schoellhorn stated that it's too early to rule out forced layoffs.

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 Airbus SE COO also said the company has quashed plans to close plants in Germany. "In terms of substance, I do not see any German locations at risk at the moment," Schoellhorn was quoted as saying in a Reuters report.

Airbus shedding 15,000 jobs, mostly in Europe.

Earlier in September, its chief executive Guillaume Faury had said the planemaker would do its best to cut costs without resorting to compulsory redundancies. However, he warned that Airbus may opt for compulsory layoffs after air travel failed to recover from the pandemic.
New Delhi, Oct 4 : A Delhi Police Assistant Sub-Inspector and another person were injured when unidentified assailants opened fire at them on Sunday evening, police said.

ASI Sube Singh received a gunshot wound in his right leg while Mahendra, who was sitting next to him, also received a bullet injury in the attack by bike-borne assailants while the duo were sitting close to their house in Alipur area in outer Delhi. The assailants fled after the attack.

Mahendra informed the police of the attack at around 6 p.m. and a police team reached the spot.

"Mahendra got injured by a bullet which passed by touching him and Sube Singh received an injury in his right leg. Both are undergoing treatment and are stable. A case has been registered and investigation is on," DCP, Outer North Delhi, Gaurav Sharma said.

Police said that Sube Singh is posted in Seelampur police station.

The immediate reason for the attack is not known but personal enmity is suspected. Multiple teams have been formed to identify the attackers.
Czech Republic Prime Minister Andrej Babiss party won the regional assembly elections that concluded on October 3, capturing over 22 per cent of the vote overall and placing first in 10 of 13 contests. According to AP, the Czech Statistics Office said that with ballots from almost 100 per cent of polling stations counted, the ANO (YES) movement led by the PM won ten regions contested during Friday and Saturday. While taking to Twitter, Babis called the result, which was a sign of stable support for ANO, excellent.

READ: Czech Republic Announces 30 Day State Of Emergency Starting Oct 5 Amid Rising COVID Cases

The result was a signal of confidence in the governments handling of the coronavirus pandemic, despite a recent uptick. According to reports, in the regional contests, the opposition Pirate party placed second overall, with around 12 per cent of the vote. The centre-left Social Democrats, which is ANOs junior government coalition partner, garnered less than five per cent of the vote, as did the unreformed Communist party, which have tolerated Babiss government in exchange for policy concessions.

According to Czech Radio, as of last week, ANO appeared to have won the Moravian-Silesian, South Moravian, Olomouc, Pardubice, Vysocina, Usti nad Labem, Karlovy Vary and Plzen regions for certain. A coalition called the Mayors of the Liberec Region won that region, while in the Hradec Kralove Region, a coalition of ODS, STAN and Vychodocesi emerged the winners. The official regional assembly result will be published on October 6 in the Collection of Laws.

READ: Czechs To Acquire Israeli Air Defense System In $400M Deal

First election amid pandemic

PM Babiss party, ANO, has the most candidates advancing to the runoffs for 27 seats in the 81 seat Senate. The top two finishers in each district will be facing each other in a head-to-head vote next weekend. ANO has nine candidates advancing to the runoffs. The recent elections were the first held in the Czech Republic during the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic.

On Friday and Saturday, voters were required to wear face masks at voting places. Quarantined voters had the option of casting ballots from the vehicles at temporary polling stations. Those who were unable to use a car or venture out could ask a special electoral committee to send a ballot box to their homes.

READ: Czechs Replace Health Minister Amid Record Infection Surge

READ: Czech Health Minister Resigns Amid Record Rise In COVID-19 Infections
RIYADH/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The head of Saudi Arabia's Chambers of Commerce has called for a boycott of Turkish products amid merchants' reports that animosity between Ankara and Riyadh is hindering the flow of goods between the two regional powers.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been at odds for some years over foreign policy and attitudes towards Islamist political groups. The murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi's Istanbul consulate in 2018 escalated tensions sharply.

This year the two countries blocked some of each other's news websites.

"A boycott of everything Turkish, be it imports, investment or tourism, is the responsibility of every Saudi 'trader and consumer', in response to the continued hostility of the Turkish government against our leadership, country and citizens," businessman Ajlan al-Ajlan said on Twitter on Saturday.

The Saudi Chambers of Commerce is a non-government group of private sector business officials.

In response to a query from Reuters, Saudi Arabia's government media office said the Gulf Arab state was committed to international trade and investment pacts and free trade.

"The official authorities in the Kingdom have not placed any restrictions on Turkish goods," it said.

For more than a year, some Saudi and Turkish traders have speculated that Saudi Arabia was enforcing an informal boycott of imports from Turkey.

A Saudi importer told Reuters on condition of anonymity that containers he imported this year from Turkey lay with customs for three months before being released. He said customs officials informally advised him not to import directly from Turkey again.

Last week, Turkish opposition lawmaker Mehmet Guzelmansur said goods, particularly perishable fruit and vegetables, exported from his region of Hatay were held at the Saudi border for longer than necessary on arrival.

In comments reported in Turkish media and on his Twitter page, he said he was concerned that what he described as the partial, informal embargo by Saudi Arabia would be widened.

Story continues

On Thursday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan took a swipe at the Gulf states in a speech to parliament.

"It should not be forgotten that the countries in question did not exist yesterday, and probably will not exist tomorrow," Erdogan said. "But we will continue to fly our flag in this geography forever, with the permission of Allah."

Neither Turkish nor Saudi trade data shows an unusually large drop in two-way trade this year, factoring in the strains on global commerce from the coronavirus pandemic.

In the second quarter, Turkey was Saudi Arabia's 12th trade partner by total import value. The latest data shows Saudi imports from Turkey were worth about $185 million in July, up from roughly $180 million in June.

(Reporting by Marwa Rashad, Irem Koca and Daren Butler; Additional reporting by Davide Barbuscia; Writing by Lisa Barrington; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Clarence Fernandez)
OBrien said many calls they get on the animals involve young bears.

The second spring cubs are what we call the yearlings. We get many calls on these young bears being seen in subdivisions running through yards, he said. They are learning their way, and many times run into humans and are seen [in] our communities because they do not have the full experience of an older bear.

Bird admitted to having an urge to feed the bear, but a neighbor warned against that. OBrien and other wildlife experts also warn against feeding bears, or keeping enticing food outside near the house.

The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources says people should never, ever feed a bear under any circumstances. When bears lose their fear of people, trouble is not far away. The department also notes that its illegal to feed bears in Virginia.

The Humane Society says bears have acute eyesight and sense of smell, making it easy for them to track down pet food, garbage, barbecue grills and bird feedersand once they locate a food source, they remember where it is.
Chandigarh (Punjab): Former Congress chief and MP Rahul Gandhi will kick start "Kheti Bachao Yatra" in Punjab on Sunday to protest against recently enacted agriculture sector reform laws.

A series of mass programmes have been planned which will begin from Punjab and will reach Delhi later. Initially, a three-day programme through rallies and roadshows using tractors has been planned.



Rahul Gandhi will address a public meeting and launch a signature campaign at Badhni Kalan, District Moga along with Punjab Chief Minister Captain (Retired) Amarinder Singh and other senior leaders of the State. Rahul Gandhi will then lead a "Tractor Yatra" from Badhni Kalan to Jatpura and will conclude the day by addressing a public meeting at Jatpura, Ludhiana.

The Congress has termed these laws as anti-farmer and the party has planned a month-long agitation across the country to reach out to the farming community. While some programmes were launched on September 24 they are scheduled to be concluded on November 14. The conclusion of the protest is planned through handing over a memorandum and signatures of over two crore farmers from across the country to President Ram Nath Kovind.

The Parliament has recently passed Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020. These have received the assent of President Ram Nath Kovid and have come into effect from September 27.


Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 23:08:32|Editor: huaxia

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CHANGCHUN, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) --China's leading automaker First Automotive Works (FAW) Group Co. Ltd. said sales of its iconic brand Hongqi crossed 130,000 vehicles in the first nine months of this year, a rise of 104 percent year on year.

In September, the company sold 21,500 vehicles of the brand, an increase of 86 percent year on year, showing rising demand for the product.

Hongqi launched the H9, a new flagship luxury sedan of the H series in late August.

Sales of Hongqi exceeded 100,000 vehicles last year. The company has set a sales target of 200,000 this year and 600,000 for 2025.

Founded in 1953 in the northeastern city of Changchun, capital of Jilin Province, FAW Group is the cradle of China's auto industry. The group sold more than 1.63 million vehicles in the first half of 2020, up 2.3 percent year on year. Enditem
CARBONDALE  It doesnt take an agricultural sciences student at Southern Illinois University to know that farm animals cant do Zoom meetings.

Thanks to a small group of SIU students, numerous buildings and programs were maintained despite the Carbondale campus  like most around the country  being virtually shut down this past spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

These students took absolute ownership of situations, said farm director Chris Vick. You have to remember, these are students. Theyre here to learn and be mentored. But here they really had to step up and be adults real fast. They had to take ownership and be responsible. Without them wed have been in a lot of trouble.

The SIU farms maintain more than two dozen horses, about 80 head of cattle and roughly 600 acres of crop ground along with a swine herd.

The outdoor classrooms are responsible for yielding a multitude of daily lesson plans and research material. Vick estimates $500,000 in grant money was on the line, too, across the five months between March and August and into the 2020-21 school year.

We wouldnt be successful, or in such a good position to start the new school year, if not for the character and quality of these students, Vick said.

Student learning

This past spring, SIU Farms had seven horses set to foal.

They were bred specifically for a research project I was conducting, said Cierra Crowell, a senior in animal science from Lincoln, Illinois. I felt very responsible for their health.

All but one of the horses was giving birth for the first time, which meant numerous video conferences among faculty and students overseeing them.

Generally, we have nearly 20 people rotating foal watch shifts to ensure someone is always there, said Crowell, who stayed on campus in her apartment. After COVID, all of the students were unable to return. This meant that Erin Perry, Jesse Fenton, and Samantha Wuest (agriculture faculty and staff) were conducting foal watch from home. I was on call for nearly three months as the foals were being born. They are completely dependent on our help.

Jon Yaklich, a junior in agricultural systems and education from Princeton, Illinois, was planning to stay home when classes converted to remote learning in March. Yet, like many students across the country, Yaklich wondered how much work hed get done for any of his classes by doing so.

So Yaklich opted to return to campus, bracing himself for long, hot days around time spent online doing what became more traditional virtual classes.

Wuest, a senior agricultural research technician, was praised by Vick and Susan Graham, assistant to the dean, as the equine manager took on extra duties  much of it while also preparing for the birth of her second child.

The only thing we didnt have her do was spring planting, Graham said.

Crowell said the choice to stay on campus was easy. She still had her apartment, and she figured that there would inevitably be lessons that would help her down the road. Perhaps there would even be an epiphany about what to focus on for a career.

Well, I learned some things I dont want to do, Crowell said. But really, it was cool to get to know people better. You had to be versatile here and work together. Im glad I stayed. I had a place to stay and I was needed.

Students who may have known about cattle gained insight into corn. And vice versa. Several, like Yaklich, learned how to operate tractors and other farm implements and equipment.

They obtained a lot of hands-on experience, Vick said. And isnt that what college is all about?

Safety first

Vick noted that students were guaranteed their respective planned employee hours and internship credit, regardless if they returned to class. SIUs administration made that commitment to its student workers across the board.

But ultimately Vick  who accepted the job as farm director in April  needed help.

Several students reached out independently.

Vick held safety meetings about attending to all details related to wearing masks and social distancing, which was often easy to do in the wide-open acreage.

Vick  who balanced long weeks around running his own family farm  said there were days when Id get sick feelings in my stomach. Its been a lot of pressure for everyone.

He came to SIU as an undergraduate, working at the farm that he now oversees. He completed his undergraduate program in 1998 and earned a masters degree in 2001. He stayed with the university to assist plant pathology research faculty.

COVID changed everything we knew, Vick said. Even gathering to share a meal requires a lot of extra thought and planning. But Ill tell you, these students generally didnt even know each other before all of this started. And now, theyre like a family.

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Here's a piece of post-debate fallout news that slipped under the radar.

According to Reuters:

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro reacted angrily on Wednesday to U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Bidens call for a world effort to offer Brazil $20 billion to end Amazon deforestation or face unspecified economic consequences.Bolsonaro wrote on Facebook he interpreted Bidens comment in a U.S. presidential debate on Tuesday night as a threat of economic sanctions if Brazil did not take the offer. Bolsonaro wrote in Portuguese and English that he does not accept bribes or coward threats. The president said Brazil was taking action on deforestation and reasserted that he views foreign interest in the Amazon as financially motivated and an attempt to undermine Brazilian sovereignty. The greed of some countries towards the Amazon is a well-known fact, Bolsonaro said. However, the explicit demonstration of this greed by someone who is running for the presidency of his country is a clear sign of contempt for cordial and fruitful coexistence between two sovereign nations.

That would be the same Joe Biden whose campaign website vows to "elevate diplomacy." Brazil is a longtime U.S. military treaty ally dating to 1952 with many other important agreements. It's also the biggest nation in Latin America (remember the Latinos, Joe?), and really doesn't care to be bullied.

Here's the basics on Brazil: Do not tell them what to do with their rainforest. Global leftists for years have claimed it the world's patrimony and other claptrap, claiming it belongs to them and the Brazilians can't stand it. Want to know why Brazil elected 'Tropical Trump'? That's why Brazil elected Tropical Trump.

And Biden missed this entirely, forgetting that he was speaking on a closely watched global stage with every last nation on earth taking notes. When Bolsonaro heard Brazil's name brought up, he sprang into action, and the mess Biden made was not pretty.

And let's take a look at what made Brazil mad. It's not just the foreign meddling and the treating of great big Brazil with some of the world's most advanced technology, like some banana republic, which is what Biden did.

Notice the muscle in that Biden statement. Either you take the $20 bil and spend it as we say you spend it, or we cut you off. Sound like Joe in Ukraine? It sure does. You can bet that if Biden gets elected president, Hunter will be following his dad around with his black bag open when the flight plan is to touch down in Brasilia. And the Brazilians will be whispering to each other: Get ready to make the big payout.

No wonder they can't stand him. And this should be good for driving Brazilian American voters (plenty of those in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Florida) towards President Trump. Nice stab at diplomacy Joe. You aren't even president yet and already you've alienated a major ally.

No wonder Robert Gates famously said that in foreign policy and national security, Joe Biden has always been wrong on everything.

Image credit: WSJ video screen shot, via shareable YouTube.
Harters no post is ever boring for me.

I've been laying in the bath having a think. And I've got a stupid idea...what another one Lou? Can I hear you thinking lol.

What about due to the restrictions creeping in and dark cold days and nights looming, not much to share as in the spring and summer.We now and then play a game? Just to liven us up and only now and then. It wont be easy so anyone less stupid than me who can think of something virtual we could do? I thought of 2 truths and a lie?

Got to be creative and something we haven't given away about ourselves on here before.

Lucy join in 

Wendy from Kenya you will be most welcome, but we know you are 6ft tall, like glittery mid calf dresses and have a penchant for red kitten heels.

Whaddya think?

Or any other brainstorms.

Lou.x
An 80-acre field in the Helena Valley played host to the Let Freedom Ring free concert Saturday evening  an event organizers said aimed to promote unity during a year full of hardships and divisions.

Organized by local contractor Steed Industries and sponsored by a dozen local businesses, the concert featured three bands, food and merchandise vendors, and kids activities. The concert came together over recent weeks and cleared requirements with Lewis and Clark Public Health to take place.

Jerry Steed said organizers were too busy Saturday for a lengthy interview, but said they wanted to put on an event for the community recognizing the freedoms enjoyed by Americans and sacrifices made by military, law enforcement and other first responders.

We live in the greatest country on Earth and were tired of the division, he said. Its time to set divisions aside, put politics aside and come out and see what this means to the community.

The concert took place both as cases of COVID-19 have surged in Montana and at the height of political season. Organizers asked attendees to minimize politics at the event, both on social media and from the stage, and said that anyone who became disruptive would be asked to leave.

This is a freedom rally, not a political rally, master of ceremonies Nicky Tee told the crowd.

The concerts theme was geared toward patriotism, from the vast number of American flags flown to a pre-concert video honoring fallen service members.

Politics was not completely absent from the event, however, with many attendees wearing hats or shirts supporting President Donald Trump.

Large public events have been largely absent in Lewis and Clark County in recent months due to novel coronavirus restrictions. Alive@5, Symphony Under the Stars and the Governors Cup all canceled due to the pandemic.

Health Officer Drenda Niemann said Friday that organizers of the concert provided a plan that complied with health restrictions.

They submitted a plan and worked with our staff to ensure there was adequate protective measures in place, she said. This is the same process we use for every event.

When driving into the concert attendees were handed a disclaimer acknowledging the risks associated with being at a large event and the chance of getting COVID-19. The disclaimer stated that anyone who had tested positive in the last 14 days or was symptomatic could not attend. The document further noted the governors mandate requiring masks and social distancing and encouraged concert goers to stay near their vehicles or in small groups.

Organizers spaced vehicles in the parking area and hay bales acting as seating were spread out in front of the stage.

Relatively few attendees chose to wear masks but much of the crowd remained spread out during the concerts first two hours.

Among the restrictions was a 250-person attendee limit. Steed said gate workers were instructed to close admission if that number was reached.

By 5 p.m., the crowd appeared to number close to 200 but due to the large area of the event and number of attendees coming and going, an accurate count was not feasible.

County officials noted that if the concert did not follow its safety plan organizers could see civil citations.

Event organizers seem to be cooperative and understand the consequences, both health and legal, Niemann said.

Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton said Saturday that a deputy would drive by the event if a complaint were received but would not go into the concert. He had not been notified of any complaints as of about 5:30 p.m.

Reporter Tom Kuglin can be reached at 447-4076 @IR_TomKuglin

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A former legislator of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajveer Pahalwan on Sunday called a mahapanchayat of upper caste members at his residence in Hathras, amid the nationwide uproar over alleged gang-rape and murder of a Dalit woman in the district. During the meeting, Pahalwan said that the accused who have been arrested in the case are not that guilty as being painted.

Pahalwan also welcomed the state governments decision to recommend a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the matter and said, it will reveal the truth about the incident. The upper caste members also raised doubts about the womans family denying the narco test during the meeting.

Also read: Hathras gang-rape victims family against CBI probe; SIT records statement

Advocates, who took part in the mahapanchayat, have said they will meet the special investigation team (SIT), constituted by the state government to probe the matter, later in the day.

The state government had on Friday ordered a narco-analysis polygraph tests for everyone involved in the case, including the womans family members. The decision was taken after the report of the autopsy conducted by the state government contradicted the womans allegation that she was gang-raped on September 14. The family has refused to undergo the narco test and demanded a judicial probe through the Supreme Court into the matter.

On September 29, the woman succumbed to her injuries in Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi. She was cremated by authorities. The state police and the government have been questioned over their decision to cremate the womans body in the dead of the night without the presence of her family members.

The family says the cremation was forceful and was done without her parents and relatives presence. However, the administration says that it was conducted with the familys consent.
Irelands top court says it knows what bread is, and the stuff Subway uses for its sandwiches isnt it.

The amount of sugar used in the dough supplied by Subway and used in heated sandwiches exceeds the maximum level of sugar content for bread under Irish law, Supreme Court of Ireland Justice Donal ODonnell said in a judgment Tuesday, part of a tax case involving one of the chains franchisees.

To be considered bread under the Value Added Tax Act, which dates to 1972, sugar can make up no more than two per cent of the weight of the flour used to make dough for bread, according to the ruling. Bread that meets the definition isnt taxed under the law.

Sugar makes up 10 per cent of the weight of Subways flour in dough for the heated sandwiches, the judgment says.

If one ingredient exceeds the limitation, the resulting product falls outside the definition of bread for the purposes of the act, Justice ODonnell wrote.

He said his interpretation was consistent with common sense.

Subway, run by Milford, Conn.-based Doctors Associates Inc., took issue with the decision. The company stated that its bread is, of course, bread.

We have been baking fresh bread in our stores for more than three decades and our guests return each day for sandwiches made on bread that smells as good as it tastes, according to a statement provided by the company.

News of the judgment ricocheted around the world, forcing sandwich aficionados to think through their understanding of bread and parse out the definition between the sandwich carbohydrate and dessert.

Sugary bread is not statutory bread. Only statutory bread can get the favourable tax treatment, Emer Hunt, a lecturer in tax law at University College Dublins Sutherland School of Law, said in an email.

But Phil Hamilton, who lives near St. Louis, said it is clear what is on offer when customers get asked if they want wheat or white bread at Subway locations.

In colloquial form, everyone in the world considers those two forms bread, he said

Oonagh Monahan, a food scientist and author in Ireland, said she worried the ruling could confuse consumers, noting that most breads dont have any added sugars. What the legislation says and what people think it is might not be the same thing, she said.

The ruling Thursday is tied to a tax dispute that began in 2006, when a franchisee that operated a Subway location in Galway sought a refund for certain taxes it paid during the previous two years.

Chris Talbot, who said he previously owned the Galway store involved in the case, said, Were exploring our options with the verdict.
Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe was excoriated by his predecessors last week for declassifying discredited intelligence reports supposedly implicating Hillary Clinton in an effort to stir up a scandal against Trump in 2016 involving Russia. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was rebuffed in his effort to secure a meeting with the pope by Vatican officials who reportedly regarded his approach as an election ploy to please Catholics. And Attorney General William P. Barr was accused of being the source of unsubstantiated claims of voting irregularities cited last week by the president.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former Liberian President has said Kwara is a model for women empowerment, as it demonstrates institutional reforms and political will as key for gender inclusion.

Sirleaf made this remark during the First Kwara State Gender (virtual) Conference organised by the state government on Thursday in Ilorin.

The theme of the conference is Institutional Reforms, Political will, the key to Gender Inclusion.

Sirleaf said that advocacy for women empowerment should include reforms at various levels.

She described Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as a regional leader in the promotion of gender inclusion, urging other Nigerian leaders to emulate him.

You have demonstrated that ensuring parity in leadership positions can be done.

You have moved considerably the numbers of women at the leadership level in the civil service and the numbers of female cabinet members are true to be applauded, she said.

According to her, mainstreaming gender inclusion in governance requires institutional and legal reforms as well as deliberate efforts by political leaders to give women a fair chance to contribute their quota to development.

In his remarks at the virtual conference, Gov. AbdulRazaq said gender inclusion was key to faster growth that leaves no one behind.

We set out to offer a strong platform to state and non-state actors alike to discuss domestic, bilateral and multilateral strategies to increase womens participation in our societies.

True to that, we are joined at this conference by some of the strongest voices in the clamour for better opportunities for women in Africa.

Kwara State is actively taking the lead in the campaign for gender inclusion because we are convinced that society works better and grows faster when no one is denied equal opportunities to succeed.

We have no regret pursuing this noble cause, he said.

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Linkedin Rizki Fachriansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, October 4, 2020 18:31 475 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4905bd2 1 National labor-union,workers,NGO,job-creation,RUU-cipta-kerja,RUU-cilaka,DPR,baleg,KASBI,protest,strike,mogok-kerja,demo,demo-buruh,omnibus-bill Free

Labor unions and civil rights groups are set to hold large-scale protests from Oct. 6 to 8 in opposition to the controversial omnibus bill on job creation, which is due to be passed into law in the next plenary session of the House of Representatives.

Congress Alliance of Indonesian Labor Unions (KASBI) chair Nining Elitos said the hasty and largely clandestine deliberation of the bill had left the organization no choice but to voice its opposition one last time regardless of the result.

Without major opposition, todays ruling regime will continue to keep its eyes shut to the suffering of the people, Nining said during an online press conference on Sunday, which was attended by members of labor unions and NGOs affiliated with the Labor with the People Movement (Gebrak).

Activist Lini Zurlia said the protests throughout next week would take various forms, including strikes that would culminate in mass protests in front of the House complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, and regional administration offices throughout the country on the day of the next plenary session.

Gebrak will mobilize around 20,000 people from Jakarta, Banten and West Java for the strike in Senayan on Oct. 8, she said.

In total, the three-day demonstration by Gebrak and other regional alliances will involve more than 100,000 people.

All-Indonesia United Workers Confederation (KPBI) chair Ilhamsyah expressed his dismay that lawmakers and the government had decided to expedite the deliberation of the bill amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, noting that it was a very difficult time for large-scale protests because of health concerns.

However, he said the upcoming demonstration was vital as it would serve as a last-ditch effort to prevent the bill from being passed into law.

Whether or not we succeed should be an afterthought. Whats important is that we fight, Ilhamsyah said.

The Houses Legislation Body (Baleg) and the government previously agreed to pass the contentious bill into law in a plenary session on Oct. 8 despite significant opposition from members of the public in recent months.

[The bill] has been approved for the next stage of deliberation, said Baleg chair Supratman Andi Agtas during a meeting with members of the government on Sunday, as quoted by kompas.com.

Responding to the latest development, Jakarta Legal Aid Institute director Arif Maulana said one final demonstration was crucial as an exercise in democracy to counteract the increasing pressure from the countrys oligarchs.

Those sitting in Senayan are not the peoples representatives but rather the spokespeople of businesses, he said.
This article, Prime Day protest planned outside Bezos' Beverly Hills mansion, originally appeared on CNET.com.

Prime Day is back, and so are the protests.

The Congress of Essential Workers, an activist group led by current and former Amazon warehouse employees, is planning a march against the e-commerce giant on Sunday outside CEO Jeff Bezos ' mansion in Beverly Hills, California. The demonstration was scheduled just ahead of Prime Day, which kicks off Oct. 13. The group is bringing together organizations representing both climate and labor issues, including Sunrise Movement and Extinction Rebellion, to raise concerns about Amazon's business practices and warehouse working conditions.

"Employees are not going to be treated fairly and going to have mandatory overtime and have no breaks for the next two months into December," Jordan Flowers, an outspoken Amazon worker from its Staten Island warehouse, who's a leader of the worker group, said in an interview Friday.

Among a long list of demands, the group is calling for a new federal wealth tax to support urban communities, a $30 minimum wage and hazard pay for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic. Amazon's current minimum wage is $15, above the federal minimum of $7.25, and it often talks up its benefits package, which includes health insurance, retirement savings and up to 20 weeks paid parental leave.

The group also called for the right for workers to unionize "without fear of retaliation," a reference to Amazon's anti-union reputation. No US Amazon workers are unionized.

Amazon didn't comment for this story. For anyone planning to attend the 2 p.m. PT event, masks will be mandatory.

Though Prime Day has become an opportunity for Amazon to show off its membership perks and sell millions of products, the sale has also become a platform for activism against the company. Anti-Amazon demonstrations are also held regularly during the holiday season. Last year, Prime Day demonstrations were held in Minnesota, New York, Seattle, San Francisco and across Europe, with groups speaking out on issues ranging from climate change to Amazon's working conditions to the company's ties to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"Cancel your Prime memberships, order less on Prime Day week and give us time to be prepared because peak season is hectic," Flowers said in a plea to Amazon customers, referencing the holiday shopping season. "We're doing 50 or 60 hours a week with one or two days off."

He said he's still an active employee at the company, though he hasn't come to his warehouse since February and is on unpaid leave because he has lupus, an autoimmune disease that makes him more susceptible to serious health problems if he were to contract the novel coronavirus. Flowers added that Amazon has shown no concern for his health issues and that he's currently on state unemployment.

Flowers' group is also led by Christian Smalls, an Amazon worker who gained prominence after he was fired for organizing a protest in March to call out coronavirus health concerns at the Staten Island warehouse. Amazon said Smalls was terminated for violating a company-mandated quarantine order.

The march on Sunday outside of Bezos' mansion is clearly meant to highlight the wealth disparity between warehouse employees and their boss -- the world's richest person, whose net worth during the coronavirus has ballooned to $185 billion. The Wall Street Journal reported in February that Bezos bought his nine-acre Beverly Hills residence from media mogul David Geffen for $165 million, a new record for the Los Angeles area.

Bezos has made many efforts to show he's giving back, already pledging $10 billion for climate change and $2 billion for homeless families and education.

The protest comes just days after Amazon disclosed that nearly 20,000 of its employees contracted coronavirus this year. The company has instituted a bevy of safety protocols to protect its warehouse workers, including testing, temperature checks and regular facility cleanings.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Like the tide in the Upper New York Bay, so has been the ebb and flow of food places at Urby.

As Urby started to take shape in 2016, the idea of what the old Navy homeport could be sounded incredible. It turned out to be quite a ride in the retail department these four years. The high turnover of places had been attributed by an Urby rep in a prior Advance report as a lack of walk-in traffic" to the facility.
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. - Lisa Goldstein's garage never closes. Loyal Democrats can collect campaign literature, postcards, door drops and turf maps whenever the mood strikes. It's an election convenience market. Today, on the last Friday in September, she even offers apples and Tastykakes.

At age 59, "I'm the young one in this group," says Goldstein, a child psychiatrist, in her "Nevertheless, she persisted" T-shirt festooned with a semicircle of political buttons echoing an RBG collar. (How this crowd mourns the late justice.) Each week, as many as 60 older volunteers appear at Goldstein's stone ranch house in suburban Philadelphia to talk shop and help elect Joe Biden president. A pandemic and precarious knees won't thwart them.

Americans 65 and older vote the way some people wish the entire country voted: regularly, passionately and in huge percentages, the largest of any age group. (Goldstein belongs to the second-most committed bloc.)

They are no-excuse, this-is-what-democracy-is-all-about voters. Four years ago, 71 percent of them cast ballots. They vote like their legacies depend on it.

"We have the time, and we don't have as much life left to live," says Bob Mulliken, 80, a retired mental health counselor in nearby Wayne, who is making calls, writing postcards and traveling door-to-door for Democrats up and down the ballot. "I do what I can to make sure that my children have a noble life."

It's been two decades since the party's presidential nominee won the bulk of older voters. That would be Al Gore, whom political scribe Michael Kinsley once described as "an old person's idea of a young person."

The Biden campaign hopes to end that drought. Polls and voting patterns suggest it very well could. In a recent Washington Post-ABC poll, 52 percent of likely voters over 65 supported Biden, compared with 47 percent for President Donald Trump. Four years ago, Trump won those voters over Hillary Clinton.

Plenty of attention has centered on young activists' and voters' role in a Biden win. But, quite possibly, it may be older "super-voters," religiously participating in every election, who become the Democrats' 2020 heroes - even in a pandemic where they are the ones most at risk.

These voters are not a young person's idea of an old person.

They include zeitgeist diviner Jane Fonda, 82, and her repeated arrests for climate change. Not to mention baby boomers, around 10,000 of whom turn 65 every day, swelling the nation's older population by more than a third in the past decade.

Many of them marched against the Vietnam War and for racial and gender equality and gay rights. They smoked cannabis before their children and grandchildren knew what it was or fashioned it into gummy bears. They lived through Richard Nixon.

Four years ago, Trump won Pennsylvania by 44,292 votes, as anyone here can tell you. But a recent Washington Post-ABC poll found that Biden had a 54 to 45 percent edge among the commonwealth's likely voters. It also found that Biden supporters 65 and older here were nearly three times as likely to be "very enthusiastic" about the candidate than those under 50.

Vigorous turnout in Philadelphia's populous, increasingly Democratic suburban counties are critical to a Biden win in Pennsylvania, vast swaths of which are acutely red.

Trump, 74, and Biden, 77, happen to be the two oldest candidates to secure their parties' nominations. Biden is a man who utters "malarkey" without irony. His cherished wheels are a 1967 Corvette. That car, incidentally, is only a few years younger than his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif.

Older voters prefer Biden in a few national polls. He's been in politics as long as many of them have been voting. They tend to like him more than they did Hillary Clinton.

These voters are a huge, engaged voting bloc in battlegrounds like Pennsylvania, where 26 percent of registered voters were older citizens in 2018, according to the Census. And did we mention they love to vote? Though they represent about 17 percent of America's adults, they're 25 percent of its registered voters.

"It's not so much a get-out-the-vote effort with seniors as much as getting them to vote for your candidate," says Richard Fiesta, director of the Alliance for Retired Americans and a member of the Seniors for Biden Council.

Among Biden's older Pennsylvania supporters is former Republican Gov. Tom Ridge, 75, who was George W. Bush's Secretary of Homeland Security. "My first vote for a Democratic candidate for president of the United States," he wrote in The Philadelphia Inquirer recently, and he urged "my fellow Pennsylvanians to join me."

"From what I've seen, younger voters don't do a hundredth of what I do," says Nancy Kleinberg, 74, who always voted but wasn't politically active until after the 2016 election, when the former nursing home administrator and owner cast her vote for Hillary Clinton. She says, "I went to the polls with my daughter and my granddaughter and said, 'This is going to be historical.' We were right - but in the wrong way."

Weeks later, she started organizing. She hasn't stopped since, working 50 to 60 hours a week for Biden and other Democratic candidates.

"Democracy's fragile. By not knowing anything, I contributed to Trump's winning," Kleinberg says.

In interviews with two dozen older Democratic Pennsylvania voters, they voiced concerns far more sweeping than the presumed twin priorities of Social Security and Medicare: economic inequality, Black Lives Matter, the environment, the courts, the Affordable Care Act, women's right, gay rights, the pandemic. (They also willingly and proudly stated their ages and upcoming birthdays.)

"My generation doesn't have a lot to be proud of," says Harry Bryans, 74, a retired lawyer. "The commonweal is really threatened," he says, using an archaic term for the public welfare. "If we fail in this - keep going down this path - there's no turning back."

Vinton Fisher, 86, a retired consultant in public policy management, says of Biden, "We know him. I like the empathy he shows and the caring."

They are emphatic, sometimes unprintable, in their scorn for Trump. They believe he takes them for granted, especially during the pandemic when their age group is most at risk.

"Trump is the biggest insult to aging. He thinks older people are low-hanging fruit," says retired psychotherapist Andrea Shapiro Temko, 69, in an RBG T-shirt and skinny black jeans.

During July and August, 11 nursing home residents died every hour nationally because of the pandemic, according to a recent congressional report co-authored by Sen. Robert Casey Jr., D-Pa. Residents and staff account for 40 percent of all the nation's covid-19 deaths.

"Trump just never talks about it. It's just bizarre," says Casey, 60, who grew up blocks from where Biden was raised in Scranton. "James Carville taught me a lot of things when I worked for him. People vote when they have a stake in the election." Older voters "have the long view," he says.

Last year, Democrats in Delaware County, where Goldstein's garage is located, took control of local government for the first time since forever, the Civil War, when the Democratic Party was an entirely different entity.

This was due, in no small part, to older voters and volunteers, unfettered by jobs and young children. Kleinberg lives in Narberth, in very blue Montgomery County, so she adopted Delco, as it's known in these parts. In 2018, she served as finance director for state assembly candidate Jennifer O'Mara, who is less than half her age - and won.

Typically on political campaigns, paid staffers have been out of college four months; the volunteers, four decades. Fifty-eight percent of poll workers in the 2018 general election were over 60. Because of the coronavirus, a swarm of younger citizens have volunteered to take their place.

Diane Simon, 70, who is Black and a retired school administrator and active Democrat, will not be deterred from working the polls in Chichester next month. "I tell younger Black people they should vote because people died so we could vote," she says. "There must be something important about this election, because they're trying so hard to keep us from voting. I thought we were past this."

Devouring cable news and wringing their hands isn't enough. "I feel like I have a purpose. Like I'm doing something," says volunteer Sally Woolf, 82, retired from real estate management. "I couldn't imagine just sitting by and thinking to myself, 'If Trump wins and I did nothing, I will be so upset.' I'll feel at least that I tried."

There is a profound fear of undoing progress that many of them worked to achieve. "We're at the crossroads of going forward or taking women back to the 1950s - and we were alive for the 50s," says Elaine Curry, 73. The former medical librarian is helping mobilize Hazleton's sizable Latino vote in bellwether Luzerne County, which went for Obama twice before voting for Trump. "I'm worried about the world we're going to have when we're no longer here. "

The pandemic has brought a world of potential chaos to voting. Pennsylvania is no exception. Indeed, it may be Exhibit A. Confusion reigns. Court challenges multiply and continue to be appealed.

Most Pennsylvanians are new to voting by mail. The rules are bewildering. The commonwealth will toss "naked ballots" that aren't enclosed inside the "secrecy envelope," which sounds like something out of Harry Potter. It must be placed inside a separate mail-in envelope with a signed declaration. Oh, and then there's the mess with the mail. Voters worried their ballots won't count or arrive in time must bring them to the polls to be invalidated before they can vote in person.

Phyllis Mikolaitis, a former international training manager for Xerox, isn't taking any chances.

"I'm going early. I'm wearing my mask. I'm bringing my lunch," she says. "I'm bringing my chair. I'm going to stick it out."

She's 77 and has participated in too many elections for this vote not to count.
A former student in New York City is coming forward to claim Ghislaine Maxwell allegedly 'gagged, restrained and raped' her before Jeffrey Epstein joined in the abuse.

A New York woman who is going by the pseudonym Samantha, 48, says she was just a 21-year-old student at Parsons School of Design in Manhattan when she was recruited by another student to visit Epsteins mansion to give him a massage for money.

Samantha is speaking out for the first time to claim Maxwell was the 'mastermind' behind his alleged sex trafficking in an interview with The Sun.

'The last time I saw them, Maxwell got a hold of me, restrained my arms behind my back and put a ball gag in my mouth and then raped me with a sex toy,' Samantha said.

A New York woman who is going by the pseudonym Samantha, now 48, says she was 21 when she was abused by Ghislaine Maxwell (above) and Jeffrey Epstein. She said the last time she saw them Maxwell allegedly gagged, restrained and raped' her before Epstein joined in the abuse

A friend and fellow student at Parsons Design School recruited Samantha to give Epstein a massage for money claiming he was interested in her design work and wanted a good looking girl to massage him

'Then she called Epstein in. And he joined in. I was terrified - I couldn't do anything to stop them,' she added.

She said the horrific abuse 'stole' her life, left her traumatized, ruined her studies and career aspirations.

'I feel she was the monster, she was the one behind it all,' she said.

Maxwell, who was arrested in July, is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn on charges for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse young women.

Samantha first came to know Epstein when a friend invited her to come to a 'rich guys house' because he was interested in her 'design work'.

'He apparently was interested in having some design work done on his house and he also wanted good looking girls to give him a massage,' Samantha said.

Once there she met Epstein and gave him a massage and described him as 'pleasant'.

'He was talking to me about my school and design stuff. And then asked if I was interested in doing some work in his house,' she said.

'Then he flipped over and he wasn't approaching me in a sexual way but towards the end he started touching himself, pleasuring himself,' she added.

She went back to massage him about three or four more times from the end of 1993 to the beginning of 1994 and each time he would masturbate and she would get paid around $300 to $400.

Epstein was arrested on July 6, 2019, on federal charges for the sex trafficking of minors in Florida and New York. He died in his jail cell on August 10, 2019 while awaiting trial and his death was ruled a suicide

Around the fourth or fifth visit Samantha met Maxwell for the first time who then took her out to procure young girls.

'She had this accent and she said something about me being too old and how he preferred blonde hair. I had darker hair,' Samantha said.

Together they went to a local high school where Maxwell approached girls on the street and asked them if they were interested in modeling.

'And then she'd say something like "I have a very wealthy man that I worked for that has great influence in that fashion world and can help your career" and she'd get numbers that way. I was so uncomfortable with that,' Samantha said.

Samantha said she found a student at her school who agreed to do a massage and she urged her to lie about her age to be younger.

'She was 19 but I told her to say she was 16. She went to meet them but I didnt speak to her after so I didnt know how it went,' Samantha said.

'Soon after I got a call to go to Epstein's and Maxwell answered that time and took me to the massage room, which is where she started yelling at me and screaming, "You dirty, filthy whore, lying whore,"' Samantha claimed.

Samantha was a student at Parsons School of Design (pictured in Manhattan) when she was introduced to Epstein

'She was mad at me because of telling the other girl to lie about her age,' she added.

'The next thing I knew she had a ball gag in my mouth, my hands around my back and she was raping me with a sex toy...She had taken my clothes off. It all happened so fast, I was stunned,' she said before Epstein joined in.

Samantha said Maxwell gave her $300 after the encounter and threatened her against going to the police.

'I remember hersaying, "Dont think about going to the authorities because you wont be alive to see your day in court" or something like that,' Samantha recalled.

Samantha later found out that the girl she 'recruited' for Epstein was sexually assaulted during her visit and she felt 'consumed with guilty'.

Samanthas attorney Spencer Kuvin, who represents several Epstein victims, confirmed he is representing Samantha and planned to submit an application to the compensation fund on her behalf

Samantha eventually left New York to move to Los Angeles where she became a sex worker.

'It's changed my life completely. I was going to school for design. I had a future. And then I got to LA and I went into the sex trade,' Samantha said.

'I've never been married, this affected everything,' she said.

'It's extremely traumatic when something like that happens and you're not the same person after it happens. Then there's just the embarrassment of it. I hid it from everyone.'

Samantha said she only felt safe to come forward following Maxwells arrest and now wants her to be held to justice.

'I want to see her be punished. I dont want her to die. I think that Epstein got away too easily by killing himself,' she said.

Samanthas attorney Spencer Kuvin, who represents several Epstein victims, confirmed he is representing Samantha and planned to submit an application to the compensation fund on her behalf.

Epstein and his alleged fixer Maxwell pictured together in 2005

'I do believe that Ms Maxwell was someone just as perverted and twisted as Mr Epstein,' Kuvin said to the Sun.

Speaking on Samanthas case he said: 'I never got a chance to depose Maxwell on the cases that occurred 12 years ago, but I can tell you that during the police investigation and search of Mr Epstein's home, various different sexual devices were procured in that home, which included things that could be used in sado-masochistic-type sexual activities.'

Epstein was arrested on July 6, 2019, on federal charges for the sex trafficking of minors in Florida and New York. He died in his jail cell on August 10, 2019 while awaiting trial and his death was ruled a suicide
The EU says it supports the Belarusian people's democratic right to elect their president through new, free elections.

The European Union has responded to Belarus' call to withdraw the diplomatic missions of Poland and Lithuania, saying that it is "unfounded and regrettable."

"The demand of the Belarusian authorities that Poland and Lithuania withdraw their ambassadors and significantly reduce their diplomatic representations in Minsk is unfounded and regrettable," says a statement by High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell on October 4.

Read alsoEU imposes sanctions on 40 Belarussian officials

"It goes against the logic of dialogue and will only further isolate the authorities in Minsk," the statement says.

Attempts by the Belarusian authorities to target certain EU Member States will not succeed in weakening EU unity, which was clearly reaffirmed by the European Council on October 1, when all EU Member States called on the Belarusian authorities to end violence and repression, release all detainees and political prisoners, respect media freedom and civil society, and start an inclusive national dialogue.

"The EU continues to support the democratic right of the Belarusian people to elect their President through new free and fair elections, without external interference," Borrell said.

Recent developments in Belarus-EU relations
The transmission of the COVID-19 virus Sars-CoV-2 (SCV2) via people who are infected but not experiencing symptoms is a matter of much discussion, debate and speculation. Some folks never react enough to develop symptoms or are asymptomatic. But some start out that way, go on to get sick  a little or lot  and are called presymptomatic.

A study published just Sept. 22 in the online journal PLOS was an analysis of 79 studies and seemed to conclude that about 20% of infections were asymptomatic. But another mode of analysis found the number to be around 30%. Dr. Anthony Fauci, a true infectious disease genius, and a perfect gentleman and scientist under any circumstances, has frequently quoted about 40%.

An August study from South Korea, reported in JAMA Internal Medicine, measured the viral genetic material from swabs, but did not trace transmission or actually grow live viruses from the material. The viral load was equivalent in both the sick patients and asymptomatic ones. Tests over the following 3-4 weeks in both groups found the virus at about the same rates, but not all gone even at 3 weeks. The unproven implication is that asymptomatic cases can be as infectious as those with symptoms.

An article in the May 28, New England Journal of Medicine, by Monica Gandhi, M.D., an infectious disease specialist from the University of California, San Francisco, compared the original severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus epidemic in 2003 to the current SCV2 virus.

In 2003, strategies relied heavily on early detection of disease to contain spread, isolation and quarantine, which seemed to shut down that SARS epidemic within 8 months, infecting approximately 8,100 people in limited geographic areas. By May of this year SCV2 had infected more than 2.6 million people worldwide.

The main difference between the 2 viruses, even with genetic similarities, seems to be the SCV2 produces a high number of viruses in the upper respiratory tract, mainly nose and throat, where SCV1 breeds mainly in the lower respiratory tract.

Viral loads with SCV1 peak at about five days and are associated with onset of symptoms, classically fever, cough, and shortness of breath. This is later than the peak viral loads of SCV2 shedding from noses before symptoms, which makes detection less effective than SCV1.

By contrast, influenza infections have lower viral loads in upper respiratory tracts and a shorter period of viral shedding. Are you still with me?

Dr. Gandhi: Asymptomatic transmission is the Achilles heel of COVID-19 pandemic control through the public health strategies we have employed. She discusses issues of testing in nursing homes, especially ALL staff and residents.

Ultimately, the rapid spread of COVID-19 across the U.S. and the globe, the evidence of SCV2 transmission from asymptomatic persons, and the eventual need to relax current social distancing practices argue for broadened SCV2 testing to include asymptomatic persons in prioritized settings. These factors also support the case for the general public to use face masks when in crowded outdoor or indoor spaces. Good luck in a biker bar.

One speculation about spread is that those who become ill take to bed, or stay home, while the unknowingly infected are out and about, unwittingly littering their environment with malevolent microbes.

A tragic obituary appeared in the Minneapolis paper Sept. 29, for a 62-year-old M.D. infectious disease specialist from the Medical Center at Bowling Green, Kentucky. She died of COVID-19 after a 4-month illness. She had worked among COVID patients, running treatment trials, where precautionary measures were strict.

The likeliest source for her infection, they decided, was a home health worker, who was infected and didnt know it! She was caring for her mother-in-law, who was the first person in the house to become ill. Her husband, a retired internist, and their daughter both got infected, but had mild symptoms. Their son never contracted it.

Maybe we should do before and after studies of participants in COVID parties to analyze transmission patterns? That is not a facetious thought. They would be an ideal sample group.

Another classic conundrum (nothing like a snare drum) is the huge range of host responses. In 2015 a challenge study was done with a non-lethal strain of influenza virus in which folks with known infections tried to give it to uninfected volunteers (likely impoverished medical students).

No such study has been contrived to date for SCV2. We are not sure just how many asymptomatic carriers there are, but were pretty darned sure they are driving the SCV2 spread locally and globally.

Silent germ transmission from darling, cuddly grandchildren before they get sick to adoring, cuddling grandparents has been recognized for eons. Been there, done it. Elementary classrooms and now day cares are classic petri dishes.

A cosmetologist said she had NO idea how she contracted a cold with all the precautions she has to take now in her profession, and at home. But her 2-year-old goes to a day care. Bingo. And yes, I love our grandkids (cough, sneeze, honk), I love our grandkids.

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As part of its crackdown on drug peddlers in the city, officers of unit 7 of Mumbai Polices crime branch arrested a 24-year-old woman with 109 gram cocaine worth 11 lakh on Saturday.

The arrested accused Manjusha Singh came to Mumbai a year ago and lived in Shivaji Nagar area of Govandi. She worked in a beauty parlour in the same area. However, she came in contact with a wanted drug peddler when she was in need of money, and the peddler convinced her to work for him, the officer said.

She delivered drugs twice on the directions of the drug peddler and got 10,000 per consignment. She, however, was not aware about the person to whom she delivered the narcotics to, said an officer.

Inspector Manish Shridhankar got information and laid a trap and arrested Singh on Friday evening. She was brought to the unit office where she confessed to being active in the racket for three to four months, said Shridhankar.

She was produced before a court and has been remanded in police custody till Monday.

The suspect who gave the cocaine to Singh is still wanted and a police team has been looking for him, added Shridhankar.

The crime branch has arrested around a dozen peddlers in the past one week. A crime branch officer said that as smuggling of cocaine, heroin and hashish has reduced during lockdown, consumption of synthetic drugs has increased in the city.
At a trendy Tokyo cocktail bar, customers sip brightly coloured beverages with sophisticated flavour profiles, designed for a small but growing market in hard-drinking Japan: teetotallers.

At "0%", all the cocktails are non-alcoholic, but the bar is still something of an anomaly in Japan, where drinking is popular and considered an important part of business culture.

With alcohol as a lubricant, the formality that can govern the Japanese workplace slips away, and drinking -- often heavily -- with colleagues is seen as important to career advancement for some.

There's even a word for drinking with colleagues: "nominication", a portmanteau of the word for drink -- nomi -- in Japanese and the English word communication.

That has long put non-drinkers like Hideto Fujino, a 54-year-old fund manager, at a disadvantage, but he and others like him are speaking out -- and finding they are not alone.

"There are many times that non-drinkers feel uncomfortable," he told AFP.

"You sometimes hear statements like 'you can't get promoted if you can't drink alcohol'," said Fujino, who started a Facebook group for non-drinkers.

Fujino doesn't drink because he cannot process alcohol well -- like about five percent of Japanese, and many other east Asians, he lacks some of the enzymes that break down the toxic byproducts of alcohol.

Those with the genetic disposition suffer various side effects including flushed cheeks and feeling sick when they drink.

But there are plenty of other reasons that people don't drink, said Fujino, whose Facebook group attracted over 4,000 members within months of him creating it.

Some cite health reasons, or pregnancy, while others dislike alcohol or its effects on them, and some like drinking but have decided to cut back -- a group that is growing in other parts of the world and is sometimes termed "sober curious".

- 'Lonely and discriminated against' -

Story continues

For centuries, alcohol has played an important social role in Japan -- feudal lords used it to bond with subordinates and sake was brewed in some temples.

More recently, it has been seen as a way for co-workers to speak more freely than is sometimes possible in often deeply hierarchical workplaces.

This means that non-drinkers can struggle, said Fujino, with many feeling their career progression may in part depend on drinking.

"In the office, sometimes senior staff only take out those who can drink," he said.

"You're told 'we didn't ask you to come because you can't drink' -- this makes you feel lonely and discriminated against."

Fujino coined the term "gekonomist" for people like him -- combining the word for people allergic to alcohol "geko" with "nomi" and the English suffix "ist".

On his Facebook group, fellow gekonomists swap recipes for non-alcoholic drinks they enjoy and share stories about their experiences.

"Today, I tasted this," one member commented with a photo of a glass of a drink resembling whisky.

"Of course, it's non-alcoholic, with the scent of a cypress tree!"

The group also exploded with comments on the election of Japan's new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, a rare high-profile teetotaller.

"Congratulations on the birth of a geko prime minister!" one user wrote, while another speculated about the pressure Suga must have faced to join drinking parties while rising up the ranks.

"Overcoming this to become a prime minister is impressive."

- Drop in young drinkers -

Mayumi Yamamoto, who started 0%, said she was inspired to offer better non-alcoholic drinks by her own experience as a teetotaller.

"I thought it would be great if there were drink menu options other than tea and carbonated water for people like me who can't drink much alcohol," the 31-year-old told AFP.

The bar in the popular nightlife area of Roppongi, famous for clubs and drinking holes, offers vegan food alongside cocktails infused with ingredients including basil, mascarpone cheese, seaweed, and berries.

Among the customers one Saturday evening was Rei Azezaki, 21, who is allergic to alcohol and had brought along her boyfriend, who is a drinker.

"Usually I drink a lot of alcohol," said Yuto Takahashi, 24.

"But here I enjoy drinks more slowly, it's like I'm appreciating the atmosphere more. I like it very much."

Similar booze-free bars are cropping up elsewhere in Japan, with their locations enthusiastically shared on Fujino's Facebook group, and health ministry data suggests heavy drinking is falling among young people.

In 2017, just 16 percent of men in their 20s and 25 percent of those in their 30s drank the equivalent of two or more glasses of wine, at least three days a week -- half the number in both age groups from a decade earlier.

Naoko Kuga, a senior researcher at NLI Research Institute, has studied the changing alcohol market in Japan and says young people increasingly have a different relationship with alcohol, particularly around colleagues.

"Young people don't want that old 'nominication' with superiors that lasts hours," she told AFP.

"They'll choose what they want as the first glass, and it might well be non-alcoholic."

kh/sah/lto/qan
Head of Operations at the Forestry Commission, Charles Owusu has scolded President Nana Akufo-Addo and his government over the Western Togoland revolt.



Accoridng to him, the government is playing with the separatist group that carried out attacks in the Volta Region amidst demands to become autonomous country.



Speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', Charles Owusu expressed disappointment in the government for not using the necessary force to instil discipline in the separatists.



Western Togoland Secession



Some secessionist group days ago carried out separate attacks in the Volta Region.



The group on Friday, September 25, attacked some Police stations in the Volta Region and blocked roads in the Region preventing vehicular and human movements.



The group subsequently carried out an arson attack on the State Transport Corporation (STC) in the Region on Tuesday, September 29.



They are said to have also seized some guns belonging to some Police personnel, all in protest against the Government of Ghana amidst demands for them to become an autonomous country called ''Western Togoland''.



The Police have reportedly arrested over 30 suspects in connection with the attacks.



Charles Owusu Registers Displeasure



Charles Owusu says he is not pleased with the way the government is handling the issue.



He wondered why the Speaker of Parliament hasn't yet summoned the National Security Minister before the House to address the issue.



''I think the government is playing with them too much. We should act fast to resolve the issue...I suggest that Parliament should summon the National Security Minister...They should call him; come and brief the country. What happened? Why?''



He charged the government to stop treating the group with kid gloves.



''Assuming they had gone on a shooting spree in town when they seized the guns from the Police, what would have been the fate of the country? To the extent that they were able to kidnap three Policemen and also injured the District or Divisional Commander who is currently on admission in the hospital. Why couldn't we beef up security in numbers within that area?'', he questioned.





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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Inevitably while watching evangelist revival meetings end with a teary flock of the newly converted head to the altar full of commitment and purpose, my late father-in-law, a Baptist minister, would wonder aloud how many would continue going to church after the emotion of the moment passed.

Similarly, churches, unions, fraternities and sororities, political parties, social clubs, the League of Women Voters, and many others hold red, white and blue rallies to rev up citizens to register to vote. But turning the newly enfranchised into long-term voters has always been something of a hurdle.

Only 75% of Louisianas 182,936 new registrants participated in the 2016 presidential election. That was better a percentage than the longstanding voters but still less than the initial enthusiasm suggested. Between now and the last presidential election, when 67.8% of registered voters participated, the number of Louisiana voters dropped by more than 60,000 before rebounding to a record level  3,043,159 on Sept. 24  going into the Nov. 3 presidential election.

Registration for the upcoming election is open until close of business Monday, for in-person sign-ups, Oct. 13 for online registrations.

Our Views: Let more people vote, even in a difficult year Louisiana has a good plan on the table for how to conduct one of the biggest elections in years, and its the plan that a federal judge ordere

I think one of the bigger challenges, especially for election administrators, is that new voters tend to be less frequent voters, David Becker, executive director at the Center for Election Innovation and Research, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that analyzes elections administration, told National Public Radio on Sept. 13. They tend to be less familiar with the process. That's a particular challenge this year when so many changes have occurred where voters are going to be having options that they might never have considered before, like voting by mail or voting early.

Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin, who puts on elections in this state, predicts Louisiana could see a record-breaking turnout on Nov. 3  maybe 70% or more of the states 3 million voters. I havent seen the electorate as engaged as they are today since Edwards-Duke, which was 72%, Ardoin said, referring to the 1991 gubernatorial contest that pitted controversial Gov. Edwin Edwards against former Ku Klux Klan chieftain David Duke.

In last years race for governor between John Bel Edwards and Eddie Rispone, 51% of the registered voters participated. In the previous election with an incumbent governor on the ballot, Bobby Jindal in 2011, only 37% bothered.

In 2019, churches and civic groups, including Together Louisiana, organized volunteers to go into communities with historically low voter turnouts to mobilize participation among the registered voters who hadnt been casting ballots regularly. Though officially bipartisan, Democratic incumbent John Bel Edwards, who had his own get out the vote effort, showed up at their rallies and was received enthusiastically. Rispone, his GOP opponent, stuck pretty much with Republican gatherings.

+2 Louisiana should allow more mail-in ballots for Nov. 3 election, federal judge rules Louisiana should allow more access to absentee mail ballots for the Nov. 3 presidential elections, U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick ruled in a 

Edwards won by 40,000 votes out of 1.5 million cast.

Excited by how well the Bridge the Gap movement worked in 2019, a number of activists started brainstorming how to continue the effort and make it more part of a communitys daily life, said Khalida Lloyd, a lawyer and minister of congregational engagement at First Grace United Methodist Church on Canal Street in New Orleans.

We said, What if were doing this all wrong? Its not about a ramping up for two to three months for a candidate. It needs to be sustainable and impactful, Lloyd said. What if we can connect people with a block captain in their own neighborhood, neighbors motivating neighbors? Someone who can go to their neighbors and say I know the issues. The election coming. This is how to get connected. This is how to participate.

Together Louisiana, a coalition of community and faith-based groups, adopted the idea and tapped Lloyd to lead the effort.

Kyle Ardoin won't appeal decision to expand Louisiana absentee mail ballots before Nov. 3 election Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin said hes got to focus on putting on an election and wont appeal a federal trial court decision that requires 

Together Louisiana has recruited about 1,700 block captains, mostly in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport. But they also have fair number of volunteers in Lafayette, Monroe and Lake Providence along with other communities across the state.

The whole group of block captains gathered by video conference Thursday night to meet each other and trade ideas.

Its not necessarily a new idea. In fact, its pretty much the same strategy employed by the Old Choctaws, the politically conservative ring that ran New Orleans from Reconstruction through World War II. Except Together Louisiana will be using smartphones and datapoints to organize rather than patronage jobs and cash payouts.

We definitely want people to register to vote, Lloyd said. But we have a group of people not going out to vote. When they dont participate, their concerns, their issues arent addressed. Thats not the way democracy is supposed to work.
A pedestrian has died following a collision on a highway in Brampton Saturday night, Peel police say.

Officers were called around 10:30 p.m. Saturday to the junction of Highway 407 and Tomken Road, where a person had been struck and dragged by a vehicle, police say.

Shortly afterwards, police confirmed that the victim had died of their injuries.

Const. Akhil Mooken, media officer with Peel Regional Police, told the Star that the driver of the vehicle remained on scene and had spoken to officers. Its unknown whether they had suffered any injuries during the crash.

Mooken said their Major Collision Bureau is currently investigating how the crash occurred. As a result, the section of Tomken Rd. between Farmhouse Ct. and Wilkinson Rd. has been closed.

All we know at this point is that the pedestrian was struck . . . we won't know (how it happened) for some time now, he said.

Mooken asked any witnesses in the area around the time of the collision to call the Major Collision Bureau at 905-453-2121, ext. 3710. They may also leave an anonymous tip to Peel Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Kevin Jiang is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Reach him via email: kjiang@thestar.ca
The medical team treating President Donald Trump for Covid-19 is monitoring the condition of his lungs after he received supplemental oxygen on Thursday and Friday, but declined on Sunday to provide details of what they had seen. Trump, 74, who was flown to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday, has taken two doses of a five-day course of the intravenous antiviral drug Remdesivir, as well as the steroid dexamethasone, which is used in critical cases. Dr. Sean P. Conley acknowledged that Trump's blood oxygen levels had dropped in prior days and that he had run a ...
A man between 60 and 69 years old with COVID-19 has died.

The man was located in the Western Health region of the province and is the province's most recent case of the virus, according to a media release issued by the Department of Health shortly after 5 p.m.

He died while in self-isolation Thursday.

The new case is travel-related. The man arrived in Canada from Central Africa on Tuesday and travelled to the province on Wednesday.

The Department of Health said he travelled from Toronto to Halifax on Air Canada flight 604, and from Halifax to Deer Lake on Air Canada flight 8876.

Public health guidelines were followed.

Contact tracing by public health is underway, according to the media release. Anyone considered a close contact has been advised by public health to quarantine and call 811 to arrange for testing.

The man was pre-symptomatic during travel, said the health department.

While the risk of virus spreading from this case is considered low by the Department of Health, it's asking people who travelled on Air Canada flight 8876 departing Halifax for Deer Lake on Wednesday to self-monitor for symptoms and contact 811 for testing.

COVID-19 update

The province's total caseload now moves to 276. There continues to be three active cases.

Since March, 269 people have recovered from the virus. There has now been four deaths, with Saturday's being the first since April 9.

Shortly before 3 p.m. NT Saturday, 43,714 people had been tested  an increase of 660 in the last day  according to the provincial government's COVID-19 website.

Shortly before the media release reporting the man's death was issued, a Department of Health spokesperson told CBC News there were no new cases of COVID-19 being reported in the province on Saturday.

Read more articles from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
Bouznika, Morocco (PANA) - Delegations representing the Libyan House of People's Representatives (Parliament) and the Libyan High Council of State, meeting in the inter-Libyan dialogue session, announced on Saturday that their parley in Bouznika will continue until they reach an "inclusive consensus" on the sharing of posts in a united Libya
India and South Africa have urged World Trade Organisation to waive certain Intellectual Property rights of Covid-19 medicines and vaccines. Both the countries have expressed concerns over the shortage of medical products owing to intellectual property rights (IPR), will lengthen the ongoing pandemic. IPR are the rights given to people over the creations of their minds, which in case of vaccine distribution can become a hindrance.

Here is all you need to know

1. As new diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines for Covid-19 are developed, there are significant concerns, how these will be made available promptly, in sufficient quantities and at affordable price to meet global demand, the two countries have said.

2. If medical products get patented, it will be difficult to procure them, the countries have pointed out.

3. There are several reports about intellectual property rights hindering or potentially hindering timely provisioning of affordable medical products to the patients, India and South Africa said.

4. The United States, the UK, France, Germany have finalised deals with several vaccine manufacturers for millions of doses of shots.

5. To ensure that vaccines dont get concentrated only in wealthy countries, the World Health Organisation has started COVAX, a global initiative at working with vaccine manufacturers to provide countries equal access to vaccines.

India has already said its vaccine production capacity will be used to held all countries. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, Indias vaccine production and delivery capacity will be used to help all humanity in fighting this crisis. From January 2021, as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, India will be committed to its responsibilities.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden waves to journalists as he enters the Queen Theater in Wilmington, Del., Oct. 3, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Biden Says Its Patriotic Duty to Wear a Mask as Trump Receives COVID-19 Care

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Saturday said no one should board public transportation without a mask before calling wearing a mask an act of patriotism.

We need a nationwide mask guidance so that no one gets on a public transportation unit without a mask. When they turned that request down, the Department of Transportation, they made a gigantic mistake, Biden said during a virtual town hall with the Amalgamated Transit Union.

Its not something that has taken away someones freedom. Its a patriotic duty to wear a mask. You do it not just to protect yourself, but to protect one another, he added.

The Department of Transportations (DOT) general counsel, Steven Bradbury, said in an Oct. 2 letter that he was denying a petition to implement a regulation requiring passengers wearing masks or face coverings.

Most transportation entities have already adopted mask requirements, Bradbury said, and the department views those and other measures in place as adequate to address the concerns identified in the petition without the initiation of a rulemaking process.

Larry Willis, president of the Transportation Trades Department, which filed the petition, said the decision ran counter to science.

We call on Congress to do what the DOT refused to and pass life-saving legislation requiring masks on all forms of commercial public transportation. The people who have risked their lives to see us through this crisis by serving on the frontlines of our transportation system deserve no less, he said in a statement.

Biden was speaking from the Queen Theater in Wilmington, Delaware. Biden lives in the city.

President Donald Trump working in the presidential suite at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Oct. 3, 2020. (Joyce N. Boghosian/White House)

He spoke as his rival, President Donald Trump, remains inside Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland. Trump is receiving treatment there for COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Biden often wears a mask while out in public and has frequently called on Americans to wear masks.

Earlier this year, Biden said he would, if elected, impose a nationwide mandate to force people to wear masks outside. He later acknowledged such a mandate would likely go against the U.S. Constitution but said he planned to enforce mask-wearing on federal property.

Wearing masks is essential, Biden said on Saturday. You should be worried about the person next to you, in front of you, your husband, wife, mother, father, friend, neighbor. Its essential. And it can save, as the experts have told us, up to a hundred thousand lives just between now and the end of the year.

While some research suggests wearing masks can cut down on the spread of the CCP virus, wearing masks in itself isnt a foolproof way of stopping the spread, and experts recommend taking other measures, including washing hands regularly and avoiding large gatherings.

Masks have gotten strong endorsements from health officials, including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention head Dr. Robert Redfield, who claimed last month the effect of wearing masks was comparable to vaccines.

A man wearing a mask uses his phone in the Times Square subway station, as people react to COVID-19 in New York City, March 19, 2020. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)

Biden told transit workers that we need to put in place the protections and precautions to keep you safe in your work.

Youre there every single day for the people who depend on you. You deserve leadership in government who will be there for you, will fight for you, prioritize your health, your safety, and in the process, prioritizing everybodys health and safety, he said.

Biden said Trump and First Lady Melania Trump testing positive for COVID-19 put him in a little bit of a spot when asked how he would handle things differently than the president but still attacked Trump.

Heres what Ill do as President. Number one, call on every single American to wear a mask when theyre around other people outside their households. That includes when they ride public transportation, buses, trains, airplanes. Yesterday, the transportation departmentstupidly, in my viewrejected a petition to require just that, wear a mask when youre on public transportation, he said.

Two, get protective gear to every worker on the front lines. Its unconscionable that for so long Washington left our states, cities, and transit agencies to bid against one another. If thats not the Presidents responsibility, what the heck is his responsibility? He also promised to use the Defense Production Act to send personal protective equipment to very single transit worker, hospital, job site, and school in this country.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden leaves mass at St. Josephs Church in Wilmington, Del., Oct. 3, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Trump has utilized the Defense Production Act this year to order companies to make ventilators, testing kits, and other items related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 150 million COVID-19 tests that are slated for distribution to schools to help reopen them safely include a nasal swab the president secured funding for by invoking the act, Adm. Brett Giroir, the administrations lead on testing, said last week.

Biden also claimed that Trump doesnt care about transit workers.

The Trump campaign didnt respond to a request for comment.

After the town hall, Biden attended mass. While leaving the church, he told reporters that he wasnt tested for COVID-19 on Saturday.

Biden tested negative the day prior.

The plan was to get tested on Sunday morning, he added.
New Delhi:

A man, wanted in connection with several cases of robbery, snatching and attempt to murder, was arrested in the wee hours on Monday near Nehru Place in south-east Delhi following a shootout, police said.

The accused, Akbar alias Danish who was carrying a reward of Rs 25,000, and his accomplice Asif, allegedly opened fire at a police party around 2.30 AM, a senior police officer said.

While his accomplice managed to flee, Danish was nabbed, he said.

Danish is wanted in many cases of robbery, theft, snatching and attempt to murder. He carries a reward of Rs 25,000 in connection with a shootout case at Pul Prahaladpur, the official said.

Two policemen escaped without injuries as the bullets hit their bulletproof jackets, he added.
Lakhimpur Kheri : , Oct 5 (IANS) A Dalit family in Lakhimpur Kheri has appealed for financial assistance from the state government as well as individuals, to separate a pair conjoined twins that were born at home on Thursday.

The father of the babies, Ram Kumar Gautam, works as a daily wage labourer.

The doctors in Lakhimpur are 'surprised' that the twins had a safe home delivery.

Dr S K Sachan said, "We are surprised that the conjoined twins have survived in a home delivery which is rare keeping in mind the complications in such cases." The twins are omphalopagus, which means that they are joined near the belly button, and the survival rate in such cases is usually only between 5 to 25 per cent, according to medical experts.

Such twins generally share a liver but some share the lower part of the small intestine and colon.

Usually conjoined babies require surgical delivery by caesarean section due to their anatomy, but in this case, they were born through normal delivery at home in Danduri village on Thursday.

The baby girls were taken to a community health centre (CHC) on Friday morning by their father where the staff said that they were 'healthy'.

The twins have been referred to a higher centre in Lucknow for further medical tests.

The chief medical officer (CMO) Dr Manoj Agarwal told reporters that the conjoined twins have a high mortality rate and the birth of the baby girls was a rare case of survival. "We will check the possibility of treatment of the babies," he said.

The mother, Nindara, said she was worried about the future of her daughters. "They might need treatment at some point to lead a normal life. I hope we can get some support from the authorities," she said.
Fisheries is patrolling a poplar surf break off North Beach after a surfer was pulled from his board by a shark on Sunday morning.

A shark warning has been issued for Hamersley Pool and Toms Surf Break, near Mettams Pool, following an incident where a surfer reported he was pulled off his board around 25 metres off shore by a 1.5 metre suspected bronze whaler around 10.45am.

The male was unhurt, but his leg rope was damaged.

The interaction was reported to Water Police around an hour later and fisheries officers began conducting patrols of the area to assess the situation shortly afterwards.
and said heavy fighting continues in their conflict over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijan's president said late Saturday that his troops had taken a town and several villages while Armenian officials claimed their troops inflicted heavy casualties.

Fighting broke out on September 27 in the region, which is located within and under the control of local ethnic Armenian forces. It is some of the worst in Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas since the end of a war in 1994.

Armenian Defence Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanian said intensive fighting was taking place place along the entire front line on Saturday and that Armenian forces had shot down three planes.

Azerbaijan's Defence Ministry denied any planes being shot down and said Armenian personnel had shelled civilian territory. President Ilham Aliyev said his country's army raised the flag in the town of Madagiz and taken seven villages.

Nagorno-Karabakh officials have said more than 150 servicemen on their side have died so far. Azerbaijani authorities haven't given details on their military casualties but said 19 civilians were killed and 55 more wounded.

Vahram Poghosyan, a spokesman for Nagorno-Karabakh's president, claimed Saturday on Facebook that intelligence data showed some 3,000 Azerbaijanis have died in the fighting. Armenian Defence Ministry spokesman Artsrun Ovannisian said later that 2,300 Azerbaijan troops were killed, about 400 of them in the last day.

With Azerbaijan not commenting on troop casualties, the statements could not be verified.

Nagorno-Karabakh was a designated autonomous region within Azerbaijan during the Soviet era. It claimed independence from Azerbaijan in 1991, about three months before the Soviet Union's collapse. A full-scale war that broke out in 1992 killed an estimated 30,000 people.

By the time the war ended in 1994, Armenian forces not only held Nagorno-Karabakh itself but substantial areas outside the territory's formal borders, including Madagiz, the village Azerbaijan claimed to have taken Saturday.

Several United Nations Security Council resolutions have called for withdrawal from those areas, which the Armenian forces have disregarded.

Aliyev said in a television interview the Armenians must withdraw from those areas before the latest fighting can stop.

In the interview with Al Jazeera, a transcript of which was distributed Saturday by the presidential press office, Aliyev criticized the so-called Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which has tried to mediate a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.

One reason behind the current fighting is that the mediators do not insist or exert pressure to start implementing the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, he said.

We have no time to wait another 30 years. The conflict must be resolved now, Aliyev said.

has repeatedly claimed over the past week that Turkey sent Syrian fighters to Azerbaijan and that the Turkish military is aiding Azerbaijan's.

Turkey and Azerbaijan are pursuing not only military-political goals," Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said Saturday in an address to his nation.

Their goal is Armenia, their goal is continuation of the genocide of Armenians.

Some 1.5 million Armenians died in mass killings in Ottoman Turkey beginning in 1915, which and many other countries have labelled a genocide. Turkey firmly rejects that term, contends the total number of victims is inflated and says the deaths were the consequence of civil war.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry released a statement Saturday alleging that thousands of ethnic Armenians from abroad were being deployed or recruited to fight for Armenia.

Armenia and Armenian disapora organizations bear legal liability for organizing these terrorist activities, the statement 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.)
President Donald Trump released a video on his health on Oct. 3 evening after he was diagnosed with the CCP virus. (White House/Donald Trump Twitter)

White House Doctors: Trumps Condition Improves, Could Return As Early as Tomorrow

National security advisor says president is 'firmly in command of the government and the country'

White House physician Dr. Sean P. Conley on Sunday said President Donald Trumps condition, after testing positive for COVID-19 last week, has continued to improve, and another medical specialist said he could return to the White House as early as tomorrow.

He noted that Trumps condition is being closely monitored, adding that doctors noted two transient drops in his oxygen levels. He said that on Friday, Trump had a high fever and saw a drop in his oxygen levels before seeing an improvement. For his oxygen levels, dexamethasone was administered.

Conleys team said that his vital signs are stable and hasnt complained of shortness of breath. He is still taking the anti-viral drug Remdesivir after completing his second round of the drug on Saturday night, the team said. On Saturday, his oxygen levels dropped to around 93 percent, Conley said, adding that it increased again and is now at 98 percent as of Sunday at noon.

Trump is now up and around and moving around his hospital room, Conley said.

We initiated dexamethasone and he received his first dose yesterday, Dr. Brian Garibaldi said in the news conference. Our plan is to continue that for the time being. Today he has been up and around and our plan is to have him eat and drink and be up out of bed as much as possible, and if he continues to look and feel as well as he does today, our hope is that we plan for discharge as early as tomorrow to the White House where he can continue his treatment course.

In a separate update, national security adviser Robert OBrien told CBS News on Sunday Trump is in great shape and is firmly in command of the government and the country, adding that he will brief the president on national security matters later in the day.

I think hes going to stay at Walter Reed for at least another period of time, OBrien told CBSs Face the Nation.

Days seven and eight are the critical days, OBrien noted. I think the doctors want to make sure that theyre there for the president and hes getting the best treatment, but hes doing well.

Other than the president, First Lady Melania Trump, Trump 2020 campaign manager Bill Stepien, Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel, White House advisor Hope Hicks, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), former White House advisor Kellyanne Conway, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have tested positive for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Vice President Mike Pence, Second Lady Karen Pence, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Barron Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Eric and Laura Trump tested negaitve for the virus. Meanwhile, Democrat Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, have tested negative.

Trump, who was taken to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday, released a four-minute video on Saturday in which he said the real test of his condition will come over the next few days.

Over the next period of a few days, I guess thats the real test, so well be seeing what happens over those next couple of days, Trump said into the camera.

Trumps campaign vowed that Vice President Mike Pence, who would assume the presidency if Trump were unable to carry out his duties, would have an aggressive campaign schedule this week, as would Trumps three oldest children.

We cant stay in our basement or shut down the economy indefinitely. We have to take it head-on, Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller said on ABCs This Week on Sunday.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said President Trump on Friday had a fever and rapidly declining levels of blood oxygen before making a recovery.

Yesterday, we were real concerned, Meadows told Fox News. He had a fever, and his blood oxygen level dropped rapidly.

But the president, he said, has made an improvement. Im very, very optimistic based on the current results, he said, adding, Hes not out of the woods for the next 48 hours or so.

Reuters contributed to this report.
While Warrawee Vicky padded her place on the leaderboard, Massive Flirt put on a show of force in the second of two Ontario Sires Stakes Gold divisions for three-year-old trotting fillies, setting a track and stakes record at Flamboro Downs on Sunday (Sept. 27).

Massive Flirt and driver Jody Jamieson were sent as the favourites from post 2. The duo got away second behind Trina, watched GP Dreamin and Wine Rack Hanover go off-stride in the outer lane and then snuck up the inside to take the lead when Trina veered out wide coming out of the first turn. From there Massive Flirt posted a :28.4 quarter, :58.1 half, 1:27.3 three-quarters and powered home to a three-and-one-half length victory in a track record 1:55.4. Magic Cape finished second and Modern Mass completed the top three in the mile, which also equalled the Ontario Sires Stakes record for three-year-old trotting fillies on a half-mile track.

Pretty cool to have a track record and the filly was simply the best tonight, said Moffat, ON resident Jamieson. Shes been a hard hitter this year but, fingers crossed, shes got it down pat now.

Trainer Jeff Gillis of Hillsburgh and Mac Nichol of Burlington, ON bred and own Massive Flirt, who was also a winner in the July 26 Gold leg at Rideau Carleton Raceway. With two wins, one fourth and one fifth the Muscle Mass daughter currently sits second in the division standings with 113 points.

Trainer Scott McEneny had Sundays three-year-old trotting filly Gold Leg at Flamboro Downs circled on his calendar as soon as the Ontario Sires Stakes schedule was published.

Starting from Post 5 and with the rail horse scratched, his filly Warrawee Vicky fired off the starting gate to a :29 quarter. Through a :59.1 half and a 1:28.4 three-quarters, the favourite and driver Doug McNair never saw a challenger. The pair cruised home one-and-three-quarter length winners in 1:57. Susies Lady finished second and She Rocks Kemp was six lengths back in third.

She is very handy on a half. I was kind of glad they had one here, because she won two of them last year, Grand River and here. I wish they had the Super Finals on the half, said trainer Scott McEneny with a laugh. She is very handy

The win was the Royalty For Life daughters third in Gold Series action this season, she was also victorious in the July 2 season opener and the July 26 event at Rideau Carleton Raceway. In addition to her Gold Series engagements, Warrawee Vicky has also battled North Americas best in open stake action at Woodbine Mohawk Park in recent weeks, finishing fifth in her Aug. 28 Casual Breeze division, winning her Sept. 11 Simcoe Stakes division in a personal best 1:54 and finishing well out of the money in the Sept. 19 Elegantimage Stake.

She won two weeks ago in the Simcoe and then last week she was in with Ramona Hill and that, it was way too tough and she got roughed up the first half, got a little tired, said Puslinch, ON resident McEneny. So we just kind of worked on her all week, looking forward to this race, and she did it pretty handy.

Brad Grant of Milton, ON owns Warrawee Vicky, who boosted her lifetime earnings to $375,048 with Sundays win and moved well out in front of her peers in the three-year-old trotting filly standings with 175 points. The top 10 point earners advance to the Oct. 17 Super Finals, which will actually take place at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

The three-year-old trotting fillies will wrap up their Gold Series regular season at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

Odds-on favourite Awesomeness wrapped the card with a victory in the $8,500 Preferred 3 Pace. The seven-year-old Mach Three gelding cleared command past the quarter, endured a first-over challenge from Wind Blown to three-quarters, then scooted to a two-length victory in 1:53.1. Jeff Gillis trains the $2.70 winner for owner Mark Ford.

(with files from Ontario Sires Stakes)

To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Flamboro Downs.
This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 1536 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in the financial realm. Please join us and participate via our donation page, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Read about why were doing this fundraiser, what weve accomplished in the last year, and our current goal, more original reporting.

By Jerri-Lynn Scofield, who has worked as a securities lawyer and a derivatives trader. She is currently writing a book about textile artisans.

One thing I promised in my recent fundraising post is to inform the Naked Capitalism readership of facts about countries that are successfully managing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Im looking at countries based on the number of deaths recorded  from 105 in Hong Kong for a population of 7 million; to 35 in Vietnam for its population of 100 million; to 7 in Taiwan for a population of 24 million; to 25 in New Zealand for a population of 5 million.

I am focusing on death counts rather than cases. Why? Governments are following different rules for reporting their COVID -19 cases, including only reporting symptomatic cases. Now, we know most  if not all- governments have a propensity to lie. This includes about reporting the number of Covid-19 deaths downwards as well.

But in the era of social media, it is much more difficult to manipulate death figures. Not impossible but difficult. So I am paying attention to those, as I think they are more or less accurate  although I wouldnt hazard any guesses as to the margin of error. I am glad I am neither an epidemiologist, nor a medical doctor, nor a public health expert charged with holding a hard and fast point of view on such questions.

Now, a major right-wing talking point is that the U.S. overstates its COVID-19 deaths. I think this argument has receded as the pandemic has worsened, but not entirely. And maybe one positive consequence of the unfortunate diagnoses of the Trumps and leading Republicans as the latest victims of the disease will be the abandonment of this point.

I think it not very likely, but we can hope. As we can hope that the U.S. will finally get the mask religion that links the successful COVID-19 policies of several countries. So, please read to the end of this post for my debunking of this point about overstate U.S. death statistics. I have yet to share this with someone whos raised the argument with me. Yet I encourage you to discuss it in comments, as well as share it if you are also subject to right-wing propaganda from people who dont realize they are actually spreading a right-wing meme.

Hong Kong. Regular readers know I have written extensively about Hong Kongs success, in several posts, relaying on the expertise of my Oxford friend, Canadian medical doctor Sarah Borwein, who currently practices in Hong Kong and is a veteran of the SARS crisis from her timepracticing in Beijing. Im not going to repeat points I made in those previous posts, except to say early and comprehensive mask wearing; excellent widespread access to good, affordable medical care; and comprehensive contact tracing were all part of the mix. Interested readers can click on links to previous posts, which discuss these points at length (and there are there, but I didnt want to overwhelm readers; if you are interested, use the Naked Capitalism search function.)

One point I have not emphasised before: Hong Kong has never had to lock down completely, but it has more or less sealed its borders. Even Hong Kong residents have faced barriers to their return, and when they did make it home, they were immediately tested. If necessary, they were subject to a quarantine.

Even essential workers who left and reentered the territory faced quarantine provisions. Sarahs new husband is a Cathay Pacific cargo pilot, and he faced restrictions upon returning home.

Vietnam. For months, this country of 100 million people, reported no COVID-19 deaths, until it was hit with a second wave. Despite being a relatively poor country, Vietnam has benefitted from a well-developed public health system, combined with tight border controls, its testing policy, extensive contact tracing, and its quarantine policy.

The country has made extensive investments in public health, and these have paid off in the COVID-19 crisis. According to Emerging COVID-19 success story: Vietnams commitment to containment:

Vietnam has invested heavily in its health care system, with public health expenditures per capita increasing an average rate of 9.0 percent per year between 2000 and 2016. These investments have paid off with rapidly improving health indicators. Between 1990 and 2015, life expectancy rose from 71 years to 75 years, the infant mortality rate fell from 36.9 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 16.5 deaths in 2018, and the maternal mortality ratio plummeted from 139 deaths per 100,000 live births to 54 deaths. The 2018 immunization rate for measles in children ages 12 to 23 months is over 97 percent [citattions omitted].

In addition, the country learned from its recent exposure to SARS:

Vietnam has a history of successfully managing pandemics: it was the first country recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) to be SARS-free in 2003, and many interventions Vietnam pioneered during the SARS epidemic are being used to respond to COVID-19. Similarly, its experience with epidemic preparedness and response measures may have led to greater willingness among people in the country to comply with a central public health response. In fact, a survey conducted in late March by a public opinion research firm found that 62 percent of people in Vietnam believed the level of government response was the right amount, ranking higher than any of the other 45 countries surveyed.

Now, the strong role of the state in Vietnam means that it has faced little opposition from its people to its COVID-19 policies, and perhaps its model for virus control can not be replicated elsewhere  or so many have claimed. I admit I have thought less about the Vietnam example than the others I am offering today. This may be because there is comparatively less information available in English, or at least I have found so far.So these thoughts are preliminary and may be modified in future. But it is worth mentioning the countrys success  as elements of it  strong public health system, tightened border controls, extensive testing, thorough contact tracing, and quarantine for the known or presumed sick  have been practiced elsewhere and also yielded impressive results.

Taiwan. The Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs has prepared extensive domentattion outlining the reasons for Taiwans success in battling COVID-19, The Taiwan Model for Combating COVID-19:

When a SARS-like virus, later named as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), first appeared in China in late 2019, it was predicted that, other than China, Taiwan would be one of the most affected countries, given its geographic proximity to and close people-to-people exchanges with China. Yet even as the disease continues to spread around the globe, Taiwan has been able to contain the pandemic and minimize its impact on peoples daily lives. The transparency and honesty with which Taiwan has implemented prevention measures is a democratic model of excellence in fighting disease. This webpage shares the Taiwan Model for combating the pandemic, as well as links to related international media coverage and video clips. The materials found here also help explain the different aspects of Taiwans epidemic prevention work, and how Taiwan is helping the international community.

Once again, well-known public health measures  rapid and ample testing, extensive quarantines- combined with a healthy dose of transparency about policy, and some reliance on technology, have led to Taiwans success so far. It has entered a second wave, but since it starts from such a low baseline, an uptick in infections is manageable.

The country rigorously controlled its borders, according to the Toronto Star, Quarantine and COVID testing are key to Taiwans border reopening:

Constantly tightening and relaxing the leash of a quarantine according to changing risk factors  and testing  are key in pandemic travel restrictions for Taiwan in its effort to strike a balance between economic interests and the need to protect its border from the threats of a global pandemic. As of Monday, Taiwan recorded a total of just 509 confirmed cases  with seven deaths. Quarantine of arrivals is a major strategy for handling cross-border transmission, said Chen Shih-chung, Taiwans Health and Welfare Minister and head of its Central Epidemic Command Center. Strict border-control measures will remain in place for the foreseeable future. Since March 19, all inbound travellers to the island  citizens or not  must undergo a two-week mandatory quarantine. Visitors can only board an inbound flight if they can provide negative COVID test results from within three days before boarding. Taiwanese nationals, temporary residents, migrant workers, international students and diplomats are exempted.

Notice the emphasis on low-tech measures. according to The World, How Taiwan is battling coronavirus with tech, crowdsourced data and trust:

Well, the most important technology is soap and alcohol hand sanitizers. But in Taiwan, we see democracy itself as a technology. And the counter-pandemic effort is mostly about getting people understanding the science and the epidemiology so that people can innovate and wash their hands more vigorously, wear a mask to remind oneself to keep their unwashed hands away from their faces, and making sure that each pharmacy has sufficient supply. And of course, theres also the border quarantine.

I only have space to quote part of the interview with digital minister Audrey Tang, but I encourage readers to click on the link and read the entire thing; its well worth it. Here she discusses the all-important border quarantine:

Yes. Anyone returning to Taiwan has two choices. Either they go to a quarantine hotel for 14 days, in which case theyre physically barred from leaving; or, if they live in a place with their own bathroom and with no vulnerable group of people, they can also choose to digitally quarantine, placing their phone into the digital fence. In that case, the nearby cellphone tower will measure the signal strength, as they always do, and send out an SMS whenever the phone runs out of battery or breaks out of the 50-meter or so radius. So, the idea is that during those 14 days, we pay each person in quarantine about $33 a day as a stipend. But if they break out of the quarantine, then they pay us back a thousand times that. So, very few people break the quarantine.

And also access to mask. In Taiwan, a citizen helped democratise access to masks. Compare that to popular agitation about the the mask situation in the U.S. or the UK or even Germany:

There was a person named Howard Wu in Tainan city who developed a map so that people could see the nearby places and exactly how many masks there are in stock. So, we very quickly supplied them, every 30 seconds, the real-time mask levels of all the pharmacies, and later on convenience stores, so that people who queue in line can keep this system accountable.

And unlike most of the rest of the world, Taiwan has reaped an economic benefit from the COVID-19 pandemic, affording to Quartz, The pandemic barely dented Taiwans economy:

While most of the global economy is still reeling, damage to the hospitality and tourism sectors in parts of Asia has been offset by swelling demand for technology goods, according to economic researchers at JPMorgan. That surge is particularly powerful in Taiwan, where manufacturing production is almost a mirror image of the US. The countrys economy is benefiting from the demand for technology that powers 5G servers and artificial intelligence, and its been turbocharged by home-schooling and work-from-home trends around the world. Taiwans GDP will grow 1% this year, according to JPMorgan, one of the very few economies thats expected to expand. The US and German economies are forecast to shrink more than 4%, while those of France and the UK may contract more than 8%. Taiwan stands out for its scant evidence that a global pandemic has even occurred, JPMorgans economists wrote.

New Zealand. One major advantage NZ has its at the end of the earth and shares no land borders with other counties. So it was able to quickly isolate itself. Its cases have come from overseas. The Ministry of Health (MoH) has an aggressive contact tracing program, for two types of contacts: close contacts and casual contacts. According to the Ministry of Healths online circular, Contact tracing for COVID-19:

If you have been identified as a close contact of someone with COVID-19, you can expect to be contacted by the Ministry of Health or your local district health boards public health unit (PHU). We call this contact tracing. Contact tracing involves a phone call from the Ministry or PHU providing you with advice on self-isolation and checking on your health and wellbeing. The Ministry call centre staff will identify themselves and inform you that they are calling from the National Close Contact Service. They will also verify your name and contact details. These calls from Ministry call centre staff will usually come from 09 801 3009 or 09 306 8748. Following this initial phone call, your details may be passed onto Healthline who will make follow up calls during your isolation period to check how you are doing. The calls from Healthline will usually come from 09 306 8748. There may be a delay before your call is connected. If you are concerned that a call from Healthline isnt genuine, you can email Healthline and request a call back. It is important to answer your phone, so the PHU, Ministry and Healthline can get in touch with you during this time.

Now, once the Ministry of Health traces a contact, close contacts need testing  which is rapid and is readily available  and self-isolation for 14 days, whereas casual contacts require to test and see-isolate only if they are symptomatic. Per the circular::

We are tracing all close contacts of cases, and getting them tested for COVID-19. All close contacts will remain in self-isolation for 14 days. Most casual contacts do not need to self-isolate and only need to be tested if they develop symptoms. In some specific situations, usually early on in an investigation, some casual contacts may be asked by health officials to get tested and self-isolate until they have returned a negative test. In all situations, if a casual or close contact later develops symptoms, they should get tested, even if they had an earlier test, and self-isolate while awaiting the test result.

One important point: NZ has ac contact tracing app, but it is largely an after-thought, rather than a core part of their strategy. Again, over to the MoHcircular:

NZ COVID Tracer is a Ministry of Health app that supports fast and effective contact tracing by creating a digital diary of the places you visit. Learn more about the NZ COVID Tracer app.

*****

Id like to make a couple of points.

You Cannot Monetize Contact Tracing: It Does Not Lend Itself to a Neo-Liberal Approach

First off, countries with contact tracing success have not tried to monetize the process. And I believe you cant. Its a net cost. Like so much of public health. And to do it properly, it will be a drain on public resources  not a gain.

No less an authority than our own Ignacio agrees with this (as I previously quoted in my fundraising post). Also, it cannot be done properly via app alone:

An app to do massive contract tracing is equal to laziness or unwillingness to do the right thing. But you know contracting people to do the good work is not in the neolib agenda. Importantly, it was expected to fail, so it is a failure by design.

I note the irony that Hong Kong  which IIRC has always been a low-regulation jurisdiction  even realises that public health  and health care  are indeed state functions. We could debate whether spending ample money on public health actually ends up saving the state in the long-run. It certainly seems to be the case in Taiwan. But I do not want to go there.We should just accept that adequate public health spend9ing is a net cost and cannot be monetised.

Asian Civil Liberties

I recognize sloppy journalism when I see it, and a recent NY Times article on the subject suggests that the main reason that the U.S. and European countries have failed at contact tracing is that they have greater appreciation for civil liberties, Contact Tracing, Key to Reining In the Virus, Falls Flat in the West

Then why the success in NZ?

Also I dont see obvious constraints on civil liberties in Taiwan.

The NYT article also highlights greater public trust and rapid testing as keys to success. These are both things we can do something about.

I also suggest the reason for failure is the unwillingness to recognise to recognise that proper contact tracing comes at a cost. Its not and never will be a profit centre. We have a lot of work to do in purging the neo-liberal mindset, which persists despite the severity of the global pandemic.

We could have such trust too. By setting up known numbers for contact tracing calls. And coming down hard on anyone who uses that number to scam people.

Maybe there are difficulties here I do not see. But have the countries that have failed at contact tracing actually tried? And been willing to spend real public resources in doing so?

No, instead, theyve give us neo-liberal talking points. And my right-wing friends continue to scream its all Chinas fault.

Well, so what if it is? Who cares who is at fault for starting the pandemic? Or the initial slow response of much of the world community? Shouldnt we now deploy our vast resources in mitigating the spread of COVID-19, and cleaning up the mess? Instead of using this as yet another convenient stick with which to beat China.

I note that when I was compiling todays Links. the U.S. has so far not managed to do proper contact tracing for those exposed to Donald Trump, according to this article in the Washington Post, Little evidence that White House has offered contact tracing, guidance to hundreds potentially exposed Are you kidding me? Note many of these are movers and shakers  so-called VIPS. And I assume the Secret Service had already collected their contact details before allowing them to see With Trump.

Debunking a Ridiculous Right-Wing Talking Point

Finally, I close with another right-wing talking point I heard repeated often earlier this year, before the huge rise in US deaths. It was that the US overcounted its COVID-19 deaths for the following reason.

Suppose you had terminal cancer, and were expected to die within a couple of months. When you actually did die, your death would be attributed to COVID-19, rather than cancer, if you indeed had COVID-19 when you passed away.

And that, I suggest, is as it should be.

But it was a steady right-wing claim that this was a travesty. Well, is it?

Consider the following example. You and 20 other hospice patients go on a picnic. On the way back, your vehicle has an accident. Everyone dies. What is your cause of death?

Why, the vehicle accident of course. Until that happened, you may or may not have succumbed to your terminal illness that landed you in the hospice. When you would die was not known. If you had terminal cancer, for example, you may have ended up being one of these lucky patients who survived longer than expected despite a terminal diagnosis. Until you died, we cannot accurately predict your cause of death.

Same thing with Covid-19. For many elderly people, with or without a terminal diagnosis, a run-in with the virus was equivalent to having a traffic accident.

These Rules are Publicly Available

To paraphrase that fierce S & C partner who was renowned for reminding associates who didnt bother to read the SEC rule before opining on an aspect of basic securities law: these rules are publicly available. So also for some of the basics of pandemic control. Some Asian countries learned them again or for the first time during the SARS crisis. And they have stood them in good stead even today.

Why have we not been able to learn these lessons?
Firefighters in the national capital rescued more than 2,400 birds between mid-March and September, with a maximum number of such cases being reported around Independence Day when people traditionally fly kites and leave many stray strings that create a death trap for them.

According to data shared by the Delhi Fire Services (DFS), they received 13,271 distress calls between March 15 and September 30 this year, of which 2,433 were for rescue of birds and 1,681 for animals.

Firefighters receive on an average 150-200 calls every month for rescue of birds or animals. And the number goes up sharply in the month of August.

This time, DFS received 882 calls for bird rescue and 345 calls for animal rescue in August alone, its director Atul Garg said.

He said the drastic rise in bird and animal rescue calls during August was due to the kite flying season, especially around Independence Day celebrations. Fire services officials said most of the rescue calls they receive are for birds like crows, pigeons, parrots that either get stuck on electric wire or a tree due to kite string. Or, they get calls related to cows, cattle, dogs or cats which get stuck inside narrow lanes, closed spaces, sometimes even inside houses, in a pit, canal or a drain.

The officials that for rescue of birds and animals, a vehicle is sent along with a team consisting of four-five firemen. The vehicle usually has a ladder but in cases, where it faces difficulties with high rises, bigger vehicles are sent if required. Once the bird is rescued and in case, it needs treatment, the fire services personnel shift them to a bird hospital.

Recalling an incident of September 28, a fire official said they received a call from the police control room seeking assistance to rescue a cow that fell into a drain near a petrol pump in Sector-21, Rohini.

With the help of ropes and locally available equipment, the cow was pulled out from the drain safely by the firefighters which they said required a lot of patience.

Talking about the challenges involved in such rescue operations, Garg said one of the difficulties they face when it comes to rescue of a bird or a trapped animal is the spot is usually not easily accessible. There are also no specialised equipments for their rescue. Most of the time, a hydraulic platforms meant for highrise buildings are used.

Another challenge, he said, is when it comes to trees, while trying to rescue a bird entangled in a kite string on a tree, even if a branch of a tree falls down or even one movement goes wrong while trying to catch the bird, it may also fall down and die. In that case, our entire effort of rescue goes in vain, if what we are trying to save will not be left. Garg said the firemen do not usually use the traditional methods while rescuing a bird or an animal. Bird rescue calls are most challenging and difficult since there is no special equipment which can be used in the rescue. Its mostly the experience of the firemen, their presence of mind, utmost patience and locally made arrangements that helps. Just like human lives, we give utmost priority to birds and animals rescue calls, which we have been doing for ages now with precautions and care, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 16:19:40|Editor: huaxia

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HAVANA, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- The 2020 China International Import Expo (CIIE) scheduled for Nov. 5-10 in Shanghai confirms China's efforts to promote global trade despite the COVID-19 pandemic, a Cuban expert has said.

While some global powers are implementing protectionist policies amid the COVID-19 emergency, the Chinese government is taking steps to enhance commercial exchanges between nations, Gladys Hernandez, senior expert at Havana's Center for Research on the World Economy, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"This is a very important platform for Cuban goods and products to enter the Chinese market amid the international crisis provoked by the virus," she said.

For Cuba, she said, selling its products to China will help the Caribbean country develop; and by participating in the CIIE, Cuba could show significant progress made in the biopharmaceutical industry, tourism and other economic areas during the past few years.

"It comes as the island implements measures to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, including the lifting of the 10-percent tax on U.S. dollars, setting a new legal framework to permit the private sector to make imports and exports," she told Xinhua.

Besides, Cuba has been sorting out terms and conditions for the end of the dual currency system in the coming future, as part of a staged and organized process, she said.

During the pandemic, the Cuban government has adopted a policy giving priority to strategic economic areas such as the national production of food, house construction and mining, the expert said.

"China has become Cuba's second largest economic partner," said Hernandez, adding that bilateral collaboration has increased over the past few years as a clear proof of unwavering links between the two nations.

Also, China's economic recovery "demonstrates successful handling of the coronavirus outbreak and economy by the Chinese government," she told Xinhua.

China's Belt and Road Initiative will bring prosperity to the Cuban and Latin American economies, said Hernandez, noting that the Digital Silk Road and industrial parks will bring business opportunities.

"China has had the capacity to diversify its economy, letting state and private sectors work together not only to confront the virus, but also to continue developing the country amid complex circumstances provoked by the global emergency," she said.

The Chinese government, under the guidance of the Communist Party of China, has put science and technological development at the service of the people to stem the spread of the virus nationwide, she said.

Noting this year is the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Cuba, Hernandez said that "bilateral collaboration will continue to increase for the years to come." Enditem
An image of one of the billboards. Courtesy of ICE

Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched billboards in Pennsylvania that display mugshots of immigrants.

There are six billboards that feature immigrants who were released from custody but were not handed over to ICE.

The move has been criticized as an attack on sanctuary cities.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched billboards in Pennsylvania that display mugshots of immigrants who were released into their communities from police custody.

The agency said the billboards are a part of an effort "to educate the public about the dangers of non-cooperation policies," in a press release.

The billboards feature an image of an "at-large" immigrant who was arrested or convicted of a crime but were "released by: Philadelphia Police Department." The word "WANTED BY ICE" also accompanies the image.

The move by ICE targets "sanctuary cities," CNN reported. Sanctuary cities limit the cooperation between ICE and their local law enforcement.

"Too often sanctuary policies limiting cooperation with ICE result in significant public safety concerns," said Tony Pham, the senior official performing the duties of the ICE director. "ICE will continue to enforce immigration laws set forth by Congress through the efforts of the men and women of ICE to remove criminal aliens and making our communities safer."

So far, the agency has put up six billboards. BuzzFeed reported that all six men had already been released from jails either by serving their sentences or by paying their bond. This likely means the individuals were not being held by local officials and that local laws prevented them from being held for the duration ICE wanted, the report said. ICE wanted them transferred into their custody so they could be deported.

James Schwab, a former ICE spokesperson who resigned from the agency in 2018, told BuzzFeed: "The tactic is unusual, clearly political, and disappointing given the timing."

Story continues

President Donald Trump has historically claimed that sanctuary cities in states like California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York are unsafe. In April, he even threatened that states with sanctuary cities wouldn't get coronavirus aid until they changed their policies.

ICE is calling on the public to inform them if they have information on where the featured individuals are.

John Sandweg, former acting ICE director, told CNN while soliciting tips is common, billboards are political.

"How are they getting funding for it? How does that advance their mission?" Sandweg told CNN. "Running billboards, it's political messaging."

Read the original article on Business Insider
The fired police officer charged over Breonna Taylor's death thought his colleagues were 'being executed' when he opened fire, grand jury recordings reveal.

An emotional former Detective Brett Hankison describes how he heard Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly was shot in the leg by Breonna Taylor's boyfriend Kenneth Walker during the botched raid in Louisville, Kentucky. Fellow officer Myles Cosgrove had joined Mattingly in the doorway and opened fire on Walker. Six shots hit Taylor, killing her.

Speaking shortly after the shooting in March, Hankison said: 'I didn't know if John was down and they couldn't get his body or if he was - but all I could hear was the firing. I saw the flashing.

'I thought they were just being executed because I knew they were helping John because John said 'I'm hit, I'm down' and the gunfire intensified.'

Hankison was the only officer indicted by the grand jury, which charged him with wanton endangerment for shooting into another home with people inside. He has pleaded not guilty.

Taylor's death has captured national attention and prompted street protests over racism and police use of force. Demonstrators have called for the arrest of the officers and demanded justice for black emergency medical technician Taylor, 26.

In testimony heard by the grand jury and released Friday he said: 'What I saw at the time was a figure in a shooting stance, and it looked as if he was holding, he or she was holding, an AR-15 or a long gun, a rifle.'

Taylor's boyfriends, Kenneth Walker, was later determined to have a 9mm handgun.

But Hankison, who shot 10 times, said he feared he and his colleagues were 'sitting ducks'.

Officer Brett Hankison was one of the three officers on the scene when Taylor was shot and killed. He has been charged with wanton endangerment

Hankison, who had volunteered to work the shift on his day off, added: 'We were all kind of the older guys who were put with it because this was going to be the easy location.'

He also told investigators that the EMT's boyfriend initially claimed she was the one who shot at officers when they entered her apartment.

Hankison told investigators, in an interview heard by the grand jury, that Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, had told him 'she was the one who shot at us'. Walker later said that he was the one who opened fire.

Neither Jonathan Mattingly (left) nor Myles Cosgrove (right) have been charged over Taylor's death

In further recordings made public Friday police serving the search warrant said they banged on her door and announced themselves from 30 to 90 seconds before breaking in.

The newly revealed details from the police officers contrast with earlier witness reports, and their account has been a point of contention in the case that has captured national attention and prompted street protests over racism and police use of force.

Kentucky's attorney general on Friday released audio recordings of the grand jury proceedings offering a rare peek at the inner workings of a grand jury, which is normally kept secret.

Megan Thee Stallion marked her solo debut as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live by delivering a politically-charged message to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron.

The 25-year-old rapper called out Cameron over his handling of the case of Taylor. Megan compared Cameron to 'the sell out negros that sold our people into slavery' before diving into a speech about the 'need to protect our black women'.

Cameron, a Republican and the state's first black AG, has acknowledged that he did not recommend homicide charges for the officers involved, adding that the grand jury had the responsibility to bring additional charges if it believed they were warranted.

The grand jury last week cleared the two white officers who shot Taylor and charged a third with wanton endangerment for stray bullets that hit a neighboring apartment in the March 13 raid.

The fired Kentucky officer indicted on minor charges in the Breonna Taylor case told investigators that the EMT's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, initially claimed she was the one who shot at officers when they entered her apartment, secret grand jury testimony reveals

Street protesters have called for the arrest of the officers and demanded justice for Taylor, a 26-year-old Black emergency medical technician whose family won a $12 million wrongful death settlement from the city of Louisville.

Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, who was with her, has said he believed the plainclothes officers who burst in might have been Taylor's ex-boyfriend. He fired once, wounding one officer. Police then fired 32 rounds, six of which hit Taylor.

Hours later and with his voice breaking with emotion, the recordings showed, Walker told police he and Taylor were 'scared to death' at the banging at the door, with Taylor yelling 'Who is it?' at the top of her lungs but hearing no response.

The recordings made over three days of proceedings show police were confused by the burst of their own gunfire. One officer said he did not realize he had fired his weapon until after the fact.

The recordings also demonstrate grand jurors were engaged with the investigators presenting the case, peppering them with questions about why police did not wear body cameras, and whether police in the raid were aware that other officers had already located the central suspect in the investigation, Taylor's ex-boyfriend.

Neither Jonathan Mattingly (left) nor Myles Cosgrove (right) have been charged over Taylor's death

Strikingly absent were any recordings of prosecutor recommendations that might have revealed how prosecutors guided the 12-member panel's thinking.

'Juror deliberations and prosecutor recommendations and statements were not recorded, as they are not evidence,' Kentucky Attorney General Cameron said in a statement.

In a police interview on March 25 that was played to the grand jury last week, the officer who was wounded, Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly, said police banged on Taylor's door six or seven different times, repeatedly announcing they were police there to serve a search warrant.

'It probably lasted between 45 seconds and a minute, banging on the door,' Mattingly said, before police broke in.

Detective Myles Cosgrove, in his interview with police investigators, said the officers knocked on the door for about 90 seconds.

Detective Brett Hankison, the officer charged with wanton endangerment, estimated there were 30 to 45 seconds of 'banging and announcing, knocking and announcing.'

Multiple witnesses told reporters they did not hear any police announcement, and Cameron acknowledged that the single witness who verified the police account of their announcement changed his story.

The witness first told investigators in March he did not hear police identify themselves but two months later, in a follow-up interview, the witness said he heard officers knock and announce, according to an investigator who testified before the grand jury.

Officers, who had a 'no-knock' warrant, testified that they knocked three times and identified themselves before they breached her apartment

Evidence photos show a glass sliding door was shattered by police bullets in the shooting

Cosgrove, who fired 16 shots, described the experience as disorienting, with bright muzzle flashes interrupting the darkness, as he learned that Mattingly had been shot.

He said he only realized after the fact that he had started firing his gun. 'It's like a surreal thing,' Cosgrove said.

Walker's single round came from a 9 mm handgun that he was licensed to carry. Taylor was unarmed.

After the gunfire, Walker said he dropped to the ground in fear when he saw Taylor had been shot.

'She's right there on the ground like bleeding,' he said, before breaking down with emotion.
The Union health ministry has asked states to submit lists of priority population who will receive Covid-19 vaccine first by October end, minister Harsh Vardhan has said. Priority population refers to those who are at a higher risk of contracting the virus than others. The government is working round the clock to chart out a mechanism of step-by-step vaccine distribution, once they are ready, the minister said, addressing his weekly programme Sunday Samvaad.

Our government is working round the clock to ensure there is a fair and equitable distribution of the vaccines once they are ready. Just like everywhere else in the world, our governments utmost priority is to ensure vaccine for each and every person in the country. There is a high-level expert committee looking into all aspects of vaccines, the minister said.

The ministry is preparing a format in which the state will provide list of priority population to receive vaccines, especially frontline health care workers. We have set a realistic deadline of October end to complete this humongous exercise. States are also being closely guided to submit details of cold-chain facilities and other infrastructure. Our rough estimate and target would be to receive and utilise 400-500 million doses for 20 crore people by July 2021. All this is under various stages of finalisation, Harsh Vardhan said.

The concept of priority population exists across the world. While the older people are at a greater risk of Covid-19, those who are engaged in handling Covid-19 patients also fall under this priority population. China and Russia have started giving vaccine shots to its people. Reports said China is vaccinating government staff, teachers, supermarket employees, border workers apart from doctors and other health care professionals.

Russian journalists working for two state-owned media outlets will be offered Sputnik V, reports said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 18:01:15|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government is planning to introduce "health code" system that allows quarantine-free travel among Hong Kong, Guangdong Province and Macao SAR when Hong Kong's COVID-19 outbreak situation stabilizes.

Matthew Cheung, chief secretary for administration of the HKSAR government, said on Sunday in his blog that Hong Kong is discussing with the mainland and Macao to allow holders of certifications of negative result of the nucleic acid test on COVID-19 to be exempted from compulsory quarantine on arrival in the three places under the "health code" system.

This arrangement, however, will only be implemented when the epidemic stabilizes in Hong Kong, Cheung said, adding that the HKSAR government will continue to take preventive and control measures with caution and the public are urged to stay vigilant in face of the epidemic.

Meanwhile, the HKSAR government is studying to allow Hong Kong residents from mainland who possess related certifications to be exempted from compulsory quarantine, which has entered the final stage, Cheung said.

To get prepared for the fourth wave of the epidemic which may appear in winter, the construction of quarantine facilities in Hong Kong is in full swing.

Michael Wong, secretary for development of the HKSAR government, said on Sunday in his blog that after the first phase of Penny's Bay quarantine camp in the New Territories was put into operation in mid-July, the construction of the second phase was completed in mid-September.

Wong said that the construction work of the third and fourth phases are progressing smoothly and is expected to be completed by the end of 2020, when the total number of quarantine units in Hong Kong will exceed 4,000.

The HKSAR government has also commenced construction of a temporary hospital and community treatment facility, with the support of the central government. The additional facility to be set up at AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE), a venue near the Hong Kong International Airport, is expected to be completed within several weeks.

Hong Kong reported five new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, involving one local infection of unknown source. The total number of confirmed cases was taken to 5,113 in Hong Kong. Enditem
An party from the Bahrain Royal Guard mountaineering team, including a member of the royal family and three Britons, pose for photographs on Lobuche in this picture from Seven Summit Treks

A team of climbers including a Bahrain prince has completed the first summit of a Nepal Himalayan peak this season after being given permission despite a coronavirus ban on tourist arrivals.

The group, which includes members of the Bahrain Royal Guard and three Britons, climbed the 6,119-metre (20,075-foot) Lobuche, expedition organiser Seven Summits Treks told AFP.

It was not revealed if all 18 members of the team reached the summit, a precursor to them next tackling the 8,163-metre Manaslu, the world's eighth-highest mountain.

Tourists and climbers are officially barred from the country until mid-October.

The team arrived in Nepal in mid-September and quarantined in the capital Kathmandu for a week before heading to Everest base camp and on to Lobuche.

More than 50 Sherpas are part of the expedition, but the identity of the royal climber was not disclosed.

The Bahrain Royal Guard mountaineering team en-route to summit Mount Lobuche East in this picture from Seven Summits Treks

The group plans to climb Everest next year.

Nepal closed its borders in March and grounded international flights just ahead of the busy spring climbing season, devastating the local tourism sector.

The country of 28 million people has recorded an average of 1,300 daily infections since August, for a total of more than 86,000 cases and 535 deaths.

Limited international flights resumed last month, but only for citizens and foreign diplomats.
Former Punjab cabinet minister and Amritsar East legislator Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday attended a tractor rally led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi here to protest the Centres new farm laws.

Sidhus participation in the rally came three days after All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in-charge of Punjab affairs Harish Rawat met him at his residence in Amritsar. Sidhu, who had been at loggerheads with chief minister Amarinder Singh, had stayed away from all Congress activities ever since he resigned as cabinet minister last year.

Wearing a black turban as a symbol of protest against BJP governments anti-farmer laws, Sidhu, took 15-minutes to complete his trademark address comprising poetry, satire and sharp political comments that invited repeated applause by the audience.

Sidhu strongly opposed farm laws as an attack on the federal structure and also said these black laws would ruin the farming community and others associated in the agrarian economy.

They (BJP government) are robbing us of our rights, he said, adding the Centre had imposed a system which had failed in Europe and the US. These new legislations would adversely affect five lakh labourers and 30,000 commissioned agents, Sidhu claimed.

The outspoken leader also asked the cash-strapped Punjab government to take the onus of assuring minimum support price (MSP) and storage to farmers by amending state legislations.

Governments are not expected to turn its back on the key issues. Farmers need MSP and if the central government intends to dilute it, then the Punjab government needs to step in to ensure profitability on their crops. A special assembly session should be called on farmers issues, Sidhu said while referring to his political bete noire Punjab CM.

When Punjab cabinet minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on the stage asked Sidhu to cut short his speech, he replied,  Bhaji aaj na rok... pehlan vee bithaye rakhya see (Brother, do not stop me today).
Lord Barker of Battle took a break from running oligarch Oleg Deripaskas giant metals firm last week to deliver a speech entitled Making More From Less for an elite think-tank.

And few have been able to make more from less than the Lord, who as Greg Barker leveraged a brief career in David Camerons Government into a life peerage, followed by a 6 million pay check (and counting) from Soviet-born Deripaskas company EN+.

Mere seconds into the speech, he mentioned his past job as climate change Minister, reminding his audience that the revolving door from government into big business is working well even in a global pandemic. The Tory peer talked at length about his eco agenda and environmental credentials, which he presumably first developed while working for Russian oil giant Sibneft.

Credentials he put to good use in his Government department where he used the staff microwave to heat a cushion for his dachshund, Otto.

Lord Barker of Battle took a break from running oligarch Oleg Deripaskas giant metals firm last week to deliver a speech entitled Making More From Less for an elite think-tank

Barkers eye for innovation later helped manoeuvre Deripaska, a chum of Vladimir Putin, out of having a controlling stake in EN+ soon after the oligarch found his way on to the US sanctions list. When Barker was made executive chairman of the aluminium firm in 2019 he took a voluntary leave of absence from the House of Lords, meaning he cannot vote, debate or sit in the Upper Chamber, but keeps his title and use of the dining rooms.

He categorically cannot give the impression of being an active member. Funny, then, that his website says He now sits in the House of Lords as the Rt Hon the Lord Barker of Battle, while his speech biogs make much of his title and no mention that his parliamentary career is on a principled hiatus. It means hes found a way of advertising himself as a sitting Lord without having to listen to ex-colleagues drone on in Gods Waiting Room  while also being exempt from its rules on registering interests.

Thumbs up for spitting Priti...

Grumblings overheard in the corridors of power over the Spitting Image portrayal, left, of Priti Patel as a bloodthirsty vampire and dominatrix cracking the whip over Michael Gove. One Minister tells me: While people are saying its unfair to portray her as a demon, it sounds entirely accurate to me!

Grumblings overheard in the corridors of power over the Spitting Image portrayal, left, of Priti Patel as a bloodthirsty vampire and dominatrix cracking the whip over Michael Gove

Party-poopers have taken over Hansard, once the unparalleled record for every word uttered in Parliament.

First they airbrushed Lord Bethells for f***s sake!, emitted while the Minister struggled to unmute himself on video link. And now Sir Desmond Swaynes bellowing that Boris Johnson is under the control of Dr Strange Glove has been corrected to Dr Strange-love to spare his blushes.

Serious questions are emerging over when the SNP discovered Margaret Ferriers decision to leave a slug-like Covid trail from Glasgow to London and back again.

The SNP said its whips learned of their MP testing positive for the virus on Wednesday afternoon, with Commons authorities informed soon after.

Reports also said the whips initially thought she went home for family reasons.

On Monday, when she found out she was positive, Ferrier asked to be paired with a proxy to excuse herself from attending Parliament.

Commons records now reveal the reason she gave was: For medical or public health reasons related to the pandemic. Its amazing no one thought to ask her what they were. And her chosen proxy? The SNPs Chief Whip Patrick Grady.
Ford is continuing to streamline and transform its global business, making changes on how the company is organised and operates to deliver executional excellence that benefits customers and delivers sustained profitable growth.

Jim Farley, who succeeds Jim Hackett as Fords president and CEO, outlined the key goals and organisational changes during a virtual town hall meeting with the companys global team.

Farley said Ford plans to move with urgency to turn around its automotive operations  improving quality, reducing costs and accelerating the restructuring of underperforming businesses.

At the same time, Ford will grow by:

*Allocating more capital, resources and talent to its strongest businesses and vehicle franchises;

*Expanding its leading commercial vehicle business with a suite of software services that drive loyalty and recurring revenue streams;

*Offering compelling, uniquely Ford fully electric vehicles at scale around the world, including Transit, F-Series, Mustang, SUVs and Lincoln;

*Adding more affordable vehicles to its global lineup, including in North America; and

*Standing up new customer-facing businesses enabled by Argo AIs world-class self-driving system.

During the past three years, under Jim Hacketts leadership, we have made meaningful progress and opened the door to becoming a vibrant, profitably growing company, Farley said.

Now its time to charge through that door.

We are going to compete like a challenger  allocate capital to higher growth and return opportunities to create value  and earn customers for life through great products and a rewarding ownership experience.

Ford is making changes to its operating model to help deliver on these priorities, including:

*Concentrating decision-making and accountability around product and customer groups in three regional business units  The Americas and International Markets; Europe; and China;

*Accelerating innovation to be a leader in new businesses such as autonomous vehicles and mobility;

*Harnessing expertise in industrial platforms to develop world-class connected vehicles;

*Unleashing technology and software in ways that set Ford apart from competitors; and

*Embracing and increasing the diversity of backgrounds, experiences and talent across the company.

Farley said the company is targeting consistent operating performance that includes adjusted earnings before interest and taxes of 8% of revenue with strong automotive adjusted free cash flow, so the company can fully invest in customers and growth.

Ford also announced key leadership changes. John Lawler, 54, will become CFO today, overseeing the Finance and Ford Motor Credit organisations. Lawler will succeed Tim Stone, who has accepted a position as chief operating officer and chief financial officer at ASAPP, a research-driven, artificial-intelligence software company. Stone will remain with Ford through October 15 to ensure a smooth transition.

Lawler has most recently been serving as CEO of Ford Autonomous Vehicles and vice president, Mobility Partnerships, and spent much of his 30 years at Ford in finance leadership and general management.

He served as president of Ford China for nearly four years when the company achieved record in-country performance. He also served as corporate controller and CFO, Global Markets and head of worldwide strategy.

John knows our company inside-out, has a clear view and great ambition for what Ford can be, and articulates whats needed to get there, Farley said. As CFO, he will help assure we have the means to fund those ambitions.

Lawlers successor in his current position, who will oversee the New Businesses group going forward, will be named later.

Tim has been a powerful voice inside the company pushing us all to persistently focus on our customers and what they want and need, Farley said. He also played a critical leadership role in guiding the company through the Covid-19 crisis. We thank Tim for his contributions and wish him the best.

Jeff Lemmer, Fords chief information officer, will retire January 1 after 33 years with the company. A successor for Lemmer as CIO, who will lead the Technology and Software platform, will be announced in the near future.

Jeff has been an outstanding leader at Ford and that was never truer than this year, when he and the IT team kept our company fully connected and operational during the pandemic, Farley said. Ford shifted more than 100,000 people around the world to remote work virtually overnight because of Covid-19, and our information systems havent missed a beat.

Ford will strengthen its commitment to two key areas by having separate senior leaders run the Lincoln Motor Company and Global Marketing.

Joy Falotico, 53, who has been president of Lincoln and Fords chief marketing officer for nearly three years, will be dedicated solely to further growing Fords luxury brand once a new chief marketing officer is named shortly. She will report to Kumar Galhotra, president, The Americas and International Markets.

This change will allow Joy to focus on accelerating Lincolns global growth through great vehicles and services and a truly differentiated customer experience, Galhotra said. Lincolns completely refreshed lineup is resonating with customers in the US as well as in China, where we are now producing the Lincoln Aviator and Corsair locally, for Chinese customers  and thats just the beginning.

Separately, in Europe, Dale Wishnousky, 57, vice president, Manufacturing, Ford of Europe, will retire at the end of the year. His career with the company started in 1987 and spanned key manufacturing and service leadership roles in multiple countries. Kieran Cahill, 53, previously director, Manufacturing and Strategic Projects, Ford of Europe, succeeds Wishnousky, effective immediately. -- Tradearabia News Service
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Linkedin Josa Lukman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, October 4, 2020 17:45 475 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4904783 1 Books #literature,#book,#travel,#traveling,#author,#singapore,#China,#Tibet Free

While that sense of wanderlust cannot be truly substituted, a good travel book can always help sate that longing for adventure, especially in destinations always shrouded in mysticism.

Author Shivaji Das certainly agrees, as his latest book, The Other Shangri-La  praised by Pulitzer-winning author Ian Johnson as an ode to the beautiful alpine region between Sichuan and Tibet and its people, with the authors empathy and humanity making him a most excellent companion  can attest to.

The name Shangri-La is synonymous with a utopian paradise hidden from the outside world. As it is a fictional location from the 1933 novel Lost Horizon, Shangri-La is often used as a metaphor for something elusive, sought after by many in what is a lifelong quest.

But judging by the books title, Shangri-La seems to exist in real life.

Discounting the luxury hotel chain, Shangri-La is often thought to be located in Tibet, as some scholars believe the original novel is influenced by the mythical kingdom Shambhala from Tibetan Buddhism.

Shivajis journey took him and his wife to the China-Tibet border in Sichuan province, where they discovered what he said was one of the most beautiful nature he has ever seen, along with its unique cultures and characters.

Behind the mystics: 'The Other Shangri-La' by Shivaji Das is an account of his and his wife's travels in the Shangri-La region in the Sino-Tibet border. (Courtesy of Shivaji Das/Konark Publishers)

Holding a day job at a business consulting firm, the Singapore-based Shivaji confided to The Jakarta Post that he is was traveler first and foremost, and then a writer.

I dont pre-plan that I will be writing about a certain place before I go there. I will find something very interesting and unique that I think the rest of the world should know about  thats what makes me pick up the laptop and start, he said.

During the journey, the couple found many interesting bits of culture, from the highest monastery in the world to the sky burial custom and to a town that holds an annual beauty contest that also doubles as a matchmaking occasion.

Shivaji said scenes of nature were, of course, interesting to look at and appreciate, but eventually, culture and interaction with people were what drew him in.

Most of the time, they are friendly interactions, funny interactions, because thats the nature of travel  but there are occasionally experiences that are not really the most pleasant, but thats part of life, humanity, and what were made of.

All of these things interest me a lot more, and these interactions with people are the ones which leave the deepest mark in me. After traveling to a place, I might be very happy with the nature and might remember it for a couple of days, but eventually what stays behind is the memory of these interactions.

A few of these encounters he included in the book, like staying in a tent with a family of nomads in a highland 4,000 to 5,000 meters above sea level, as well as meeting monks at a monastery and getting to know their spiritual reasons and worldly concerns.

Preening: The Danba Beauty Valley hosts an annual beauty contest, drawing numerous onlookers  and potential suitors. (Courtesy of Shivaji Das/Konark Publishers)

However, Shivaji said the most memorable encounter during the trip was actually an ordinary interaction at the Beauty Valley in Danba, known for its annual beauty contest and concentration of beautiful women.

At the same time, the surrounding area is also known for its handsome men and eligible bachelors. As it happens, this unique predicament tends to invite quite the number of love affairs.

Somehow, we got caught into one of these love affairs, and we saw it unfold right in front of our eyes as we were having a totally different purpose of seeing the village, but in front of us this love triangle was taking shape, he said.

Its one thing watching an affair take place, but certainly another thing when one of the main characters is your driver, who picks up flings as easily as he does passengers.

But perhaps most surprising was the drivers vulnerability, asking Shivaji and his wife to pray for him at the temple, as he knew he has sinned by being dishonest and unfaithful, hence his unwillingness to pray at the temple himself.

Those kind of vulnerabilities from such a strong, macho man was something that left a big impression in me.

Hub for the holy: The Larung Gar Monastery is the world's largest monastery, home to thousands of monks and nuns, as well as the largest slum in the region. (Courtesy of Shivaji Das/Konark Publishers)

Though Shangri-La is synonymous with spirituality, Shivaji does not consider himself particularly spiritually oriented, which he says explains his own lack of religion. Instead, he considers himself very materialistic, in the sense that he is very much interested in factors affecting peoples lives.

As it happens, religion and spirituality occupy a considerable part in the lives of people in the region, and the idea of Shangri-La is also rooted in the idea of the perfect utopia, where people live long lives and have let go of their worldly desires.

But when you go out, you find that even in the Shangri-La life is very real and material, and people have to deal with issues like inequality, discrimination and their own ambitions, whether they are a monk, a farmer or a nomad.

Balancing his own worldview and those of the culture he visited is both a challenge and opportunity for Shivaji  being too deep in one way of thinking might close your mind to other perspectives.

Instead, he considers all of these beliefs on equal ground, which makes it easier to understand, mingle and appreciate all of these aspects. At the same time, he also tries to be careful not to denigrate these beliefs.

All said and done, this religiosity or spirituality is one of the significant constructs of mankind  we build whole civilizations, myths, fantasies along with these, he explained.

Shivaji Das (Courtesy of Shivaji Das/Konark Publishers)

For those itching to explore, Shivaji said, one thing he always implored to his students attending his writing workshops is that stories were everywhere.

There is no need for a plane ticket to some far-off destination, just a sense of curiosity and a unique approach to things, along with a bit of language skill and overcoming your own shyness.

Though an avid traveler now, Shivaji admitted that, as a child, he hated traveling and travelers, becoming annoyed whenever one of those travelers visited his house in Assam, India.

The chance to travel came when he worked in the United States, where he was stationed in the town of Columbus, Ohio. Many of his colleagues were based in New York or Boston, often commuting back-and-forth, while he himself stayed there for more than six months.

Passing the time on weekends, Shivaji would often take public transport and hang out in the parks. He noticed that, while those taking public transport  especially in the Midwest  tended to be from the lower-income categories, they were also very friendly and would share food or deep, personal stories, like losing a child in Iraq or on the journey crossing the border from Mexico.

That I found very fascinating  these stories as well as these small gestures of kindness coming from strangers, he recalled. That really taught me to travel, and thats how I really got into it and at a late stage in my life  in my late 20s  I thought this is the passion Im going to follow. (ste)
What you have to understand is there are four people who are running the country now,' the Minister says. 'But none of them is Boris. Dom [Cummings], Michael [Gove], Rishi [Sunak] and Carrie [Symonds, the PM's partner]. That's it.'

Last week, Tory MPs moved from despair to resignation. Many have given up waiting for the return of 'the real Boris'. Instead, they have decided the time has come to move around and beyond him.

A leadership challenge is out of the question, at least in the near future. So for the moment, their strategy is to exploit, rather than rage against, the vacuum that has opened up inside No 10.

'People are gravitating towards Rishi,' one backbencher tells me, 'and he's not pushing them away.'

Last week, Tory MPs moved from despair to resignation. Many have given up waiting for the return of 'the real Boris'

Pictured: Dominic Cummings, Michael Gove, Rishi Sunak and Carrie Symonds standing behind the door of Number 10

Quite the opposite. Last week a 'Red Wall' MP circulated a request to Cabinet Ministers for help in putting together a constituency newsletter. 'Within an hour, Rishi had come back,' they said glowingly. 'He wanted his photo on the leaflet. He gets it.'

When Sunak was appointed Chancellor in the wake of Sajid Javid's resignation, the perception in Westminster was that this amounted to a takeover of the Treasury by Downing Street. But it's slowly started to dawn on Boris's aides that the reverse is taking place.

'Last week No 10 panicked,' a Minister reveals. 'They realised that Rishi has taken total ownership of the economic agenda. So that's why Boris suddenly popped up doing something on skills and training. They just shoved him out there to try to show he's doing something about the economy too.'

Another member of the Cabinet moving to fill the vacancy left by his present-but-not-involved leader is Michael Gove.

'Michael's back to his old tricks,' a colleague of his reports. 'He's starting to expand his empire.'

When Sunak was appointed Chancellor in the wake of Sajid Javid's resignation, the perception in Westminster was that this amounted to a takeover of the Treasury by Downing Street

In particular, he has appointed himself prefect of the Government Covid sub-committee  his iron hand driving forward the 'rule of six' and the 10pm pub curfew.

'There are six of them on the committee,' a Cabinet Minister says. 'Boris, who attends every now and then, Michael, Matt Hancock, Rishi, Priti Patel and Dominic Raab. But Michael is running the show.'

A number of Tory MPs have become bemused by the way the strongly libertarian Cabinet Office Minister has become the leading advocate of a hardline coronavirus response. But allies of Gove claim he is simply trying to bring 'balance' to the Cabinet's discussions.

'If you're Rishi, you put the case for protecting the economy. If you're Oliver [Dowden] you put the case for protecting the arts. If you're Therese [Coffey] you put the case for protecting jobs. Someone in Government has to look at the overall picture,' says one.

But another Minister proffers a different  and fascinating  explanation. 'Michael is obsessed with Nicola Sturgeon and the threat to the Union,' he says. 'And he thinks she's using Covid to drive a wedge between Scotland and England. So he wants the UK Government's Covid response to match hers as closely as possible.'

Another member of the Cabinet moving to fill the vacancy left by his present-but-not-involved leader is Michael Gove

But if some Cabinet Ministers are seeking to encroach on the space created by Boris's absenteeism, others within Whitehall are preparing to try to seize the moment to force changes among his top team.

While the nation's focus has been on the Covid crisis, his senior aide Dominic Cummings has been ploughing forward relentlessly with plans to crush Civil Service mandarins and force through radical reform of their fiefdoms. And now Sir Humphry is fighting back.

'They've had enough of being bullied by Cummings,' one Minister reports, 'and that means we've got a heap of trouble coming down the track. We need the Civil Service. They can help us, or they can let us fall flat on our face. And they know where a lot of bodies are buried.'

Last week, Home Secretary Priti Patel was rocked after details were leaked of 'blue sky' proposals being drawn up by her department for tackling the migrant crisis  including wave machines to drive back boats, and floating walls in the Channel. A Patel ally raged against a 'rotten core of civil servants' who they claimed were 'the enemy within and will be rooted out'. But for now, that enemy is well dug in and spoiling for a fight.

Senior civil servants are reportedly drawing up a secret dossier that they intend to deploy against Downing Street when the time is right. And that time may fast be approaching. One Cabinet Minister worried at the chaos the war on the civil service was creating in their department, warned: 'The problem is Cummings. He's at the heart of all this. And we're going to get him soon. You're going to see him dragged down Whitehall by his bootstraps.'

While the nation's focus has been on the Covid crisis, his senior aide Dominic Cummings has been ploughing forward relentlessly with plans to crush Civil Service mandarins and force through radical reform of their fiefdoms

There is also one other key member of the No 10 inner circle who now finds herself in the firing line: Carrie Symonds. As The Mail on Sunday reported last week, Boris's enemies have started peddling false rumours about the state of her and the PM's relationship  whispers motivated in part by a desire to reduce her influence at the heart of Government.

'Carrie has Boris's ear,' says one official. 'Look at the trade deal with the US. One of the big issues is the way she's told him he has to take a stand against chlorinated chicken.'

A Cabinet Minister adds: 'If most of us want access to Boris we have to try to grab him for five minutes before Cabinet, or try to get a note into his box. Unless you can get close to Carrie  then you have the access.'

The rise of Rishi. The manoeuvring of Michael. The proposed defenestration of Dom. The carping at Carrie. All of it provides rich material for Westminster watchers. But it also reveals something more fundamental. Boris Johnson is in danger of becoming a cypher. PM in name only. Again, stories abound over his health. 'I saw him a week ago,' says one MP, 'and he looked terrible. His skin was pale and his hair was thinning so badly I could see his scalp.'

There is also one other key member of the No 10 inner circle who now finds herself in the firing line: Carrie Symonds

But whether or not he is indeed in the clutches of 'long Covid', the patience of his MPs is running out. Many are no longer prepared to wait for the re-emergence of their lost leader. In the eyes of a growing number, the buccaneering Lord Flashheart who delivered victory in December's Election has left the field of battle for good.

'I don't know what he wants to do,' says a Minister, 'and I don't think he does either.'

A few hope a Brexit deal may give him some respite in what has been a tortuous year. But most are now looking towards  if not yet actively preparing for  the succession.

Four people are running Britain this morning. But the Prime Minister is not among them.

Migrant plans are all at sea

The Home Office's blue-sky thinkers really have been thinking out of the box. Way, way out of the box. It was reported last week that tasked with finding a solution to the cross-Channel refugee crisis, they considered housing migrants on Ascension Island. But I'm told they also considered sending them a bit further afield. 'We approached Guyana,' a Foreign Office official tells me, 'and asked if they would consider taking them. We even offered to pay them a fee for their trouble. But they politely declined.' I also understand a plan for using water cannon on migrants was shelved as too dangerous. 'It was thought drowning migrants may go a bit far,' the official added.
A cross-party group of South Australian senators have directly appealed to Centre Alliance's Stirling Griff to reject the Morrison government's university funding reforms as pressure builds on the crucial crossbencher.

Senator Griff, whose vote will decide the fate of the contentious Job-Ready Graduates bill, said on Sunday that he had not finalised his position ahead of a potential vote this week.

"There has been no progression since Friday and in all likelihood negotiations will go down to the line," Senator Griff said.

Centre Alliance Senator Stirling Griff (left) pictured with Independent Senator Rex Patrick (right) who has called on him to reject the Morrison government's university funding reforms. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

In an unusual joint statement, South Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young and Independent Senator Rex Patrick implored the undecided Senator to reject the bill, saying the changes "will be devastating, long term, for [South Australian] families".
Photo: Contributed

Canada's top public health officer is urging people to plan ahead to make sure this year's Thanksgiving holiday is safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Theresa Tam says indoor gatherings should be kept small, especially in parts of the country where infection rates are high.

She says people celebrating outdoors should follow physical distancing guidelines and encouraged people to avoid sharing food and other objects during their meals.

Tam is also suggesting that Canadians opt for virtual Thanksgiving dinners instead of in-person gatherings.

Tam's suggestions come as new COVID-19 case numbers surge in several parts of the country, most notably Quebec and Ontario.

Quebec reported more than 1,000 new diagnoses for the third straight day on Sunday, while Ontario has recorded more than 500 cases every day for the past week.
ComebackTown is published by David Sher for a more prosperous greater Birmingham & Alabama

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Todays guest columnist is L. Brunson White.

You might be asking yourself if your vote will make any difference in November.

No one doubts that Trump will win in Alabama  so whether you are a Democrat or Republican why bother to vote?

But this election creates an opportunity to begin to change the perception of our state.

If you want economic growth for Birmingham and all of Alabama, a good place to start is removing barriers that could dissuade businesses from locating here. Our states more than 500-page constitution is one such obstruction, but voters will have the opportunity to whittle it down by voting yes to Amendment 4 which will be on the ballot on November 3rd.

At present, our constitution is like a thicket thats had decades to grow. Its sprawling, hard to navigate and thorny. This thick book is packed with more than 900 amendments and there are redundancies throughout it that make it challenging even to legal scholars. (The reference to Its a Thick Book in this article is a tribute to the political documentary of the same name created by Lewis Lehe.)

It is also riddled with illegal racist language, a red flag to potential companies looking to build or expand business in the state. For instance, most people would be surprised to learn that Alabamas Constitution still contains language such as separate schools shall be provided for white and colored children, and no child of either race shall be permitted to attend a school of the other race.

While many Alabamians would like to see a complete overhaul and rewrite of the Constitution, thats highly unlikely in todays political climate. Instead, Amendment 4 would allow for a cleanup of the document, without making any other changes.

The recompilation will clarify for economic developers, what the Constitution allows and would ease concerns of potential businesses by removing racist language that could discourage them from doing business in the state.

Amendment 4 is a non-partisan issue that brings support from many sectors of Alabama including educators, religious leaders, business leaders and members of all political parties. In fact, in 2019 every member of the Alabama Legislature, without a single dissenting vote on either side of the aisle, agreed to give the people of Alabama the chance to vote on this amendment for constitutional reform.

If approved, Amendment 4 would allow the Legislative Services Agency, with assistance from Alabama Reference Services, to propose a draft to clean up and consolidate the document, putting it in a logical structure that is far more easily understood by all citizens of the state. While not making any substantive changes to any laws, it would also remove antiquated language and duplicative provisions from the document.

The Legislative Services Agency is a non-partisan agency that exists to provide assistance to the Alabama Legislature. In addition to streamlining the document, the work will include provisions for its ultimate presentation to Alabama voters for ratification or rejection in 2022.

Recompiling and removing racist language will not completely clear the thicket that is Alabamas antiquated constitution, but it will go a long way toward providing our communities and state with a path forward for economic development. It also positions us to address any issues that remain after the recompiled document is approved by voters. In a world of political, racial and judicial strife, it seems these changes are the least we can do.

Too often, when faced with a ballot that includes proposed constitutional amendments, Alabama voters go with a better safe than sorry attitude. Either they skip voting on amendments entirely or, suspicious of change, they automatically vote no. Im hoping my fellow citizens will delve more deeply into understanding the provisions of Amendment 4. This amendment to clean up the Alabama Constitution is a fundamental step toward improved economic opportunities for the state and for Birmingham.

Brunson White is native of Birmingham. He is a graduate of Birmingham University School and the University of Alabama. He is an alumnus of Leadership Birmingham and Leadership Alabama. He worked for Energen Corporation for 33 years and served as Alabamas first Secretary of Information Technology. Brunson is currently an IT consultant. He also designs and makes furniture, as well as working on various causes that he feels strongly about.
Mr N V Subhash, Telangana BJP leader said that the tour of Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi to Hathras on Saturday to console the family of gangrape victim established that they were on a jolly trip.

Hyderabad, Oct 04: The tour of Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi to Hathras on Saturday to console the family of gangrape victim established that they were on a jolly trip as their faces glowing up as if they found a right opportunity to fix Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr N V Subhash, Telangana BJP leader has remarked.

The drama enacted by both Rahul and Priyanka appeared to be a successful their jubilant behaviour could be compared with a vulture when it found its prey. The entire nation was observing their thirst for political opportunity to defame Narendra Modi and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Mr Subhash lamented.

Lashing out at the Congress leaders for not having any political agenda for the welfare of people, Subhash said they have diverted their attention from the agitation against the agriculture Bills to Hathras gangrape case. It proved beyond doubt that they did not have any constructive role to play in politics. Unfortunately, the political parties in the country were becoming more of a power-mongers than thinking on the peoples welfare.

Also read: Rahul, Priyanka meet Hathras victims family, Rahul assures support to family

Also read: Rahul Gandhi to kick start Kheti Bachao Yatra today from Punjab

Referring to West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjees remarks that dictatorship was going on in the country, the BJP leader, dubbing her as Congress partys bandwagon, said all the Opposition parties in the country were eager to grab or retain power without a sense of responsibility and accountability towards the people. Mr Subhash welcomed the UP government for ordering CBI probe into the Hathras gangrape case and demanded that the accused in the case should be punished.

Also read: Tejashwi Yadav to lead grand alliance for Bihar polls, gets 144 seats
Television

Black-ish: Ahead of its official return for Season 7 on Oct. 21, the comedy is airing a partially animated special episode, involving Junior discovering hes been purged from the voter rolls, and Dre contemplating his own run for office. Matthew Cherry (Hair Love) directs. (7 p.m. PT Sunday, ABC)

The Walking Dead: World Beyond: Yet another Walking Dead spinoff, this one focuses on young people who came of age during the zombie apocalypse. Stars include Annet Mahendru (The Americans). (10 p.m. Sunday, AMC)

The Good Lord Bird: Ethan Hawke cowrote and stars in a limited series adapted from James McBrides novel about the fiery abolitionist John Brown and those caught up in his cause. Judging from an early look, the tone is outrageous, not ponderous, and the storytelling is flamboyant. The talented Joshua Caleb Johnson costars. (10 p.m. Sunday, Showtime)

The Comedy Store: A five-part documentary series about the famed stand-up comedy club that has been a launching pad for some of comedys biggest names. (10 p.m. Sunday, Showtime)

The Walking Dead: The zombie thriller series returns after a production hiatus. (10 p.m. Sunday, AMC)

One Day at a Time: Season 4 of the comedy series that streamed on Netflix, then aired on PopTV, now comes to CBS. (9 p.m. Monday, CBS)

Soulmates: Another anthology series, this one is set 15 years in the future, when science has found a way to tell people who their soulmate is. Each of the six episodes in the first season will feature a different cast. Stars include Sarah Snook (Succession), Kingsley Ben-Adir, David Costabile, Malin Akerman, Betsy Brandt and Charlie Heaton. (10 p.m. Monday, AMC)

Next: John Slattery stars in a thriller about an artificial intelligence creation that just may end up destroying civilization. Take that, Alexa! (9 p.m. Tuesday, Fox)

2020 Vice Presidential Debate: Vice President Mike Pence and Kamala Harris, the California senator who is Democratic presidential candidate Joe Bidens running mate, are scheduled to take the stage for a debate. The event comes amid a turbulent news cycle, including President Donald Trumps COVID-19 diagnosis. The debate is scheduled to happen at the University of Utah, in Salt Lake City. Susan Page, Washington bureau chief for USA Today will moderate. (6 p.m. PT Wednesday, numerous channels, including ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS, CNN, C-SPAN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC)

Supernatural: The fan-favorite series returns from its coronavirus-mandated shutdown to air the final episodes of its fifteenth and final season. (8 p.m. Thursday, The CW)

Saturday Night Live: After a disappointing Season 46 premiere, which marked the shows return to its studio, lets hope everybody gets more comfortable with the new, unpredictable normal. Bill Burr hosts, and Morgan Wallen will be the musical guest. (8:29 p.m. PT Saturday, NBC)

Already Streaming

Emily in Paris: Lily Collins stars in a new series from creator Darren Star (Younger), about a young marketing executive who starts an exciting new job in Paris. (Streaming, Netflix)

Monsterland: A new, scary anthology series, with such actors as Kelly Marie Tran, Jonathan Tucker, Kaitlyn Dever, Mike Colter and Taylor Schilling. FYI: The second episode is titled Eugene, Oregon. AIEEEE! (Streaming, Hulu)

Subscribe to our What to Watch newsletter. Email:



-- Kristi Turnquist

kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist
President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at the White House on September 23, 2020, in Washington, DC. MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

President Trump is being treated for the coronavirus at Walter Reed Medical Center after announcing his diagnosis on Friday.

Trump received an IV infusion of the antiviral drug remdesivir on Friday.

A White House official told CBS News that Trump also received an experimental antibody cocktail on Thursday evening, but Trump's medical team has suggested that he received the drug either earlier or later than that.

Regardless of the timing, a remdesivir treatment suggests Trump's illness could be serious, doctors say.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

President Donald Trump is "doing very well" at Walter Reed Medical Center, the president's doctors said on Saturday morning. After his Friday announcement that he'd tested positive for the coronavirus, Trump was reportedly experiencing a low-grade fever, cough, lethargy, and nasal congestion.

"At this time, the team and I are extremely happy with the progress the president has made," White House physician Sean Conley said on Saturday.

Related: Days before Trump tested positive, his family went maskless

Trump received an IV infusion of the antiviral drug remdesivir on Friday. The repurposed Ebola treatment is one of two FDA-authorized therapies for coronavirus patients. It's typically given to hospitalized patients who have developed a severe infection but don't require breathing machines or ICU admission.

That has some doctors worried that Trump's symptoms could be more than mild.

Their suspicion is bolstered by the fact that prior to receiving remdesivir, Trump also got a dose of an experimental antibody cocktail made by the biotech company Regeneron.

"The fact that he has been given two interventions already speaks to something that's probably going on," Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, a pulmonary physician at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, told Business Insider.

Regeneron's drug was recently found to reduce a patient's viral load  the amount of virus in the body  in a clinical trial of 275 people. Those who got the treatment also saw their symptoms resolve more quickly than those who received a placebo. But the therapy hasn't been authorized by the FDA, and it hasn't been tested in combination with remdesivir. So doctors aren't sure how they will work together.

Story continues

Multiple doctors told Business Insider, however, that administering remdesivir and the antibody cocktail early makes sense, given that Trump's age and weight make him more vulnerable to severe infection.

"The thought is if you can reduce the viral burden with an antiviral early on, then maybe the progression will be halted in some way," Dr. Mangala Narasimhan, who oversees ICU care at Northwell Health in New York, said.

A confusing, contradictory timeline of Trump's infection and treatment

On Saturday, Trump's medical team offered a shaky timeline of when the antibody cocktail was actually administered. Dr. Ben Garibaldi told reporters that the president received the cocktail 48 hours prior to the press conference, suggesting that Trump took the drug around noon on Thursday. That was well before his diagnosis was revealed to the public.

But Conley then released a statement shortly after saying the president received that antibody cocktail on Friday after testing positive on Thursday night. A White House official, meanwhile, told CBS News that the drug was administered on Thursday evening.

Doctors and officials have also given conflicting reports about the state of Trump's health overall.

Conley told reporters on Saturday that the president has not had any difficulty breathing and does not require oxygen. But he declined to say whether Trump has received supplemental oxygen for his illness at any point so far, and the Associated Press reported that Trump was indeed given supplemental oxygen at the White House on Friday, prior to going to the hospital.

The New York Times reported that the president had trouble breathing on Friday, citing two people close to the White House. And White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told the Associated Press, meanwhile, that Trump had a "very concerning" period on Friday, adding that the next 48 hours would be "critical" for his treatment.

Remdesivir is typically reserved for severe cases

Empty vials of remdesivir are washed at a Gilead Sciences facility in La Verne, California, on March 18, 2020. Gilead Sciences Inc/Handout via Reuters

On average, it can take a week or more for a coronavirus patient to be admitted to the hospital after symptoms arrive. It's still unclear when Trump got infected, but the president may have been showing early symptoms on Wednesday, Bloomberg News reported.

Galiatsatos said the fact that doctors administered remdesivir shortly after the antibody cocktail is a sign that Trump may have mounted a "chaotic" inflammatory response.

"If your immune system is doing well, you don't want to stop that. You don't want to interfere with your remdesivir or your steroids," Galiatsatos said. "If they felt the need to pull the trigger on that, my suspicion is they're picking up some signals that he might not do well."

But on Saturday, Conley explained his decision to administer remdesivir as simply pursuing all options.

"I didn't want to hold anything back," he said. "If there was any possibility that it would add value to his care and expedite his return, I wanted to take it."

'Survival is just chapter one'

Trump's doctors plan for him to complete a standard five-day course of remdesivir. In a memo on Friday, Conley said Trump was also taking zinc, Vitamin D, melatonin, aspirin, and an anti-heartburn medicine. Studies have shown that Vitamin D could help reduce the severity of COVID-19 infections.

"He's doing so well, but with the known course of the illness, day seven to 10 we get really concerned about the inflammatory phase," Conley said. "Given that we provided some of these advanced therapies so early in the course, a little bit earlier than most of the patients we know and follow, it's hard to tell where he is on that course. Every day we're evaluating, does he need to be here, what does he need, and where is he going?"

He added that "all indicators are that [Trump will] remain off of oxygen going forward."

Trump addresses a crowd in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on September 19, 2020. Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images

For most coronavirus patients who are hospitalized, Galiatsatos said, their conditions get worse before they get better. Older men with preexisting health problems tend to decline more quickly than most, he added.

"If he follows the most common, critical care phenotype, he's going to get sick, he's going to plateau in a very horrible purgatory, like a breathing machine and so forth, for weeks before he then turns around," Galiatsatos said.

Trump's prognosis is not publicly available, however. It's also difficult for independent experts to assess, given the missing information about when the president was diagnosed and treated, as well as conflicting accounts of his need for supplemental oxygen. If doctors announce they've administered a steroid, Galiatsatos said, that will be a sign that Trump's condition has probably worsened.

Regardless of what happens going forward, he added, patients who are hospitalized with the coronavirus typically face a long recovery.

"Survival is just chapter one," Galiatsatos said. "What doesn't kill you from COVID-19 doesn't make you stronger. It makes you weaker. So he's got to recognize that, if he survives kind of the worst of this, he's got a long way to recover."

Andrew Dunn contributed reporting.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Yet even as the need swells  and even as nearly three-quarters of Americans believe it is important to accept refugees into the country  the administration hardens its stance of resolute indifference. It makes no difference to the Trump administration if refugees are strangers to this country or proven friends. Although 4,000 slots were reserved in the past year for Iraqi interpreters and others who have helped the U.S. military in Iraq, the administration resettled just 123 in the United States.
Ramrod straight, his hair neatly in place, his suit tailored to his slim figure, Baker stood up to address a crowd of business leaders gathered at the Houston Chamber of Commerce.

He had been instructed to keep his introduction brief, he told the audience. And that reminded him of a story. A little girl named Sarah was at church one Sunday, bored by a long-winded sermon. Her attention drifting, she noticed American flags hanging on the wall with gold plaques underneath each of them.

Grandma, what are those flags there for? Baker quoted her asking.

Why, Sarah, those flags commemorate those who died in service.

Oh, really? The 9 oclock service or the 11 oclock service?

As the audience laughed, Baker said, I hope Im not going to lose you in my service this afternoon.

Wry and irreverent if old-school in his humor, Baker in 1978 had decided to put himself on public display for the first time. A backstage operative no more, he would try his hand as a politician himself, running for attorney general of Texas.

Any chronicle of the modern presidency would find Baker at the heart of virtually every chapter, for his was an unmatched case study in the acquisition, exercise and preservation of power in the late 20th century. He was the campaign operative who secured the Republican nomination for Gerald Ford against a relentless challenge from the right by Ronald Reagan in 1976, then four years later managed George Bushs first presidential campaign, which proved successful enough to earn Bush the vice presidency and Baker a spot by the new presidents side. He set up and ran Reagans White House as chief of staff for four years, securing many of the achievements that shaped the legacy of the 40th president. In Reagans second term, with nothing more than an undergraduate course in economics, he took over as secretary of the treasury and rewrote the American tax code from top to bottom in collaboration with leading Democrats. He returned to the campaign world in 1988 to win the presidency for Bush, then switched back into statesman mode as Americas top diplomat, from which perch he effectively managed the most tumultuous period in international politics since World War II.

None of which might ever have happened had Baker actually won his race for Texas attorney general in 1978. That campaign proved to be the turning point in an illustrious career  his defeat that year became, in effect, his biggest victory, setting him on the path to the national and international stage and a role in history.

The idea of running for office had appealed to Baker since before his first wife Mary Stuarts death from cancer in 1970, when he briefly toyed with seeking Bushs seat in the House. But now, eight years later, he had been bitten by the bug, as he put it, and was ready to try. If Bush could do it, why couldnt he?

The Texas of that era was still strongly Democratic, though by tradition more than ideology. No Republican had been elected either governor or attorney general since Reconstruction. As a fellow Southerner, Jimmy Carter had won Texas in 1976, but he would be the last Democrat to do so for decades to come. Always conservative, Texans were increasingly disenchanted with the liberalism of national Democrats. That was what Baker, a relatively recent Republican convert himself, was counting on.

When Baker sat down to talk with Bush about his political ambitions at Bushs house in Houston, his friend urged him to run for governor. Baker was skeptical. It seemed a reach for a novice who, despite his time running Fords campaign, still had no personal experience on the campaign trail.

Looking down the potential ballot, Baker thought he found an opportunity instead with the attorney generals office. Price Daniel Jr., the former speaker of the Texas House and a well-known liberal, was angling for the Democratic nomination. If Baker could run against Daniel, he figured he would have a chance.

Baker believed his biggest challenge was going to be a man who was not even in the race: Ronald Reagan. Texas had gone strongly for Reagan against Ford in the 1976 primary and few were more associated with the former president than Baker, who now needed to reach out to the right. Baker contacted a political operative named Frank Donatelli, the former head of Young Americans for Freedom, then one of the bulwarks of the American right. When Baker got in touch, Donatelli was a little suspicious that he was on the other side of the Republican divide, but he flew to Texas to meet the candidate and ended up impressed. Its clear he did not have much of a relationship or understanding of what was then the organized conservative movement, Donatelli recalled years later. But he was certainly a conservative on all of the major issues.

Donatelli set to work teaching Baker how to be a candidate. It did not come naturally. Keep eye contact at end of sentences! Baker reminded himself in notes scratched in the margins of one speech. On the left side of his announcement address, he wrote in big block letters, Look at Camera!

What Baker did not count on was that Price Daniel would not be the only Democrat to enter the race. When Mark White, the Texas secretary of state and an avuncular backslapper with a more moderate reputation, decided to run as well, the contest was no longer what Baker had anticipated.

Baker first met White at a joint appearance before the Southeast Texas Press Club. Both were disappointed that Daniel, the one they were each targeting, did not show, but went ahead and presented their cases anyway. In reality, they were not that different, a conservative Democrat and a moderate Republican. Both advocated stronger open-records laws and more women and minorities on the attorney generals staff. Both agreed that State Supreme Court judges should be appointed, not elected, a big issue at that time. Given the similarities, Baker tried to carve out his own identity by boasting that he was not part of the ruling Democratic machine.

Theres not much question about my independence, he told the press club audience, noting his family heritage dating back to his great-grandfather, the storied Judge James A. Baker.

Ill bet he was a Democratic judge, White interjected.

Baker tried to tack to the right of Mark White, supporting the death penalty and the states right-to-work law. He opposed gun control and the Equal Rights Amendment. On other hot-button matters, he tried to hedge. On gay rights, at a time when Texas still criminalized homosexual conduct, Bakers issue binder said, I feel that consenting adults should not be subjected to criminal penalties for actions occurring in the privacy of the home. However, I do not feel that homosexuality should be recognized by the state as socially acceptable conduct. On immigration, he said, I would be very concerned that any crackdown on illegal aliens by the Federal government not result in discrimination against Texas citizens of Mexican heritage. (There is no place for racism in Texas.)

Baker did not want to run on any of these topics. He was no culture warrior. Social issues such as abortion made him uncomfortable. Instead, he opted to concentrate on crime and present himself as a law-and-order candidate. After Labor Day, Baker released a 37-page position paper detailing five proposals to combat crime, including stiffer sentences for repeat offenders, more resources to fight drugs and a reorganization of juvenile justice.

In the campaigns closing weeks, he went on the air. My opponent, Mark White, says we dont need to change our criminal justice system, Baker said into the camera stiffly, as if he were an actor auditioning for a part he did not think he would get. Here are the facts. A man convicted of murder gets probation hes free. A criminal sexually abuses young children  no jail time. A drug pusher sentenced to six years serves one, gets out and repeats the crime. Had enough? I have. Unable to afford prime time, the campaign placed the ad on soap operas such as The Young and the Restless, game shows such as Family Feud and syndicated repeats of older shows like Gilligans Island and Gunsmoke.

Baker also made a play for minority voters at a time when the Republican Party was going the opposite direction. Bakers outreach to minorities concerned Bill Clements, the colorful oil executive and former deputy defense secretary who topped the Republican ticket that year as nominee for governor. You should be aware that Jim Baker and Bill Clements are developing differences in their policies, an adviser to Clements wrote in a memo. Mr. Clements has come out against a state civil rights act and at the LULAC convention in San Antonio a week ago, Baker came out in favor of it.

Baker may not have had much experience on stage himself, but his legal training gave him an advantage in debates. After one particularly rough face-off in San Antonio, Mark White called his staff. Hey, no more debates with Jim Baker, he recalled telling aides. This son of a gun knows as much about this business as I do and theres no need for us exposing ourselves.

Baker had no compunction about going negative. But when it came down to it, he passed on what could have been a devastating attack on White. Jim Cicconi, a young campaign aide, dug up a case where White as secretary of state had refused to extradite a man wanted by New York for a violent felony after being convinced he would not get a fair trial. The man later went on to murder two people in Texas. Cicconi thought it was a killer issue against White, but Baker refused to use it. I think he viewed this as whether youre going to take the high road or take the low road, Cicconi said.

More important than any specific issue, though, were the political realities of Texas. Campaigning one day, Baker told a voter he was running for attorney general.

May I ask which party? the man asked.

Republican, Baker answered.

Oh, the man said.

As a reporter witnessing the exchange wrote, it was almost as if Baker had just admitted to residing at the state hospital.

Baker had simply never developed the touch of a candidate. He was the worst retail politician Ive ever seen, Jim Barlow, who covered the campaign for the Houston Chronicle, reflected years later. We would be walking through a fair or one of these little festivals that every small town in Texas has and he would walk along and there would be people walking toward him and he would smile at them, but he wouldnt stop them and say, Hi, Im Jim Baker and Im running for attorney general and Id like your vote. Hed just slide through the crowd. By contrast, Barlow said, He was very good at talking with the county judge or the Republican chairman and seeking their support. He was very good at figuring out whats going on in the county and what resonates here and that sort of thing. But he just couldnt take that and put it out in a retail way.

Ive always thought Baker was the best backroom politician I ever saw, Barlow concluded.

On Nov. 7, Baker cast his ballot in Houston and then settled in to wait for the results. Baker took 999,431 votes to 1,249,846 for White, a respectable showing in heavily Democratic Texas. For the rest of his life, he would argue that his 44 percent was nothing less than a moral victory for a Republican at that time.

But the truth was, Baker had missed the moment. He was right that Texas was changing  1978 would be the year that Texas really began transforming from a solid Democratic state into a solid Republican one. Bill Clements became the first Republican to win the governorship in more than a century.

The idea of running again would linger in the back of Bakers mind for years to come. But it had hardly been an auspicious start. Baker was a great politician except when he had his own name on the ballot, his friend Dick Cheney would always tease him.

Besides, everyone knew what was coming next. As Barlow wrote in the Chronicle after the election, Bakers defeat does not mean his exit from politics, but moves Bakers aspirations from the state to the national scene.

In Florida, where Baker fled with his wife Susan to recover from the race, the phone rang three days after the election.

George Bush was on the line.

Baker (no relation) is the chief White House correspondent for The Times and Glasser is a staff writer for The New Yorker. This piece is an excerpt from the book The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III published Sept. 29, 2020, by Doubleday, an imprint of The Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright  2020 by Peter Baker and Susan Glasser.

Secretary Baker joins the authors to discuss the book Wed, October 7, 2020, 11 a.m.12 p.m. in a webinar for Rice Universitys Baker Institute.
You are the owner of this article.
US President Donald Trump, who has contracted the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), said on Friday his treatment was going well after he was given an experimental drug before being taken to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland.

Trump was given the experimental antibody drug by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc, which has been described as one of the most promising approaches to preventing serious illness from a Covid-19 infection. Along with first lady Melania Trump, the US president tested positive for the Covid-19 on Thursday.

Going well I, I think! Thank you to all. LOVE!!! Trump wrote on Twitter.

The new drug was given through an IV and it is a one-time treatment. It is in late-stage testing and its safety and effectiveness are not yet known.

Trump will continue working from the hospital during the course of the treatment. He remains in good spirits, has mild symptoms, and has been working throughout the day, said White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.

In multiple studies, Regeneron is testing it both for preventing infection and in people already infected, like Trump, to try to prevent serious illness or death.

(With agency inputs)
BEIJING, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Sunday that he stands ready to work with his Bangladeshi counterpart, Md. Abdul Hamid, to better align the two countries' strategies and jointly promote the construction of the Belt and Road, so as to take the China-Bangladesh strategic partnership of cooperation to new heights.

Xi made the remarks in an exchange of congratulatory messages with Hamid to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

In his message, Xi said the China-Bangladesh friendship has a long history and remains ever new over time.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 45 years ago, the two countries have always respected each other and treated each other as equals, enhanced political mutual trust and deepened mutually beneficial cooperation that brings tangible benefits to the two peoples, Xi noted.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Bangladesh have stuck together through thick and thin, helped each other and fought against the pandemic side by side, writing a new chapter of bilateral friendship, Xi said.

For his part, Hamid said in the message that the Bangladesh-China relationship is developing rapidly and has covered cooperation in key areas, to which Bangladesh attaches great importance.

He expressed his deep appreciation for China's continuous support for Bangladesh in its socio-economic development progress, adding that he believes the close and friendly relationship between the two countries will continue to deepen in the future.

Also on Sunday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang exchanged congratulatory messages with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Li said in his message that China is willing to deepen practical cooperation with Bangladesh in various fields and promote the steady and sustainable development of the China-Bangladesh strategic partnership of cooperation to better benefit the two countries and their people.

For her part, Hasina said the strategic partnership of cooperation between Bangladesh and China has been developed from the two countries' time-tested friendship and cooperation.

The strengthened Bangladesh-China cooperation has unleashed enormous potential in maintaining peace, security and stability in the region and even around the world, Hasina said.
The delivery of the first of six new steam generators by Areva last week to extend the life of Eskoms Koeberg nuclear power station reveals yet another scam at Eskom, perpetrated during the infamous leadership of Brian Molefe, Matshela Koko and the dodgy Eskom board at the time.

On the basis of a three-month shorter delivery time, the R5-billion steam generator replacement contract was finally awarded to French state-owned nuclear contractor, Areva, who after running into financial difficulties, are now controlled by French national electricity utility, Electricite de France (EDF).

This followed an extended High Court, Appeal Court and Constitutional Court battle in South Africa, in which Westinghouse (ultimately unsuccessfully) tried to challenge the irregular contract award to Areva on the basis that the claimed urgency of the life-extension was deliberately contrived by Eskom in order to wrongfully award the contract to Areva.

At the time when Koeberg was built between 1976 and 1985, Framatome (the predecessor to Areva) manufactured the two 900 MW nuclear reactors and the six associated steam generators at Koeberg, using designs licenced from Westinghouse.

Both Eskom and Areva claimed that it was absolutely critical for safe operation of the power plant and for security of electricity supply in South Africa that the steam generators should be finally replaced during the so-called X23 outage at Koeberg in 2018.

This was cited by Eskom as the reason for awarding the contract to Areva, where an allegedly contrived three-month float in Arevas project plan was indicated as the deciding factor. This despite Westinghouse having met all the technical and commercial requirements, with a lower contract price, and a guarantee to meet the 2018 completion date on pain of substantial penalties.

However, all has not gone well for Areva in executing the project.

Areva is said to have experienced serious manufacturing quality problems with the steam generator forgings in France. In view of the claimed time criticality of the project, to resolve these issues Eskom and Areva agreed that the uncompleted forgings would be air-freighted to China where an Areva partner would complete the manufacture.

Apparently, each of the six steam generator forgings required the hiring of a Russian Antonov freighter aircraft (six flights in total) to fly the forgings from France to China. However, according to an impeccable source, after taking a closer look at the forgings, Arevas Chinese partner decided to scrap them and start again from scratch.

One can only speculate as to why it was not considered more economical for Areva to fly engineers from the Chinese manufacturer to France to examine the steam generator forgings, as opposed to flying all six steam generators to China for the inspection, prior to them being scrapped in China.

A former senior nuclear executive at Eskom commented to this writer at the time that: This was the most expensive transport of scrap metal in the history of humankind.

Eskom has since confirmed to EE Business Intelligence last week that: The forgings did not meet the expected quality standards and could not be accepted, and therefore they were scrapped by the contractor at their own cost.

According to Eskom, the contractual delivery date of all six steam generators was February 2018, with the contractual completion date for the replacement of all six steam generators being the end of 2019.

However, with all the delays in the project, including restarting manufacture of the steam generators from scratch in China, delivery of the first three steam generators for Unit 1 at Koeberg is only starting now in September 2020, with those for Unit 2 only scheduled for delivery in the third quarter of 2021.

Regarding the actual replacement of the steam generators, Eskom now says that: Installation is aligned with the outages scheduled for 2021 and 2022 respectively for the two Koeberg reactor units (Unit 1 and Unit 2). No mention is now made by Eskom of the criticality for completion in 2018 cited by Eskom at the time as the reason for placing a more expensive contract with Areva.

While not answering specific questions on the cost overruns arising for the project, Eskom insists that: The estimated cost-to-completion for the project is within the original budget approved in 2014. Of course, this is not very helpful, because the original budget approved in 2014 is not disclosed, and may have been significantly higher that the contract price.

However, it seems clear that Eskom has in fact paid a premium for the replacement by Areva of the steam generators at Koeberg on the basis of a claimed three-month shorter completion time, when in fact completion will be some three years longer.

Its an old trick, but it clearly still works.
An elderly Colorado couple who were reported missing after going hiking were found shot dead on a trail, according to police.

Lee and Stella Vigil, both in their 70s, were found Saturday morning, after they were reported missing Friday night after not returning to their home in Colorado Springs, the Colorado Springs Police Department said.

Officers and family members found the couples car at a trailhead. A search and rescue team called to the scene found the couples bodies by a creek off a trail around 12:24 a.m. Saturday.

Police said it was unclear why the couple was shot, but a homicide investigation was underway.

No further information is available at this time.



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KENOSHA  MAKE AMERICA HOLY AGAIN read the hats of volunteers at Sundays Catholic-led Unite Our Nation march and rosary ceremony in Downtown Kenosha.

Despite the obvious reference to President Donald Trumps Make America Great Again caps, the gathering sought to remain entirely apolitical, although it was certainly pro-American.

We are a great nation. America is a great country. We are doing good ... Thank you for being heroes ... We dont turn our backs on the world. We go into it and change it from within, Unite the Nation founder Kevin OBrien concluded in his opening remarks Sunday.

Before the event kicked off, Chris Kuchur, of Knights of Columbus Kenosha, said We just need some peace in this town and this country  How do you achieve it? Through, not protest, but peaceful dialogues and understandings and prayer.

Something has been lost, Kachur continued, lamenting what he believed that religion has faded from the American family, a feeling shared among many who participated in the march through the still-scarred streets of Kenosha.

To fix those problems, Jerome Listecki, archbishop of the Archidocese of Milwaukee, said Change can only come about when it is directed at Christ.

Listecki led a solemn, slow march through Downtown Kenosha, leading the crowd of more than 200 past boarded-up buildings and the scorched remains of the Car Source car lot.

By design, Unite The Nation (originally named just Unite Wisconsin) is apolitical, branding each of its events as A Patriotic Rosary Rally. The words Trump and Biden dont appear on UniteOurNation.net. Instructions included on the website direct event organizers to make sure attendees do not bring any political paraphernalia  at least two men were seen wearing Trump hats at Sundays event and others carried pro-police signs, but the majority of the days discussion strayed from current events.

OBrien said that Unite Our Nation is becoming a movement, with dozens of events being held across the U.S.  reaching both the east and west coasts  with tens of thousands of people participating.

The first Unite Our Nation event, held on Aug. 15 in Madison, drew more than 2,000 people. But it received little-to-no news coverage, especially compared to the nearly nightly coverage of unrest in Kenosha, Portland, Chicago, Seattle and worldwide.

One main goal of Sundays gathering, Knights of Columbus Kenosha District Deputy Rich Mich said, was just to keep praying for peaceful resolution to this, especially with upcoming decision, in whether charges would be filed against Kenosha Police Officer Rusten Sheskey in the shooting of Jacob Blake.

We wanted to show that were behind everybody, and we need everybodys help to get things settled, Mich added. Ever since then (the rioting and violence in August) weve had peaceful protests. And theyve been working.

Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian has said that the city has not done enough historically to address racial inequity, the primary injustice that has spurred Black Lives Matter protests into the streets over the past five months. He told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last week that one of his great regrets as mayor was not keeping together a committee on racial issues that formed in 2000 but disbanded the next year.

Im refusing to make that mistake a second time, he told the newspaper. We thought we solved the problem, and we didnt.

The church and politics

Listecki has distanced himself from partisanship. After the Trump campaign planned a Catholics for Trump rally in Milwaukee in March  an event later canceled due to the pandemic  Listecki quickly pointed out that the church was not sponsoring the gathering.

The Catholic Church and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee are not endorsing the rally, Listecki said at the time. The mission of the church is religious, not political.

Catholics comprise about 25% of the Wisconsin population, according to the Pew Research Center, making the demographic a key vote in the presidential election.

The president, on the other hand, has not kept religion and party politics separate. During remarks for the 75th annual Al Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner published on Thursday, Trump accused Democrats of slandering the faith of his nominee for Supreme Court justice  Amy Coney Barrett, who is Catholic  and said that Democrats are harboring anti-Catholic sentiment, despite the fact that the Democratic nominee for president, former Vice President Joe Biden is a practicing Catholic.

We will not stand for any attacks against Judge Barretts faith, Trump said. Anti-Catholic bigotry has absolutely no place in the United States of America. It predominates in the (Democratic) Party and we must do something immediately about it, like a Republican win. And lets make it a really big one.

To support the noble mission of Catholic schools, my administration is working to advance school choice. It was my great honor to help the Catholic Church with its schools. They needed hundreds of millions of dollars and I got it for them  nobody else, I got it for them. I hope you remember that on Nov. 3. But I got it for them. And it was an honor to do it.

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US President Donald Trump could be discharged as early as Monday from a military hospital where he is undergoing treatment after contracting the coronavirus, his physicians said on Sunday, hours after he released a video saying Ill be back soon.

But the doctors also revealed on Sunday a previously unreported episode of his blood oxygen levels dropping below normal, adding to the confusing updates from the White House on his health.

Trump had the first episode on Friday, with high fever, which had prompted his physician and medical experts to shift him to the Walter Reed Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. But the medical team did not mention it at their Saturday briefing and had sought to present a rosy picture of the president doing well and being in high spirits. It came out through a leak to reporters by a senior official.

Dr Brian Garibaldi, a Johns Hopkins doctor who is part of the medical team, told reporters on Sunday the president felt good and has been up and around. If he continues to look and feel as well as he does today, our hope is that we can plan for a discharge as early as tomorrow to the White House where he can continue his treatment course.

The president was given a second dose of the anti-viral drug remdesivir on Saturday and was started off on dexamethasone, a steroid used to prevent drop in blood oxygen levels.

But the team insisted the president was doing well overall. In his video message, Trump said that although the real test lies ahead, he hoped to resume and finish his re-election campaign.

I have to get all the way back because we still have to make America great again. The White House later released pictures of the president working at his medical suite at the hospital to continue to reinforce the optimistic projection.

Sean Conley, Trumps physician who is facing criticism over what was seen as inaccurate updates, defended himself saying, I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude that the team, the president...has had... and didnt want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction. And in doing so, you know, came off that were trying to hide something, it wasnt necessarily true.
Paris: Italian firefighters rescued 25 people trapped on the French side of a high mountain pass by severe flooding that killed two people in Italy, while 15 were stuck in a train station for the night and eight more remained missing in France.

A storm that moved overnight across south-eastern France into north-western Italy caused major flooding on both sides of the border, destroying bridges, blocking roads and isolating communities.

A building is toppled over by the Cervo river in spate due to heavy rains in Biella, northern Italy, on Saturday, October 3. Credit:AP

In Italy, a firefighter was killed during a rescue operation in the mountainous northern region of Val dAosta. A search team found a body in the Piedmont region's Vercelli province, where a man had been swept away by flood waters late Friday.

The Italian firefighters used a helicopter to ferry 17 people to safety from the French town of Vievola, including a woman with two grandchildren. A bulldozer fetched another eight people who managed to climb the Col de Tende, a high mountain pass linking France and Italy, to a tunnel.
Boris Johnson's father has been caught flouting coronavirus mask-wearing rules for the second time in a week.

The Prime Minister's father, Stanley, 80, was seen reclining on an airport chair while reading a book with his mask pulled the whole way down his face last Sunday.

He was waiting for an aeroplane in Athens, Greece, where the law states that masks have to be worn at all times in public spaces.

Mr Johnson had spent three weeks at his Greek villa before he was spotted openly flouting the rules while waiting for an aeroplane to return him to the UK.

The Prime Minister's father, Stanley, 80, was seen reclining on an airport chair while reading a book with his mask pulled the whole way down his face last Sunday

It comes just days after it was revealed that he had been shopping without wearing a mask.

Airport witnesses also claimed that Mr Johnson disobeyed social-distancing rules.

One told The Daily Star: 'I first noticed Stanley because he sat too close to me at the gate so I had to shuffle along the seats to maintain social distancing  then I noticed he wasn't wearing his mask properly.

'I find his behaviour shocking given he is the father of the Prime Minister who is currently enforcing these rules.'

On Wednesday he was photographed shopping in his local newsagent without wearing any kind of face covering.

It comes just days after it was revealed that he had been shopping without wearing a mask

After being caught red-handed without a mask, the Prime Minister's father admitted he was 'maybe not 100 per cent up to speed' with the rules having just returned from abroad and said he was 'extremely sorry'.

He apologised for the mistake and said he was 'maybe not 100 per cent' up to date with the virus restrictions.

Stanley was met with a furious backlash earlier this year after his father jetted to his four-bed home in Greece - ignoring Foreign Office guidance which stated no one should travel unless it was essential.

Mr Johnson claimed he needed to 'Covid proof' his villa before the letting season began.

After being caught red-handed without a mask, the Prime Minister's father admitted he was 'maybe not 100 per cent up to speed' with the rules having just returned from abroad and said he was 'extremely sorry'

The retired Tory MEP told local and international press: 'There is no question of my breaking the law. The minister of tourism here has my papers.

'It was always absolutely clear from the Greek government that the only thing they were banning were people coming in from direct flights from Britain.'

Locals claimed he arrived to the region by private car after documenting his controversial journey from the UK on social media, sharing a video of himself on a plane and a selfie.

When he was later confronted by international media in Pelion, Mr Johnson said he was unaware of the outcry in Britain about his flight.

A Greek police source told The Daily Star: 'It does not matter who you are, celebrity or no. We are all doing our best to stop the virus spreading, and we will be very hard on those who do not listen.

'He is not above the law and we will not hesitate to arrest and fine anyone who comes here.'
Stocktrek

Floods, hurricanes, fires, melting of ice caps, loss of habitat and subsequent loss of life, how can we not realize we are on the path to self destruction? In his column Lives depend on voting for Planet Earth, Sept. 17 , Eugene Robinson summarizes our current situation noting that we have a president insisting on business as usual. Robinson concludes that the problem of climate change is existential.

As I read, I tried to put myself in the mind of a person who does not agree with the gravity of the climate crisis. Perhaps such a person might see this column as overblown. Perhaps they agree with the president when he says, I dont think science knows, actually. There is a lot science does not know. But anyone watching the news can see the super-charging of weather events, and Idaho farmers choking on smoke from California fires, and so on.
Donald Trump was in full throttle alpha male mode casting Joe Biden as a lily-livered wimp during the first presidential debate.

He openly mocked the Democratic nominee: "I don't wear masks like him. Every time you see him he's got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away and he shows up with the biggest mask I've ever seen."

Two days later, Trump tested positive for Covid-19. Seldom has justice been more poetic.

This is a president who told us that coronavirus would be gone by Easter. That it would vanish like the morning mist once the sun shone on it.

This is a president who has shown scant sympathy for almost a quarter of a million Americans who have died from the disease.

This is a president who put many states under enormous pressure to reopen before the virus was under control, and who was indifferent when they suffered the consequences.

This is a president who - treating public health safety measures with disdain - insisted on holding potentially superspreader crowded indoor rallies.

Expand Close President Donald Trump boards Marine One as he leaves the White House to go to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after he tested positive for COVID-19, Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) AP / Facebook

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Whatsapp President Donald Trump boards Marine One as he leaves the White House to go to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after he tested positive for COVID-19, Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

He denied doing so was dangerous "because you know why, I'm on a stage, it's very far away, so I'm not at all concerned."

The risk to the thousands who gathered at these events to see him clearly failed to even register with a man who cares only about feeding his own ego and looking good.

Quizzed in an August interview about the US's poor response to Covid-19, he described the pandemic as "under control". "How?" asked the journalist. "A thousand Americans are dying a day".

"They are dying. That's true . . it is what it is," Trump replied. That's hard to surpass for heartlessness.

Addressing a packed crowd of mostly maskless supporters in Ohio two weeks ago, Trump declared that coronavirus "affects virtually nobody" except "elderly people with heart problems and other problems".

He is, of course, a 74-year-old who takes a statin for high cholesterol and whose blood pressure is somewhat elevated. If Trump believed his own quackery, he'd currently be at home injecting bleach.

But unlike the tens of thousands of poor infected souls who had no healthcare and died without assistance, his treatment has been first-class.

His personal physician revealed that he had received an antibody cocktail - an experimental drug developed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals which has shown promise in early trials.

So despite the fake news Trump proffered about bleach, when it came to his own health he opted for an evidence-based scientific approach.

Boris Johnson is regularly criticised as being part of a privileged Tory elite. Being fair to the British Prime Minister, he battled Covid-19 for a week on his own in Downing Street with staff leaving trays of food outside his door. It took heavy persuasion for him to go to hospital - and it was an NHS, not private, one.

Trump, by comparison, was able to avail of the services of the White House medical unit and its 25 strong staff of doctors, nurses, and clinical care specialists.

Yet just hours after his diagnosis, the presidential helicopter landed on the White House's south lawn and he was flown to the flagship Walter Reed Medical Centre.

It was not the erratic, incompetent and chaotic response that has characterised his administration's response to Covid-19. With 5% of the world's population, the US has suffered 20% of its coronavirus deaths.

Trump's son Eric says his father is a warrior who will fight the disease "with the same strength and conviction that he uses to fight for America each and every day". Except the president had little interest in fighting Covid-19 when other people's lives were at stake. He consistently undermined public health messaging. He never had America's back.

Eric wants us to pray for his father's recovery. It's crass to take pleasure in another human being's ill health. Don't be like Donald Trump when he mocked a pneumonia-stricken Hillary Clinton and imitated her symptoms on stage. But save your prayers for the ordinary Americans who needlessly lost their lives to this horrible virus.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Sunday that he stands ready to work with his Bangladeshi counterpart, Md. Abdul Hamid, to better align the two countries' strategies and jointly promote the construction of the Belt and Road, so as to take the China-Bangladesh strategic partnership of cooperation to new heights.

Xi made the remarks in an exchange of congratulatory messages with Hamid to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

In his message, Xi said the China-Bangladesh friendship has a long history and remains ever new over time.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 45 years ago, the two countries have always respected each other and treated each other as equals, enhanced political mutual trust and deepened mutually beneficial cooperation that brings tangible benefits to the two peoples, Xi noted.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Bangladesh have stuck together through thick and thin, helped each other and fought against the pandemic side by side, writing a new chapter of bilateral friendship, Xi said.

For his part, Hamid said in the message that the Bangladesh-China relationship is developing rapidly and has covered cooperation in key areas, to which Bangladesh attaches great importance.

He expressed his deep appreciation for China's continuous support for Bangladesh in its socio-economic development progress, adding that he believes the close and friendly relationship between the two countries will continue to deepen in the future.

Also on Sunday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang exchanged congratulatory messages with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Li said in his message that China is willing to deepen practical cooperation with Bangladesh in various fields and promote the steady and sustainable development of the China-Bangladesh strategic partnership of cooperation to better benefit the two countries and their people.

For her part, Hasina said the strategic partnership of cooperation between Bangladesh and China has been developed from the two countries' time-tested friendship and cooperation.

The strengthened Bangladesh-China cooperation has unleashed enormous potential in maintaining peace, security and stability in the region and even around the world, Hasina said.
U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un talk to each other during their meeting at the truce village of Panmunjeom in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, June 30, 2019. / Korea Times file



Pompeo cancels visit to Seoul



By Kang Seung-woo



U.S. President Donald Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis is expected to affect President Moon Jae-in's peace initiative of engaging with North Korea unfavorably, according to diplomatic experts, Sunday.



Trump's infection has practically put an end to speculation over an "October surprise" summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a breakthrough in stalled denuclearization talks ahead of the Nov. 3 U.S. presidential election. This will also weigh negatively on Moon's Korean Peninsula peace process that could have been boosted by an improvement in relations between the United States and the North.



On Friday, the White House announced that the U.S. president and the first lady had tested positive for the coronavirus and later that he had been transferred to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.



Speculation here had been mounting that Trump and Kim may have arranged their fourth meeting for before the election, something that the South Korean government has tried to broker in an attempt to keep momentum for the denuclearization talks alive and get the two leaders to discuss bringing an end to the Korean War. The three-year conflict ended in an armistice signed by the U.S.-led United Nations Command, and China and North Korea, leaving the two Koreas technically still at war.



To discuss the peninsula issues with the U.S., Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Hyun-chong, Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun and Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Lee Do-hoon recently traveled to Washington, D.C.



However, the U.S. commander-in-chief's testing positive for COVID-19 has put State Secretary Mike Pompeo's planned visit to Seoul later this week on the shelf, dashing Moon's hope for an October surprise.






A man has been arrested after punching a protester of President Trump, according to police.

Supporters of Donald Trump got into a heated verbal argument with the man in the parking lot of a Buc-ees convenience store, in Denton, Texas on Saturday.

The protester was playing the anti-Trump rap song, F**k Donald Trump, by YG and Nipsey Hussle.

After yelling profanities and screaming Turn it off!, Jason Lata punched the victim in the face, police said.

The incident was caught on camera and has gone viral on Twitter.

Mr Lata was wearing a black Dont Tread on Me t-shirt and a trucker hat from a firearms accessories manufacturer, at first thought to be a MAGA hat.

The victim was left with an abrasion below his right eyebrow and a broken tooth. He has since come forward on Twitter as Dan R Schochler III.

Gonna be fine but had to go to the hospital, Mr Schochler wrote on Twitter.

The victim was wearing a mask as advised by the CDC during the coronavirus pandemic. Mr Lata was not.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that Mr Lata was arrested on suspicion of assault causing bodily injury.

He is now in custody at the City of Denton Jail and bail is set at $15,000.

Mr Schochler has set up a GoFundMe for his medical expenses, with any excess raised going to support Food Not Bombs and the Audre Lorde Project.
Twenty-five years of putting smiles on the faces of children is cause for celebration.

Amy Barrett opened Lasso the Moon Wonderful Toys on Helenas walking mall a quarter century ago. The specialty toy store has been a staple business of the capital city ever since, offering toys marked by quality and uniqueness from around the world.

It makes me so grateful for this community, she said of reaching the 25-year milestone. To be able to run a store and the way Helena and the surrounding area have really supported us, its humbling.

Amy has an additional reason for her excitement: her daughter Savanna Barrett is now partnering with her in the toy store. Savanna described growing up in the store with her four siblings, where they served as her moms test group for all the new toys.

Its an amazing feeling to be back and have this different perspective, Savanna said. When youre a kid the store just seems endless with all this color and texture. But now I really like the business side of things and its such a great opportunity being here.

Walking into Lasso the Moon, it is easy to understand the magical feeling Savanna recalled as a child. The walls are loaded to the ceiling with toys, games and books  all of which Amy personally selects.

Kids have to be stimulated, something thats 3D, something with weights and dimensions, she said. I dont bring anything in here that I dont like and that I dont think has value for play. I really like the idea of positive play and how does this toy benefit a child in a way. Toys are so critical for a childs development.

After moving to Helena from South Carolina, Lasso the Moon originally opened at a smaller location on the Downtown Walking Mall. After five years, the current location next to the Trolley opened up, providing double the store space as well as much more room for inventory and sorting in the back.

Over the years the store has earned a dedicated following that has now become multi-generational. Amy frequently has parents that came to the store as children now bringing in their own kids.

I like the toys  thats always been really fun and those high quality playthings you dont see on TV, she said. But my favorite thing has always been the kids.

Customers belief in quality and buying local has helped to sustain business through challenges including moving locations, recessions, the closure of Central School, and most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.

Temporary closure and restrictions from the virus pushed business onto Facebook and deliveries, which the Barretts say allowed them to make it through.

COVID-19 was also a factor in Savannas return. Her work in fashion, art and events had taken her to Europe and most recently New York. But the virus has devastated the arts community there, she said, and when her mom mentioned thoughts of a potential retirement, she jumped at the chance to return to Helena.

When my mom started talking about retiring, we said 'Dont sell it, keep it in the family, we love it so much,' Savanna said. Theres so much history and also so much potential.

Now working in tandem, the mother and daughter are excited to explore some new opportunities with Lasso the Moon. Savanna brings technical skills to the business as it strives to offer toy sales through its website. She is also exploring options for toy subscription boxes for children of various ages as well as birthday registries.

Im really about to explode with enthusiasm and excitement, Amy said. Savanna coming here is exactly what I needed and its really just so much fun and we work really well together.

Lasso the Moon anniversary sale Along with rolling out its original logo, Lasso the Moon is holding a special four-day sale in celebration of its 25th anniversary. From Oct. 7-10, customers will receive 25% off everything in the store. Lasso the Moon normally holds an anniversary celebration, but has decided on the multi-day sale to help keep customers spread out due to COVID-19.

Reporter Tom Kuglin can be reached at 447-4076 @IR_TomKuglin

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A surfer has narrowly escaped injury after being dragged off his board by a shark at a popular beach.

The man was surfing at Toms Surf Break at North Beach, Perth, at 10.45am on Sunday when a 1.5metre bronze whaler latched on to his leg rope.

The shark tugged on the rope - pulling the man into the water and damaging the strap, but missing his leg.

The man got out of the water and reported the close encounter to Water Police at 11.37am.

A man was dragged from his surfboard by a shark at Toms Surf Break (pictured), in Perth, on Sunday morning

A shark warning has been issued for Hamersley Pool and Toms Surf Break in North Beach.

Fisheries officers from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development are conducting patrols to assess the situation and notify beach goers.

The alarming incident comes just months after a young surfer was savagely mauled by a five metre great white shark at a nearby beach.

Phil Mummert, 28, was surfing at Bunker Bay, south of Perth, when the huge shark bit his right thigh and took a chunk off his surfboard on July 31.

He was left with a large gnash about 150mm deep where the shark's teeth penetrated through his skin.

One of Mr Mummert's rescuers recounted how quickly the brutal attack unfolded.

A 1.5m bronze whaler latched onto his leg rope and tugged him into the water (stock)

'He's just sitting on his board and the next thing you know we just heard someone go 'shark',' he said.

'I turned around and I've just seen this white (shark) kind of breach and it had already smashed, hit Phil.

'It just obliterated his board, it was just floating there like icicles.'

Another surfer who came to Mr Mummert's aid, Jess Woolhouse, said it was a 'life or death' situation.

'We all sort of made an effort to get him onto the board and start heading in just sort of yelling and trying to splash the water,' he explained.

Mr Woolhouse said a group of six or seven people had also formed on the beach and it was a community effort to help Mr Mummert to shore.

Last month, Mr Mummert returned to the water with his girlfriend Mish Wright after making a full recovery.
The thing for us to do now is to avert this danger (Russian despotism), and to secure the culture and independence of our land. Thus we will make good our word, and do what we have always said we would. In the hour of danger we will not leave our Fatherland in the lurch.... Guided by these principles we vote for the war credits.

This was the declaration of the German Social Democratic fraction, read by Haase in the Reichstag session of August 4th.

Here only the defence of the fatherland is mentioned. Not a word is said of the liberating mission of this War in behalf of the peoples of Russia, which was later sung in every key by the Social Democratic press. The logic of the Socialist press, however, did not keep pace with its patriotism. For while it made desperate efforts to represent the War as one of pure defence, to secure the safety of Germanys possessions, it at the same time pictured it as a revolutionary offensive war for the liberation of Russia and of Europe from Czarism.

We have already shown clearly enough why the peoples of Russia had every reason to decline with thanks the assistance offered them at the point of the Hohenzollern bayonets. But how about the defensive character of the War?

What surprises us even more than what is said in the declaration of the Social Democracy is what it conceals and leaves unsaid. After Hollweg had already announced in the Reichstag the accomplished violation of the neutrality of Belgium and Luxemburg as a means of attacking France, Haase does not mention this fact in a single word. This silence is so monstrous that one is tempted to read the declaration a second and a third time. But in vain. The declaration is written as though such countries as Belgium, France and England had never existed on the political map of the German Social Democracy.

But facts do not cease to be facts simply because political parties shut their eyes to them. And every member of the International has the right to ask this question of Comrade Haase, What portion of the five billions voted by the Social Democratic fraction was meant for the destruction of Belgium? It is quite possible that in order to protect the German fatherland from Russian despotism it was inevitable that the Belgian fatherland should be crushed. But why did the Social Democratic fraction keep silent on this point?

The reason is clear. The English Liberal government, in its effort to make the War popular with the masses, made its plea exclusively on the ground of the necessity of protecting the independence of Belgium and the integrity of France, but utterly ignored its alliance with Russian Czarism. In like manner, and from the same motives, the German Social Democracy speaks to the masses only about the war against Czarism, but does not mention even by name Belgium, France and England. All this is of course not exactly flattering to the international reputation of Czarism. Yet it is quite distressing that the German Social Democracy should sacifice its own good name to the call to arms against Czarism. Lassalle said that every great political action should begin with a statement of things as they are. Then why does the defence of the fatherland begin with an abashed silence as to things as they are? Or did the German Social Democracy perhaps think that this was not a big political action?

Anyway, the defence of the fatherland is a very broad and very elastic conception. The world castastrophe began with Austrias ultimatum to Serbia. Austria, naturally, was guided solely by the need of defending her borders from her uneasy neighbour. Austrias prop was Germany. And Germany, in turn, as we already know, was prompted by the need to secure her own state. It would be senseless to believe, writes Ludwig Quessel on this point, that one wall could be torn away from this extremely complex structure (Europe) without endangering the security of the whole edifice.

Germany opened her defensive war with an attack upon Belgium, the violation of Belgiums neutrality being allegedly only a means of breaking through to France along the line of least resistance. The military defeat of France also was to appear only as a strategic episode in the defence of the fatherland.

To some German patriots this construction of things did not seem quite plausible, and they had good grounds for disbelieving it. They suspected a motive which squared far better with the reality. Russia, entering upon a new era of military preparation, would be a far greater menace to Germany in two or three years than she was then. And France during that time would have completely carried out her three-year army reform. Is it not clear, then, that an intelligent self-defence demanded that Germany should not wait for the attack of her enemies but should anticipate them by two years and take the offensive at once? And isnt it clear, too, that such an offensive war, deliberately provoked by Germany and Austria, is in reality a preventive war of defence?

Not infrequently these two points of view are combined in a single argument. Granted that there is some slight contradiction between them. The one declares that Germany did not want the War now and that it was forced upon her by the Triple Entente, while the other implies that war was disadvantageous to the Entente now and that for that very reason Germany had taken the initiative to bring on the War at this time. But what if there is this contradiction? It is lightly and easily glossed over and reconciled in the saving concept of a war of defence.

But the belligerents on the other side disputed this advantageous position of being on the defensive, which Germany sought to assume, and did it successfully. France could not permit the defeat of Russia on the ground of her own self-defence. England gave as the motive for her interference the immediate danger to the British Islands which a strengthening of Germanys position at the mouth of the Channel would mean. Finally, Russia, too, spoke only of self-defence. It is true that no one threatened Russian territory. But national possessions, mark you, do not consist merely in territory, but in other, intangible factors as well, among them, the influence over weaker states. Serbia belongs in the sphere of Russian influence and serves the purpose of maintaining the so-called balance of power in the Balkans, not only the balance of power among the Balkan States but also between Russian and Austrian influence. A successful Austrian attack on Serbia threatened to disturb this balance of power in Austrias favour, and therefore meant an indirect attack upon Russia. Sasonov undoubtedly found his strongest argument in Quessels words: It would be senseless to believe that one wall could be torn away from the extremely complex structure (Europe) without endangering the security of the entire edifice.

It is superfluous to add that Serbia and Montenegro, Belgium and Luxemburg, could also produce some proofs of the defensive character of their policy. Thus, all the countries were on the defensive, none was the aggressor. But if that is so, then what sense is there in opposing the claims of defensive and offensive war to each other? The standards applied in such cases differ greatly, and are not frequently quite incommensurable.

What is of fundamental importance to us Socialists is the question of the historical role of the War. Is the War calculated to effectively promote the productive forces and the state organizations, and to accelerate the concentration of the working class forces? Or is the reverse true, will it act as a hindrance? This materialistic evaluation of wars stands above all formal or external considerations, and in its nature has no relation to the question of defence or aggression. And yet sometimes these formal expressions about a war designate with more or less truth the actual significance of the war. When Engels said that the Germans were on the defensive in 1870, he had least of all the immediate political and diplomatic circumstances in mind. The determining fact for him was that in that war Germany was fighting for her right to national unity, which was a necessary condition for the economic development of the country and the Socialist consolidation of the proletariat. In the same sense the Christian peoples of the Balkans waged a war of defence against Turkey, fighting for their right to independent national development against the foreign rule.

The question of the immediate international political conditions leading to a war is independent of the value the war possesses from the historico-materialistic point of view. The German war against the Bonapartist Monarchy was historically unavoidable. In that war the right of development was on the German side. Yet those historical tendencies did not, in themselves, predetermine the question as to which party was interested in provoking the war just in the year 1870. We know now very well that international politics and military considerations induced Bismarck to take the actual initiative in the war. It might have happened just the other way, however. With greater foresight and energy, the government of Napoleon III could have anticipated Bismarck, and begun the war a few years earlier. That would have radically changed the immediate political aspect of the events, but it would have made no difference in the historic estimate of the war.

Third in order is the factor of diplomacy. Diplomacy here has a twofold task to perform. First, it must bring about war at the moment most favourable for its own country from the international as well as the military standpoint. Second, it must employ methods which throw the burden of responsibility for the bloody conflict, in public opinion, on the enemy government. The exposure of diplomatic trickery, cheating and knavery is one of the most important functions of Socialist political agitation. But no matter to what extent we succeed in this at the crucial juncture, it is clear that the net of diplomatic intrigues in themselves signifies nothing either as regards the historic role of the war or its real initiators. Bismarcks clever manoeuvres forced Napoleon III to declare war on Prussia, although the actual initiative came from the German side. [ 27 ] Next follows the purely military aspect. The strategic plan operations can be calculated chiefly for defence or attack, regardless of which side declared the war and under what conditions. Finally, the first tactics followed in the carrying out of the strategic plan not infrequently plays a great part in estimating the war as a war of defence or of aggression.

It is a good thing, wrote Engels to Marx on July 31, 1870, that the French attacked first on German soil. If the Germans repel the invasion and follow it up by invading French territory, then it will certainly not produce the same impression as if the Germans had marched into France without a previous invasion. In this way the war remains, on the French side, more Bonapartistic.

Thus we see by the classic example of the Franco-Prussian War that the standards for judging whether a war is defensive or agressive are full of contradictions when two nations clash. Then how much more so are they when it is a clash of several nations. If we unroll the tangle from the beginning, we arrive at the following connection between the elements of attack and defence. The first tactical move of the French shouldat least in Engels opinionmake the people feel that the responsibility of attack rested with the French. And yet the entire strategic plan of the Germans had an absolutely aggressive character. The diplomatic moves of Bismarck forced Bonaparte to declare war against his will and thus appear as the disturber of the peace of Europe, while the military-political initiative in the war came from the Prussian government. These circumstances are by no means of slight importance for the historical estimate of the war, but they are not at all exhaustive.

One of the causes of this war was the growing ambition of the Germans for national self-determination which conflicted with the dynastic pretensions of the French Monarchy. But this national war of defence led to the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine and so in its second stage turned into a dynastic war of conquest.

The correspondence between Marx and Engels shows that they were guided chiefly by historical considerations in their attitude towards the war of 1870. To them, of course, it was by no meaps a matter of indifference as to who conducted the war and flow it conducted. Who would have thought it possible, Marx writes bitterly, that twenty-two years after 1848 a nationalist war in Germany could have been given such theoretical expression. Yet what was of decisive significance to Marx and Engels was the objective consequences of the war. If the Prussians triumph, it will mean the centralization of the state poweruseful to the centralization of the German working class.

Liebknecht and Bebel, starting with the same historical estimate of the war, were directly forced to take a political position toward it. It was by no means in opposition to the views of Marx and Engels, but, on the contrary, with their perfect acquiescence that Liebknecht and Bebel refused, in the Reichstag, to take any responsibility for this war. The statement they handed in read:

We cannot grant the war appropriations that the Reichstag is asked to make because that would be a vote of confidence in the Prussian government.... As opponents on principle of every dynastic war, as Social Republicans and members of the International Labour Association, which, without distinction of nationality fights all oppressors and endeavours to unite all the oppressed in one great brotherhood, we cannot declare ourselves either directly or indirectly in favour of the present war.

Schweitzer acted differently. He took the historical estimate of the war as a direct guide for his tacticsone of the most dangerous of fallacies!and in voting the war credits gave a vote of confidence to the policy of Bismarck. And this in spite of the fact that it was necessary, if the centralization of state power arising out of the War was to prove useful to the Social Democratic cause, that the working class should from the very beginning oppose the dynastic-Junker centralization with their own class-centralization filled with revolutionary distrust of the rulers.

Schweitzers political attitude invalidated those very consequences of the War which had induced him to give a vote of confidence to the makers of the War.

Forty years later, drawing up the balance sheet of his life-work, Bebel wrote:

The attitude that Liebknecht and I took at the outbreak and during the continuance of the war has for years been a subject of discussion and violent attack, at first even in the Party; but only for a short time. Then they acknowledged that we had been right. I confess that I do not in any way regret our attitude, and if at the outbreak of the war we had known what we learned within the next few years from the official and unofficial disclosures, our attitude from the very start would have been still harsher. We would not merely have abstained, as we did, from voting the first war credits, we would have voted against them. (Autobiography, Part II, p.167).

If we compare the Liebknecht-Bebel statement of 1870 with Haases declaration in 1914, we must conclude that Bebel was mistaken when he said, Then they acknowledged that we had been right. For the vote of August 4th was eminently a condemnation of Bebels policy forty-four years earlier, since in Haases phraseology, Bebel had then left the fatherland in the lurch in the hour of danger.

What political causes and considerations have led the party of the German proletariat to abandon its glorious traditions? Not a single weighty reason has been given so far. All the arguments adduced are full of contradictions. They are like diplomatic communiques which are written to justify an already accomplished act. The leader writer of Die Neue Zeit writeswith the blessing of Comrade Kautskythat Germanys position towards Czarism is the same as it was towards Bonapartism in 1870. He even quotes from a letter of Engels: All classes of the German people realized that it was a question, first of all, of national existence, and so they fell in line at once. For the same reason, we are told, the German Social Democracy has fallen in line now. It is a question of national existence. Substitute Czarism for Bonapartism, and Engels words are true today. And yet the fact remains, in all its force, that Bebel and Liebknecht demonstratively refused to vote either money or confidence to the government in 1870. Does it not hold just as well, then, if we substitute Czarism for Bonapartism? To this question no answer has been vouchsafed.

But what did Engels really write in his letter concerning the tactics of the labour party?

It does not seem possible to me that under such circumstances a German political party can preach total obstruction, and place all sorts of minor considerations above the main issue. Total obstruction !But there is a wide gap between total obstruction and the total capitulation of a political party. And it was this gap that divided the positions between Bebel and Schweitzer in 1870. Marx and Engels were with Bebel against Schweitzer. Comrade Kautsky might have informed his leader writer, Hermann Wendel, of this fact. And it is nothing but defamation of the dead for Simplicissimus now to reconcile the shades of Bebel and Bismarck in Heaven. If Simplicissimus and Wendel have the right to awaken anybody from his sleep in the grave for the endorsement of the present tactics of the German Social Democracy then it is not Bebel, but Schweitzer. It is the shade of Schweitzer that now oppresses the political party of the German proletariat.

But the very analogy between the Franco-Prussian War and the present War is superficial and misleading in the extreme. Let us set aside all the international relations. Let us forget that the War meant first of all the destruction of Belgium, and that Germanys main force was hurled not against Czarism but republican France. Let us forget that the starting point of the War was the crushing of Serbia, and that one of its aims was the strengthening and consolidation of the arch-reactionary state, Austria-Hungary. We will not dwell on the fact that the attitude of the German Social Democracy dealt a hard blow at the Russian Revolution, which in the two years belore the War had again flared up in such a tempest. We will close our eyes to all these facts, just as the German Social Democracy did on August 4th, when it did not see that there was a Belgium in the world, a France, England, Serbia, or Austria-Hungary. We will grant only the existence of Germany.

In 1870, it was quite easy to estimate the historical significance of the war. If the Prussians win, the centralization of state power will further the centralization of the German working class. And now? What would be the result for the German working class of a Prussian victory now?

The only territorial expansion which the German working class could welcome, because it would complete the national unity, is a union of German Austria with Germany. Any other expansion of the German fatherland means another step towards the transformation of Germany from a national state to a state of nationalities, and the consequent introduction of all those conditions which render more difficult the class struggle of the proletariat.

Ludwig Frank hopedand he expressed this hope in the language of a belated Lassalleanthat later, after a victorious war, he would devote himself to the work of the internal building up of the state. There is no doubt that Germany will need this internal building up after a victory no less than before the War. But will a victory make this work easier? There is nothing in Germanys historical experiences any more than in those of any other country to justify such a hope.

We regarded the doings of the rulers of Germany (after the victories of 1870) as a matter of course, says Bebel in his Autobiography. It was merely an illusion of the Party Executive to believe that a more liberal spirit would prevail in the new order. And this more liberal regime was to be granted by the same man who had till then shown himself the greatest enemy, I will not say of democratic development, but even of every liberal tendency, and who now as victor planted the heel of his cuirassier boot on the neck of the new Empire. (Vol. II, p. 188)

There is absolutely no reason to expect different results now from a victory from above. On the contrary. In 1870 Prussian Junkerdom had first to adapt itself to the new imperial order. It could not feel secure in the saddle all at once. It was eight years after the victory over France before the anti-Socialist laws [ 28 ] were passed. In these forty-four years Prussian Junkerdom has become the imperial Junkerdom. And if, after half a century of the most intense class struggle, Junkerdom should appear at the head of the victorious nation, then we need not doubt that it would not have felt the need of Ludwig Franks services for the internal building up of the state had he returned safe from the fields of German victories.

But far more important than the strengthening of the class position of the rulers is the influence a German victory would have upon the proletariat itself. The War grew out of imperialistic antagonisms between the capitalist states, and the victory of Germany, as stated above, can produce only one result territorial acquisitions at the expense of Belgium, France and Russia, commercial treaties forced upon her enemies, and new colonies. The class struggle of the proletariat would then be placed upon the basis of the imperialistic hegemony of Germany, the working class would be interested in the maintenance and development of this hegemony, and revolutionary Socialism would for a long time be condemned to the role of a propagandist sect.

Marx was right when in 1870 he foresaw, as a result of the German victories, a rapid development for the German labour movement under the banner of scientific Socialism. But now the international conditions point to the very opposite prognosis. Germanys victory would mean taking the edge off the revolutionary movement, its theoretic shallowing, and the dying out of the Marxist ideas.
Democratic Presidential candidate and former US Vice President Joe Biden arrives to speak at a campaign event at United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 951 in Grand Rapids, Michigan on October 2, 2020.

Former Vice President Joe Biden's national lead over President Donald Trump jumped this month, and voters consider the Democratic challenger better equipped to handle a range of key issues than the Republican incumbent, a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found.

Biden garners the support of 53% of registered voters nationally, versus 39% for Trump, according to the survey released Sunday. The advantage of 14 percentage points in the poll, taken after Tuesday's first presidential debate but before the early Friday announcement of Trump's Covid-19 diagnosis, compares with Biden's edge of 8 percentage points in an NBC/WSJ survey taken last month.

Respondents believe Biden better handled the debate, a free-for-all in which Trump frequently interrupted his opponent and Biden called the president a "clown." The survey found 49% of voters think Biden did a better job, while 24% think Trump performed better. Another 17% said neither man did a good job, and 9% answered that they are not sure.

Even so, it is unclear how much the chaotic event will change the race. About three-quarters of respondents, 73%, said the debate made no difference in how they will vote. Another 19% responded that it made them more likely to support Biden, while 6% answered that it made them more likely to back Trump.

The phone survey of 800 registered voters, taken on Wednesday and Thursday, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.46 percentage points.

With many states already voting and about a month remaining until Election Day on Nov. 3, surveys have found a stable advantage for Biden over Trump. An NBC News average of recent national polls finds the Democrat leading by more than 8 percentage points.

Meanwhile, Biden has at least a slim lead in polling averages of several states that will determine who wins the election, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Arizona, according to RealClearPolitics. Survey averages also show tight races in Florida and North Carolina.

Trump's coronavirus diagnosis and subsequent admission to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center have injected more uncertainty into the race. The president's doctors say he is improving, though their comments and subsequent remarks from a White House official Saturday generated confusion about his condition.

Trump will likely have to stay off the campaign trail for some time during the final stretch of the election as he recovers and he tries to make up ground against Biden.

In a race defined by the Trump administration's struggles to contain the outbreak in the U.S., infections of the president, first lady Melania Trump, Trump campaign officials and advisors and multiple GOP senators in recent days could add to scrutiny of the White House's handling of the pandemic.

In the NBC/WSJ poll taken before the president's diagnosis, 52% of registered voters said Biden would do a better job dealing with the coronavirus, versus 35% who chose Trump.

Asked who would better handle a range of other key issues, respondents preferred Trump in only one area: the economy.

Dealing with the economy: Trump 48%, Biden 41%

Trump 48%, Biden 41% Dealing with crime and violence: Biden 45%, Trump 41%

Biden 45%, Trump 41% Having the necessary mental and physical health to be president: Biden 41%, Trump 40%

Biden 41%, Trump 40% Having strong leadership qualities: Biden 45%, Trump 40%

Biden 45%, Trump 40% Making appointments to the Supreme Court: Biden 46%, Trump 37%

Biden 46%, Trump 37% Dealing with health care: Biden 53%, Trump 34%

Biden 53%, Trump 34% Dealing with race relations: Biden 55%, Trump 26%

Biden 55%, Trump 26% Having the right temperament to be president: Biden 58%, Trump 26%

Biden 58%, Trump 26% Addressing issues of concern to women: Biden 56%, Trump 25%

Republicans have moved to quickly confirm Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, as Democrats argue the next president should fill the vacancy. On Saturday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate Judiciary Committee would move forward with a planned Oct. 12 hearing on her nomination after two members of the panel, GOP Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, tested positive for Covid-19.

In Sunday's poll, 50% of respondents said the Senate should wait to vote on a nominee until the U.S. knows who has won the election, while 38% answered that the chamber should vote before the election. Another 11% said they did not have an opinion one way or the other.

Meanwhile, 35% of voters said they support Barrett serving as a Supreme Court justice. Another 34% responded that they oppose her holding a spot on the top U.S. court, while 30% said they do not know enough to decide.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 21:40:01|Editor: huaxia

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LAGOS, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- At least 29 persons nabbed for allegedly engaging in illegal mining activities in various locations of the southern state of Imo, according to the para-military in the state on Sunday.

The suspects were arrested following a directive by governor of the state Hope Uzodimma to crack down on illegal mining operators in the state, according to Danjuma Elisha, head of the Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in the state.

Elisha said the security agency would conduct the profiling on the suspects before charging them to court.

"We are here to work and we must carry out the governor's directive to its fullest by ensuring that the environment is safe for all," he told reporters in Owerri, the state capital.

According to state para-military head, illegal mining is impacting negatively on the lives of people in Imo, noting that it is one of the causes of landslide and heavy flooding.

The feat was achieved following the synergy of operations existing among security outfits in Imo, he added.

The state government had recently announced a ban on illegal mining and directed security agencies to crack down on suspects. Enditem
They wanted Americans to believe that taking migrant kids from their parents was an unfortunate outcome of enforcing the law, not a policy choice.

They wanted you to think the same thing happened under Obama. And that it happens every day to American children whose parents are arrested and jailed.

They want you to think its over.

Its been more than two years since the family separation scandal pierced Americans consciences in the spring of 2018. As voters prepare to cast their ballots, misconceptions linger.

The idea of separating migrant children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border originated earlier than is widely remembered. On Feb. 2, 2017, within two weeks of President Trump taking office, immigration officials floated the idea to asylum officers, Reuters reported.

In March 2017, six weeks after inauguration, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly acknowledged in a CNN interview that he was considering a family separation policy.

Trump administration officials, wanting to discourage people from coming to the U.S.-Mexico border, thought family separation would help them get around a legal obstacle.

The Flores settlement, which resolved a decades-old lawsuit, requires that children be held in immigration detention no longer than 20 days.
Like we've painstakingly documented before, finding trans heroes throughout history is as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack. That's on fire. Because the nazis are burning it. One of the least chronicled minorities in history, sometimes, you have to take what representation you can get -- even if it was written in bad faith.

Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (204-222 CE), commonly referred to as Elagabalus, lived a more extraordinary before they reached driving age than most historical figures in their whole lifetime. A tween head priest of the Syrian sun god Elagabalus (hence the nickname), at the age of 14 they were made Roman emperor thanks to a plot orchestrated by their devious grandmother, Julia Maesa. With grandma as the real power behind the throne, Emperor Elagabalus seemingly had little else to do than use their executive power to experiment and live their truth.

According to the few contemporary sources on the emperor, despite being married to five women in as many years, Elagabalus, like their many pets, was a maneater. During their marriages, Elagabalus also had several male lovers, including a hotshot chariot driver named Hierocles whom the emperor called their husband and "delighted in being called Hierocles' mistress, wife, and queen."
A school will be shut down for 28 days in case two or more classes in the school are closed due to the spread of coronavirus

Egypts education ministry has defined the requirements for the closure of classes and schools, whether in complexes, villages or governorates, due to the spread of coronavirus among students in the new school year set to start 17 October.

A class will be closed for 28 days in the case that more than one student tests positive for coronavirus in a period of two weeks, a document released by the Ministry of Education revealed Sunday. Also, a school will be closed for 28 days in the case two or more classes in the school are closed due to the spread of Covid-19.

A school complex will also be shut down for the same period in case one of its schools is closed and then a class of another school in the same complex is closed.

Schools in a village or city can be closed on orders of the governorate in the event of quarantining this village or city, and until the period of quarantine is over.

Schools in a governorate may also be closed, based on recommendations by the crisis management committee, for at least 28 days if required, the document said, adding that such decisions apply to governmental, private, international and other schools.

Egypts 23 million school students are scheduled to begin a new academic year 17 October. The ministry has prepared a plan to allow schools, closed since March in the wake of the pandemic, to reopen safely, including deploying remote learning and decreasing attendance days.

On 8 September, Minister of Education Tarek Shawki announced that the two days per week rule for attendance will apply to students from kindergarten to grade three, from grade four to six, and grades seven to nine. Grades 10 to 12 will, wherever it is possible, be schooled mostly online.

Egypt has so far reported 103,575 coronavirus cases and 5,970 deaths, with a relatively low number of daily cases over the past two months.

The pandemic forced the country to close schools and universities for the last semester and replace exams in many subjects with online research work for final grades.

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There was Old Glory, sitting in a grocery store in Florida that also traded in antiques. To Lloyd Hyatt, that just didnt seem right.

"That flag did not belong in there,'' said Hyatt, a retired U.S. Navy veteran who purchased the flag for $59.95  not to keep for himself, but as a first step in its return to its rightful owner.

That was the family of Edwin Smith, whose honorable Navy service during World War II was recognized with the burial flag up for sale. Complicated by time, distance and a tangled web of changed last names within the family, the research project undertaken by Hyatt and his wife has allowed a family in Western Massachusetts to share the poignant, tangible pride of their veterans patriotism once more.

09/26/2020-Agawam-The resting place of Edwin Warren Smith at the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Agawam A flag from Smiths burial was found in an antique shop in Florida with his military records. It purchased by a Florida veteran and returned to the family. (Dave Roback photo)

"Whats even weirder about it is that I dont even have my fathers last name, and my ex-wife doesnt use my name anymore,'' explained David Rexford, a Huntington resident who is Smiths son. He was not only grateful but impressed that Hyatt and his wife, Melissa, would not only make the effort to locate the family but succeed.

The Hyatts had gone from their home in Jacksonville, Florida, to Wildwood, Florida, on an antiquing expedition when the flag caught his eye. Having served two separate U.S. Navy stints between 1970 and 1984, Hyatt recognized immediately that the flag was in a commemorative burial box  but whose?

Once he opened the box, he was speechless. Inside, he found a treasure trove of information, tucked behind the flag: ribbons; honorable discharge papers; pictures of Smiths ship (the USS Joseph M. Auman); documents related to the G.I. Bill; and a letter from President Harry S. Truman that thanked Smith for his service.

I couldnt believe all this stuff. It was incredible, what was in there, Hyatt said.

09/26/2020-Easthampton-The United States Navy idenification card of Edwin Warren Smith is seen on top of his burial flag. The flag was found in an antique shop in Florida with Smiths military records. It purchased by a Florida veteran and returned to the family. Smiths son, Dave Rexford saw the returned flag and records for the first time on Saturday in Easthampton. (Dave Roback photo)

There were also three bullets, which signify duty, honor and country, a military tradition that dates back to the Revolutionary War, when three shots would be fired so that combatants could cease fire and collect their dead for burial. Smiths identification card was there, too.

"I told my wife that we were going to get this back to the family somehow, some way,'' Hyatt said. My wife was the super-sleuth. She got right on the internet, and she found Dave Rexfords ex-wife.

Rexfords initial reaction was natural and predictable: When I first heard about this, at first I thought is was a prank. I was suspicious. He and his former wife, Kim, were not close, but they knew each others whereabouts and she passed on the message.

Smith has a surviving sister, Andrea, who lives in Easthampton. Her son, Joe Guevin, was also located, and a family that assumed these treasures were lost to time had unexpectedly been reconnected to a proud past.

Family members discussed where the Hyatts should send the flag. They agreed that once it was shipped from Florida to Massachusetts, it would be shared.

Andrea wanted her big brothers burial flag, so Dave told me to send it to Joe. (The plan was) two weeks there, and then it would make the rounds with the family, so that everyone could spend time with Eddie, Rexford said.

09/26/2020-Easthampton-A photo of the U.S.S. Joseph M. Auman was found in the case of Edwin Warren Smiths burial flag. The flag was found in an antique shop in Florida with Smiths military records. It purchased by a Florida veteran and returned to the family. Smiths son, Dave Rexford saw the returned flag and records for the first time on Saturday in Easthampton. (Dave Roback photo)

Perhaps by coincidence  or fate  the flag rediscovery unfolded as the United States and the world marked the 75th anniversary of the Japanese surrender being signed aboard the battleship USS Missouri, formally ending World War II on Sept. 2, 1945.

Smith, who died in 2011 at 85, was born and grew up in West Springfield. He lived for many years in Agawam, where he is buried at the state Veterans Memorial Cemetery.

How the flag wound up for sale in Florida remains an intriguing mystery. It will probably stay that way because Hyatt said his wifes research indicated that Smiths widow died this summer.

Eddies widow was not a friend of the family, Rexford explained. My guess, and I dont know for sure, is that she had the flag but nobody knew what to do with it, and they had an estate sale. My theory is that she just got rid of it.

"She was not my mother, she was not on good terms with us and she was not sentimental about these things,'' said Smiths son, whose last awareness of his widow was six months ago, when she was still alive.

The documents and photos leave no doubt the flag is authentic. Rexford isnt as sure about the box, which carried a small, unobtrusive Vietnam marker  recognizing a war fought long after his fathers service  but it seems possible and even likely that at some point, it was attached to the original box.

"I think I was put in the right place at the right time. Id love to think that if anyone were put in that position, they would have done the same thing,'' Hyatt said.

Rexford is sure thats not true.

"The American flag should not be for sale as a curio in an antique store, but what he did was remarkable. I even offered to pay for it, and for shipping and so on, but he wasnt that concerned about that,'' Rexford said. Not everyone would have done what he and his wife did. We are very, very grateful they did.
Last year, Richard Brode sat outside of St. Matthew Trinity Lutheran Church with Pastor Gary LeCroy for St. Francis feast day as they blessed animals who passed by for water and treats. LeCroy said the two had the best afternoon engaging with the community.

But on Sunday, LeCroy sat outside of the Hoboken church on its red patio furniture without Brode. He said so much can change in a year, as he reminisced about Brode, the churchs organist who was killed by an SUV in a Times Square crosswalk on Sept. 24.

This is a life interrupted, LeCroy told The Jersey Journal. ... He wasnt done yet.

Brode, 69, was crossing Seventh Avenue at W. 43 St. when he was hit by a 2020 Nissan Pathfinder, The Daily News reported. He died a day later at Bellevue Hospital in New York from massive injuries.

Brode was a Greenwich Village resident who took the PATH to the Hudson Street church.

Mark Singleton, a member of the Hudson Street church since 1997, has known Brode for 20 years. Brode  previously a music minister in Queens and Secaucus  passed by the church one day and, after a talk with the pastor and the former organists retirement, he was hired.

On Sunday, his organ chamber was empty, but cozy.

Music sheet books and church hymnals were scattered on chairs and packed bookcases. Small figurines of Martin Luther were stacked one another on a small space on top of a file cabinet.

LeCroy and Singleton reminisced of how much time Brode spent tucked away in the room.

We would have one-hour rehearsals before worship sometimes (because of everyones busy schedules) and wed pull it off, Singleton said. And he did it happily and didnt begrudge people and their busy schedules.

He had such an ability to bring people together musically, LeCroy added.

But Singleton said he was more than an organist.

On the left side of the 143-year-old Jardine pipe organ in the chamber is Brodes large setup of model trains. It goes around nearly three tables.

LeCroy said about a dozen kids would go up to the chambers after service and watch the trains in action. He just fit in with the community, they said.

And now, Brodes death leaves holes in the community, Singleton said.

Among all the things that the church lost, I lost a close, personal friend, he added.

So many people dont know this place without Richard, LeCroy said.

On Saturday, the two gathered with fellow congregates at the St. Matthew Trinity as they mourned Brodes death. Prior to the sudden loss, they were preparing to celebrate the music ministers 20th anniversary at the Hoboken church.

Brodes husband, Humberto Arango, was also present Saturday and he told Singleton that the communitys loss is incomprehensible. Arango said he always thought hed be the one to go first, according to Singleton; they were together for 36 years.

(If he was still here) right now hed be closing up the church, walking down Hudson Street to Starbucks and then go home to meet his husband, Singleton said.

Singleton and LeCroy said theyre in the works of revamping Brodes Jardine pipe organ, which was a wish of his.
TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 27: Olli Maatta #6 of the Chicago Blackhawks against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena on February 27, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Scott Audette /NHLI via Getty Images)

The Chicago Blackhawks have traded defenseman Olli Maatta to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for forward Brad Morrison.

TRADE ALERT: The #Blackhawks have acquired forward Brad Morrison from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for defenseman Olli Maatta.



Release: https://t.co/2RWtj8WiPO pic.twitter.com/GUQZoKf0su  Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 4, 2020

Its a move that clears some needed salary cap space for the Blackhawks, who arent receiving anything of significant value in Morrison. The deal allows the Blackhawks to avoid buying Maatta out of the remaining two seasons on his contract, which is scheduled to cost over $4 million against the salary cap annually.

However, Chicago will retain just over $750,000 to make the deal happen, Sportsnets Chris Johnston reports.

Mostly a replacement-level defenseman, Maatta has failed to live up to the expectations of the six-year, $24.5 million deal he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins out of entry level in 2016. Hes now been traded twice, having failed to catch on with the Blackhawks after seeing his influence wane across six seasons with the Penguins.

Maatta will be the second-highest paid defender on the Kings roster behind Drew Doughty. It wouldnt be a surprise to see him play out the string on his current contract in Los Angeles for a Kings team in the midst of a rebuild.

Maatta had four goals and 13 assists in 65 games last season, and the Blackhawks were outplayed on the basis of every important measure with the defenseman on the ice. He followed that up with an uncharacteristically productive postseason, scoring three goals and adding three assists in nine games.

Morrison was limited to 17 games last season in the ECHL with the Fort Wayne Comets.

More NHL coverage on Yahoo Sports
After briefing reporters Saturday, President Trump's personal physician, Dr. Sean Conley, was forced to clarify some statements. (Susan Walsh / Associated Press)

Donald Trumps presidency began with a falsehood, and now, thousands of misstatements later, that history of prevarication is undermining the administration at a time when trust is needed most.

As the president continued to suffer the effects of COVID-19  the true extent of his ailment and condition being two of many unanswered questions  the news media and the country it serves were lost Saturday in a fog of contradiction and misinformation.

It was nothing new. As of this summer, the Washington Posts Fact Checker tallied more than 20,000 false or misleading claims made by the president since assuming office  a major reason he's struggling for reelection. But that made the obfuscation no less fraught.

"There are moments in which the president and the office of the presidency and the White House in general need to be trusted, because the country needs to know that we have a president who is capable of discharging the functions of the office, said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, a political communications expert at the University of Pennsylvania.

If that trust doesn't exist," she said, "we cannot trust the statements that reassure he's in fact capable of discharging his duties."

Kevin Madden, a communications strategist with experience on Capitol Hill and serving three Republican presidential campaigns, was blunter still. The chickens, he said, are coming home to roost.

This was not, however, the harmless and easily disprovable claim that Trump's inaugural crowd size surpassed any in history. Rather, it was a literal life-and-death matter involving a virus that has killed more than 209,000 Americans and now infects the president of the United States and many powerful people in his Republican Party.

Watching Saturday's briefing by a phalanx of white-coated doctors gave Dr. Robert Wachter, chair of the department of medicine at UC San Francisco, what he called "CDC deja vu"  a reference to the way Trump and others in the administration have consistently undercut the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in hopes of putting the best gloss on the global health crisis.

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"Here is a previously trusted institution, a physician talking about the president, who is engaged in total spin," Wachter said of Dr. Sean Conley, Trump's personal physician, who soon after the briefing had to clarify the evasive and overly rosy statements he made to reporters.

"People make mistakes. That happens," Wachter said. "But not in situations where you are about to speak to the world about the status of the president. It makes them look like the gang that couldnt shoot straight."

Judd Deere, the administration's deputy press secretary, said, "The White House is fully committed to providing transparent and regular updates on the presidents condition and recovery."

Trump and his team are not alone in withholding pertinent health information.

President Cleveland had clandestine surgery on a yacht to remove a cancerous growth in his mouth. Franklin D. Roosevelt hid outward signs of his paralysis from polio and never disclosed the poor health conditions that led to his death early in his fourth term. When Ronald Reagan was shot in an assassination attempt in 1981, the White House hid how close he came to dying.

But Trump stands apart, as he has in so many ways, with his voluminous catalog of falsehoods.

A Gallup survey in June found that only about a third of Americans, 36%, considered the president to be honest and trustworthy. By comparison, a quarter of Americans said that about President Clinton following his impeachment after lying about an affair with a White House intern.

Trump's pallid rating, to no surprise, reflects a deep partisan divide. Democrats have always given Trump rock-bottom ratings in contrast to the much more favorable views of Republicans. But even some within the GOP have grown dubious of their party leader. In 2017, more than 8 in 10 Republicans thought Trump was trustworthy; three years later, that number fell to just about 7 in 10.

The truth deficit has steepened Trump's climb to reelection.

"As a general rule, trust precedes everything," said David Paleologos, a pollster at Suffolk University, whose surveys have also found a presidential credibility gap. "If people jump off the trust bandwagon, then the unfavorable ratings go up."

Joe Biden has unabashedly leaned into the trust issue.

"Everything he's saying so far is a lie," the exasperated Democratic nominee said during last week's roughhouse presidential debate. "Everyone knows he's a liar."

Normally, using the L-word is akin to rolling a grenade in the middle of a campaign. Not so with this president, said John Anzalone, a Biden pollster. "We have an opponent who the American public thinks is dishonest and believes is a liar," he said. "Its fair game to use that word."

Anzalone emphasized that he was not speaking specifically to Trump's medical briefings  the Biden campaign has been delicate in how it speaks about the president in this moment of urgency, even taking down its negative television ads. But Anzalone said he doubts the public's trust in Trump will change much in the month before election day.

"This has also been a trait built over a lifetime of Donald Trump and particularly over the last four years," Anzalone said.

A spokesman for Trump's campaign, Ken Farnaso, suggested reporters have waged a relentless campaign to tear the president down, contributing to his negative approval ratings.

"The media will truly never understand the unique bond President Trump has with everyday Americans," Farnaso said. "The blatant bias and endless attempts to manipulate reality, like we saw with the two-year Russia hoax, proves it is essential for the president to bypass the media and talk directly to the American people.

Before he became the leader of the free world, Trump was a brash New York City real estate developer who gleefully trafficked in exaggeration, or outright baloney, to sell his properties and, not incidentally, himself. "Truthful hyperbole," he called it, ignoring the contradiction.

It all seemed good fun at the time.

"Back in the old days, when he exaggerated his wealth by two or three times, nobody made a big deal about it, or his escapades posing as a press spokesman spreading the word about all the beautiful women who were chasing Donald Trump," said Michael D'Antonio, a Trump biographer. Lying never mattered, and telling the truth wasnt a requirement. All that was required was that he be colorful and quotable.

Although the stakes changed, growing vastly more important once he took office, Trump did not, D'Antonio said.

When it came to his health, Trump raised eyebrows in 2015 by releasing a letter from his doctor brimming with over-the-top praise. In November, he made an unexplained visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, which his physician, Conley, vaguely described as an "interim checkup."

Now that opacity is undermining the White House's ability to allay concerns about Trump's health and lay to rest doubts about the veracity of his medical team.

There have been ample warnings that lack of credibility at the White House would cost us," said Mike McCurry, who served as a press secretary in the Clinton administration. "Now we see it. We dont believe anything we hear about the presidents health and dont trust anyone there to tell the truth.

For years, Trump has sought to undermine the media as purveyors of "fake news." Now he is relying on many of the same outlets to assure unsettled Americans that the country's leader is spry and swiftly on the mend.

Instead, Saturday's news reports were filled with a cascade of misleading White House statements and crosswise messaging that called into question not just the president's health but the functioning of the administration and, beyond that, the country itself.

"We dont know how well the president is doing," said Steven White, a political science professor at Syracuse University. "Thats something you see in authoritarian regimes. You shouldnt see that in democracies."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said on Sunday that he would not back out of the fight against the new agriculture laws till they were amended to give a written constitutional guarantee on the minimum support price.

Singh said his government would take whatever steps needed against the "anti-farmer" laws and also expose the Shiromani Akali Dal's "double standards" over the issue.

Led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the party is holding tractor rallies from October 4-6 across the state in protest against the three contentious legislations that were passed by Parliament the last month and got presidential assent.

"Till they amend these laws and incorporate the MSP and continuation of the FCI (Food Corporation of India) under it, their (Centre's) verbal assurances cannot be trusted," Singh said while addressing a public gathering at Badhni Kalan in Moga district.

Terming it "black laws", Singh lashed out at the Akali Dal for "selling off" the interests of the farmers as part of the Union government, as he accused Harsimrat Kaur Badal being party to the decision as a cabinet minister.

He warned the farmers that the Centre might pay the MSP for a couple of crops, but eventually would scrap the system completely.

Attempts are being made to "stifle the collective voice" of the farmers who had come together in this fight to protect their livelihood and future, the chief minister said.

"The farmers of Punjab have been responsible for giving India food security and feeding the nation for six decades, and their interests have to be protected at all costs," he added.

Addressing another public rally at Jattpura in Ludhiana district at the culmination of the first day of Gandhi's 'Kheti Bachao Yatra', Singh underscored that the Congress was with the farmers in every step of the battle against the farm laws that was being fought across the country.

Taking on the Akalis over their "treachery" with Punjab, Singh said the people of the state would take care of these "traitors", but the real fight was with the BJP-led central government that out to "destroy" the farmers with their "draconian" farm laws.

"We will handle the Akalis here, but I urge Rahul to fight the central government and to scrap the new laws by becoming the prime minister," he said, hailing Gandhi for standing with Punjab's farmers in these "tough" times.

The Modi government "does not know" what agriculture is, and they want to "break" the centuries-old relations between 'arhtiyas' (commission agents) and the farmers for the benefit of their "capitalist friends", according to the chief minister.

Taking a dig at SAD president Sukhbir Badal's claim of "sacrificing" for the farmers by quitting the National Democratic Alliance, Singh said the Akalis "don't know what sacrifice is".

"They (SAD) did what they did only for political survival when faced with the farmers' angst and resentment," he said.

At the rally, a 'Kisan Mazdoor Ekta Flag' was released by Gandhi, Amarinder and other leaders.

Later, the Congress leaders took off on a tractor rally via Lopon (Moga) and Chakar, Lekha, Manoke (in Jagraon), culminating in Jattpura in Raikot area.

At Jattpura, Gandhi and Singh were handed over resolutions passed against the laws by panchayats of all Raikot constituencies.

Earlier, travelling on tractors through Chakkar, Lakha and Manoke, Gandhi and Singh met the farmers and assured them of the full support of the Congress to their fight.

In Lopon village, Gandhi was presented a 'siropa' (robe of honour) by 'Sant Darbar Sampradaya Lopon'.

In Manuke, he walked around interacting with maize cultivating farmers Bhupinder Singh Pappu and Ranjit Singh, who gifted corn to him as a token of the farmers' gratitude.
The Jewel at Singapore Changi Airport. REUTERS/Feline Lim

Aviation rating firm Skytrax has released its list of the top 100 airports in the world with European and Asian airports dominating the list.

Singapore Changi Airport once again took the top prize for the eight consecutive year.

Only one airport in the Americas was in the top 20 with Vancouver International Airport ranking highest in North America and Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport highest in the US.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Skytrax has once again named the top 100 airports in the world.

Now in its 21st year, the air transportation rating firm completed the prestigious list in February, shortly before the coronavirus pandemic took full effect in March and the global aviation system began. Over 550 airports were judged based on 39 categories including terminal comfort, ambience and design; public transport options, efficiency and prices; and friendliness of airport staff.

European and Asian airports earn most of the top spots again this year with airports in North America and Australia earning a mere two spots in the top 20. Asia saw the greatest haul in this year's list with eight airports across the continent earning spots in the top 10, with airports in Japan alone earning four top 10 spots.

Airports in the United States failed to crack the top 20, or even the top 30. Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport  a hub for United Airlines  ranks 31 followed by Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International in the 34 spot and Denver International at 37. Vancouver International was the only airport in the Americas to make the top 20 list.

These airports most likely look different now during the pandemic but are still worth a visit once global travel resumes.

Here's a closer look at which airports made the cut in the top 20 list.

20. Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport

Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider

Paris' most well-known international gateway jumped 10 places ahead to earn its spot as the 20th best airport in the world. Air France is the largest carrier at the airport, connecting the world with Paris and also offering connections across European and intercontinental destinations.

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19. Copenhagen Airport

Copenhagen Airport Stig Alenas/Shutterstock.com

Copenhagen Airport fell behind four spots to earn the number 19 spot in this year's ranking. Scandinavian Airlines and Norwegian Air Shuttle are the largest carriers at the airport, serving the Danish capital region and the southern edge of Sweden, including nearby Malmo.

18. Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport

Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport NavinTar/Shutterstock.com

Taoyuan International Airport fell behind five spots to earn the number 18 spot in this year's ranking. The northern Taiwan airport serves the country's capital, Taipei, as the island nation's primary international gateway and a hub for most of its airlines including China Airlines and EVA Air, Mandarin Airlines, UNI Air, Tigerair Taiwan, and Starlux.

17. Melbourne Airport

Melbourne Airport TonyNg/Shutterstock.com

Melbourne Airport advanced six positions to gain the number 17 spot in this year's rankings. One of Australia's southernmost airports, the airport serves the economic hub of Melbourne and acts a busy international hub for Qantas with Virgin Australia, Jetstar, and Regional Express also providing extensive domestic and some international services.

16. Vienna International Airport

Vienna International Airport Uskarp/Shutterstock.com

Vienna International Airport advanced by three spots to earn the number 16 spot in this year's rankings. Austria's primary international gateway is a hub for Austrian Airlines and TK.

15. Helsinki-Vantaa Airport

Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider

Helsinki-Vantaa Airport gained five places ahead of its 2019 ranking to earn the number 15 spot on this year's list. Finnair uses the airport as its main hub to connect Finland with the world and also offer intercontinental connections between North America, Europe, and Asia.

14. Frankfurt Airport

Frankfurt Airport. Reuters

Frankfurt Airport fell behind by two places to earn the number 14 spit in this year's rankings. The primary gateway to the economic hub of Frankfurt, Lufthansa utilizes the airport as one of its two global hubs, the other being Munich Airport in southeastern Germany.

13. Vancouver International Airport

Vancouver International Airport. khunrarai/Shutterstock.com

Vancouver International Airport is the only North American airport in the top 20 list, jumping ahead by four spots compared to last year's ranking to earn the number 13 spot. Air Canada utilizes the airport as a gateway to Asia and Australia thanks to its strategic location on the West Coast with non-stop flights to as far as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Hong Kong.

12. London's Heathrow Airport

London's Heathrow Airport. Gordon Bell/Shutterstock.com

Heathrow Airport fell behind four places to earn the number 12 spot in this year's rankings. As the primary gateway to the economic hub of London, it's the most desired for foreign carriers and the UK's top two international carriers, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways, both maintain hubs at the airport.

11. Zurich Airport

Zurich Airport. Ko Aun Lee/Shutterstock.com

Zurich Airport fell behind one spot to earn the number 11 spot in this year's rankings. Swiss International Air Lines utilizes the airport as its main hub, connecting the world with Switzerland and acting as an intercontinental transit point between North America, Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia.

10. Kansai International Airport

Kansai International Airport. Lewis Tse Pui Lung/Shutterstock.com

Kansai International Airport moved up in this year's ranking by one spot to earn the number 10 spot, making it one of four airports in Japan to make the top 10 list. The two-runway airport is located on a man-made island in Osaka Bay just off the coast of Osaka and acts as a hub for commercial and passenger airlines alike including All Nippon Airways, FedEx Express, Japan Airlines, Peach Aviation, Jetstar Japan, and Nippon Cargo Airlines.

9. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. ssray/Shutterstock.com

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol jumped five spots to earn the number nine spot in this year's ranking. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is the airport's largest airline utilizing it as an intercontinental hub between Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and North America, with low-cost carrier Transavia also calling Schipol home.

8, Nagoya's Chubu Centrair International Airport

Nagoya's Chubu Centrair International Airport. TungCheung/Shutterstock.com

Chubu Centrair International Airport fell behind two places in this year's ranking to earn the number eight spot. Another Japanese airport built on a man-made island in Ise Bay just south of Nagoya, the airport is a hub for All Nippon Airways, Jetstar Japan, and AirAsia Japan.

7. Tokyo's Narita International Airport

Tokyo's Narita International Airport. Kazzure Gonzalez/Shutterstock.com

Narita International Airport gained two places in this year's ranking to earn the number seven spot. One of two international gateways to the Japanese capital of Tokyo, the airport is a hub to numerous airlines including All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Jetstar Japan, Peach Aviation, Nippon Cargo Airlines, Spring Airlines Japan, and ZIPAIR Tokyo.

6. Hong Kong International Airport

Hong Kong International Airport. Lee Yiu Tung/Shutterstock.com

The sole airport serving the special autonomous region, passenger airlines call the airport home including Cathay Pacific, Cathay Dragon, Hong Kong Airlines, and Hong Kong Express.

5. Munich Airport

Munich Airport. Mikhail Markovskiy/Shutterstock

Munich Airport gained two spots in this year's ranking to earn the number five spot, Each year, the airport, a hub for Lufthansa, massive forum transforms into a Christmas and winter market with an ice rink, food vendors, and festive programming.

4. Seoul's Incheon International Airport

Seoul's Incheon International Airport. Sorbis/Shutterstock.com

3. Doha's Hamad International Airport

Doha's Hamad International Airport. Philip Lange.Shutterstock.com

Hamad International Airport gained a pot on the list to earn the number three spot in this year's ranking. Home to Qatar Airways, the intercontinental hub is the only airport in the Middle East to be featured in the top 20 list and is in the midst of an expansion to accommodate more passengers and operations.

2. Tokyo International Airport

Tokyo International Airport. glen photo/Shutterstock.com

Tokyo International Airport, also known as Haneda International Airport, maintained its number two spot in this year's ranking. The closest airport to downtown Tokyo, Haneda International Airport is the preferred airport for business travelers and is seeing an influx of new airlines and routes as the Japanese government recently recently relaxed slot rules for the airport that were forcing airlines to use Narita International Airport.

1. Singapore Changi Airport

Singapore Changi Airport. REUTERS/Feline Lim

Singapore Changi Airport once again earned the top prize again this year as the world's best airport for the eighth consecutive year. The sprawling airport is known for its extravagances including a massive indoor water fountain surrounded by a rainforest, movie theater, and pool, all available for use by passengers.

As the main gateway to the small island nation of Singapore, it's home to Singapore Airlines, Jetstar Asia Airways, Scoot, and SilkAir. Changi Airport is also a terminus for the world's longest flight between Singapore and Newark.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Whether you are voting by absentee ballot, early in-person ballot or at the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 3, your vote is your voice in our government. The League of Women Voters of the La Crosse Area, encourages you to be prepared.

A great source of nonpartisan election information is the Leagues voter guide on VOTE411.org. By visiting the VOTE 411.org. website you can read the candidates responses to League questions verbatim, as entered by the candidates. To find the questions and responses, log on to VOTE411.org.

Once there, scroll down to enter your address, then select Submit. This will take you to the election information for the address you submitted. In the box Find whats on your ballot, select Explore Now. VOTE411 is a valuable nonpartisan resource for voters.

It covers local, state and national candidates. You will be able to quickly find the election resources you need, such as: registering to vote; learning whats on your ballot; finding your polling place, and more.

The League of Women Voters of the La Crosse Area is proud to provide this objective, nonpartisan source of valuable election information. Tens of thousands of Wisconsin voters rely on VOTE411 as their go-to source of unbiased election information. So, make a plan. Be prepared. Encourage others to do so. Spread the word about VOTE411. Be sure to vote!

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President Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive in Cleveland ahead of the first presidential debate, Sept. 29. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

The first reaction of many Americans to the news that President Trump has contracted the coronavirus was, naturally, to offer prayers for his recovery.

If what theologians call intercessory prayer could cure coronavirus, which has killed more than a million people this year, Trump would be a good candidate, since he numbers among his top supporters and advisers some of the nations most prominent evangelical pastors, such as Franklin Graham and Paula White-Cain, both of whom tweeted out prayers for the president and the first lady hours after their diagnoses were made public.

Robert Jeffress, the Texas evangelical pastor who is a leading Trump backer, said he would go on Fox Business channel to discuss how praying for our great President @realDonaldTrump and @FLOTUS can help unify our country.

Updating reporters on the presidents medical condition Saturday morning, White House physician Dr. Sean Conley began by conveying how the president and first lady are extremely grateful for the enormous outpouring of thoughts and prayers for their health.

Unfortunately, the evidence that third parties can be cured of disease by appealing to God is scanty at best. This was actually studied nearly 150 years ago by the eminent British scientist Francis Galton. Galton noted that despite the millions of prayers routinely offered for the health of members of the royal families of European countries, they died on average no older  in fact, several years younger  than other members of the nonworking classes, such as lawyers, who practiced a profession that even then didnt tend to inspire mass devotion.

Nor has the coronavirus, in particular, shown itself to be susceptible to prayer, or the kind of wishful thinking Trump himself has engaged in throughout the pandemic. The United States, generally considered the most devout large Western nation, has also suffered the most cases and deaths. Brazil, another deeply religious country, is also a hotbed of infection.

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When the White House coronavirus task force resumed holding briefings at the end of June, after a two-month hiatus, Vice President Pences message was, I just encourage every American to continue to pray, which no doubt many Americans were already doing, without much visible impact on the course of the pandemic. As far back as March, the television evangelist Kenneth Copeland, who served on Trumps Faith Advisory Board during the 2016 campaign, announced that he had banished and executed judgment on COVID-19, a banishment that the virus clearly did not heed.

But still, Trumps admirers sent him their prayers, along with the secular version, thoughts. So did his opponents, critics and rivals, such as MSNBCs Rachel Maddow:

God bless the president and the first lady. If you pray, please pray for their speedy and complete recovery  and for everyone infected, everywhere.



This virus is horrific and merciless  no one would wish its wrath on anyone.



We must get its spread under control. Enough.  Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) October 2, 2020

And Sen. Bernie Sanders:

Jane and I wish the President and First Lady a full and speedy recovery. The COVID-19 virus is real, it is dangerous and can infect anybody. As a nation we must do all we can to fight this virus and protect the American people.  Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) October 2, 2020

And New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo:

My thoughts are with President Trump and the First Lady and I wish them a full and speedy recovery.



This virus is vicious and spreads easily.



Wear a mask. Lets all look out for each other.  Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) October 2, 2020

The author Frank Schaeffer, a onetime leader of the evangelical right who now describes himself as an atheist who believes in God, tweeted that he was praying for Trump  praying that Trumps diagnosis will shine the harsh spotlight of TRUTH on Trumps indifference to a pandemic that has ravaged the suffering United States he was sworn to protect but has repeatedly betrayed because of his malignant narcissism.

And Trumps opponent, Joe Biden, tweeted this generous sentiment:

Jill and I send our thoughts to President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for a swift recovery. We will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family.  Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 2, 2020

That was in notable contrast to Trumps own response, four years earlier to the day, to the news that Hillary Clinton was being treated for pneumonia. He made fun of her:

Donald Trump mocks Hillary Clinton over her pneumonia outbreak pic.twitter.com/feHjV6cLDa  The Telegraph (@Telegraph) October 2, 2016

The other unknown is whether the attitude of the beneficiary of intercessory prayer matters. Trumps reaction to being prayed for by Biden is unknown. But last year, when another prominent Democrat, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said she was praying for him, Trump wrote her a letter to say, in effect, dont bother:

Even worse than offending the Founding Fathers, you are offending Americans of faith by continually saying I pray for the President, when you know this statement is not true, unless it is meant in a negative sense. It is a terrible thing you are doing, but you will have to live with it, not I!

As of Saturday morning there were conflicting accounts of Trumps condition, but even by Conleys optimistic assessment he was likely to remain in the hospital for several more days. Prayers for his health seemed warranted, whether or not they work.

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An effective vaccine may be the only real protection against Covid-19 as things stand, but dont pin your hopes on getting it soon. As Indias death toll from Covid crosses one lakh, insights from the scientific community and government officials suggest it could take up to two years from now to get the much-awaited shot.

This is not only because the formidable task of delivering the vaccine to over 1.3 billion Indians, in a massive, never-done-before exercise, is one that will test the system at every step, but also because there are several imponderables involved in the process. Heres a sampler: Once the vaccine gets the needed regulatory approvals by the first half of 2021  this in itself is a very big if  statutory agencies and manufacturing firms have to navigate the minefields of cost per dose, establishment of a cold chain, arranging adequate numbers of trained people to push the needle and ramping up production lines without compromising other vaccines needed for immunisation.

From regulatory approval, it would take a minimum of one year before the vaccine is available to the common man, K Srinath Reddy, President, Public Health Foundation, said.

The first of these steps, picking out the right vaccine for commercial roll out, is an extremely critical one. Any adverse medical reaction would not only give a body blow to peoples faith in the Covid-19 vaccine but would also be counter-productive to existing immunisation schemes. The good news is that there is enough information about potential challenges to the delivery of the vaccine that could alert authorities about what could go wrong and help fix the gap.

Crossing the cost hurdle

Globally there are more than 180 vaccines under various stages of development in the laboratories while nine have entered the third and most crucial parts of clinical trial. This is remarkable given that traditionally vaccine development takes nearly 15 years. With the pandemic killing more than a million worldwide, the process has been accelerated all over the globe resulting in Phase III clinical trials within 11 months of the disease being reported.

Three vaccines are in trial in India and regulatory approvals are being sought for a fourth one. But the first two that are likely to come through are the Oxford University-AstraZeneca-Serum Institute vaccine (ChAdOxnCoV-19) and the Sputnik-V developed by Russia. Assuming that they clear the clinical trials with flying colours, the first hurdle before the government will be to fix a price for the buyer.Last month, Serum Institute of Indias chief executive officer Adar Poonawalla asked whether the government has Rs 80,000 crore in its kitty to pay for the vaccination of all Indians. Back-of-the-envelope calculations show that for a population of 138 crore, this roughly translates into Rs 290 for one dose and Rs 580 for a two-dose regimen.

Govt faces hurdles of cost, storage and who to vaccinate first

Considering that the company had earlier spoken of delivering the vaccine at a cost of Rs 225 per dose, one would assume that other expenses are included in the Rs 290 price band. While this may be an acceptable price for those in the middle and upper-classes, it may not be a price acceptable to the government, which would have to procure the vaccine for public use.

Rs 290 is not a feasible price for the government programme. Even with a price of (lets say) Rs 40 per dose, the (Indian) government would be needing close to one billion dollars, said Ramanan Laxminarayan of the Centre for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy, Washington DC.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said he too didnt agree with Poonawallas estimates. The government has created a committee on Covid-19 vaccines that has met five times so far to deliberate on issues related to vaccine procurement, distribution and costs. We have calculated the amount required in the meetings and currently, that amount is available with the government, Bhushan said.

The X-factor, however, is the chance of a foreign vaccine (like the ones being developed by Moderna or Pfizer) beating the others in the race. It would be hard negotiations then and the terms and conditions of those negotiations would become important to decide the vaccines availability to common Indians, Reddy said.

Planning the who & how of vaccination

Once the first challenge is overcome, the government would have to deal with an equally complicated and politically-loaded issue of whom to vaccinate, given that the stock is limited.

The first priority would be doctors, nurses and healthcare workers. It may subsequently be given to older people and those with comorbidities. But with studies showing more than 65% of Covid-19 affected people having a comorbidity, the government needs to start an exercise to identify the people who would receive the vaccine, said Shahid Jameel, a virologist and Director of the Trivedi School of Biosciences, Ashoka University. The policy needs to be transparent with all state governments coming on-board, Reddy added.

The third hurdle is a huge logistic challenge. While there is a cold chain in place for the polio vaccine, the Covid-19 vaccine simply can not ride piggyback on that for two reasons: First, much more storage space is needed and second the vaccine (depending on the clinical trial outcome obviously) may need a temperature beyond what is provided in a simple refrigerator.

Added to this complication is a rule that doesnt permit ANM and ASHA workers to administer an injection (due to lack of proper training), leading to the key question on the availability of an adequate number of doctors and nurses to vaccinate a billion-plus population. Its a logistical nightmare and needs a mammoth effort, said Laxminarayan.

Battling unknowns of Covid-19

Even after these challenges are navigated successfully, there is no answer to the final question: How long will the protection last? Will this be an annual vaccine like the flu shots or will the protection remain for a longer period? Experts are divided on this.

Scientific evidence so far suggests that Covid-19 vaccines are unlikely to be efficient for more than a year as the antibodies are not long-lasting enough. But since the T-cell remains, it is possible that in future an infected person may pick up the infection again, but that wont lead to the disease. But nothing can be said definitely in the absence of a long term study, Jameel of Ashoka University said.

Since nobody has followed the virus for a long time, there is little data on how long the immunity lasts. It can be five months or five years; no one knows at the moment.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has turned to recommend books to the youth of the nation. For October, Khan recommended Elif Shafak's "The Forty Rules of Love" while Pakistan bears the brunt of human rights violations in the country.

As Pakistan bears the brunt of human rights violations in the country against journalists, in Balochistan and the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region, Prime Minister Imran Khan has now turned to recommend books to the youth of the nation. According to The News, for the month of October, Khan recommended Elif Shafaks The Forty Rules of Love for the youth of Pakistan in an attempt to bring them close to Islam. This October I suggest our youth to read The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak. An inspirational book about divine love, Sufism, Rumi & his Murshid Shams Tabriz. I read it a few years back and was deeply inspired, Khan captioned his post where he shared the photograph of the book on Instagram.

In May, in the wake of the coronavirus-induced lockdown, Khan recommended that the youth read the famous book Lost Islamic History. A great read for our youth during lockdown days. An excellent brief history of the driving force that made Islamic civilisation the greatest of its time and then the factors behind its decline, he tweeted.

The United Nations Human Rights Office on Tuesday expressed its concern over the increasing instances of threats of violence against journalists and human rights activists in Pakistan.

We have followed with increasing concern numerous instances of incitement to violence  online and offline  against journalists and human rights defenders in Pakistan, in particular against women and minorities. Especially worrying are accusations of blasphemy  which can put accused individuals at imminent risk of violence, said a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Rupert Colville in a briefing.

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi to kick start Kheti Bachao Yatra today from Punjab

With Regard to the GB region, Pakistan is also planning to hold elections to the so-called Gilgit Baltistan legislative assembly on November 15. India had said that any action by Islamabad to alter the status of the military occupied so-called Gilgit-Baltistan has no legal basis whatsoever and is totally ab-initio.

Also Read: US worried over Cambodian naval base hosting Chinese military assets amid Beijing-backed expansion
Much like climate change and health care, immigration is an issue that starkly divides President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. In policies, they are mirror opposites.

This isnt to say Biden has a strong record on immigration. President Barack Obama, with Biden as vice president, deported a record 3 million people in eight years in office. Obama also oversaw widespread family raids that sought to deport Central American mothers and children.

But Obama also sought to protect young immigrants brought to the United States as children from deportation, and Biden and Obama have advocated for comprehensive immigration reform.

Listen:



Trump is the most anti-immigration president in modern history, having signed more than 400 executive actions on immigration.

Bidens immigration plans begin with reversing Trumps actions over the past four years, including an amended version of the travel ban that marked the beginning of the Trump administration.

They also differ on the border wall. In 2016, Trumps repeated promise of a border wall emerged as both metaphor and real structure. The wall along the United States 2,000-mile border with Mexico, and Trumps vow that Mexico would pay for it, was the centerpiece of his campaign and immigration policy.

But construction has been slow going  and Mexico hasnt paid for any of it. Instead, the $15 billion which the administration has allocated for 738 miles of wall and fencing has been diverted from the budgets of Homeland Security, the Defense Department and the Treasury Forfeiture Fund.

Biden, who voted for the Secure Fence Act of 2006, would stop this diversion and use the money for border enforcement efforts.

Trump has also repeatedly challenged the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program, created under Obama. In 2017, Trump ended the program, but last June, the Supreme Court ruled against Trump, giving Dreamers a reprieve.

However, the decision wasnt made on the programs substance, but on administrative procedure and the manner in which the administration exercised its decision. After the courts decision, the administration limited DACA renewals to one year instead of two and rejected new applications.

Biden has said he would strength the program and establish a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and their parents.

The decades-long inability of the United States to come up with a fair and comprehensive immigration policy is a bipartisan failure of Congress and the executive branch. But there is a cruelty to Trumps policies. He not only has made asylum  which is a legal right  more difficult, but he punishes those who seek it.

Before his Migrant Protection Protocols, or Remain in Mexico program, migrants were held at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing facility until it was decided if they should be released, transferred to immigration detention or deported.

Now, they are sent back to Mexico until their immigration court hearings. Thousands of asylum-seekers have languished in unsanitary camps along the border, where they are often preyed upon by gangs and bad actors.

But nowhere are the cruelties more unconscionable and heartbreaking than the administrations zero tolerance policy, which forcibly separated thousands of children from parents and legal guardians at the border.

Trump eventually signed an executive order ending his administrations practice of forced separation of families, but the harm done to the children is incalculable. Because the administration wanted this to be a deterrent to other immigrants coming to the United States, there are parents and children who may never see each other again.

Biden has said hell make it a priority to reunite the separated families.

Biden should have to answer for the mistakes and deficiencies of his and Obamas immigration policy  he has called the deportations a big mistake  but he does offer ideas to address them and create a more compassionate, yet rigorous, policy.

Trumps focus remains on simply punishing those not fortunate to have been born in the U.S. but who dream of being here and making a better life.

We favor Bidens blend of compassion and rigor over Trumps cruelty.
A court here on Sunday remanded a man to police custody till October 9 for allegedly sharing pictures of the defence area at Deolali here in a Pakistani WhatsApp group, an official said.

The accused, Sanjeev Kumar, 21, was caught by some soldiers on Friday when he was clicking pictures of the Military Hospital area in Deolali Camp, where photography or shooting video is prohibited, the police official said.

The soldiers seized his mobile phone and found out that he had allegedly sent the photographs to a WhatsApp group in the neighbouring country, he said.

Kumar was handed over to Deolali Camp police on Saturday evening.

The accused, a resident of Bihars Gopalganj district, lived in a settlement near the Deolali Camp railway station and worked as a labourer at a construction site in the military area, the official said.

A case has been registered under sections 3 and 4 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, he said, adding that an inquiry is being conducted in Kumars village. The contractor, who hired him, and his co-workers are being also being questioned.
Trump Briefly Received Supplemental Oxygen on Friday: Doctor

President Donald Trump did briefly receive supplemental oxygen, based on a recommendation by his doctor while battling COVID-19, the doctor revealed Sunday.

Thursday night into Friday morning  the president was doing well with only mild symptoms and his oxygen was in the high nineties. Late Friday morning, when I returned to the bedside, president had a high fever and his oxygen saturation was transiently dipping below 94 percent, Dr. Sean Conley told reporters outside Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland, about 15 miles from the White House.

Given these two developments, I was concerned for possible rapid progression of the illness. I recommended [to] the president we try some supplemental oxygen, see how hed respond. He was fairly adamant that he didnt need it. He was not short of breath. He was tired, had the fever, and that was about it, Conley added.

After about a minute and only two liters, his saturation levels were back over 95 percent. Stayed on that for about an hour, maybe, and it was off and gone.

Conley had said during an Oct. 3 briefing that Trump did not receive oxygen on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, before adding the caveat that the president had not received oxygen after arriving at Walter Reed on Friday.

President Donald Trump salutes as he boards Marine One outside the White House o go to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after he tested positive for COVID-19, in Washington on Oct. 2, 2020. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)

President Donald Trump works in the Presidential Suite at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., Oct. 3, 2020. (Joyce N. Boghosian/The White House via AP)

Trumps blood oxygen level dropped down to 93 percent on Saturday but was up at 98 percent on Sunday, Conley told reporters in the latest briefing.

Asked whether Trump received a second round of supplemental oxygen on Saturday, Conley said, Id have to check with the nursing staff.

If he did, it was very, very limited. But hes not on oxygen. The only oxygen that I ordered that we provided was that Friday morning, initially, he said.

According to the Lung Health Institute, a normal range of oxygen saturation for adults is 94 to 99 percent. Patients who experience a dip below 90 percent will likely require supplemental oxygen.

Conley acknowledged he was reluctant to disclose that Trump had been administered oxygen but said he wasnt necessarily trying to hide the information.

White House physician Sean Conley, second from right, with medical staff, arrives to give an update on the condition of President Donald Trump at Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., on Oct. 3, 2020. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

A supporter of Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) holds a sign amid a crowd of President Donald Trump supporters, outside of Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., Oct. 4, 2020. (Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images)

I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude that the team, the president, that his course of illness has had. I didnt want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction and in doing so, it came off that we were trying to hide something, which wasnt necessarily true, the White House physician said.

The fact of the matter is that hes doing really well. He is responding. And as the team said, if everything continues to go well, were going to start discharge planning back to the White House.

Trump, 74, tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 1.

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

The president has received a number of treatments, including several doses of the antiviral remdesivir, an injection of an immune-boosting polyclonal antibody cocktail, and dexamethasone, a steroid that can improve the survival rate of COVID-19 patients.
India and China will hold corps commander-level talks on October 12, the seventh round, in eastern Ladakh sector in their latest attempt to address the ongoing military standoff between the two countries, officials familiar with the developments said on Sunday.

Both sides had held the last round of talks on the border standoff on September 21, which remained inconclusive as Indian negotiators firmly demanded comprehensive disengagement at all flashpoints and restoration of status quo ante as the only approach towards de-escalation. Bejing had asked New Delhi to withdraw its soldiers from strategic heights on the southern bank of Pangong Tso to reduce friction.

Also read | The internal drivers of Chinas Ladakh offensive

A joint statement, released in New Delhi and Beijing on September 22, said the two sides agreed to stop sending more troops to the front line and to hold the seventh round of commander-level talks as soon as possible, take practical measures to properly solve problems on the ground, and jointly safeguard peace and tranquillity in the border area.

Lieutenant General Harinder Singh and Lieutenant General PGK Menon, who represented the army headquarters, took part in the sixth rounds of talks. Menon is set to replace Singh as the commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps soon as the latter will be completing his term next month. Singh has been leading the military talks with China to reduce border tensions. He took charge of the corps in October 2019.

The sixth round of military dialogue at Moldo on the Chinese side of the LAC across the Chushul sector also had, for the first time, involved the participation of a joint secretary-ranked officer from the ministry of external affairs as a step to ensure that the talks yield a positive outcome. The Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs, the diplomatic dialogue between the two countries, involves a representative of the Indian defence ministry.
With the Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration opening up some parts of the archipelago for tourism after a gap of six months, stakeholders in the industry are looking forward to Durga Puja for the revival of the sector on which a large number of people in the Union Territory depend for livelihood.

The Union Territory has been reporting fewer Covid-19 cases of late. It has registered 3,868 infections so far, of which 173 are active cases, health officials said.

According to some estimates, a loss of Rs. 8,000 crore has been recorded and 35,000 families have been directly or indirectly affected due to the suspension of tourism activities in the islands from March due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Even though the administration has permitted some tourism activities in South Andaman district, barring the Little Andaman Island, from World Tourism Day on September 27 and said it will consider opening up more islands in a phased manner as part of the Centres Unlock measures, the archipelago has hardly seen any visitor.

We are hardly receiving any tourists since the reopening of the sector. But we hope to get some bookings during the upcoming Durga Puja festive season. However, there are only two daily flights from Kolkata to Port Blair. The frequency needs to be increased, Robert Johnson, the director of Mini India, a travel company, told PTI on Sunday.

A large number of people from West Bengal used to visit the tropical destination during the Durga Puja holidays in the pre-Covid times.

The five-day Durga Puja festivities are scheduled to begin on October 22 this year.

In the first phase of the resumption of tourism activities in the archipelago, the Union Territory administration has allowed the reopening of beaches, museums and light and sound show at the Cellular Jail, besides permitting water sports, boat rides and snorkelling.

Recommencement of other activities like scuba diving, sea walk and parasailing will be considered in subsequent phases, sources said.

The Department of Tourism has issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for restarting these activities, asking all the stakeholders to follow it.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.)

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University students have said being in the class of 2020 has been horrible and they are paying to be guinea pigs amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A sharp rise in Covid-19 cases has meant thousands of students are now self-isolating, while a shift to online working has caused many to question their tuition and accommodation fees.

Tuition fees in the UK can be up to 9,250 per year for an undergraduate degree  which is among the highest in the developed world, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Sian Godward, 18, has just started her first year studying interior architecture and design at Leeds Beckett University.

She moved into a flatshare in the city last month, but has now moved back home to nearby Wakefield after three out of five of her housemates did not show up due to Covid-19  as Leeds is in local lockdown.

Despite not living at the property she currently cannot escape the contract, meaning she will add over 6,000 for the year to her student loan.

Despite her hands-on course, Ms Godward will only be receiving face-to-face teaching for three hours per week, which she said she was not told before signing the contract.

If I had known that I would not have moved out at all it was having a massive impact on my mental health, Ms Godward told the PA news agency.

The situation comes after a turbulent summer of A-level results, in which Ms Godward got the algorithm-predicted grades she needed but much of her work from the past year was discounted.

Asked what it is like being in the class of 2020, Ms Godward said: Horrible, just not what I expected at all. They should definitely have given us a lot more support.

I feel like were just guinea pigs who have been thrown into this situation that hasnt happened before.

Nobody really knows whats going on  its just a mess about really.

I feel particularly bad for those locked in their accommodation at the moment.

Ewan Hillier is self-isolating at halls in Northumbria University, where he studies film and television production and it was announced on Friday more than 750 students have tested positive for Covid-19.

I am annoyed that the uni told us to come back, the 21-year-old from Hexham told PA.

If the uni let students know that we were only in campus one day a week and we could do it all from home most students wouldnt have come into accommodation and this increase in cases would not have taken place.

I know fellow students who have now gone home as they are high risk and are still forced to pay rent when they live at home.

I feel let down, we are the future of this country and are paying an incredible amount of money to be forgotten about and blamed for when things happen.

Lydia Garton is in her third year of primary education studies at Bath Spa University and said her most recent classes have been unnerving.

On the first day of class they sat us in separate chairs with over one metre of distance between everybody else, the 22-year-old explained.

I asked the teacher if we could take off our mask when we were all sat and the teacher said honestly I dont know, Im still waiting for confirmation.

Were all here asking questions and they dont have the answers for us.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 15:00:32|Editor: huaxia

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A giant drilling rig can be seen from a distance in the heart of the desert west of Upper Egypt's Minya Province, surrounded by heavy equipment as well as energetic engineers and workers in red overalls, white helmets and face masks. It is one of the three rigs belonging to the Chinese international drilling firm ZPEC, which has so far drilled 120 out of the 300 water wells for Canal Sugar, a 1-billion-U.S.-dollar joint venture between Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, to reclaim land for one of the largest farms in the Middle East and establish the largest beet sugar factory in the world. The owners of the Canal Sugar project expressed satisfaction with the performance of ZPEC which helped them reclaim a large portion of the project's 76,000-hectare land, on which about 21,000 hectares of sugar beets are expected to be planted in the next six months.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting is underway at the party headquarters in New Delhi. Names of party candidates for the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls are expected to be announced in the meeting.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party leaders JP Nadda, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Nitin Gadkari are some of the leaders in attendance at the meeting. Election in-charge Devendra Fadnavis, state president Sanjay Jaiswal and Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Modi are also attending the meeting.

Earlier in the day, the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) announced that it will contest the three-phase assembly polls on its own.

Here are the latest updates:

- PM Modi has left after attending the CEC meeting.

- Seat-sharing arrangement between the BJP and Nitish Kumars JD(U) is also likely to be announced after the meeting.

- PM Modi has arrived at the Central Election Committee meeting.

- The BJP is expected to announce the first list of candidates for Bihar Assembly election after meeting.

- The BJP and JD-U have agreed on a 50:50 seat-sharing formula.

- The Lok Janshakti Party will contest the elections alone, it announced on Sunday evening. However, the LJP made clear that it was not breaking ties with the BJP. The party will put up contestants against the JD(U) and not the BJP.

- The LJP will opt to have a friendly contest against the NDA partners, though the LJP leadership had clarified earlier that they will put up contestants against the JD(U) and not the BJP.

- Elections to the 243-seat Bihar assembly will be conducted in three phases on October 28, November 3, and November 7. The results of the first poll exercise during the prevailing coronavirus pandemic will be declared on November 10.
Authorities have arrested a man in the death of a 20-year-old Houston woman who was shot and killed while in bed last month at her Harris County home, according to court records.

Andre Colson, 26, was arrested Friday night and charged with murder in Sierra Rhodds Sept. 13 death. He is accused of being part of the group that drove to her home in the 11200 block of Timber Crest Drive, stepped out of their vehicles and opened fire.

Rhodd, who family members said had cerebral palsy, was in bed at the time of the shooting. She was dead by the time first responders arrived at the Cypress-area home.

She was not the intended victim of the shooting, authorities said, adding that the shooters were targeting Rhodd's 15-year-old brother. Court records now show retaliation for an earlier drug rip may have led to the attack.

The brother, who authorities said returned fire during the shooting that killed his sister, revealed to Harris County Sheriffs Office investigators at some point that he robbed a man of drugs and money at a La Quinta Inn.

Court records do not indicate whether Colson, of Prairie View, was the person the younger brother robbed.

Colson admitted to being a passenger in a convoy of vehicles that gathered at a nearby gas station prior to the shooting but denied firing a weapon. A casing -- among the 40 to 60 that authorities found at the home -- that matches a handgun he has was found at the crime scene, officials said.

Investigators found text messages on his phone that appeared to taunt him.

An 18-year-old woman was previously charged in Rhodds death but a Harris County magistrate dismissed the case for an apparent lack of probable cause. The woman, identified in court records as Emma Lou Presler, told police at the time of her arrest that she encountered the convoy of vehicles and followed them before and after the shooting. She met a man who matched Colson's description.

Surveillance footage corroborated parts of her account, records show.

She said she was in the neighborhood to pick up her boyfriend, authorities earlier said.

Colson, who has no other criminal history in Harris County, was ordered to be held at the Harris County Jail on a $80,000 bond.

The investigation into Rhodds death got more attention when her father, Michael Rhodd, was killed a week later during an argument with his father-in-law. No charges have been filed and that shooting remains under investigation.

nicole.hensley@chron.com
Home Secretary Priti Patel has launched an attack on human rights do-gooders and lefty lawyers who she claimed were united with people-traffickers in wanting to prevent reform of the UKs broken asylum system.

In a speech to the Conservative Partys virtual conference, Ms Patel unveiled plans for the biggest overhaul in a generation of the asylum system, to prevent illegal migrants from making endless appeals against removal and allow immediate expulsion of those with no claim to refugee status.

But her broadside at those defending migrants was branded absurd by one immigration barrister, who said lawyers had been calling for reform of the system for decades.

And the British Red Cross said it was in favour of reform to prevent asylum seekers being left in limbo, unable to work and living in destitution, while the Refugee Council said change was needed to speed up the system.

We agree with the home secretarys analysis that the current asylum system is broken and leaves vulnerable people languishing for months on end, fearful for their future and unable to start rebuilding their lives," said Refugee Council head of advocacy Andy Hewett.

Its incredibly important that asylum claims are processed within a reasonable time frame, that each case is assessed fairly, and that people seeking asylum are treated with compassion and respect while they await their decision.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 18 January 2022 Surfers enter the sea as the sun rises over Tynemouth on the North East coast PA UK news in pictures 17 January 2022 Bonhams Danny McIlwraith holds a Nigerian polycrome carved wood mask during a photocall for the sale of the Jim Lennon Collection at Bonhams in Edinburgh PA UK news in pictures 16 January 2022 The moon rises above the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, Hampshire PA UK news in pictures 15 January 2022 Demonstrators outside Downing Street during a Kill The Bill protest against The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in London PA UK news in pictures 14 January 2022 Ecologist Emma Smart (left) and retired GP Dr Diana Warner outside HMP Bronzefield, in Surrey, following their release from the prison where Emma undertook a 26-day hunger strike during her incarceration. Ms Smart was sentenced in November, along with other members of Insulate Britain, to serve four months for breaking a High Court injunction by taking part in a blockade at junction 25 of the M25 motorway during the morning rush hour on 8 October last year PA UK news in pictures 13 January 2022 A TV presenter holds a copy of a newspaper outside 10 Downing Streetafter the Prime Minister apologised for attending a gathering of colleagues in the Number Ten garden in May 2020, while the UK was in strict lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic Getty UK news in pictures 12 January 2022 Fitness guru Derrick Evans after receiving an MBE during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 11 January 2022 A couple walk underneath an umbrella during wet weather on Westminster Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 10 January 2022 A jogger passes the Covid Memorial Wall in London AP UK news in pictures 9 January 2021 The sun rises over horses at Seaton Sluice in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 8 January 2022 Riders compete during the Veterans Men's race at the UK Cyclo-Cross National Championships 2022 in Ardingly, south of London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 7 January 2022 A dog looks out of a car window at the wintry conditions in Killeshin, Co. 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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

Ms Patel said that the UKs current asylum system was enabling international criminal trade by encouraging migrants to put themselves in the hands of gangs for perilous journeys across the English Channel in small boats.

Once in the UK, vulnerable migrants were stuck in a backlog of more than 40,000 people waiting for decisions on asylum claims which can take more than a year at an annual cost to UK taxpayers of over 1bn, she said.

She promised legislation next year to deliver a firm and fair system addressing moral, legal and practical problems with the system which she said had been neglected through decades of inaction by successive governments.

And she vowed to unleash the full force of crime and intelligence agencies against people-smuggling gangs.

In a pre-emptive assault on expected criticism of her hardline approach, Ms Patel said that it was driven by compassion for those genuinely in need of refuge.

The Conservatives had a proud history of offering sanctuary to Ugandan Asians like her parents in the 1970s, victims of the Syrian War and democracy protesters in Hong Kong, she said.

No doubt those who are well-rehearsed in how to play and profit from the broken system will lecture us on their grand theories about human rights," said Ms Patel.

And yet they seem to care little about the rights of the most vulnerable who are fleeing persecution, oppression and tyranny

"Those defending the broken system  the traffickers, the do-gooders, the lefty lawyers, the Labour Party  are defending the indefensible."

Barrister Alasdair Mackenzie of Doughty Street Chambers said it was absurd to suggest that immigration lawyers could be grouped with people-traffickers as defenders of the existing system.

He told The Independent: Lawyers have been calling for reform for decades.

If she is genuinely serious about wanting reform, I and others would be very interested in sitting down with her to discuss it."

And Mike Adamson, chief executive of the British Red Cross said: "Like the home secretary, we want to see a more compassionate asylum system.

But this compassion needs to be applied to anyone arriving in the UK in search of safety. We should not judge how worthy someone is of asylum by how they arrived here, especially when the rules are so narrow."

He called for any reforms to include the introduction of more safe routes to Britain, so that people are not forced to risk their lives crossing the Channel in dinghies or hiding themselves in lorries.

Mr Hewett said that the home secretary was wrong to suggest that small boat crossings were illegal, as the Refugee Convention makes clear that people fleeing war, violence and persecution are entitled to do so by irregular routes.

He called on Ms Patel to tackle dangerous crossings by restarting the UKs resettlement programme, dismantling rules preventing parents from being reunited with children in the UK and introducing humanitarian visas for refugees to travel safely.

Labours shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said: The Tories talk about a broken immigration system, but they have been in power for a decade and are the political party that broke it.

Recent experience suggests they have not learned any lessons at all, with unconscionable, absurd proposals about floating walls and creating waves in the English Channel to push back boats and sending people thousands of miles away to process claims. The truth is the Tories are devoid of compassion and competence."

Ms Patel said Labour had warned that lives would be lost as a result of the changes she is pursuing.

But she said: Lives are already being lost.

So do not let them peddle a false narrative that Conservatives do not have a proud history of providing a safe haven to those most in need.

Declaring herself ready to bear abuse on social media and mockery of her accent by Tony Blairs former director of communications Alastair Campbell, she said: As Conservatives, we do not measure the depth of our compassion in 280 characters on Twitter, but in the actions we take and the choices we make.

I will not be complicit in an international criminal trade in asylum seekers, elbowing the most vulnerable to the side, she said.

Reform the system, prosecute the criminals, protect the vulnerable.

That is what a firm, but fair asylum system should look like, and that is what I intend to deliver.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie revealed Saturday he tested positive for the coronavirus and checked into a hospital near his home citing concerns about his history with asthma, which previously led to him being briefly hospitalized during his term as governor.

Christie, 58, was hospitalized in 2011 - less than two years into his first term as governor - at Somerset Medical Center in Somerville after suffering an asthma attack. Dozens of camera crews congregated at the hospital as he underwent tests for a day because he was a potential Republican presidential candidate at the time. He later ran for the GOP nomination for president in 2016, before bowing out to President Donald Trump.

Gov. Chris Christie speaks to the media after being released from Somerset Medical Center. The governor was taken to Somerset Medical Center after suffering shortness of breath related to his asthma. SOMERVILLE, NJ 7/28/11(Tim Farrell/The Star-Ledger)

Christies asthma and weight, which hes struggled with over the years, could put him at an elevated risk of developing complications from the coronavirus.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control says those with moderate to severe asthma or a body mass index above 30 may have an increased risk of COVID-19 complications. Those between 50 and 64-years-old are the fourth-highest age group hospitalized for the virus, the CDC says.

Christie uses an inhaler. But almost a decade ago, it didnt work while he was on his way to a bill signing event.

It didnt give me the kind of release I normally get, he told reporters outside the hospital at the time.

State troopers who were driving him to the event decided to skip it and take him to the hospital instead after Christie spoke with them. Tests were conducted and other health ailments, including cardiac problems, were ruled out. A transfer of power to the lieutenant governor was not considered then since he did not become incapacitated. He had remained in touch with his office after he arrived at the hospital.

Christie has had asthma since he was a teen and was hospitalized at least once before in law school because of breathing problems. He was back at work the day after the attack in 2011.

Christie said at the time he doubted that his weight had anything to do with the attack and blamed the heat and humidity. The governor would later go on to get lap band surgery in 2013, but hasnt revealed his weight.

The former governor helped Trump, who has also tested positive for the coronavirus, prepare for a debate against Joe Biden last week inside without a mask. Christie, a Mendham resident who also owns a Jersey Shore home in Bay Head, noted his history with asthma when he checked into Morristown Medical Center on Saturday.

While I am feeling good and only have mild symptoms, due to my history of asthma we decided this is an important precautionary measure, Christie tweeted Saturday evening. He has not provided any updates since.

In consultation with my doctors, I checked myself into Morristown Medical Center this afternoon. While I am feeling good and only have mild symptoms, due to my history of asthma we decided this is an important precautionary measure.  Governor Christie (@GovChristie) October 3, 2020

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Bindi Irwin and husband Chandler Powell are expecting their first child together, a girl, next year.

And on Sunday, the expectant mother was in a reflective mood, sharing a photo to Instagram of the couple's travels in the Italian countryside two years ago.

Alongside a picture of the pair holding onto ice cream cones, Bindi, 22, told fans in the caption that the 'small moments' in life become 'the most special memories'.

Memories: On Sunday, Bindi Irwin, 22, reflected on her 'most special memories' with husband Chandler Powell, 23, in an Instagram post (pictured) as they prepare to welcome their baby girl in 2021

'This photo was taken two years ago. Chandler and I decided to take an adventure to Italy together after spending time in London with the wonderful Animal Planet team,' Bindi penned.

'I love the joy this photo captured. Here's to small moments in life that you don't realise will become the most special memories.'

In the photo, Bindi wore a black jacket and blue jeans, and beamed for the camera as she held onto an ice cream cone.

Heartfelt: 'I love the joy this photo captured. Here's to small moments in life that you don't realise will become the most special memories,' the wildlife warrior wrote in the post's caption. Pictured on another occasion with Chandler

Chandler, who took the photo, was sure to hold out one arm, drawing attention to the 23-year-old's own ice cream cone.

The reflective Instagram post comes after it was revealed on Friday, that Bindi is having 'the best time of her life' as an expectant mother - and will continue to share baby updates with fans throughout her pregnancy.

An insider told Us Weekly magazine of the couple: 'They're enjoying every element of the pregnancy and feel beyond blessed to have so much support and love from their family, friends and fans.'

Joy: On Friday, it was revealed that Bindi is having 'the best time of her life' as an expectant mother - and will continue to share baby updates with fans throughout her pregnancy

The source claimed the duo have been reading up on parenthood in preparation for their little one's arrival, and are having the 'time of their lives' in doing so.

Bindi and Chandler tied the knot on March 25, in a makeshift ceremony at Australia Zoo, just before the COVID-19 lockdown.

In August, Bindi revealed her pregnancy, uploading a photo to Instagram of herself and Chandler holding a tiny version of the Australia Zoo uniform.

So in love: The gorgeous couple tied the knot on March 25 this year, in an intimate ceremony at Australia Zoo (pictured)

Baby Wildlife Warrior due in 2021: Bindi and Chandler revealed their baby news in August on Instagram, with the pair holding up a baby-sized Australia Zoo khaki uniform

'It's an honour to share this special moment in our lives with you. Though I'm still in my first trimester, we really want you to be part of our journey from the beginning of this new life chapter,' she told her followers.

'We couldn't wait to share the news as this beautiful little being has become the most important part of our lives. Your support means the world to us.

'Please let me know your best advice and send good vibes and prayers to our little sweetheart. Love and light.'
Saturday Night Live returned this week, and with the dawn of a new season comes the dawn of a new Joe Biden: comedian Jim Carrey. Chronologically, the Man on the Moon star is the fifth person to play Biden on the showbut is he the best? Or the second-best? Or the third-best? Those are the kinds of questions that can only be answered by ranking Saturday Night Lives Joe Bidens from worst to best, which is what weve done below. Our original plan was to train an A.I. on all 1,695 videos of Joe Biden on C-SPAN.org and approach the question scientifically, but that came to an abrupt halt when the very first video, Bidens appearance at the 20th Annual Democratic Congressional Dinner on the night of April 20, 1983, failed to play (Error Code: 224003). After tearfully unplugging the A.I., we just sort of watched some YouTube clips and winged it. Here are Saturday Night Lives Joe Bidens, from worst to best.

Kevin Nealon

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Although Joe Biden had been in the Senate for more than two years when Saturday Night Live made its television debut back in 1975, he didnt attract Lorne Michaels attention until the 17th season, when Kevin Nealon played him in a sketch about Clarence Thomas Supreme Court confirmation hearings. Theres not much of an impression to Nealons performance, but then, there wasnt that much to seize on in the first day of Thomas reopened confirmation hearings except for Bidens thinning hair. (On that front, Nealons hair is parted on the wrong side.) The main thing keeping Kevin Nealons Joe Biden from being a contender, though, is not the costume department, or even that hes appearing in an embarrassing reminder of what a shitshow those hearings were, but the structure of the sketch itself. The senators are introduced in order from least to most grotesque, and Biden comes first, which means Nealon has to provide the relatively normal backdrop for Phil Hartmans Ted Kennedy, Chris Farleys Howell Heflin, and Dana Carveys Strom Thurmond. That makes Kevin Nealon Saturday Night Lives worst Joe Biden, although theres no shame in losing on a technicality, especially when that technicality is he walked so Phil Hartman could soar.

Jim Carrey

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So far, Jim Carreys Biden is not an impression of Joe Biden; its a reminder that Jim Carreys rubber-faced mugging is funniest when the sole point of the joke is Jim Carreys rubber-faced mugging. To be fair to Carrey, its not clear how anyone could have pulled comedy out of the horror show that was this weeks presidential debate, especially in light of subsequent COVID-19 diagnoses, but this was nearly unwatchable. Carrey slightly redeemed himself toward the end, presiding over what was probably the first time SNL invited its audience to fantasize about the death (or at least the serious illness) of a sitting president. Thats just enough edge to edge out Kevin Nealon, but not enough to make it out of the bottom tier of Saturday Night Live Bidens. Fortunately, Carrey will have the chance to improve, since hell be playing the role all season.

John Mulaney

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Comedian John Mulaney joins Kevin Nealon in the Played Joe Biden Once club, in a sketch from the next-to-last episode before the show shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Mulaney makes less of an effort to impersonate Biden than Nealon did, but his high-concept Wait, thats just John Mulaney doing John Mulaney performance is enough to beat Nealons sincere-but-not-very-elaborate Biden. Whats more, hes funnier than Jim Carrey.

Jason Sudeikis

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Jason Sudeikis Joe Biden was understandably overshadowed by Tina Feys epoch-defining Sarah Palin, but revisiting his second appearance in the roleSudeikis briefly appeared as Biden in a 2007 sketch about the Clintons Halloween partyits remarkable how much his impression changed over the years. SNLs 2008 vice presidential debate sketch, in which Biden plays things relatively straight compared with Tina Feys Palin, aired on Oct. 4, 2008. On May 5, 2009, the Onion introduced its influential take on the vice president with Shirtless Biden Washes Trans Am in White House Driveway, and Joe Biden impressions were never the same.* By 2012, Sudeikis had incorporated parts of the Onions Biden character into his own impression:

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Sudeikis Biden was a workhorse, adapting with the times and safely shepherding the nation through two vice presidential terms, but four years of Donald Trump upped the nations crazification factor so much that watching him today is a bittersweet reminder of a more civilized age.

Woody Harrelson

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The total package. Woody Harrelsons appearances as Biden during the last election captured not just his alarming teeth but the unease he provoked whenever he started talking during the primary debates, the sense he gave that any one of his stories could go off the rails at any time. Now that weve seen the real Biden go head-to-head with the real Trump, the bar for off the rails is a lot higher, but this was the one moment in history when a Saturday Night Live Joe Biden got to play the craziest man in the room. Harrelson rose to the occasion, delivering the funniest version of Joe Biden ever to appear on the show.

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Joe Biden

Theres only one thing funnier than appearing on Saturday Night Live, and thats not appearing on Saturday Night Live. Joe Biden has never appeared on Saturday Night Live, which makes him the greatest SNL Biden of all time. Congratulations, Joe, and keep up the good work!
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  More than 100,000 people marched in Belarus' capital on Sunday to protest against the country's authoritarian leader, who won his sixth term in office in an election widely seen as rigged.

The demonstrators demanded the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko, and freedom for political prisoners. Police used water cannons in an attempt to disperse the crowds, but the protesters remained undeterred.

One video from the rally showed a group of protesters approaching a water cannon vehicle, opening a hatch on its side and removing pieces from inside the vehicle. Media reports say the water cannon malfunctioned after that and drove away.

The Viasna human rights center said that about 120,000 took part in a rally on Sunday.

Mass protests have rocked Belarus for almost two months, with the largest rallies taking place on Sundays and drawing up to 200,000 people. The unprecedented wave of unrest was triggered by the results of the Aug. 9 presidential election that handed Lukashenko, who has run Belarus with an iron fist for 26 years, a crushing victory with 80% of the vote.

His main challenger, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, got only 10%. She and her supporters refused to recognize the results as valid, saying the outcome of the vote was manipulated.

In the first days after the vote, Belarusian authorities cracked down brutally on the protesters, with police detaining thousands and injuring scores with truncheons, rubber bullets and stun grenades.

The government has since scaled down on the violence, but kept the pressure on, detaining hundreds of protesters and prosecuting top activists. Many prominent members of the Coordination Council, formed by the opposition to push for a transition of power, have been either arrested of forced to leave the country.

More than 10,000 people have been detained since the election and at least 244 people have been implicated in criminal cases on various charges related to the protests, Viasna human rights center leader Ales Bialiatski told The Associated Press. Over 70 people have been declared political prisoners.

Story continues

On Sunday, dozens of people were detained in Minsk and other cities. Viasna released a list of detained protesters on its website that by Sunday evening had over 160 names on it.

A campaign of intimidation and persecution, unprecedented for Europe, has been launched in Belarus against peaceful citizens who want one thing  free elections, Bialiatski said.

According to the Belarusian Association of Journalists, 11 Belarusian reporters were detained Sunday in several cities. Last week, Belarus' Foreign Ministry rescinded the accreditation of all journalists working for foreign news outlets and said they must apply for new credentials.

Tsikhanouskaya, who entered the presidential race to run instead of her husband Siarhei, a popular opposition blogger jailed in May, issued a statement Sunday supporting the protest and demands to free political prisoners.

She herself was forced to leave Belarus in fear for her safety and that of her children and is currently in exile in Lithuania.

These are the people who, like Siarhei Tsikhanouski, haven't seen their family and children for several months. These are the people who suffered for their convictions, and are still suffering. Our goal is to free them. So I support everyone who takes to the streets in their city today, Tsikhanouskaya said.

Let the whole world see: Belarusians want to live in freedom, not in prison, she added.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 21:12:46|Editor: huaxia

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PHNOM PENH, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong has called on outsiders to avoid "provocation" over the South China Sea issue, saying that any disputes should be peacefully settled by parties directly concerned.

Noting that through many years of serious negotiations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China are now working on the draft of the Code of Conduct (COC) to boost cooperation between parties directly concerned to deal with the relevant disputes, Namhong told Xinhua that countries outside the region should encourage ASEAN and China to reach the COC.

While ASEAN and China are in the process of settling their difference directly and peacefully through the COC, outside powers should contribute to peace in the region and avoid inflaming the disputes, he said.

Namhong recalled that Cambodia successfully promoted the signing of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) by ASEAN and China in 2002 when Cambodia was the ASEAN's chair.

He said the DOC had laid a foundation for the parties directly concerned to behave peacefully.

Namhong also said he welcomed the Chinese government's statement in July 2016 which said that "China stands ready to continue to resolve the relevant disputes peacefully through negotiation and consultation with the states directly concerned on the basis of respecting historical facts and in accordance with international law."

"I think one should appreciate this 2016 Declaration in which the Chinese government commits itself to respecting and upholding the freedom of navigation and overflight enjoyed by all states under the international law in the South China Sea," he said. Enditem
As influenza season approaches, some Americans, and especially parents, are worried that, if they or their children should become ill, it may not be easy to know which disease they have  the flu or Covid-19.

They are correct. Most symptoms of the two diseases are so similar that, short of a test  or two or three tests  it wont be possible to know for sure. But there are some clues. (And it is possible to have both infections at the same time; some patients in China this year were found to have both.)

But first: get a flu shot.

It is not yet clear whether the United States will have much of a flu season this year. Flu activity in the Southern Hemisphere, which is often predictive of activity in the United States, was 99 percent below normal during its winter. Epidemiologists believe that is because Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans, Chileans and other residents of the southern half of the globe were wearing masks, staying several feet apart and washing their hands to prevent transmission of the coronavirus. Those same precautions also prevent flu transmission.

Because there are very few flights between the Southern Hemisphere and the United States right now, there may be no opportunity for the usual four seasonal influenza strains to reseed themselves among Americans. If they do, masks and social distancing should limit their spread.
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The president's doctors said Sunday that he could be discharged from Walter Reed Medical Center as early as Monday as Trump's top physician detailed he was given a steroid and put on oxygen as a treatment for COVID-19.

'Our plan for today is to have him to eat and drink, be up out of bed as much as possible, to be mobile,' Dr. Brian Garibaldi, one of the doctor's on Trump's team, said. 'And if he continues to look and feel as well as he does today, our hope is that we can plan for a discharge as early as tomorrow to the White House where he can continue his treatment course.'

He also detailed that Trump would continue taking doses of Remdesivir, a broad-spectrum antiviral medication, and dexamethasone, a steroid, whether he remains at Walter Reed or is transferred to the White House.

Pressed about the conflicting information he and the White House released the previous day, the president's top doctor, Navy Commander Sean Conley, acknowledged that he had tried to present a rosy description of of the president's condition.

'I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude of the team, that the president, that his course of illness has had. Didn't want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction,' Conley said. 'And in doing so, came off like we're trying to hide something, which wasn't necessarily true. The fact of the matter is that he's doing really well.'

Conley also deflected blame during the briefing, claiming there was some confusion over Trump's condition because Chief of Staff Mark Meadow's comments were misrepresented. 'The Chief and I work side-by-side,' Conley said of Meadows. 'nd I think his statement was misconstrued.'

'What he meant was that 24 hours ago, when he and I were checking on the president, that there was that momentary episode of a high fever. And that temporary drop in the saturation, which prompted us to act expediently to move him up here,' he said of the president's swift movement from the White House to Walter Reed on Friday.

'Fortunately that was a very transient, limited episode,' he continued in a briefing with some press outside the hospital center. 'A couple hours later he was back up, mild again. I'm not going to speculate what that limited episode was about so early in the course. But he's doing well.'

Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence both tested negative for coronavirus on Sunday, paving the way for the vice president to take power should the president become incapacitated.

Trump tweeted Sunday afternoon, writing: 'I really appreciate all of the fans and supporters outside of the hospital. The fact is, they really love our Country and are seeing how we are MAKING IT GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE!'

Donald Trump's doctors revealed Sunday that they treated the president with a steroid and put him on oxygen Saturday as they were concerned over the rapid progression of the virus

'If he continues to look and feel as well as he does today, our hope is that we can plan for a discharge as early as tomorrow to the White House where he can continue his treatment course,' Garibaldi said

Physician to the President Dr. Sean Conley, a Navy Commander, was forced to explain during the briefing Sunday that there was some confusion over Trump's condition because Chief of Staff Mark Meadow's comments were 'misconstrued'

Meadows v. Conley: Meadows rubbed his forehead Sunday (left) as Conley spoke to reporters outside Walter Reed. 'The president's vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. We're still not on a clear path to a full recovery,' Meadows told reporters anonymously and it was later revealed he was the source of the remarks

The masked doctors gave their second update in two days on Trump's condition as questions emerged over conflicting statements on how the disease and his treatment was progressing

WHAT IS DEXAMETHASONE? Oxford University researchers in June announced steroid drug dexamethasone  which costs just over $3 for a course of treatment  cut the risk of death by up to 35 per cent for infected patients on ventilators and by a fifth for anyone needing oxygen at any point. Following the news World Health Organization (WHO) bosses said they will update its Covid-19 treatment guidance to include dexamethasone. The WHO wrote: 'It was tested in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in the United Kingdoms national clinical trial RECOVERY and was found to have benefits for critically ill patients. 'According to preliminary findings shared with WHO (and now available as a preprint), for patients on ventilators, the treatment was shown to reduce mortality by about one third, and for patients requiring only oxygen, mortality was cut by about one fifth.' It did not appear to help less ill patients. Researchers estimated that the drug would prevent one death for every eight patients treated while on breathing machines and one for every 25 patients on extra oxygen alone. The steroid drug is a type of anti-inflammatory medicine used to treat a wide-range of conditions. It is given via an injection or once-a-day tablet and is sold under the brand names Ozurdex and Baycadron. In coronavirus patients, the steroid reduces inflammation in the lungs triggered by an overreaction by the immune system. One in 10 symptomatic Covid-19 patients are thought to suffer from the nasty symptom, known as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). ARDS causes the immune system to become overactive and attack healthy cells in the lungs. This makes breathing difficult and the body eventually struggles to get enough oxygen to vital organs. Dexamethasone was first made in 1957 and was approved for medical use in 1961. The steroid is also used to treat conditions that cause inflammation, conditions related to immune system activity, and hormone deficiency. These include: allergic reactions

rheumatoid arthritis

psoriasis

lupus

eczema

flare-ups of intestinal disease, such as ulcerative colitis

multiple sclerosis

pre-treatment for chemotherapy to reduce inflammation and side effects from cancer medications

adrenal insufficiency (a condition where the adrenal glands dont produce enough hormones) Dexamethasone is known to cause a number of mild to moderate side effects, including vomiting, heartburn, anxiety, high blood pressure, muscle weakness and insomnia. Advertisement

Conley, a Navy Commander and physician to the president, revealed during the briefing that Trump was treated with the steroid dexamethasone after a drop in oxygen levels on Saturday.

'Over the course of his illness, the president has experienced two episodes of transient drops in his oxygen saturation. We debated the reasons for this and whether we'd even intervene. As a determination of the team, based predominantly on the timeline for the diagnosis, that we initiate dexamethasone,' Conley said.

The physician then detailed the timeline of Trump's treatment and the decision Friday to move him to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center just hours after the president announced that he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for coronavirus.

'Thursday night into Friday morning when I left the bedside, the president was doing well with only mild symptoms and his oxygen was in the high 90's. Late Friday morning when I returned to the bedside, president had a high fever and his oxygen level was transiently dipping below 94 per cent,' Conley said.

'Given these two developments, I was concerned for possible rapid progression of the illness,' he continued. 'I recommended the president try some supplemental oxygen.'

Conley said Trump was 'very adamant that he didn't need it. Was not short of breath. He was tired, had the fever, and that was about it.'

He said after a minute of oxygen, Trump's levels were back up above 95 per cent  but said that he kept the president's on the measure for about an hour.

Conley explained that the president's oxygen level did not dip into the 80's and reiterated that he was up and about shortly after the 'transient' episode.

Meadows received backlash Saturday after it appeared his comments on Trump's condition contradicted others' assessments, including the president's.

'The president's vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. We're still not on a clear path to a full recovery,' Meadows told reporters anonymously and it was later revealed he was the source of the remarks.

Meadows' comments came just after a White House team of doctors said that Trump's condition was improving and that he was already talking about returning to the White House.

One doctor said Trump told them, 'I feel like I could walk out of here today.'

In an update Saturday, Conlety wrote: 'This evening he completed his second dose of Remdesivir without complication. He remains fever-free and off supplemental oxygen with a saturation level between 96% and 98% all day.'

'He spent most of the afternoon conducting business, and has been up and moving about the medical suite without difficulty. While not yet out of the woods, the team remains cautiously optimistic,' the White House Physician continued.

'The plan for tomorrow is to continue observation in between doses of remdesivir, closely monitoring his clinical status while fully supporting his conduct of Presidential duties.'

Several hours later, Deputy White House Press Secretary Judd Deere posted a picture showing Trump working into the night from the hospital.

The new comments from the president's medical team on Sunday comes as Trump's campaign advisers Stephen Miller and Steve Cortes claimed Sunday the president is eager to get back to campaigning even after Conley said Saturday he is not yet 'out of the woods.'

Miller, the campaign's senior adviser, said he spoke to Trump recently and said the president told him 'he's going to defeat this virus and our campaign is going to defeat this virus.'

'Once he gets out of the hospital, he's ready to get back to the campaign trail,' Miller told NBC's Chuck Todd during an interview on 'Meet the Press' Sunday morning. 'He sounded pretty energetic.'

'But he said something else that I thought that was important too,' Miller said, 'and that was to be careful, and that was to remind folks to wash their hands, use hand sanitizer, make sure that if you can't socially distance, distance to wear a mask. And I thought that was a pretty important message to send and a reminder to the rest of the country.'

Cortes, another senior campaign adviser, reiterated the president's fitness during an interview with Chris Wallace on 'Fox News Sunday.'

'He's doing well,' Cortes attested.

'We spoke to the president yesterday, we meaning senior campaign staff,' Cortes said. 'He was as upbeat and assertive as he's ever been.'

He added: 'This president is going to recover, we are highly confident of that.'

How Mark Meadows infuriated Trump by telling reporters that his 'vitals are very concerning' in off-the-record health update Chief of Staff Mark Meadows' revelation to reporters that Donald Trump's 'vitals are very concerning' reportedly angered the president and prompted him to post an upbeat video update on his condition Saturday. The New York Times claimed that people close to the situation said that Trump was infuriated by the comments and acted to counteract the perception that he was very sick. The president uploaded the four-minute video to his Twitter page on Saturday night in which he said he was 'much better' and fighting coronavirus, as his physician gave a optimistic update on his symptoms. Yet earlier in the day, Meadows was caught asking to go off the record with White House reporters as an 'anonymous' source revealed the true extent of the president's condition. 'The president's vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. We're still not on a clear path to a full recovery,' Meadows told reporters on the initial condition that he not be identified. He was later named as the source of the quote. Chief of Staff Mark Meadows' revelation to reporters that Donald Trump's 'vitals are very concerning' reportedly angered the president and prompted him to post an upbeat video update on his condition Saturday Meadows' comments came just after a White House team of doctors said that Trump's condition was improving and that he was already talking about returning to the White House. One doctor said Trump told them: 'I feel like I could walk out of here today.' Meadows did not clarify the discrepancy in his comments. A Trump adviser who spoke on condition of anonymity said the president was not happy to learn of Meadows' initial remarks, according to Reuters. Hours later, the president posted a video from the hospital where he is battling Covid-19, saying he was improving and would be 'back soon' - but acknowledging the crucial coming days would be 'the real test. Trump attempted to reassure the public that he was not suffering severe coronavirus symptoms and called his treatment 'miracles from God' as he worked to counteract Meadows' comments. 'I came here, wasn't feeling so well. I feel much better now,' he said from his business suite at Walter Reed military medical center. 'We're working hard to get me all the way back... I think I'll be back soon and I look forward to finishing up the campaign the way it was started.' Appearing relaxed in an open-collar blue suit and jacket, Trump acknowledged that there was uncertainty about the course of the disease, which can hit recovering patients hard with no warning. 'I'm starting to feel good. You don't know over the next period of a few days, I guess that's the real test, so we'll be seeing what happens over those next couple of days.' Several hours later, Deputy White House Press Secretary Judd Deere posted a picture showing Trump working into the night from the hospital. The video came after Meadows' earlier comments spread and led to concern about how ill the president is, despite the optimistic updates from his personal physician. Meadows quickly tried to step back his words as the news spread, telling Reuters shortly afterward that Trump was doing 'very well' and that doctors were in fact pleased with his vital signs. 'The president is doing very well. He is up and about and asking for documents to review. The doctors are very pleased with his vital signs. I have met with him on multiple occasions today on a variety of issues,' Meadows said. He made a third comment on the president's condition to Fox News on Saturday night in which the Chief of Staff confirmed that there had been a cause for concern when the president was hospitalized on Friday evening. The White House had said that Trump was traveling to Walter Reed Military Medical Center out of an 'abundance of caution' and would continue to work from they for a 'few days' as he underwent tests. 'Yesterday morning he was real concerned with that. He had a fever and his blood oxygen level had dropped rapidly,' Meadows said to Fox's Judge Jeanie. Yet, he added that Trump's condition had improved. 'He is doing extremely well. I am very, very optimistic based on the current result,' Meadows added. 'He's made unbelievable improvement from yesterday' Meadows continued after again saying the doctors were 'very concerned'. 'We are still not on a clear path to a full recovery,' he added. Advertisement

Trump announced overnight Thursday via Twitter that he and first lady Melania tested positive for coronavirus as the two took a test following the revelation that Counselor to the President Hope Hicks received a positive diagnosis hours earlier.

Trump's chief doctor, Navy Commander Sean Conley, along with other doctors gave an update on the president's condition during a briefing Saturday.

'While not yet out of the woods, the team remains cautiously optimistic,' Conley said, adding that Trump moved around his medical suite without difficulty as he conducted business.

The White House physician also said that Trump had been exhibiting 'clinical indications' of coronavirus as early as Thursday afternoon.

There are conflicting reports and statements on whether the president has needed supplemental oxygen at any point since arriving at Walter Reed Friday or how high his fever has reached.

Trump provided his own account of his medical condition on Saturday evening, releasing a video of him working from the presidential suite at the hospital in a white button down with no tie and the first button undone.

'I'm starting to feel good' the president said in a video posted to Twitter as he promised that he was fighting the virus for COVID-19 patients 'all over the world'.

Full transcript from Sunday's medical briefing on Trump SEAN CONLEY: Good morning. Since we spoke last, the president has continued to improve. As with any illness, there are frequent ups and downs over the course, particularly when a patient is being so closely watched 24 hours a day. We review and debate every finding, compared to existing science and literature, weighing the risks and benefits of every intervention, the timing as well as impacts a delay may have. Over the course of his illness the president has experienced two episodes of transient drops in his oxygen saturation. We debated the reasons for this and whether we would even intervene. As a determination of the team based on the timeline from the initial diagnosis that we initiated dexamethasone. I would like to take this opportunity, given speculation over the course of the illness, the last couple days, update you on the course of his illness. Thursday night into Friday morning when I left the bedside the president was doing well. With only mild symptoms and his oxygen was in the high 90s. Late Friday morning, when I returned to the bedside, the president had a high fever and his oxygen saturation was transiently dipping below 94%. Given these two developments, I was concerned for possible rapid progression of the illness. I recommended the president would try supplemental oxygen, see how he would respond. He was fairly adamant that he didn't need it. He was not short of breath. He was tired, had the fever and that was about it. After about a minute, on only two liters, his saturation levels were over 95%. He stayed on that for about an hour, maybe, and was off and gone. Later that day, by the time the team here was at the bedside, the president had been up out of bed, moving about the residence, with only mild symptoms. Despite this, everyone agreed the best course of action was to move to Walter reed for more thorough evaluation and monitoring. I would like to invite up Dr. Dr. Dooley to discuss the corn plans. SEAN DOOLEY: Thank you, Dr. Conley. A brief clinical update on the president's condition, I want to reiterate my comments from yesterday regarding how proud I am to be part of this multi-disciplinary team of clinical professionals behind me and what an honor it it to care for the president here at Walter reed national military medical center. The president continues to improve. He has remained without fever since Friday morning. His vital signs are stable. From a pulmonary standpoint, he remains on room air this morning and a is not complaining of shortness of breath or other significant respiratory symptoms, is ambulating himself, walking around the White House medical unit without limitation or disability. 'Our continued monitoring of his cardiac, liver and kidney function demonstrates continued normal findings or improving findings. I'll now turn it over to Dr. Garabaldi from Johns Hopkins to talk about therapeutics and our plan for today. BRIAN GARIBALDI: Thank you, Dr. Dooley. I wanted to reiterate what an honor and privilege it is to take care of the president and be part of such a talented team here at Walter Reed. The president yesterday evening completed his second dose of remdesivir. He's tolerated that infusion well. We have been monitoring for potential side effects. He's had none that we can tell. Liver and kidney function have remained normal. We continue to plan to use a five day course of remdesivir. In response to transient low oxygen levels as Dr. Conley has discussed, we did initiate dexamethasone therapy and he received his first dose of that yesterday and our plan is to continue that for the time being. Today, he feels well. He's been up and around. Our plan is to have him to eat and drink, be up out of bed as much as possible torques be mobile. If he continues to look and feel as well as he does today, our hope is to plan for a discharge as early as tomorrow to the White House where he can continue his treatment course many thank you very much. I'll turn it over to Dr. Conley for any questions. CONLEY: Just a moment, please. The president wanted me to share how proud he is of the group, what an honor it is for him to be receiving her care here, surrounded by incredible talent, academic leaders, department chairs, internationally renowned doctors and physicians. I would like to reiterate how pleased we all are with the president's recovery. With that I'll take your questions. REPORTER: Dr. Conley, you said there were two instances where he had drops in oxygen. Can you walk us through the second one. And also I've got a question for the lung specialist afterwards. CONLEY: Yesterday there was another episode where he dropped down 93%. He didn't ever feel short of breath. We watched it and it returned back up. We evaluate all of these and given the timeline where he is in the course of illness, we were trying to maximize everything we could do for him and we debated whether we would even start it. The dexamethasone. And we decided that in this case the potential benefits early on the course probably outweighed any risks at this time. REPORTER: Did you give him a second round of supplemental oxygen yesterday? CONLEY: I would have to check with the nursing staff. If he did, it was very limited. But he's not on oxygen and the only oxygen that I ordered, that we provided was that Friday morning initially. REPORTER: What time was that yesterday? CONLEY: Yesterday -- what was yesterday? REPORTER: The second incident. CONLEY: The second incident. It was over the course of the day, yeah, yesterday morning. REPORTER: The president's current blood oxygen levels, that's my first question to you, Dr. Conley. CONLEY: 98%. REPORTER: What did the x-rays and ct scans show? Are there signs of pneumonia? Are there signs of lung involvement? Or any damage to the lung? CONLEY: We're tracking all of that. There's some expected findings but nothing of any major clinical concern. REPORTERS: Why start him, Dr. Conley on the...Did is oxygen level ever dip below 90? CONLEY: We don't have any recordings of that. REPORTER: What about at the White House or here, anything below 90, just to follow up on her question? CONLEY: It was below 94%. It wasn't the low 80s or anything. REPORTER: Yesterday you told us the president was in great shape, has been in good shape, minutes after your press conference Mark Meadows told reporters that the president's vitals were very concerning over the last 24 hours. Simple question for the American people, whose statements about the president's health should be believed? CONLEY: The chief and I work side-by-side. I think his statement was misconstrued. What he meant was that 24 hours ago, when he and I were checking on the president, that there was that momentary episode of a high fever and that temporary drop in the saturation, which prompted us to act expediently to move him up here. Fortunately, that was really very transient, limited episode. A couple hours later he was back up, mild again. I'm not going to speculate what that limited episode was about, so early in the course but he's doing well. REPORTER: What are the expected findings on the lungs and why is the president not wearing a mask in the videos and photos that have been released. CONLEY: The president is wearing a mask any time he's around us and we're wearing our n-95s, full ppe. He's the patient and when we can, when he'll move out into public, we move him out and about other people when he's not in full ppe, I'll assure you, as long as he's under my care, he'll be wearing a mask. REPORTER: The room is negative pressure? CONLEY: I'm not going to get into specifics of his care. REPORTER: Can you answer the question on the lung function? The lung function question, Dr. Conley. CONLEY: I'm sorry. REPORTER: The lung function question, can you talk about that. CONLEY: I would share, like every patient, we perform lung spirometry on him. He's maxing it out. We told him, see what you can do, it's over 2500 milliliters each time. He's doing great. REPORTERS: Why were you so reluctant until today to disclose that the president had been administered oxygen? CONLEY: I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude that the team, the president, his course of isness has had. -- Illness has had. Didn't want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction. And in doing so, it came off that we were trying to hide something which wasn't necessarily true and there you have it. He is -- the fact of the matter is that he's doing really well. He is responding and as the team said, if everything continues to go well, we're going to start discharge planning back to the white house. That's it. Thank you, folks. Advertisement

Senior Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller said Sunday that the president is 'ready to get back to the campaign trail'

Fellow senior campaign adviser Steve Cortes (right) told Fox News' Chris Wallace (left): 'He was as upbeat and assertive as he's ever been' and claimed: 'This president is going to recover'

The comments come the morning after White House Physician, Navy Commander Dr. Sean Conley, said in a briefing Trump is 'not yet out of the woods'

The 74-year-old president added that the treatments he is receiving are 'miracles from God' as he said Melania's symptoms were not as severe as his own.

'We're both doing well,' Trump said in the four-minute video showing images of him working from the medical center.

'Melania is really handling it very nicely. As you've probably read, she's slightly younger than me, just a little tiny bit,' he said of his 50-year-old wife.

'And therefore, we know the disease, we know the situation with age versus younger people and Melania is handling it statistically like it's supposed to be handled and that makes me very happy, and it makes the country very happy, but I'm also doing well and I think we're gonna have a very good result again.'

He said in the video that he is feeling better and will 'be back soon.'

Trump released a video with him working from the Presidential Suite at Walter Reed Saturday where he said he will 'be back soon'

Feeling better: 'I'm starting to feel good' Trump said in a Twitter video as he promised he was fighting the virus for COVID-19 patients 'all over the world'

'I spoke with the President yesterday afternoon and he's in very good spirits,' Miller said. 'Both Bill Stepien, the campaign manager, and I spent about a half hour on the phone with the president and going through all the updates on what's going on with the campaign.'

Miller also said he believes the campaign, White House and medical team are just taking 'very precautionary' steps toward ensuring the president's health.

It appears the two 'spreader' events could have been when Trump announced Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court at the White House last Saturday and during his rally Wednesday in Minnesota.

Hicks, who traveled with the president to the rally this week, tested positive for coronavirus hours after the event  where she was in close proximity to the president and several of his White House and campaign staffer.

Several individuals who participated in Trump's debate prep last week, including former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway, tested positive for coronavirus.

Miller told ABC News' 'This Week' on Sunday morning that he tested negative on Friday  as well as Senior Advisor to the President Stephen Miller and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who also participated in debate preparations.
Former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhis Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAM-S) has entered a seat-sharing agreement with the ruling Janata Dal (United), or JD(U), in the poll-bound state.

The deal was brokered amid an uncertainty over the next move of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), which will get its quota of seats to contest the upcoming assembly polls as an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre.

The NDA is yet to announce a seat-sharing deal involving all its constituents amid growing differences between the JD(U) and the LJP, which has been questioning chief minister Nitish Kumars style of functioning.

HAM-S, which aligned with the JD (U) following its exit from the Grand Alliance (GA) --- comprising the main opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Congress and some Left parties --- will contest 10 constituencies in the 243-seat Bihar assembly.

Of the 10 seats, three HAM-S candidates would contest on the JD(U) symbol, said party spokesman Danish Rizwan. He said the party would like eight candidates to contest on its symbol.

Also Read: Land mines biggest challenge for security forces in first phase of Bihar polls

HAM-S parliamentary board meeting will be held on Sunday afternoon to decide on the names of the candidates.

Earlier, Majhi had maintained that his return to the Nitish Kumar-led JD (U) fold was unconditional because of a mutual understanding.

Manjhi will contest from the Imamganj assembly seat in Gaya district. Manjhi confirmed that he would contest from Imamganj, but refused to share details about the candidates of the other nine seats.

BJP parliamentary board meeting is slated to be held in Delhi today. Our meeting will also be held this afternoon. I shall speak about who will contest from which seat after the meeting, he said.

Imamganj was the only seat that the HAM-S won in 2015 when Manjhi defeated JD(U)s Uday Narain Chaudhary. However, he lost from Makhdumpur, from where his son-in-law is tipped to be the candidate in the upcoming assembly polls.

Also Read: Bihar assembly election: Key LJP meeting on hold due to Paswans health

Kumar had made Manjhi the Bihar CM in May 2014, though the latter had to quit the following year after the two leaders came face to face in the assembly polls.

Manjhi was a part of the cabinet of seven Bihar CMs, including four from the Congress, in his political career spanning over four decades.

His induction into the JD(U) fold was seen as an attempt to neutralise the LJPs growing political ambitions.

In 2015, the HAM-S was part of the NDA and had contested in 21 assembly seats. But, the regional party had managed to win only one seat that of Majhis. It had a vote share of 2.2% in 2015 assembly polls.

Political analyst Ajay Jha said that the upcoming Bihar assembly polls were taking an interesting turn because of the emergence of new political equations at the last minute ahead of the elections. Pre-poll arrangements are likely to be guided by post-poll possibilities, he added.

The elections in Bihar will be held in three phases on October 28, November 3 and 7.

The results will be declared on November 10.

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From behind the comfort of a paywall, the so-called Kansas City paper of record denounces a recent statement from the top cop on the threat of police cuts. Sadly, this is one of the few instances where the newspaper doubts cash complaints from local government.

What's more interesting is that a scathing editorial from the newspaper no longer "moves the dial" in terms of public opinion like it did only a few years ago.



Checkit:
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: Ahead of Assam elections due early next year, an alliance between opposition parties -- Congress and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) has been more or less finalised.

A core committee meeting of the AIUDF, attended among others by party chief and Lok Sabha member Maulana Badruddin Ajmal on Saturday, took a decision to be a constituent of a grand alliance envisaged by the Congress. The two parties are likely to meet soon and declare their alliance vis-a-vis the formation of the grand alliance.

AIUDF spokesman Haider Hussain Bora said the partys core committee meeting was delayed as the perfume baron Ajmal was stranded in Mumbai due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

READ| Assam polls: 70 outfits float party to keep 'fascist' BJP, 'communal' Congress-AIUDF out of power

We endorse the grand alliance and as such, decided to join it. It is an old decision. The core committee couldnt discuss the issue over the past few months as our party president was away in Mumbai. We also wanted that the opposition parties come together, Bora added.

The Congress said the sole motive behind the proposed grand alliance was to oust the BJP from power.

The Congress had earlier adopted a resolution on the formation of the grand alliance with all like-minded parties. Several non-BJP parties had welcomed the decision. In fact, to welcome our resolution, a delegation of the AIUDF had visited us, Congress spokesman Rituparno Konwar told New Indian Express.

He said the Left parties had already confirmed their participation in the grand alliance while a regional ally of the BJP was sending feelers to join it.

Assam saw the formation of four regional parties in recent months. They include one that was floated by All Assam Students Union and Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chhatra Parishad while another was floated by 70 organisations, led by peasants body Krishak Mukti Sangram Samitee of which jailed activist Akhil Gogoi is a leader. Congress appealed to them to join the grand alliance.

The AIUDF, which is seen by many as having floated to protect the interests of illegal immigrants, has been always open to an alliance with the Congress but former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi of the grand old party had been averse to it. He feared an alliance with the minority-based party could harm the Congress in Upper Assam where a strong sentiment of Assamese nationalism works.
Kolkata: Ahead of the 2021 assembly elections in West Bengal, the Union Home Ministry has written a letter to the West Bengal government and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) to attend a meeting scheduled to be held on October 7, 2020, at 11 am under the chairmanship of G Kishan Reddy, MoS, Home Affairs.

The Binoy Tamang led faction of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha questioned the intent of the BJP-led Central government for calling the tripartite meeting now ahead of elections and claimed that the ruling party at the Centre want to win the confidence of the people of the hills.

We Gorkhas always welcome any meeting on Gorkhaland. But, why is the meeting being convened now ahead of the elections? We feel that the BJP wants Gorkhaland to be a poll issue to win elections in the hills in the 2021 polls, said Anit Thapa, chairperson, Board of Administrators, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration.

He further added, Where was the Central government when the Gorkhaland movement was at its peak in 2017 and was demanding a tripartite meeting. The Central government did not pay heed to our demands and now they are calling a tripartite meeting. Their intentions are very clear.

On the other hand, confusion prevails over the which faction of the GJM has been invited.

The letter mentions President, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, Singmari, North Point Darjeeling, but the address mentioned in the letter housed the GJM party office which was sealed by an order of District Magistrate, Darjeeling District after directions of the court in 2017. The party office still continues to remain sealed.

This apart, the Supreme Court while hearing cases of Darjeeling unrest has recognised two factions of GJM - one led by Bimal Gurung and the other by Binoy Tamang.

Thapa questions the Central government as to which faction has been invited for the meeting. Both factions have been recognised by the Supreme Court led by Bimal Gurung and Binoy Tamang. There is no clarity on which faction has been invited for the meeting, added Thapa.

While senior leaders of the GJM before the party split in November 2017, Bimal Gurung and Roshan Giri have been at large with several cases being filed by Darjeeling Police on them with charges of rioting, arson, murder, damage to government property. The duo has failed to secure a bail to return to the hills.

The Darjeeling hills saw a 104-day strike demanding a separate state - Gorkhaland in 2017. The hills saw the bloodiest violence killing several members of GJM and injuring many policemen. Widespread violence marred more than 100 days of the strike leaving several government properties damaged.
LEXINGTON  After some discussion about deadlines, the group which now owns Camp Comeca was able to secure exempt status for the church camp.

Cozad Camping Ministry is the organization which purchased Camp Comeca from the United Methodist Church after the decision to sell the camp was made.

Claude Berreckman, of Cozad, is the president of the organization and appeared before the Dawson County commissioners during their board of equalization meeting regarding the tax exempt status of Cozad Camping Ministry.

Camp Comeca Executive Director Justin Hoehner was also in attendance during the meeting.

Berreckman said they gained possession of the title on July 8, 2020 and filed for tax exemption on Sept. 1, 2020. However, the state assessor believed Cozad Camping Ministry took possession of the title in June and that would have facilitated a filing date of Aug. 15, said Berreckman.

Since the title for the camp was acquired in July, the filing date is Nov. 15, 2020, Berreckman said. He added the camps purpose is continuing as it was before and asked the commissioners for the exempt status to be approved.
Election Day is just a few weeks away and President Donald Trump has tested positive for coronavirus.

Trump said he is feeling "much better" when he appeared in his first video message since being hospitalized. His doctors also said he is recovering well from the effects of the virus.

But Trump's condition throws many questions as to what could happen to the election if he becomes too sick to lead.

We listed down some questions on the possible worst-case scenario. This article will also address how U.S. party rules address these kinds of election issues:

What Campaign Events Will Trump Miss?

As BBC pointed out, Trump will need to stay in self-isolation for 10 days as he receives treatment. With this in mind, he may still come to the next presidential debate on October 15.

He received his test results on October 1, which makes October 11 the last day of his quarantine with his wife Melania.

Even though he may be at the debate, his rally that was set to take place in Florida will be scrapped. Reports also said his video conference with vulnerable seniors will have to be cancelled.

The president's other rallies and scheduled meetings during the 10-day period will have to either be postponed or cancelled.

Can the Election Be Postponed?

There is a very slim possibility of delaying the November 3 Election Day, said Reuters.

The U.S. presidential election, as stated by law, has to be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November every four years. This year, that date lands on November 3.

Changing this date will be up to the Congress and not the president. The Constitution gives the Congress the power to determine the Election Day.

Since the House of Representatives is controlled mostly by Democrats, it is highly unlikely that the election will be delayed. This is even considering if the Republican-controlled Senate votes to do so.

In the U.S.'s election history, the date of casting votes has never been postponed.

Assuming the date was changed, the constitution also rules that a president can only stay in office for four years. So Trump's term will automatically end at noon of January 20, 2021.

What Happens if Trump Became Incapacitated?

Assuming the president becomes too ill to carry out his duties, the constitution also set out some rules.

Under the 25th Amendment, the president can hand over power to the vice president. CNN illustrated the line of succession from the President to another person.

Today, that would mean Mike Pence will become acting president. Trump can take back his seat once he's informed the Senate that he is ready to get back to work.

If the president can't hand over power himself, the cabinet and vice president can make the declaration for him. From there, Pence can assume the role.

If Pence is unable to lead himself, under the law, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be next in line. Constitutional experts believe this transfer of power will lead to vicious legal battles.

So if Pelosi is unwilling to take on the role, a senior Republican Senator Charles Grassley will take on the battle. But this can also raise some legal challenges.

Can Pence Replace Trump on the Ballot?

There are also clear procedures to follow if a candidate is unable to fulfill his role under the GOP rules.

Although Pence can assume presidential duties, he doesn't necessarily replace Trump as the Republican candidate. This is because Trump's name was cast as the official nomination of the party.

Under the rules of the Republican Party, the 168 members of the Republic National Committee (RNC) will vote on a new presidential nominee.

Pence can take on Trump's position on the ballot since he is a likely candidate. If he'll be chosen, a new running mate will be picked.

Check these out!

Trump Says He Feels 'Much Better' in First Video Message from Hospital

Pelosi Says Trump COVID-19 Diagnosis Adds Urgency to Stimulus Talks

Trump, First Lady in Quarantine After Senior Aide Gets COVID-19
The week of Gardners indictment, criticism mounted that the 38-year-old former bar owner wasnt in custody. Franklin, a federal prosecutor for 22 years, reportedly told others that he was used to defendants (mostly white-collar ones) turning themselves in.

Franklin didnt attempt to get a warrant until Friday, three days after Gardner was indicted by the grand jury. One of the grand jurys investigators, retired Omaha Police Detective Jeff Gassaway, called his former Omaha police colleagues to see if they could provide a template that he could use to draw up an affidavit for a warrant.

By then, Gardner was staying with his parents in the Portland, Oregon, metro area and stewing over his indictment. He killed himself outside a medical clinic in Hillsboro, Oregon, about noon Sunday, Sept. 20, the day he was supposed to turn himself in.

One of his attorneys, Stu Dornan, said it was the right call to have Gardner turn himself in.

It is always much easier to have somebody turn themselves in than have the risk of going out and having potential danger for everybody involved, Dornan said. Ive had a number of cases with respect to Mr. Franklin allowing my client to self-surrender.
Now, he said, members of the Facebook group are much less willing than before to open up about their feelings amid the partisan hostility, and real discussion about the fallout of combat has grown rare.

People are saying they are never going to talk to each other again, and calling each other names, said Mr. Branch, who voted for Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party candidate, in 2016 and does not plan to vote this year. I dont get it. We went to war to fight extremism. I dont understand why we cant find common ground.

In 2016, exit polls showed that veterans backed Mr. Trump over Hillary Clinton by nearly two to one. Demographics are part of the reason  veterans skew old and male and white, and so does the core of Mr. Trumps support.

He had a message that also resonated with a lot of vets, said Alex McCoy, a former Marine who is now political director of Common Defense, a political action group working to mobilize veterans to vote against Mr. Trump.

As a candidate in 2016, Mr. Trump blasted the politicians and generals who had perpetuated the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and had ignored problems with veterans health care, Mr. McCoy said: He picked the right enemies, he was yelling at the right people.

It is unclear now whether Mr. Trump will be able to muster as much support.

As president, Mr. Trump has steadily drawn down troop levels abroad and has expanded veterans access to health care, two broadly popular accomplishments. But at the same time, many veterans have been turned off by what they see as Mr. Trumps lack of character and leadership skills.
Nokia has announced that it has signed 17 new 5G commercial deals in the third quarter.

With these wins, the company now has 100 commercial 5G deals with individual customers and a total of 160 commercial 5G engagements, including paid trials, said the company in a statement.

Nokia is present in all 5G early adopter markets, with deals with the top four US CSPs and the top three in both Japan and Korea.

Just this week, it had signed a new 5G deal with BT in the UK and a renewed 5G deal with Elisa in Finland.

Nokia's 5G portfolio is also gaining traction amongst enterprises. Enterprise customers now make up 12% of its 5G deals, with recent private wireless deployments including Deutsche Bahn,Toyota Production Engineering and Sandvik.

The Finnish telecom giant also boasts a 180-strong portfolio of private wireless customers, many of whom are expected to migrate to 5G.

Its increasing 5G momentum amongst CSPs and enterprises is being driven by advances in Nokias technology, the statement added.

In February, Nokia revealed it was first in the world to pioneer 4G and 5G network slicing, which enables operators to deliver unique, isolated slices of the end-to-end network to their customers, tailored to specific applications.

In April, it introduced the industrys first Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) solution that supports spectrum sharing between 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G.

In July, the company announced that it can migrate five million legacy 4G radio units to 5G via a software upgrade, making it easier for operators to move to 5G.

Nokia said it made its 5G standalone (SA) private wireless technology commercially available in July  the first network equipment provider to do so.

In August, Nokia contributed to the worlds first large-scale 5G SA launch with T-Mobile in the US.

Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks, Nokia, said: "We are thrilled to have passed this 5G milestone. We know we still have work to do and that the market remains highly competitive."

"But, we are moving fast  and these wins make it clear that our progress is being validated by customers. We deeply appreciate their ongoing support and are committed to delivering for them," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Well, I wouldnt mess with her. Priti Patel click-clacked on to the podium and fixed her imaginary audience with a cold, hard stare.

Chin out, jawline firm, paws beneath the pulpit.

Surely all these illegal Channel crossings would be solved if the Home Secretary simply set up camp down on the white cliffs.

One glare from those peepers would be enough to make even the most eager migrant swivel their outboard engine and point their rubber inflatable back toward Calais, pronto.

Miss Patel was addressing the Conservative Party conference which, owing to the pandemic, is an online-only job.

Access was via a specially designed website on which every expense appeared to have been spared.

Think of heavily pixelated computer graphics on a clunk Amstrad computer and youre not far off.

Loud and clear: Priti Patel, wearing two mics, fixes a hard stare on her imaginary audience

The cost of a day-pass to this four-day extravaganza? A trifling 850 for business delegates.

For that sort of cash you could probably stretch to a half-decent weekend away in Paris, vin compris.

Miss Patels appearance was preceded by a video montage of old-fashioned bobbies on the beat.

There was an excerpt of Margaret Thatchers 1982 conference speech in which she declared law and order was not just a political slogan but the foundation of the British tradition.

Priti, by the by, rarely misses an opportunity to align herself with Mrs T.

Firm but fair was the catchphrase of the day.

Priti would be firm on criminals, terrorists and, yes, asylum seekers. Fair to those on the right side of the law.

She was dressed in poppy red. Or was it orange?

The feed was rather grainy. On her dress were pinned two microphones, though how much amplification she needs is debatable.

She may be barely five foot, but Pritis got quite a voice box on her.

She talked of the hardworking majority versus those who dont play by the rules.

She pledged to put ordinary, law-abiding peoples right above those of convicted terrorists. That is right and that is fair.

As with most of the Home Secretarys public appearances, her support for the police was unflinching.

One of her predecessors, Theresa May, seemed to almost relish confrontation with the rozzers.

Priti never misses opportunity to blow adoring kisses at them.

She pointed out that while those on the Left spoke of defunding the police in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests, she had showered them with extra cash, while giving them increased stop and search powers.

Prep time: The Home Secretary reads through her speech before her address yesterday

In normal times, this would be the point when some Home Office lackey rises from the front row and encourages the rest of the auditorium onto their feet.

As it was, she whittled along lickety-split.

We then arrived at the thorny issue of immigration.

She boasted of the Governments plans for a points-based system that would attract only the best and the brightest to these shores. That is firm, that is fair.

Britains current system was fundamentally broken.

She pledged to routinely deny asylum to those seeking to enter Britain illegally.

There was a broadside at the lily-livered elites who were defending the current system: The do-gooders, the Leftie lawyers, the Labour party.

They were simply defending the indefensible.

If this rather stony approach made her unpopular with the trolls on Twitter, so be it.

Among those, she included Tony Blairs former spin doctor, Alastair Campbell, who recently mocked Priti on social media over the way she speaks.

Without firmness there will be no fairness, she announced before marching off stage.

Soon after, the web feed cut to a pasty-looking Justice Secretary Robert Buckland, his expression somewhere between wonderment and fear.
Schools will be opening under the districts Family 3/2 Model, which calls for students to be divided into two groups, each of which will attend school in person part of the week. Students also have the option to continue remote learning for the rest of the first semester.

An OPS spokeswoman said about 11,326 students elected to remain in the remote learning program, which is about 21% of enrollment.

Alice Buffett Principal Anthony Clark-Kaczmarek said his staff has been preparing for students to return since August. They have used this extra time to continue working on safety plans.

Clark-Kaczmarek said almost everything about the school day had to be changed, and its almost like opening a brand-new school.

You have to rethink it all, he said.

For example, students will leave the school through four different exits and be dismissed on a bell system thats based on how they get to school.

The sound of a bus will release students who ride the bus, the sound of a horn honking will release students who travel by car and a cheering crowd will release the students who walk to school.
What the president says he will do if he's re-elected. Next week: The Biden agenda. Here's everything you need to know:

Donald Trump has broken the mold as president, and that extends to his second-term agenda. In August, the Republican Party dispensed with long-standing tradition and did not formulate a policy platform, instead issuing a statement declaring that the party will "enthusiastically support the president's America First agenda." The Trump campaign later issued a list of "core priorities" for a second term, offered in bullet points that included "Build the World's Greatest Infrastructure System" and "Stop Endless Wars," but did not offer any detail about how it would achieve them. Still, Trump's stated priorities and his first-term record offer a sense of what policies he might pursue in a second term.

COVID-19

Trump has suggested repeatedly that we are "rounding the corner of the pandemic" and that the coronavirus may just "go away" on its own. He has declined to have the federal government take an active role in building a testing system or putting in place other public health measures, telling states that the response is their responsibility. He has been a vocal opponent of state lockdown efforts, remote schooling, and other social-distancing measures aimed at stemming viral spread, and has questioned the value of wearing face masks. Recently, he has focused on developing a vaccine and initiated the public-private partnership Operation Warp Speed to fast-track vaccine development, manufacture, and distribution. He has pledged that a vaccine will be available within months, "maybe even before a special date." Experts involved in the vaccine efforts say that's unlikely.

Taxes

Trump campaigned in 2016 on a platform of lowering taxes, and he delivered with the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which lowered the corporate tax rate and cut income tax rates across the board, with most of the benefits going to corporations and upper-income earners. Extending those cuts, which are slated to expire in 2025, would almost certainly be a second-term priority. Trump has said he may pursue a reduction in capital-gains taxes and additional tax cuts for middle-income families. By executive order, Trump deferred the collection of payroll taxes for many workers through the end of the year, and he has vowed to eliminate the payroll tax, which funds Social Security and Medicare, if he is re-elected. But Congress has shown no interest in eliminating the tax.

Story continues

Health care

Trump's health-care plan could best be described as a plan to make a plan. He vowed in his first term to "repeal and replace" the Affordable Care Act  an effort that failed in Congress  and has continually promised that he will unveil a health-care plan that will cost less than ObamaCare while offering better coverage. But he has never released such a plan, even as his administration has joined a lawsuit by 20 Republican-led states seeking to repeal the ACA as unconstitutional, which will reach the Supreme Court in November. If the lawsuit succeeds, at least 21 million Americans will lose their coverage. Last week, Trump issued an executive order stating that the estimated 133 million Americans with pre-existing conditions should be protected from losing their health insurance. He offered no specifics on how that might be achieved if ObamaCare is revoked.

Climate change and the environment

Trump moved early in his first term to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement, and maintains that the science on climate change is unsettled. His administration has aggressively pursued rollbacks of environmental protections  rollbacks that have benefited the fossil-fuel industry by weakening fuel-efficiency standards for cars, loosening limits on power-plant emissions, and opening up public lands for gas and oil extraction. In his second term, Trump has promised, he will continue his "deregulatory agenda for energy independence."

Education

Trump has said that education will "be a big factor for me" in a second term, and he's a strong proponent of school choice. His administration has pushed policies favoring charter schools and vouchers, which allow families to use tax dollars for private-school tuition, and he has promised to "rescue kids from failing schools by helping their parents send them to a safe school of their choice." He has proposed a $5 billion tax credit that would reimburse private donations to state-based scholarship funds.

The economy

Trump embarked on a trade war with China in his first term, imposing tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars in imports. Aiding the American economy by reducing our dependence on China is a key focus of his second-term agenda. He has promised to pass tax credits for companies that shift operations from China to the U.S., deny federal contracts to companies that move jobs there, and increase deductions "for essential industries like pharmaceuticals and robotics who bring back their manufacturing to the United States."

Trump's foreign policy

Trump has pursued an "America First" doctrine that has led to a cooling of relations with long-standing allies, curtailment of international cooperation, and calls to reduce overseas troop deployments. He has questioned the worth of international alliances such as NATO  which he says relies too heavily on U.S. defense spending  and the World Trade Organization, and has announced his intent to withdraw the U.S. from the World Health Organization. He also pulled out of the nuclear deal President Obama struck with Iran, pursuing economic sanctions that he predicts will force Tehran back to the negotiating table. He has made the Middle East a priority, and successfully brokered deals to establish diplomatic ties between Israel and two Arab nations, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. And he has taken a much friendlier approach to Russia than previous administrations, communicating regularly with Russian President Vladimir Putin and pushing last summer to readmit Russia to the G-7 group of Western nations. Trump has declined to confront Putin over Moscow's interference in the 2016 and 2020 elections or its offering of bounties to Taliban militants for killing U.S. troops in Afghanistan. "I like Putin, he likes me," Trump said last week. "We get along."

This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here.

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(Natural News) Whenever you stop a second to think about the world we live in today, do you feel uneasy, you fear for the lives of your loved ones?

(Article republished from SurvivalDan101.com)

When you see violent protests, public assaults, riots, or arson attacks on the nightly news, do you wonder if your community is next?

If you do, you are one of the millions of Americans that realize how vulnerable they really are  and how fragile our entire social and economic system really is.

Unfortunately, in addition to going through the COVID pandemic, were all living in a time of great distress due to all the civil unrest that has raised its ugly head throughout 2020.

The undeniable fact is, certain political factions are at war with the system and that means one thing, regardless of politics

ALL of us are potential victims of the exact same chaos and lawlessness that has engulfed much of American society lately. Trouble is, in all likelihood Its about to get worse as we approach the coming elections.

Right now, tempers are flaring. Fueled by self-righteous indignation and desperation, various groups have given-in to a dangerous spirit of rage and destruction  as if thats a valid form of political expression.

Frankly, we can all admit  theres no easy solution to our nations social problems. But the current path we find ourselves on can only lead with certainty to one thingto disaster .

Long-time preppers have always suspected  or expected  it would eventually come to this.

And while theres no need for anyone to be melodramatic or sensational, the facts are facing all of us  and they cannot be denied or ignored a moment longer.

It would be foolish to do so.

We have written several times about how major population groupings (ie cities) will collapse shortly after the essential elements of life cease to smoothly flow into them as needed. When theres no water, no sewage, no food, no gas, and no electricity, things will unavoidably get very nasty.

In an earlier post, we suggested that cities will decay into violent anarchistic morasses within a week or two. In that article, we were deliberately trying to look at a best case scenario (dont laugh  the collapse of cities taking a week or two is, alas, a best-case scenario!). Our projection was based on the best case hope that people would remain passive for a few days and it would only be when people realized no help was coming and they were starting to starve that things would turn truly nasty.

One of our readers, Lt. Dan, wrote in to share his perspective of what might go down, and alas, it is not nearly as sunny and optimistic as our earlier best case hope. His point is that violence will break out immediately. There will not be days of ambiguity before things start to fail.

He says that in known hot spots in larger cities, the violence will start at once, and as soon as the violent offenders realize that the police response is inadequate (or totally missing) it will skyrocket in scope and extent.

This is a key issue for us because it impacts on our decision about when to Get Out Of Dodge (GOOD) and hightail it to our remote retreat. How much time do we have to decide what to do between when a massive problem occurs and when the city becomes lawless?

Lt. Dan writes :

As a retired LEO with over 30 yrs dealing with society, I have a number of thoughts on this topic. I grew up on a working farm not close to any major metro center but in adulthood joined a sizable metro PD. So I have a perspective from various angles.

The speed and spread of lawlessness will be much faster than most will think. Even now in quiet times, LE staffing is usually based on the lowest number of officers to reasonably handle a normal day. Any event(s) beyond normal immediately overwhelm on-duty forces. Planned events like anarchists protesting the latest capitalist conference allow time to plan for enough ON-DUTY personnel (plus resources from other agencies) to be available when violence breaks out.

In most major metro areas there are areas the police routinely avoid because theyre too hazardous. The violent elements in these areas are constantly looking to explore their violence at a moments notice when the opportunity happens. And when it happens it will spread like a ruptured gasoline storage tank afire. LE forces will be quickly overwhelmed and retreat to a safe place/bunker for self-preservation.

Most LEOs have families and a desire for self-preservation. If the collapse involves monetary problems (like no paychecks) the officers will not be reporting to duty, theyll be protecting their own. When this happens the initial violent outbreaks will mushroom like a nuclear reaction. If the officers are being paid yet, theyll set up a containment perimeter IF they have enough manpower. which is highly unlikely in a regional or national SHTF scenario.

On other really scary thought I never see mentioned is. what happens to the tens of thousands of violent criminals in prisons??

In a farming community where religion/moral values are generally much higher than urban dwellers, the problems of violence will be much reduced. Plus everyone usually knows each other so its harder to want to take advantage of them. One tip for urbanites..farmers are not working their butts off to feed the city slickers (whove been ridiculing them for years as hicks, etc) and they certainly will not welcome the urbanites showing up during a crisis.

We asked Dan about his comments and background, and he told us a bit more about how he has formed the views he has  and, lets face it, thirty years in a major metro police department and retiring as a lieutenant gives him a lot of credibilities, particularly on police related operational issues and on matters to do with how people will (mis)behave when given half a chance to do so.

Now that he can tell it like it is we asked him in particular about something that opinions widely vary on  will the police bravely man the battlements and fight to the last man in a failing and doomed effort to save civilization, or will they adopt  as he suggests above  a my family first, everyone else second approach when they see the inevitability of a citys collapse.

Dan replied :

When I first started on the PD in the 70s I was stuck in the Comm room and on boring nights Id actually read the Civil Defense binders (HUGE things) full of detail, much theoretical. For example, upon receiving an alert of a nuke attack we were supposed to call a long list of elected officials and city unit directors etc. We all knew itd be a total waste of time to call these clueless government people because all theyd do is panic and babble on the phone asking US what to do!

We (cops) talked openly in the Comm Room about what wed do and we decided wed immediately leave our posts and spend our remaining time with family. The point being alerting totally clueless and incompetent leaders would do nothing except add to the panic and confusion over which we (cops) would have ZERO control over.

It is important to understand how much we can learn from past lessons with breakdowns in cities (in the case of the US, the L.A. riots being a prime example) and how much we have to adjust for a future breakdown of society.

We suggest that the big difference is that in past events, the problem has been successfully contained to a restricted region, and the police have had, in effect, virtually unlimited reinforcements and resupply, and there has never been any question of what the ultimate outcome would be  of course, law and order would triumph.

But in a future society-destroying event, none of this applies. The police will have no resupply or reinforcement, and problems will break out in multiple locations.

We agree with Lt. Dan that very quickly, the police will see the unwinnable nature of the contest and will switch from attempting to defend a disintegrating society from itself, and will focus instead on attempting to ensure the safe survival of themselves and their immediate family and friends.

Summary

Lt. Dan puts it very vividly when he writes

[Violence] will spread like a ruptured gasoline storage tank afire

This means that if you have a GOOD plan and a retreat to go to, you need to be ready to activate this sooner than you might have otherwise hoped for. As soon as you hear the first word of lawlessness, rioting, looting, and general disorder breaking out, you should accept that this will spread like wildfire across the entire city, and leave as quickly as you can.

Oh  one more unsettling thought. How will you learn that violence has broken out in another part of the city if the internet is down, and radio and television stations are also down? Even if some broadcasters remain in service, theyll probably have limited sources of information and it might take a while for them to become appraised of events and to then broadcast them.

It is also reasonable to guess that broadcasters will be asked not to spread panic and so initial reports of violence breaking out might be downplayed or omitted entirely.

Choosing when to bug-out is a difficult but essential issue. You need to be willing to leave before it becomes too late, and with inertia and resistance to change and desperate hope all encouraging you to delay your decision, you need to fight these tendencies. Better to leave too soon and return back again sometime later, safely; than to leave it too late and suffer the consequences.

The current situation in America is like a powder keg  and one wrong spark could set everything ablaze without warning .

Read more at: SurvivalDan101.com
After a journey of self-discovery and inner peace, fate has brought both Chef Rafael Ruiz and his Finch Hutton restaurant back to Southeast Texas, this time in Beaumont.

Finch Hutton kicked off its reunion last weekend with a series of sold-out preview dinners that featured 10 courses of chef-inspired dishes like porcini mushroom braised short ribs and an experimental twist on deviled eggs.

The chance to eat dishes remembered fondly from Finch Huttons days on Boston Avenue in Nederland seemed to be an attractive offer; as the dinners for Thursday, Friday and Saturday sold out by the beginning of the week.

But while guests may have been treated to the cuisine theyve come to know and love, Ruiz said he has come back as a very different chef and person.

Cooking wasnt just a passion for the chef, Ruiz said, but an obsession to reach perfection fueled by nonstop work and long days in the kitchen week after week. That drive to keep working past the exhaustion and build his restaurant into his ideal establishment kept diners coming back to Finch Hutton, but the chef said it made him difficult to work with.

I had a reputation as one of those guys that would yell and scream, he said. I was focused and determined on one thing, and that was cooking. I was obsessed to the point where it was becoming unhealthy.

Ruiz saw friends and mentors in the culinary profession self-medicate to handle the stress and wear on their bodies. Through the years, he said he also saw some of those people die, either from overdoses or the strain of an incredibly unhealthy lifestyle.

When his doctor finally told him in 2015 that he was headed for a similar path if he didnt quickly act, Ruiz didnt just make a career change, he went on a journey of personal discovery.

Ruiz spent the next five years practicing and learning Buddhism, mostly at the A Di Da Meditation Temple in Houston. He eventually became a monk and began teaching, even occasionally hosting a class at a temple in Port Arthur.

It was during this time that Ruiz said he began to face the parts of his personality that had turned his gift into an obsession, and ultimately became a stronger person by letting go of those feelings. He said he truly enjoyed his life as a monk and probably would have continued if it werent for a phone call earlier this year.

I got a call from a guy in the spring who said he wanted me to create another restaurant in Beaumont, he said. I told him the only way I would do that is if it could be at The Grill, and I thought that was the end of that.

But, just a few months later, he was informed that the Arfeens and their partners would be closing the doors of the Calder Avenue restaurant and the building could be available.

I liked my life, but I contemplated it and eventually said why not? he said. I wanted to resurrect the Finch Hutton and make it this amazing place for people.

Bubba Ainsworth, a long-time patron and friend of Ruiz, said patrons at the restaurant will feel like theyre back at the Finch Hutton they know, but there is a more relaxed air to the restaurant now.

Ainsworth got to watch his friend back in his element during the preview dinner, preparing course after course with his staff and celebrating the night. He said he believes the break was a much needed reset for Ruiz and it helped him grow as a chef.

The two met at a dinner for local business people Ruiz hosted at Finch Hutton in Nederland, where the chef dined with his guests and the group started to reflect on the scene in Beaumont.

Later, at a Thanksgiving dinner Ruiz and Ainsworth were cooking for, Ainsworth discovered that Ruiz had trained at San Antonio restaurant La Louisiane, which used to be a restaurant Ainsworths uncle formerly owned.

Since then, Ainsworth has watched his friend come full circle from chef to monk to restaurateur once again. As Ruiz continues to establish the new iteration of Finch Hutton and cements a fine dining scene for Beaumont, Ainsworth said he has great expectations for the future.

Rest assured the growth of Finch Hutton will come back to benefit the patrons, he said.

Ruiz still is making adjustments to the menu, but Finch Hutton will have a soft opening this weekend. After that, it will be open for regular hours from 5-10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

The pace rarely slows in a busy restaurant, but Ruiz said his kitchen now has another mission besides perfection.

The goal now is to teach others and turn Finch Hutton into the kind of place where young people can get their start.

jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/jd_journalism
Central Europe struggles in second Covid surge after earlier success: The region handled the first wave of the pandemic far better than the more developed economies of southern or western Europe. But the second wave looks more threatening. Like the Czechs, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania have in the last four days all reported their highest caseloads since the start of the pandemic.

Higher rates of testing mean the number of cases reported now is not directly comparable with the first wave. Deaths have also so far remained low. But unlike in April and May, there are signs that the ...
Dean Unglert and Caelynn Miller-Keyes have been going strong since meeting on Bachelor in Paradise over a year ago. While their relationship had a rocky start, theyre now living together and sharing their lives as a couple via Instagram. And Unglert also gets candid about his relationship on his podcast, Help! I Suck at Dating.

Recently, Unglert revealed his biggest relationship deal breakers. And it looks like Miller-Keyes may have been guilty of one of them at the beginning of their relationship.

Caelynn Miller-Keyes says Dean Unglert has changed her for the better

Caelynn Miller-Keyes and Dean Unglert attend the 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards | Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for iHeartMedia

RELATED: BIP: Dean Unglert Explained Why Hes More Serious About Caelynn Miller-Keyes Than Past Girlfriends

Those who follow The Bachelor shows never wouldve guessed that Miller-Keyes and Unglert would make a great pair. Miller-Keyes has a background in pageantry, and she didnt seem like the adventurous type. On the contrary, Unglert was living out of his van prior to coming on to BIP.

It seems the beauty queen the nomad ended up making the perfect pairing. Miller-Keyes has gotten in touch with her inner adventurer by hiking, rock climbing, and camping in the U.S. and beyond. And she even seems to enjoy the van life, though she most likely much prefers her cozy apartment in Los Angeles.

Miller-Keyes has also commented on all the ways Unglert has changed her for the better. Hes really helped me embrace like being natural and embracing the quirks about myself, she explained in a YouTube video. Hes made me so much more chill and mellow, more loving, calm, patient.

Dean Unglert named a few of his relationship deal breakers

Dean Unglert says his romance with Caelynn Miller-Keyes is 'monumentally different' from his past relationships https://t.co/0WuIn94Maz pic.twitter.com/mVu7H8xMRv  Yahoo Entertainment (@YahooEnt) September 23, 2019

Miller-Keyes likely has some relationship deal breakers, but it seems Unglert doesnt check those boxes. As for Unglert, he and Jared Haibon went over some deal breakers on their podcast. And Unglert answered the question in regards to his own.

Pointy fingernails, Unglert first commented. Then, past Bachelor contestant, Sydney Lotuaco, chimed in and asked, Too much makeup?

Thats a good one, yeah, Unglert confirmed.

It seems Unglerts biggest deal breaker is no sense of humor, though. Especially for me, because Im a sarcastic jerk all the time, Unglert added. But whenever I say anything, Im never serious about it, but I say it in a way that makes it seem like Im serious. And if you dont have a sense of humor, its hard to get along with me.

It seems bad hygiene isnt a deal breaker for Unglert or Miller-Keyes, though. Unglert mentioned he doesnt shower too often and he hates sprays and deodorant. But he did add that when hes with his girlfriend, he tends to shower more often. Well, listen, if Im with Caelynn, obviously Ill improve my hygiene a little bit, Unglert added.

Unglert took Miller-Keyes on vacation for not wearing makeup

Dean Unglert thinks that Caelynn Miller-Keyes could be "The One"  https://t.co/9QbkgRRffo pic.twitter.com/RZwtPjlsJK  HollywoodLife (@HollywoodLife) September 27, 2019

Miller-Keyes certainly has a sense of humor, but at one point, she did seem to wear more makeup than she does now. And we cant forget that Unglert told Miller-Keyes that if she didnt wear makeup to the BIP reunion, hed take her on a special vacation.

Dean told me if I didnt wear makeup to the reunion hed take me to the Maldives, Miller-Keyes explained to Access. I wear like a little bit of concealer, blush. I felt very vulnerable but he challenges me in that way, too.

She then added that as a pageant girl, this was a way different pace than usual, as she typically would cover her face in makeup. Lashes, everything, liner, and now its like I can just be [myself], she said. Its just made me accept myself.

It sounds like Miller-Keyes doesnt miss her days of heavy makeup. Were glad theyve been able to work around Unglerts alleged lack of showering, too!

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Manchester United will increase security around Ed Woodward due to fears he could be targeted by furious fans again, according to reports.

A mob of around 20 balaclava-clad supporters - some who are understood to be members of United's notorious 'Men In Black' hooligan firm - sprayed paint at Woodward's 2m Cheshire mansion in January and threw flares and a smoke bomb in a sinister attack on the property at the end of the last transfer window.

The so-called fans were said to be angry at a lack of transfer activity at United in the previous window, even though the Old Trafford club were on the verge of sealing a 68million deal for midfield star Bruno Fernandes at the time.

Man United will increase security around Ed Woodward amid fears he could be targeted

The Manchester United chief executive's mansion was targeted by a mob in January this year

They were angry at the lack of signings even though United were set to sign Bruno Fernandes

Now with United having endured another quiet window in which they failed to match their rivals' spending and have only confirmed the signing of Donny Van de Beek in a 40m deal from Ajax, The Mirror report that security around Woodward will be in full force before the transfer window closes on Monday.

There has been increasing fury among the Old Trafford faithful at the club's failure to land their top targets, most notably Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho, though the Premier League side have agreed a two-year deal with former PSG striker Edinson Cavani.

But the report claims that since the January attack, the level of security at Woodward's Cheshire home has gone up and will be in place around deadline day.

A mob of around 20 balaclava-clad supporters sprayed paint at Woodward's Cheshire home

None of his family were at the Cheshire residence near Knutsford when it was targeted in the January attack which was filmed and shown on social media.

Manchester United and the wider community including Piers Morgan and former United defender Rio Ferdinand were among those to condemn the attack.

Woodward, his wife Isabelle and two very young twin daughters also have a house outside London where they spend the majority of their time.

And United fear a repeat with fans furious they have not signed top target Jadon Sancho

United have only managed to bring in midfielder Donny Van de Beek in a 40m deal from Ajax

The report in The Mirror adds that the club however do believes public outbursts by former Old Trafford star Gary Neville have not helped matters during this window and have proved to be 'inflammatory and disturbing'.

Neville slammed United's failure to get the Sancho deal over the line last month, saying the club lacked 'authority and control in the transfer market'.

Patric Evra is another former United star who has criticised the club, taking aim at executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward and his chief negotiator Matt Judge over the club's transfer policy on his own social media account.

The club however are on the verge of completing a deal for former PSG striker Edinson Cavani

But United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has since launched a staunch defence of United's board and claimed he has been backed in this market despite the lack of transfers and failed pursuit of Sancho.

The club are also believed to have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and the expensive offload of flop Alexis Sanchez to Inter Milan.

Woodward has been executive vice-chairman and the man de-facto in charge of United since 2013. They have not won the title since then.

Prior to joining United in 2005, Woodward was an investment banker at JP Morgan & Co.
Perth mothers Alisa Latto and Danni Crews launched 123 Nourish Me in 2016

The business sells organic children's products such a sunscreen and handwash

The friends were inspired when they couldn't find non-toxic goods for their kids

The business, which was started with $1000, now turns over $210,000 a month

Two Australian mothers who saw a gap in the market for organic children's products built a multi-million business starting with just $500 dollars each.

Alisa Latto and Danni Crews, from Perth, launched 123 Nourish Me in 2016 when they could not find organic goods for their children.

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The business, which sells items such as sunscreen, hand wash, sleep balm, and packaged treats, started in their kitchens with the friends making products themselves from scratch.

Now, their successful venture garners $2.5million a year- or $210,000 a month-pumping out between 150 to 200 orders a day.

Perth-based friends Alisa Latto (right) and Danni Crews (left) launched 123 Nourish Me in 2016 with $500 each

'The beginning was incredibly humble. We had just enough to buy the real basics and the raw materials, starting from a simple basepoint,' Ms Latto, who has twin boys, told news.com.au.

The pair promoted their products on social media where they instantly attracted interest, with daily orders surging five-fold to about 50 within the first 12 months.

At the time, the youngest of Ms Crews' three children was just a newborn, often cradled on her hip as the women prepared goods in their homes.

As sales boomed, the business expanded, now comprising of eight female staff.

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But the journey has not been a smooth ride, with the mothers revealing there have been bumps along the way.

'There were two big hurdles at the beginning. We slipped up because we got advice from branding companies and removed our elephant from the logo. The rebrand looked too professional and clinical and we lost customers overnight,' Ms Crews said.

'We listened to the experts that you have to look a certain way, but it wasnt aligned with our audience.'

The mothers became inspired to start the business after realising there was a gap in the market for organic children's products. Pictured: Their Wellness Warrior essential oils

The business sells items such as sunscreen, hand wash, sleep balm, and packaged treats

All products are manufactured in Australia, with the team offered flexible working options to support mothers in the workplace.

The line has built a community of followers, with 66,000 fans on Facebook and more than 17,000 on Instagram, and is now available on Amazon Australia.

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This year, the brand's best-selling product Sleepy Head Balm won the Favourite Baby Sleeping Aid Product category in the My Child Excellence Awards and their Magic Sprinkles were voted as a finalist in Favourite Toddler Food.

The organics range is also dedicated to being environmentally responsible and uses sunscreen ingredients that will not harm ocean ecosystems.

The mothers, whose friendship extends more than 25 years, said the focus was never on money, but about assisting kids' health by getting their products into as many homes as possible.

Ms Crews, a family therapist, and Ms Latto, a writer who has studied nutritional medicine, herbal medicine and health sciences over the past decade, also pen blogs on their website using their respective areas of expertise.

For mothers wishing to kick-start a business, they recommend doing market research to find a gap in the market and develop a niche.

Ms Latto said choosing something your passionate about is key to tackling obstacles as they arise and a product or service that extends your own values.
The hotel certainly did not look like the photos on the website. Very shabby and basic for a 4 star hotel. The room overlooked a car park with very loud air conditioning units below. Tissue box enpty. No remote control for the TV, which we had to ask for, then got one which was so basic, it had no numbers on it. Was further disappointed to discover that there wasn't even a cooked breakfast, even though the restaurant waa open for business. Instead there was a Continental Breakfast delivered to your room, which according to reviews on here was pretty basic and well below par, something I discovered on receiving it. It was certainly not continental, all it consisted of was a pain au chocolat (which I don't like), a sharp tasting granola yoghurt, a very small pot of strawberries and grapes and a small carton of orange juice and a very small hot roll. This was by far the worst, most pathetic excuse for a breakfast I've ever had. It wasn't even fron a local company, but a London based chain. There was no choice and no account taken of any food allergies or intolerances - merely a take it or leave it option. Am extremely disappointed, as this was a special birthday treat from my husband. I feel cheated, as the website looked much more promising than it delivered. The cramped car park is an absolute joke. Cannot get my birthday back. Couldn't wait to leave. Absolutely gutted. Birthday ruined.
By PTI

BENGALURU: The Central Crime Branch police raided five pubs in the city as part of its crackdown against the drug menace.

The searches were carried out on Saturday night, they said.

"In the drugs case investigation, we found that generally drugs are taken in some pubs. So, search warrants were taken and five pubs searched yesterday night," Bengaluru Joint Commissioner of Police Sandeep Patil said in a brief statement on Sunday.

Police have not shared any information on the outcome of the raids.

The police have started a drive against the drug abuse in the city and have arrested a few Kannada film actresses, drug peddlers, rave party organisers among others as part of the investigations.

The crackdown came in the backdrop of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) busting a drug racket here.

Two police officials have been suspended recently on charges of leaking information related to the CCB probe to the rave party organisers and others.
Chandigarh (PIT) The Punjab Police on Sunday said it has busted a terror module of banned outfit Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) by arresting its two cadres in Hoshiarpur district of the state. They were identified as Makhan Singh Gill alias Amli and Davinder Singh alias Happy, both residents of Noorpur Jattan village in Hoshiarpur, Punjab Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta said.

Police have seized two sophisticated arms and ammunition, including one MP5 sub-machine gun (with two magazines and 30 live rounds) and one 9mm pistol (with two magazines and 30 live rounds), besides a white colour car, four mobile phones and an internet dongle from their possession, Gupta said in a statement. The DGP said based on inputs about the disruptive designs of certain pro-Khalistan elements, who had plans to disturb peace and communal harmony in the state by launching terror attacks, security forces had launched a major drive in the state to conduct raids and check the movement and whereabouts of members of various terrorist modules busted in the past.

The current breakthrough is the result of these concerted efforts and the drive launched in the recent past, he added. Gupta said during preliminary investigations, Makhan disclosed that they were in touch with Canada-based Harpreet Singh who had instigated them to raise a terror module in Punjab to carry out killings in the state. According to Makhan, who has earlier been a close associate of BKI (Babbar Khalsa International) chief Wadhawa Singh, Canada-based Harpreet, a KZF operative, is a frequent visitor to Pakistan and hes a close aide of Pak-based KZF chief Ranjeet Singh alias Neeta, the DGP said. The arrested accused further disclosed that the arms and ammunition had been arranged for them by Ranjeet Neeta through his associates, he added.

A couple of other foreign-based terrorist handlers from Germany and the USA had also figured in the module, who were involved in transferring funds from abroad to Makhan alias Amli through different money transfer services and other funding channels as well, Gupta said. The DGP further stated that Makhan was a hardcore pro-Khalistan militant who had been earlier arrested by the Punjab Police for his involvement in smuggling arms consignments into India and various terror-related offences.

Makhan has been trained in Pakistan and he had earlier stayed in the USA during 1980s and 1990s. He has been very closely associated with Pak-based Babbar Khalsa International chief Wadhawa Singh Babbar and stayed with him in Pakistan for over 14 years," he added. Gupta said a case under various provisions of the IPC, the Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act has been registered at Police Station Mahalpur in Hoshiarpur district against the accused. He said Makhan had been engaging in various terror and other criminal activities in the past. As many as seven cases had been earlier registered against him.

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
Speaking against the recently amended farm laws, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi questioned the Centre over haste to implement the laws during the pandemic and said that the party will scrap the laws the day it comes to power.

I give you guarantee that the day Congress party come to the power, we will scrap these three black laws and throw them in waste paper basket, Rahul Gandhi said while speaking at a public meeting in Punjabs Moga.

If farmers are happy with these laws then why are they protesting across the nation? Why is every farmer in Punjab protesting?" the Congress leader asked.

The Congress MP will take part in a series of public meetings with farmers as a part of Kheti Bachao Yatra. Punjab Congress said that Rahul Gandhi will be holding tractor rally at Nihal Singh Wala, Jagraon and Raikot on the first day of the protest yatra.

PM says laws are being framed for farmers. If its the case, why didnt you discuss openly in the House, Rahul Gandhi added.

His visit to Punjab came a day after meeting family of Hathras victim who was raped and murdered. Referring to the incident, he said, I was in UP where a daughter was killed. No action taken against those who killed her. Family whose daughter was killed is locked up in their house. DM and CM threatened them. Such is the situation in India. Nothing happens to criminal but action taken against victim.

Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh, who was also present at the public meeting said, As long as the (farm) laws passed in the Parliament are not amended to make the MSP (Minimum Support Price) compulsory, there is no use of their promises.

Congress has been protesting against the law in Punjab since it was passed by the parliament. CM Amarinder Singh earlier organised sit-in protest against farm laws and said that the state government would approach the Supreme Court against the new farm laws.

Farmers across the country are protesting against three recently passed laws-Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill- which led to national bandh last month where protestors and farmers block rail tracks and highways.
President Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Duluth International Airport in Minnesota on Sept. 30. (Associated Press)

To the editor: Samuel J. Abrams's op-ed article discussing voters' attitudes on President Trump's character was puzzling, particularly because it was published just after the first debate between him and former Vice President Joe Biden.

The poll asking whether people rated Trump on personal qualities or his accomplishments suggests somehow that his achievements balance or counter his character. In what way do people "not care" about character?

I cannot separate the bullying, narcissistic, immoral Trump from his actions such as caging children, demonizing immigrants, excusing white supremacists, denigrating protesters, dismissing COVID-19 and threatening the election.

Have I missed something? Did the president's monstrous performance in the debate reflect actions or his character? I think they are inseparable.

Lynne Culp, Van Nuys

..

To the editor: I was dismayed to learn from Abrams' piece that 60% of Americans are not concerned about what Trump stands for, only what he has done in office. Reading the generational breakdown of these statistics, I became upset about something else altogether.

He tells us what the baby boomers believe, how the millennials feel, and how disgusted Generation Z is with Trump's lack of morality. What is disgusting to me, however, is the exclusion of a whole generation.

What about Generation X? Where are those stats? Yet again, we are skipped over and silenced.

There are more than 65 million of us. We are not the lost generation. We deserve recognition.

Nova Meza, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: After reading Abrams' piece, I wonder if an immoral but successful businesswoman could command the same respect of so many Americans as Trump.

Or, would a potential "Madam President" be subjected to much more scrutiny because of her values?

Amelia Pedrazzi, Hacienda Heights





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
An enraged father allegedly punched a man accused of plying his teenager daughter with drugs and sexually assaulting her.

Jeremy John Rowe, 44, was arrested at his Thornlie home, in Perth, by the Child Abuse Squad on Thursday.

Police allege Rowe struck up a conversation with a 13-year-old girl at a shopping centre in Thornlie last Sunday.

A short time later they went to a nearby skate park a where it is further alleged Rowe gave the girl cannabis before sexually assaulting her.

Jeremy John Rowe, 44, was arrested at his Thornlie home (pictured), in Perth, on Thursday after allegedly drugging and sexually assaulting a 13-yeear-old girl

Police later found the alleged victim unconscious and she was rushed to Perth Children's Hospital.

It has now been revealed police have also charged the victim's father with indecent dealing offences after he allegedly assaulted Rowe on Sunday, The West Australian reports.

Rowe has been charged with two counts of procuring a child to engage in sexual behaviour, two counts of indecently dealing with a child, one count of stupefying a child and one count of supplying cannabis

Police will allege the father went in search of his daughter and learnt that she had been with Rowe.

He then allegedly tracked Rowe down at a nearby home construction site before punching him in the face.

Rowe fled the scene and was arrested days later at home where he lives with his mother.

It is understood Rowe is unemployed and does not have any children.

Rowe faced Armadale Magistrates Court on Friday charged with two counts of procuring a child to engage in sexual behaviour, two counts of indecently dealing with a child, one count of stupefying a child and one count of supplying cannabis.

He was remanded in custody to appear in court next Friday.
Sanda was beginning his third year of school when he pledged Reuzegom, an unsanctioned club for young men from Antwerp. They represent a type of social class, said Kenny Van Minsel, a former president of the campus student association. Predominantly white  thats a given  and predominantly upper-class.

Mr. Van Minsel frequently interacted with fraternities and tried, unsuccessfully, to persuade Reuzegom to sign a hazing code of conduct. Reuzegom had only one other Black member, who was given the nickname Rafiki, the name of the monkey in the movie The Lion King, he said.

But Sanda Dia saw Reuzegom as an opportunity. It has benefits, being in a club like that, he had said, his brother recalled. If you know them, its good for your network. And when you leave school, they will trust you a lot faster.

If it sounds peculiar for a Black student to pledge a nearly all-white fraternity in the name of networking, students say it made sense. It might seem like something outlandish, but for a lot of Black people its very understandable, said Nozizwe Dube, a K.U. Leuven student who immigrated to Belgium from Zimbabwe as a teenager.

One of the mantras of Flanders is that anyone can succeed by learning the language, working hard and getting a degree, she said. In reality, research has shown that Belgians of African descent are far more likely to be unemployed or work in low-skilled jobs, despite having high levels of education. Fraternities, she said, can seem like an avenue toward a better career.

Reuzegom was notorious for its hazing rituals, known as baptisms. In October 2018, Reuzegom held a boozy party in a student association building. The fraternity trashed the venue, causing thousands of dollars worth of damage, Mr. Van Minsel said. Fraternity members ordered Mr. Dia to clean up, calling him a racial slur, said Mr. Van Minsel, whose student association colleague was present and reported the incident to him.

Their argument was that Black people should work for white people, Mr. Van Minsel said. They treated him like an object. Two months later, Mr. Dia was dead.
Within a year, Enbridge Energy could have all the permits it needs to replace the section of the Line 5 pipeline that runs under the Straits of Mackinac. The controversial plan for the dual section of the line is to house a new section of pipeline in a tunnel and bury the tunnel under the bedrock of the Straits.

The tunnel project plans were finalized in 2018, during a scramble to finish the deal before a new gubernatorial administration, one with plans to shut down Line 5, took office. At the time, the new line was projected to be up and running by 2024. But once Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and Attorney General Dana Nessel took office, the fate of the entire Line 5, which runs from Superior, Wisconsin, to Sarnia, Ontario right through Michigan, was called into question.

Line 5 is built The Enbridge Line 5 pipeline is built by the Bechtel Corporation.
Communique de Presse - Ooredoo has won a total of 26 international business awards as it continues to gain recognition for its market-leading product offerings, business and technology innovation and commitment to social responsibility within the telecommunications industry.





2020 Stevie Annual International Business Awards



Ooredoo was named the winner of 17 Stevie Awards at the 17th Annual International Business Awards (IBAs) earlier this month, taking home three Gold, five Silver and eight Bronze Awards. The Stevie IBAs are held annually to honour the achievements and positive contributions of organisations worldwide.







Thanks to the high number of awards won compared to other entrants, Ooredoo Group was awarded a Grand Stevie as part of the Best of the IBA Awards, coming joint fifth in the Top 10 category.



Ooredoo Qatar won a Gold Award for the Most Innovative Company of the Year for its data network leadership and ICT innovation, while the second Gold Award was won by Ooredoo Maldives in the Company of the Year  Telecommunications category for its first and fastest nationwide 4G+ network in the Maldives.



Ooredoo Oman was also named the winner of a Gold Stevie in the category Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year in the Middle East and Africa for its Goodwill Journey, which is aimed to boost the sustainable development of local communities across Oman, and for its women incubator programme, which helps women gain economic independence through income-generating skills that enhance their employability.





Ooredoo won a total of five Silver Stevie Awards including: Ooredoo Qatar and Indosat Ooredoo in the category Telecommunications Service; Ooredoo Qatar for Technical Innovation of the Year; and Ooredoo Myanmar and Ooredoo Maldives for Most Innovative Company of the Year.





Ooredoo was also named the winner of eight Bronze Stevie Awards including: Ooredoo Kuwait, Ooredoo Myanmar, Ooredoo Maldives and Ooredoo Group in the category Most Valuable Corporate Response; Ooredoo Kuwait and Ooredoo Maldives in the category Business & Government; Ooredoo Myanmar in the category Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year; and Ooredoo Group in Company of the Year  Telecommunications.



Commenting on the awards, Sheikh Saud bin Nasser Al Thani, Group CEO, Ooredoo, said: We are delighted by this prestigious recognition of our work as we continue to achieve our mission to deliver world-class mobile services for consumers, businesses, residences and organisations across the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia. These awards acknowledge our commitment to deliver disruptive innovations to our customers, while harnessing the power of mobile technology to help bring about social and economic progress and empowering local communities.





2020 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards



In July 2020, Ooredoo was named the winner of eight awards at the 2020 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, a prestigious international business competition and awards ceremony that recognises innovation by companies from the 29 nations of the Asia-Pacific region.





Ooredoo Maldives received two Gold Stevie Awards. One in the 'Innovation in Apps' category for the enhancement of Ooredoo Moolee, the first-of-its-kind e-commerce marketplace that is providing unprecedented digital opportunities for communities and businesses in the Maldives. The second in the 'Innovation in Customer Service' category for m-Faisaa, an innovative digital payment service that offers Maldivians an easy, secure and affordable way to manage their money.





Ooredoo Myanmar won a Gold Award in the 'Innovation in HR Management, Planning & Practice' category for its Winning with People strategy, demonstrating Ooredoos commitment to creating a positive work environment within the organization.





Ooredoo Maldives received one Silver Stevie Award in the Excellence in Innovation in Technology Industries' category in recognition of its continuous efforts in CSR, customer service and IT.





Ooredoo Myanmar was recognized with three Bronze Stevie Awards, including the 'Award for Innovation in Technology Management, Planning & Implementation', the 'Award for Innovation in General Utility Apps' and the 'Award for Innovation in Community Relations of Public Service Communications', recognizing its outstanding innovative solutions within the sector.





Indosat Ooredoo also won a Bronze Stevie in the Innovative Use of Technology in Customer Service' category for its highest rated telecommunications app, MyIM3, which is a customer engagement and acquisition platform.







Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards 2020





Indosat Ooredoo won the Social Empowerment category at the Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards 2020 for its digital education program, Ooredoo Digital Camp (IDCamp). ID Camp is a scholarship program from Indosat Ooredoo designed to produce young Indonesian developers and programmers and help to address the shortage of digital talent within the Indonesia.




Deputy director of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) KPS Malhotra, who was present during Bollywood actor Deepika Padukones interrogation in the drugs case associated with Sushant Singh Rajputs death, has tested positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

The central agency is probing the drug-angle in Rajputs death in his apartment in Mumbais Bandra in June and a potential drug racket in Bollywood. So far, actors Deepika Padukone, Shraddha Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan and Rakul Preet Singh have been questioned by NCB, with more expected to be summoned soon.

According to reports, no links were found between drug peddlers and Padukone, Kapoor and Khan, who were questioned by the agency in late September. During their questioning, all three of them are said to have denied consuming drugs. According to NCB sources, they will be summoned again only if any strong evidence is found during the investigation.

Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik, Rajputs former manager Samuel Miranda are among those arrested in the drugs case related to the 34-year-olds death.

Meanwhile, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) panel looking into the autopsy report on the request of the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) has submitted that Rajput died by suicide and has ruled out any murder angle.
Jamie Foxx first played Electro in 2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2, when actor Andrew Garfield was essaying the role of the iconic webslinger.

Jamie Foxx is going to reprise his role as Electro in the upcoming film Spider-Man 3.

If finalised, the actor will join Tom Holland, who will reprise his role of Spider-Man from previously two movies -- Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Cinema Blend writes that Foxx had confirmed the development in a now-deleted Instagram post. "Tell Spidey lets run it back!... super excited to part of the new marvel Spider-Man new installment... cant wait for yall to check the new one. And I wont be blue in this one!! But a thousand percent badass!!! (sic)," the actor had written.

Foxx played the supervillain character in 2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2, when actor Andrew Garfield was essaying the role of the iconic webslinger.

Garfield, who made his debut with 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man, was later replaced by Holland after Sony Pictures struck a deal with Marvel Studios to share the character.

Holland first played Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War and later appeared in several Avengers movies.

Spider-Man 3, being directed by Jon Watts, will also mark the return of Zendaya, Marisa Tomei, Jacob Batalon and Tony Revolori.

The movie, which has a release date of 17 December, 2021, will be produced by Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal.

(With inputs from Press Trust of India)
PUNE, India, Oct. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) Quality Control Market Share, Trends, Analysis and Forecasts, 2020-2030 provides insights on key developments, business strategies, research & development activities, supply chain analysis, competitive landscape, and market composition analysis.



The In-Vitro Diagnostics Market size was estimated to be US$ 900 Million in 2019 and is expected to surpass US$ 1.4 billion by 2030. In-vitro diagnostics (IVDs) are the medical devices and equipment that are particularly manufactured so they can conduct in-vitro testing on body specimens such as urine, tissues, and blood. They are broadly employed for the detection and therapy of several medical illnesses. IVD quality controls are samples used to authenticate the trustworthiness of the IVD testing system to guarantee the precision of test outcomes and estimate the effect of factors such as environmental conditions and operators performance on test outcomes. This is credited to an increase in demand for third-party quality controls, rise in the number of qualified clinical labs, and strict orders from authorization institutes & governing organizations concerning the usage of controls.

View the complete report with Table of Contents : https://www.insightslice.com/report/in-vitro-diagnostics-ivd-quality-control-market/499

An escalating number of certified clinical labs worldwide and the presence of promising governing organizations are anticipated to be the main factors expanding the market growth. Diagnostic labs are observing fast advancement due to the huge predominance of disorders, such as diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs), and contagious illnesses. Many private, as well as public, labs are undergoing laboratory accreditation procedures to satisfy industry criteria, enhance their procedural volume, and lure more patients.

The immunology application segment is anticipated to register maximum growth rate

The global In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) Quality Control market is segmented depending on application, type, end-use, and geography. By application, the IVD quality control market is divided into Immunochemistry, Hematology, Clinical Chemistry, Molecular Diagnostics, Coagulation, Microbiology, and Others. The type segment is further divided into quality control, quality assurance services, data management. Based on end-use the market is segmented into hospitals, labs, home-care, and others.

Access the Sample of report : https://www.insightslice.com/request-sample/499

The immunology application segment led the global market in the year 2019. Immunology comprises the analysis of the molecular mechanism for understanding the role of the immune system. It mainly consists of the mechanism of antibodies, action of antigens, and their exchanges. Significant use of the immunochemistry comprise discovery of contagious microbes, like fungus, bacteria, and viruses, by discovering the occurrence of their coat and toxins antigens. An upsurge in the epidemics of contagious and chronic illnesses and the necessity for its initial identification are the major factors impelling the demand for immunochemistry methods.

Based on geography, the global In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) Quality Control market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South America. North America is sub-segmented into the United States, Canada and Rest of North America. Europe is sub-segmented into Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, and Rest of Europe. Asia Pacific is sub-segmented into China, Japan, India, Indonesia, Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, and Rest of Asia Pacific. Middle East & Africa is sub-segmented into Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Rest of Middle East & Africa. South America is sub-segmented into Brazil and Rest of South America.

Related report :

Global In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Market : https://www.insightslice.com/report/in-vitro-fertilization-ivf-market/327

Global Sepsis Diagnostics Market : https://www.insightslice.com/report/Sepsis-Diagnostic-Market---Global-Market-Share--Trends--Analysis-and-Forecasts--2020---2030/323

Global Telemedicine Market : https://www.insightslice.com/report/telemedicine-market/506

North America was the largest regional market in 2019 and estimated for maximum revenue share as a result of the existence of the United States FDA and many recognized diagnostic labs together with strong QC regulation structures. U.S. FDA accompanied by GHTF controls the North America region for the IVD QC market, from the making to pre- and post-marketing scrutiny.

The APAC region is estimated to be the rapidly developing region over the assessment timeline as the region has a huge potential for this market because of the growing number of product manufacturing corporations. Besides, the Asia Pacific Federation of Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine has been boosting the application of IVDs. Therefore, an increase in consciousness for initial and accurate diagnosis promotes the product demand and ultimately the IVD quality control market in the region.

Major players active in the global In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) Quality Control Market Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Sero AS, Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Bio-Techne, Qiagen N.V., Sysmex Corp., Abbott Laboratories, Inc., Becton, Quidel Corp., Dickinson, and Company (BD), bioMerieux, Inc., Alere, Inc., Hologic, Inc. (Gen-Probe), and Roche Diagnostics.

Buy this report : https://www.insightslice.com/buy-now/499

insightSLICE is a market intelligence and strategy consulting company. The company provides tailor-made and off the shelf market research studies. The prime focus of the company is on strategy consulting to provide end-to-end solutions. For more details please contact our research and consulting team at info@insightslice.com.

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Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis' social encyclical, was released today. In it, the pontiff advocates overcoming the dominant profit-driven market model. Human rights know no boundaries. He says no to war and the death penalty, warns against forgetting the Holocaust, and highlights the right to religious freedom.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis today released Tutti Fratelli (All Brothers), his third encyclical. In it, the pontiff advocates building a just and fraternal world to replace the personal and political oppression of the dominant profit-driven market model with one based on "social friendship", solidarity, and care for the shared home.

The Popes social encyclical, as he calls it, provides a broader context for reflection" on issues of human fraternity and social friendship [that] have always been a concern of mine.

The document on human brotherhood signed by Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmad al-Tayyeb in February 2019, which is cited several times, and the sudden appearance of the pandemic, show that no one is saved alone.

The encyclicals title, the Pope explains, is taken from the Admonitions of Saint Francis of Assisi, who used these words to address his brothers and sisters and proposed to them a way of life marked by the flavour of the Gospel. This is a shared goal.

In Dark clouds over a closed world, the first of the encyclicals eight chapters, history seems to be showing signs of a certain regression. Ancient conflicts thought long buried are breaking out anew, while instances of a myopic, extremist, resentful and aggressive nationalism are on the rise.

Principles such as democracy, freedom, and justice are deformed and profit-driven markets and the "throwaway culture" rule. Unemployment, racism, poverty and slavery are its offspring. Likewise, [T]he organization of societies around the world is still far from clearly reflecting [the principle] that women have exactly the same dignity and identical rights as men.

Conversely, the story of the Good Samaritan calls upon us to be close to others, overcoming biases, personal interests, and historical or cultural barriers. Jesus asks us to be present to those in need of help, regardless of whether or not they belong to our social group.

Indeed, we share the responsibility to build a society that can include, integrate and lift up those who have fallen or are suffering. As Christians, we believe that Christ shed his blood for each of us and that no one is beyond the scope of his universal love.

Human beings are so made that they cannot live, develop and find fulfilment except in the sincere gift of self to others. Hence, comes the openness to "universal communion", and the notion, which the Pope supports, that rights have no borders".

This means finding a way to ensure the fundamental right of peoples to subsistence and progress, a right which is at times severely restricted by the pressure created by foreign debt.

While respecting the principle that all legitimately acquired debt must be repaid, the way in which many poor countries fulfil this obligation should not end up compromising their very existence and growth.

If the right to live with dignity cannot be denied to anyone, no one can be excluded, regardless of where they are born. The fate of migrants is something dear to Francis. Migrants flee from wars, persecution, natural disasters, and trafficking. The attitude towards them is summed up in four verbs: welcome, protect, promote and integrate. And they can be "a blessing".

Migration is a global problem; for this reason, it must be solved through global governance, with long-term projects implemented in the name of the co-development of all peoples. A world community must be "capable of realizing fraternity starting from peoples and nations who live social friendship and calls for a better kind of politics, one truly at the service of the common good.

Good politics cares for people and shies away from populism. It is concerned about providing jobs, an "indispensable dimension of social life, so that everyone can develop their skills. This is the finest help we can give to the poor, the best path to a life of dignity.

Political leaders must fight everything that undermines fundamental human rights, such as weapons and drug trafficking, as well as sexual exploitation. In addition to hunger, which is "criminal" since food is "an inalienable right, trafficking is a source of shame for humanity.

In this regard, the encyclical offers an approach centred on human dignity and not, as is the case today, on business because The marketplace, by itself, cannot resolve every problem. For this to happen, the United Nations must be reformed, making it the basis of a community of nations.

We may also need a culture of dialogue above all else. A country flourishes when constructive dialogue occurs between its many rich cultural components: popular culture, university culture, youth culture, artistic culture, technological culture, economic culture, family culture and media culture.

Dialogue requires respect for others and their opinions, legitimate interests and, above all, the truth of human dignity. Relativism is not a solution.

Through dialogue, which is also an assessment of ideas, Those who were fierce enemies have to speak from the stark and clear truth. They have to learn how to cultivate a penitential memory, one that can accept the past in order not to cloud the future with their own regrets, problems and plans.

Dialogue is also a tool of peace whose construction is everyone's task. It is an art that involves everyone and in which everyone must do their part. [T]rue peace can be achieved only when we strive for justice through dialogue, pursuing reconciliation and mutual development.

Forgiveness and reconciliation are central themes in Christianity, writes the Pope, and, in various ways, in other religions. However, it does not entail allowing oppressors to keep trampling on their own dignity and that of others, or letting criminals continue their wrongdoing. It does not mean demanding a kind of "social forgiveness from those who have endured much unjust and cruel suffering.

Reconciliation is a personal act, and no one can impose it upon an entire society, however great the need to foster it. We should never forget "atrocities" such as the Holocaust, the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ethnic persecutions and massacres. Never again war, Francis writes, for it is a failure [. . .] of humanity.

The death penalty should also be rejected for it is no longer necessary from the point of view of penal justice, nor is life imprisonment, which is a secret death penalty.

Terrorist acts are deplorable, and are the result of inappropriate interpretations of religious texts, as well as the consequence of policies that lead to hunger, poverty, injustice, and oppression.

Religious freedom is a fundamental right, a fundamental human right. Violence against religions, in fact, is not in any religion. Terrorism must not be supported in any way. As religious leaders, we are called to be true people of dialogue, to cooperate in building peace not as intermediaries but as authentic mediators.

In this regard, the encyclical cites A document on human fraternity for world peace and living together and reiterates the appeal that, in the name of human brotherhood, we accept dialogue as the path, working together as code of conduct, and mutual understanding as the method and standard. (FP)
WASHINGTONPresident Donald Trump has COVID-19, and it may be difficult to reliably determine how he is doing. His physician reported to the media Saturday morning that he is doing very well, that his fever is gone and other symptoms are improving, and said he had not required oxygen on Thursday, nor since his admission to Walter Reed hospital, though he carefully worded his oxygen answers in a way that raised doubts.

Soon after, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said some of Trumps vital signs over the past 24 hours were very concerning, and that the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. The Associated Press reported that a source familiar with Trumps condition confirmed that the U.S. president was given oxygen at the White House on Friday before being flown to the hospital.

As so often with Trump, knowing precisely what the truth is may be tricky.

It was also becoming clearer by Saturday that an increasing number of people around Trump  his staff and political allies  have also contracted the virus. As of this writing, in addition to the president and his wife, the infected group includes three Republican senators, the chair of the Republican National Committee, Trumps campaign manager, his former spokeswoman, one of his most senior advisers, and political ally and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie.

As the news of Trumps diagnosis with COVID-19 turns into a story about what appears to be a White House-driven outbreak, its useful to keep in mind that these are human beings. They have families and friends who are no doubt scared; they are capable of suffering, worthy of sympathy and kind hopes. These are not characters in a satirical sketch or a literary drama. The schadenfreude of political opponents may be an impulse they want to resist if they recognize it.

But this has also been the point behind the criticisms of Trump and his administrations response to COVID-19 since the beginning: all 7.3 million Americans who have contracted the coronavirus since the pandemic began have been just as human, just as real, just as worthy of compassion and prayers and protection. Their illnesses and deaths cant be waved away in the name of a political goal.

And it is difficult now for many not to see the almost literary element  whether you think it looks like Shakespearean tragedy or poetic justice or something else  in the latest turn of events.

The president and his party  especially those elected members in the Senate  have long been accused specifically of putting political imperatives above public health and other public interest objectives. The urge to downplay the virus to preserve confidence in the economy, to rapidly reopen businesses and schools to move economic numbers before the election, to shun masks and other distancing measures as projections of strength and confidence  all these appeared to many, including epidemiological experts I spoke to at various points, as moves that put political objectives over the clear public interest in limiting the spread of the virus.

Trump and his family and administration acted on the sense of unearned invulnerability they wanted to project: reports from inside the White House say staff and visitors were encouraged not to wear masks there, were even shunned for doing so. It affects virtually nobody, Trump said just last month, a message that suited his campaign theme that the virus was near an end. While a succession of experts said this message was wrong, the White House certainly put on a convincing display that they believed it in their own practices.

Many believe that the country has paid a dear price for the decisions made using that apparently politically motivated reasoning. And now, it appears, Trump and his party are paying a price, too.

When Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, many thought the recently stated principles of the Republican members of Congress and the integrity of the court called for waiting until after the election to fill her seat. But Trump and Republican senators quickly made clear their objective was to put a conservative justice on the court before voters could have a chance to stop them.

In pursuit of that political objective, they held a big party at the White House to introduce the nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, with a crowded and virtually mask-free outdoor presentation, accompanied by indoor receptions. While it is not possible for those on the outside to definitively pinpoint who contracted the virus where, it certainly now appears that Supreme Court nomination celebration may have been the ground-zero virus-spreading event inside the administration, campaign and Republican party.

An event that now affects them personally, but does so in a way that severely demonstrates the inadequacy of the approach the administration has taken, the message the campaign was trying to portray, and even the political objective of filling the Supreme Court seat. By Saturday it was looking as though the spread of the virus through the Republican caucus could complicate, or even imperil, the push to confirm the court nominee, despite the official determination to push on with it.

The message of Trumps coronavirus critics has always been that Trumps pursuit of political objectives was damaging the country. Now it is damaging the health of those involved directly, and may be sabotaging the political objectives they were pursuing in the process.

There are human beings involved, and people of goodwill will hope for the best for them, and expect that whatever measures are possible to protect them during their illness will be taken. Just like every other pandemic victim before them. No one of conscience will be celebrating. But perhaps many will be reflecting on how and why something like this could happen  to the president, and the country  while mourning the human cost.

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NEW DELHI: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said his party will scrap the three farm laws and throw them in the waste paper basket when it comes to power at the Centre. Gandhis statement comes in the backdrop of the launch of the Kheti Bachao Aandolan" in Punjab with chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday.

Congress and other key opposition parties have been opposing the three farm laws which were passed in the monsoon session of Parliament last month. On Sunday, the top leadership of the party hit the streets against the laws with a three-day campaign led by Gandhi in the Punjab.

We are with you and we will not take any step back. The aim of the Modi government is to break the back of farmers. I am not saying there are no shortcomings in the system, of course there are and there is a need to reform the system. But there is no need to destroy the entire system because farmers will have no protection left," Gandhi said at a public rally in Badhni Kalan of Moga district in Punjab on Sunday.

I guarantee you, the day the Congress party comes to power, we will bring an end to all these three farm laws and throw it in the waste paper basket," he added.

Taking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi led union government over the three farm laws, Gandhi said that the Centres aim was to end the system of Minimum Support Price (MSP) and procurement which would impact the farmers.

What was the necessity of these three laws during covid-19? What was the hurry? If they wanted to bring it, there should have been a detailed discussion in Parliament. If farmers are happy with this law then why are they protesting?," Gandhi said during his address following which he along with senior party leaders led a tractor rally in Moga district in support of farmers.

"The prime minister says the laws are being framed for farmers. If the laws are being made for farmers, then why didn't you debate in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha?" asked Rahul Gandhi

Punjab has become the epicenter of protests over the farm bills with Amarinder Singh leading Congress protest over the issue. The farm laws became a bone of contention in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) too with its ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) parting ways over it.

Addressing the public meeting, Amarinder Singh said he would not back out of the fight against the black laws till they are amended to give a written Constitutional guarantee on MSP and continuation of Food Corporation of India (FCI). He added that his sense was the union government may pay MSP for a couple of crops but would eventually completely scrap the system.

Last month, President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the three farm laws  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. Protests over the laws have intensified particularly in Punjab and Haryana.

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Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early followed by periods of snow showers late. Low 24F with temps rising to near freezing. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 40%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early followed by periods of snow showers late. Low 24F with temps rising to near freezing. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 40%.
Its a claim weve heard again and again from Premier Doug Ford and Education Minister Stephen Lecce: the provincial government is providing up to $1.3 billion to support school boards back-to-school plans in the age of COVID-19.

With a sum like that, its no wonder many parents across the province have been shocked to learn their childrens class sizes are much larger than expected  some as high as 34 students at the start of the school year. Its a far cry from the 15 that the Hospital for Sick Children said would be the optimal size to keep students two metres apart.

Folks, we are pulling out all the stops, Lecce said on Aug. 13 during one of four school funding announcements made by the province over the last two months.

We have done absolutely everything, everything, echoed the premier in a press conference a few weeks later. Were sparing nothing. Every idea possible, were putting into the classrooms.

But a closer examination of the numbers behind the governments funding announcements, as well as a look at what school boards have in their reserve funds, reveals the amount of money available to hire new teachers and decrease class sizes is much less than what parents have been led to believe.

The province claims it is providing up to $1.3 billion in critical supports for school boards to deal with COVID-19. Of the $1.3 billion, only $413 million  less than a third  is new money from the province. Further breaking down the billion-dollar amount, only $100 million has been earmarked for hiring teachers and $70 million of that actually comes from the federal government. Another $100 million from Ottawa can be used for a wide range of measures, including hiring teachers.

About $500 million of the $1.3 billion is supposed to come out of reserves  money boards already have in most cases but which is allocated to future expenses, such as retirement benefit obligations, capital improvements and balancing budgets.

Its robbing Peter to pay Paul, really, said Halton District School Board chair Andrea Grebenc. Her board decided to use $6.1 million of reserve money to fund pandemic-related expenses  that is, $6.1 million that was already earmarked for other expenses.

As an example, if we say OK, allocate these reserve funds to hire more teaching staff, then we wont be able to afford to give this school, this school and this school the air conditioning theyve been begging for for years. Thats the tradeoff were looking at. Its not money just sitting around doing nothing, Grebenc said.

The Star reached out to Ricardo Tranjan, a political economist and senior researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, who has analyzed the provincial numbers and concluded they dont add up.

However, it would be easy for people to miss that, he said, based on the way the announcements trickled out over the last two months. Tranjan called the governments claim that it is providing $1.3 billion disingenuously inaccurate.

Of the $1.3 billion, the province itself is barely spending $400 million, he said. The rest of the money is either federal money or the reallocation of school board reserves, which means boards will have to cut other programs and investments.

Heres a quick breakdown of the provincial funding announcements:

$309 million announced on July 30, of which $30 million was earmarked for teacher staffing to support supervision, keeping classes small and other safety-related measures. This $309 million is in addition to a previously announced $25-million investment in mental health and technology.

$50 million in funding for improved ventilation and air quality, as well as $18 million to help boards hire principals and administrative staff to support remote learning.

$381 million from the federal government, of which the province allocated just $70 million for hiring new teachers. The province did not answer the Stars question about why it allocated less than 20 per cent of federal funding for this purpose.

$496 million in unlocked reserve funds held by school boards, and an additional $11 million for those eligible boards without sufficient reserves. Lecce said the unlocked $496 million was the result of allowing school boards to access up to two per cent of their operating budgets from previous years surpluses.

Counting the money thats allowed to be used from reserves towards the overall $1.3 billion really muddies the water, according to Tranjans analysis.

The $496-million unlocked figure used by the provincial government assumes school boards have enough money in their reserve funds to draw the equivalent of two per cent of their operating budget. In reality, however, many boards do not, the analysis shows.

Every year, most school boards build up their reserve funds as a result of coming in under budget in other spending areas.

It is misleading to the public to present this $496 million as additional funding to support back-to-school plans, because the boards are already counting on half of it as part of the one per cent they are allowed to use. Its not new money, said Tranjan. What this means is that only half of the $496 million, or about $244 million, is unlocked.

Tranjan analyzed financial records for 2020-21 submitted to the Ministry of Education by every school board in the province and found that even if boards wanted to take advantage of this extra $244 million of unlocked money, many cannot because the funds are already allocated to other expenses.

Taking into account reserve funds that are already committed to other local spending across all school boards, the actual amount available to boards is $153 million, not $244 million, according to Tranjans analysis.

The province is not taking into account previously committed reserve fund spending in its calculations, said Tranjan. Boards could reallocate the money, with the exception of some commitments that cant be broken, but if they do, it begs the questions: what programs are getting cancelled? What supports are being withdrawn? Who is losing as a result of the reallocation?

The province says only four boards need funding to reach the two per cent threshold; Tranjan says 28 do.

The government says this is incorrect, and that the eligibility of school boards and the amount of funding that was allocated to these boards were based on the level of reserves over which boards have discretionary control.

But the Toronto District School Board, which is not one of the four the province says need extra funding, confirmed to the Star that if it were to try to spend the full two per cent of its operating budget, most of the money would have to be reallocated from other funding areas.

Further reallocating the reserve saved for other purposes could jeopardize the boards other projects or liability for benefits, a spokesperson for the board said in an email.

Caitlin Clark, a spokesperson for Lecce, said the governments plan to safely reopen schools has been informed by the best medical and scientific minds in the country.

We continue to take action to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our communities, supported by the single largest investment in flu vaccination to support our students and to reduce risk of transmission. We have set aside additional investments to further improve the safety of schools, and have an additional $381 million that is available to Ontario in early 2021  further supporting our school boards and by extension, keeping our students and staff safe from COVID-19.

Charles Pascal, a professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto and the architect of Ontarios full-day kindergarten program, said the minister of education continues to play fast and loose with numbers.

The government has totally squeezed boards and $500 million (the minister) claims is being spent is embedded in boards reserves, and not all boards have reserves based on the ministers pre-pandemic cuts to education. As a result of the fear that he has foisted on parents, thousands are keeping their kids away from schools, resulting in collapsed classes that have even more students, teachers being laid off and empty space in many schools, said Pascal.

Beverley Eadie is one of those worried parents. Her son, Christopher, was supposed to be in a class of 20 at Winona Drive Senior Public School in central Toronto. But after the first day of class, she received a letter from the school saying Christophers Grade 7 class would now have 26 students.

I was disappointed. Its not an age group that is wonderful at risk assessment or the kind of awareness that allows you to notice if youre properly staying far enough away from your classmates and things like that, said Eadie.

I would love for there to be the funding or the permissions to make the kinds of changes they would need to make class sizes smaller. With the cases going up as they are, theres just no question that kids are going to start getting COVID.

The Toronto District School Board says it is spending more than $30 million  $29.5 million of which came out of the boards reserves  to hire 366 new teachers and reallocate existing ones. The board has said that to keep elementary class sizes to 15 students and still provide regular instruction it would have to hire an additional 2,489 teachers at a cost of $250 million.

We do not have the money to reduce (class sizes) any further as we have not received any additional funding to do so, TDSB spokesperson Ryan Bird wrote in an email.

But in order to use its reserves, the board had to reallocate money from other spending priorities, such as the environmental legacy fund and the long-term disability fund.

For its part, the Halton District School Board received $800,000 from the province to hire additional teaching staff, which works out to about eight to 10 new teachers, said board chair Andrea Grebenc. The board received a further $1.9 million from the federal government for new staff, which represents approximately 20 additional new teachers.

In order to have all in-school elementary school classes to be 15 students, the funding we have received is not enough, said Grebenc.

At the Peel District School Board, trustees approved the use of up to $36.6 million from the reserve fund (representing the full two per cent of its operating budget). However, if the board spent this full $36.6 million, there would be just 34 per cent of its entire reserve left.

Spokesperson Ryan Alexander Reyes said the board has hired over 200 additional teachers to lower elementary class sizes and support online learning for secondary students and special education students, as well as vocational programs.

Annie Kidder, president of People for Education, a non-profit advocacy group, says the $100 million in direct funding for hiring new teachers ($30 million from the province, $70 million from the federal government) will cover the cost of hiring some new teachers, but not nearly enough.

When you do the math, that would cover the cost of about 1,200 more teachers. If were just looking at elementary schools, which is where the need appears to be greatest in terms of trying to lower class sizes, that would mean one new teacher for every three elementary schools in Ontario, obviously not enough to make a dent in the actual class sizes, Kidder said.

She noted that large class sizes are not exclusively an Ontario issue, but rather a national problem due to inadequate funding.

I would speculate  that if there was more assurance that the class sizes would be very very small in elementary school, more people would be choosing in-person, face-to-face learning rather than choosing to learn online, Kidder said.

Cathy Abraham, president of the Ontario Public School Boards Association, said boards are grateful for any additional funding to pay for COVID-related expenses, but using reserves is problematic because many simply dont have the money or not enough to take advantage of the two per cent threshold.

If Im a board and I can use up to $100,000 as my one per cent, but Ive had to use $70,000 of that to balance my budget, I now dont have a full two per cent available for the pandemic, she said. Its not as clear-cut as Here, take two per cent of your operating budget and you can use it. Some boards dont have it at all. Some boards dont have up to two per cent left.

She noted that boards are required to earmark every dollar in reserve funds to ensure they can pay for future obligations.

There are some people who will say you cant just keep throwing money at things. But there are some things that take money to fix, she said. For instance, hiring teachers and training bus drivers and hiring bus drivers. Those things do take money, and we need to be sure that if those things are needed to keep our kids safe, and keep our staff safe, we have to have funding for it.

Kenyon Wallace is a Toronto-based investigative reporter for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @KenyonWallace or reach him via email: kwallace@thestar.ca

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Even teleprompter could not take so many lies: Rahul's dig at PM Modis Davos speech

Rahul Gandhi in Punjab's Moga for tractor rally against farm laws

India

pti-Madhuri Adnal

Moga (Pb), Oct 4: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to lead a tractor rally here on Sunday to protest against the Centre's new farm laws. Gandhi, who arrived in the district on Sunday afternoon, will lead tractor rallies for three days beginning today.

He will hold a public meeting at Badni Kalan in Moga. unjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, AICC general secretary in-charge of Punjab affairs, Harish Rawat, Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal and other leaders have arrived here for the rally.

Former minister and MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu, who had been staying away from all Congress activities, is among those present in the district. The tractor rallies, which have been named as 'Kheti Bachao Yatra', will cover more than 50 km, spread over three days in various districts and constituencies. Farmers in Punjab have been protesting against the new farm legislations.

Hathras case: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra demands removal of DM, probe into his role

Farmers have expressed apprehension that the Centre's farm reforms would pave the way for the dismantling of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporates. The government has maintained that there will be no change in the MSP.

President Ram Nath Kovind had given assent to the three contentious bills -- Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill; Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill; and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill.
New Delhi: Ace shooter Shreyasi Singh, daughter of former union minister late Digvijay Singh, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bihar on Sunday (October 04, 2020).

Singh said she was joining the party to fulfil her late father Digvijay Singh's dreams.

"With the blessing of my mother and elder sister today I accept the membership of BJP. The main motive in joining the party is to fulfil my father`s dream," she said.

"I am with the Prime Minister in his Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign and I will work hard and to my full capacity. I will work with the BJP and will help the party in making Bihar a developed state," she added.

Shreyasi joined the party at its headquarters in the presence of general secretaries Bhupender Yadav, who is in charge of its Bihar affairs, and Arun Singh. She later met party chief J P Nadda.

The 29-year-old Commonwealth Games gold medallist is likely to be fielded by the BJP in the upcoming polls.

Her father was elected to Lok Sabha several times from Banka and had also served as a member of Rajya Sabha. A Union minister in the Chandra Shekhar and Atal Bihari Vajpayee governments, Digvijay Singh was with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for a few years before they had a falling out.

Voting for 243 assembly constituencies in the state will be held in three phases  October 28 (71 seats), November 3 (94 seats) and November 7 (78 seats). The counting of votes will take place on November 10.
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A class 12 student found a rare archaeological discovery linked to the Roman emperor Augustus Caesar at an excavation site in Keralas Ernakulam district, according to an Indian Express report.

Pravitha PA found a button shaped as a she-Sphinx, the Greek mythical creature known for its magical powers, at the backyard of her uncle K S Sukumarans which also happened to be an excavation site in Pattanam village. PJ Cherian, director of PAMA Institute, a Kerala-based Trust that led the excavation new the artefact noticed that it was a rare find and contacted experts to help identify the object.

A series of correspondences with experts over the next three months, including Dr Giulia Rocca, professor of archaeology and history of Greek and Roman art at the Tor Vergata University of Rome, confirmed the 1.2-cm-long artefact made of banded agate, was likely a gemstone attached to a seal-ring, akin to be worn by Augustus Caesar.

The discovery reasserts the theory the present-day Pattanam could be Muziris  the legendary port city that thrived between the 1st century BC and 4th century AD.

According to researchers, the port known as the Emporia of the East flourished after the Romans conquered Egypt, and became a central region for trade between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean regions. Pepper, precious stones, silk, beads, ivory and pottery were traded to West Asia and Rome.

Mentions of Muziris soon vanished due to decline of the Roman empire with theories suggesting that port city either fell into disuse or a flood in the region on 1341 damaged its harbours.

Cherian notes that it is possible that the merchants and traders could have brought it to authorise trade. There wasnt just one royal seal; there would have been thousands. They were used by the emperor himself and those whom he authorised, to be used as a stamp, instead of a signature," he told Express.

However he also said that it is possible that Sphinx was produced at Pattanam itself. Wastage of the banded agate precious stone (on which the Sphinx was carved) was found in the same trench, along with cameo blanks, indicating that there was a lapidary workshop in Pattanam 2,000 years ago, he said.

While the excavation has generated interests for more evidence from the excavation site, Cherian said his team is far from finished. The 66 trenches excavated at the village so far is less than 1 per cent of the 111 acres of the Pattanam archaeological mound.

When asked about ho he imagine Muziris used to be, he said, A beautiful world where there was openness of mind. We are yet to find a weapon in Pattanam."
New Delhi: In a gesture signifying close India-Kuwait ties, the Indian flag was at half-mast in the country and at all the Indian missions across the world on Sunday to pay homage to the departed Amir of Kuwait, Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

The Amir died last week on September 29 and had served as the foreign minister of the country for over forty years and Amir for over fourteen years.

India's envoy to Kuwait, Sibi George called him a great friend and well-wisher for India, he said, "He contributed immensely in building our bilateral partnership. He visited India several occasions including his memorable State visit."

"As Amir, he welcomed several hundreds of thousands of Indian to Kuwait. We cherish his special liking for Indians and the special care he took for Indians here," he said.

Over one million Indians live in Kuwait, making them the largest expatriate community in the West Asian country.

The envoy said, "With his passing away, the Indian Community in Kuwait has also lost a benevolent leader who showered special care and affection on them. Indians today are loved and respected in this country."

The Indian flag was at half-mast at the Indian mission in Kuwait, with Indian diplomats and officials marking two minutes of silence in his honour at 11 am (local time).

The Indian President and Prime Minister had also sent condolence messages on the demise of Kuwaiti leader.

PM Modi in his message had said, "His highness played a leading role in strengthening our bilateral relations, and always took special care of the Indian community in Kuwait".

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had visited the Kuwaiti Embassy in New Delhi to sign the condolence book.
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We spoke to concerned authorities of fishery dept, claims will be preferred most likely by fishermen societies: MV Shankar, DG of Shipping-ANI

#6:15PM

Roorkee(Uttarakhand): A hospital worker broke a crying 3-day-old baby's leg in ICU(28.1.2017);Case registered based on CCTV footage;Probe on. -ANIA

#6:14PM

Rajya Sabha adjourned till tomorrow, 11 AM.-ANI

#5:25PM

I will also be talking with External Affairs, and understand how we can take a call on this issue: Commerce Min Nirmala Sitharaman -ANI

#5:25PM

There is going to be an impact.Will hold meeting wth NASSCOM whn Parl is over,with industries which hv significant presence in US:Sitharaman-ANI

#5:25PM

Closely monitoring developments. Together with MEA, we're in touch with the embassy in US: Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on H1B visa-ANI

#5:14PM

CBI conducts searches at 12 places in Delhi, Surat,Saharsa & Chennai in a DA case against Income Tax Commissioner(Appeals)Haribans Chaudhary-ANI

#4:53PM

JBT scam: Delhi High Court grants 3 weeks parole to former CM of Haryana, OP Chautala on health grounds.-ANI

#4:46PM

Shareholders of Tata Sons Ltd passed with requisite majority a resolution to remove Cyrus Mistry as the Director-ANI

#4:46PM

Tata Sons shareholders remove Cyrus P Mistry as a director-ANI

#4:38PM

Top tech companies file legal brief against Trump travel ban: AFP

#4:17PM

NGT terms glass-coated manja 'highly dangerous';Gives 4 days to Counsel of Gujarat & manjha-makers for filing response;Next hearing on 16 Feb.-PTI

#4:10PM



Massive fire in Mundka area of West Delhi, 27 fire tenders rushed to spot.-ANIA

#3:59PM

Sahara Case: Sahara admitted before SC that it had to pay Rs 14,000 cr as principal money to SEBI and that it had already paid Rs 11,000 cr.-ANI

#3:52PM

Uttarakhand-Haridwar SDM Manish Kumar issues notice to CM Harish Rawat&Legislator Yatishwarand fr violating model code of conduct in Pathari-ANI

#3:45PM

Sahara case-SC asks Sahara to furnish a list of properties that were free frm litigation&mortgage so that it can be put into public auction.-ANI

#3:45PM

We were briefing Sasikala on daily basis and also the government officials: Dr. Babu on Jayalalithaa's death-ANI

#3:40PM

Telangana: ACB raids 5 places in Hyderabad in connection disproportionate assets of Kothagudem Motor Vehicle Inspector Ghouse Pasha-ANI

#3:35PM

These matters needed to be clarified after an appropriate period of initial mourning: Dr Richard Beale Jayalalithaa's death-ANI

#3:30PM

We don't have CCTVs in patients' room, even if it were to exist we would never release it: Dr Richard Beale Jayalalithaa-ANI

#3:25PM

These matters needed to be clarified after an appropriate period of initial mourning: Dr Richard Beale on Jayalalithaa's death

#3:25PM

We don't have CCTVs in patients' room, even if it were to exist we would never release it: Dr Richard Beale on Jayalalithaa

#3:13PM

Alastair Cook steps down from his role after 59 tests as England Test captain

#3:02PM

10 Non Banking Financial Companies (NBFC) surrender their Certificate of Registration to RBI

#3:02PM

Delhi: Fire breaks out at a factory in Mundka gali no. 2; 22 fire tenders at the spot; More details awaited.

#2:53PM

AIU intercepted 1 passenger at Mumbai Airport & recovered 2 black colour coated pure gold in form of cylindrical objects worth Rs 31,68,780.



#2:49PM

At the beginning, when she was unwell, she wasn't able to interact. Later, situation improved she was aware &able to interact more: Dr Beale



#2:49PM

Not a normal practice to photograph patient &publish private details. It is an intrusion into her privacy: Dr.Richard Beale on Jayalalithaa



#2:47PM

Next hearing over plea against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in nepotism case on Feb 9, 2017.



#2:46PM

Tis Hazari Court pulls up Delhi Police over non-submission of relevant doc;Summons DCP(EoW)&PWD Secy over plea agnst CM in nepotism case.

#2:29 PM

59CRPF trainees of 205 CoBRA Bn going to Gaya for deployment went missing from Jammu-Sealdah Exp sans informing earlier today: CRPF sources - ANI

#2:19 PM

#Bihar: #Bomb blast took place on #railways track near Buxar station in Mughalsarai-Patna section.No harm reported. Enquiry ordered pic.twitter.com/h9opx1kHRQ a News Nation (@NewsNationTV) February 6, 2017

#2:05 PM

Person killed in firing outside Afghan consulate in Karachi, was a consular official. He was shot by a security guard: Pak Media - ANI

#2:00 PM

Allahabad HC asks UP govt & UP DGP to arrange adequate security arrangements for voting in Uttar Pradesh's Kairana - ANI

#1:44 PM

SC asks Centre to implement ban on furnace oil & pet coke within four weeks - PTI

#1:33 PM

SC asks EPCA, GNCTD, Haryana, Rajasthan & UP to prepare comprehensive plan to check pollution - PTI



#1:25 PM

NGT issues notice to Centre, others on plea seeking compensation to people affected by Chennai Oil Spill & seizure of vessels - ANI

#1:08 PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended Lok Sabha proceedings - ANIA

#1:02 PM

Rajya Sabha adjourned till 02:00 pm - ANI

#12:51 PM

DCW chief Swati Maliwal granted bail by Special Court after she appears in case of alleged irregularities in recruitment in women's panel - ANI

#12:48 PM

Supreme Court declined to entertain a petition challenging the Central Govt's move to promulgate the Enemy Property Act ordinance by an MP - ANI

#12:35 PM

China's Rocket Force holds exercise with advanced medium-range ballistic missile that could threaten a number countries, including India - PTI

#12:10 PM

Equal amount of penalty will be imposed on cash transactions above Rs 3 Lakh to stop such cash transactions: Sushil Chandra,CBDT ChairmanA - ANI

#11:52 AM

Afghan civilian casualties near 11,500 to hit record in 2016: UN - AFP

#11:50 AM

Srinagar-Jammu NH remains closed for traffic for 4th consecutive day after landslides at some places, Kashmir Valley receives fresh snow - PTI

#11:41 AM

WhatsApp and Facebook privacy matter- Supreme Court to hear the case on May 12- ANI

#11:37 AM

Chhattisgarh: One dead and four injured after a jeep fell into a gorge in Jashpur district - ANI

#11:31 AM

SC sets aside state High Court's order calling for a CBI probe in corruption case against former Arunachal Pradesh CM Nabam Tuki - ANI

#11:21 AM

Patiala House court adjourns hearing in coal block allocation matter to Feb 20 A (ANI) A

#11:04 AM

Sharda Chit Fund Scam Case: SC grants bail to Saradha scam accused Manoranjana Sinha (ANI)A

#10:54 AM

Delhi's Dalhousie Road has been renamed to Dara Shikoh Road: NDMC Chairman Naresh Kumar - ANI

#10:48 AM

J&K: Ceasefire violation by Pakistan along IB in Samba sector. Indian forces retaliating strongly- ANI

#10:42 AM

Delhi Police apprehended a juvenile in connection with murder of Srikrishan (gangster Manjeet Mahal's father) - ANI

#10:38 AM

TMC stages protest against government in front of Gandhi statue inside Parliament complex - ANI

#10:35 AM

Chhattisgarh-After road accident in Surguja district last night that claimed 5 lives, IAF helicopter evacuated 3 critically injured to Raipur - ANI

#10:12 AM

Most flights in Amritsar, Jammu, Srinagar and Leh are delayed by an hour or so due to unfavourable weather - ANI

#10:10 AM

Request political parties not to link it with votes. Govt will present its view when matter comes up before SC: Venkaiah Naidu on Triple Talaq- ANI

#10:08 AM

A Delhi-bound Air India flight coming from Bhopal has been diverted to Jaipur because the pilot was not trained to land in low visibility - ANI

#10:03 AM

BJP MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe to raise issue of violence against RSS and BJP workers in Kerala during Zero Hour of Rajya Sabha - ANI

#9:50 AM

Suspicious object found inside Red Fort; fire tenders have reached the spot - ANI

#8:45 AM

BJP delegation led by Venkaiah Naidu, Nirmala Sitharaman, MA Naqvi to meet Election Commissioner at 1 PM over UP election - ANI

#8:32 AM

Opposition parties to meet in Parliament to discuss the strategy. Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad has called the meeting of all opposition parties around 10 am - ANI

#8:22 AM

A school for old women in Fagne Village of Maharashtra's Thane, with 30 women between 55-90 years of age as students - ANIA

#8:00 AM

Dimapur Commissioner of Police Liremo Lotha and Deputy Commissioner of Police of zone-I Vilhousie Peseyie removed by govt: DGP Nagaland - ANI

#7:30 AM

President Trump under fire for saying he respects "killer" Putin - AFP

#7:01 AM

Two police personnel injured in cross-firingA in Nehru Place, 13 rounds of bullets fired

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(Natural News) Commentary

As violent protesters have begun to diminish for the time being in areas such as Portland, it is time to reflect upon exactly who is perpetrating the street violence in Portland and other places. Not only who these people are (well get to that in a moment), but what is the trigger that is inciting these people to violence?

(Article by John Mills republished from TheEpochTimes.com)

One key facilitator is intuitively obviousits the mask. Anonymity gives a sense of boldness to lash out and behave in aggressive ways. The original psychological study that established this proclivity was the famous (or infamous) Stanford study from 1971. This study in many ways established the social phenom of mirrored sunglasses, both as fashion chic and also their popular association with authoritarianism.

The takeaway from the study was that anonymity in many ways encourages behavior that most would not normally carry out. Updated studies in 2010 further validated the association of anonymity with aggressive and unkind acts, and, frankly, the beginnings of violent acts focused on self-gratification.

So, when some insisted the citizens mask up, the first flammable element was established for civil disorder. The order was to mask upand most everyone dutifully did. Some of the masks were of little medical value, but no one questioned thatanything was acceptable.

In a first in modern human history, an entire populace now faced each other, masked-up. This was the first step toward chaos on the American street. Some didnt realize the unintended consequences; some did and exploited this opportunity for the next step in manipulating society.

Grievance and Narcissism

The next combustible element put in the pile seemingly was George Floyds death. His death was sad and appeared initially to be solely police brutalityfacts will be presented, and this will be dealt with in a court of law, thats our process. However, violence, destruction, and chaos shortly spun out of control after May 25, 2020. It was far more than George Floyd. Many of the rioters were expressing sheer, unadulterated anger. But anger over what?

To get to the core of this anger, one must understand the driving tenets of the psychology of those masked purveyors. The rainstorm of gibberish they are spewing can be boiled down to two thingsgrievance and narcissism.

And where did they get this gibberish? This often idolized, but rarely understood character called Marx. Marx was a sloven, slothful, and sloppy scatterbrain who shook down rich friends for support while his family lived in abject poverty and filth. He thought big thoughts of grievance and narcissism while his family starved.

The essence of his thoughtits always someone elses fault (grievance), and they need to hand over their wealth to support me (narcissism).

Please read or re-read W. Cleon Skousens classic, The Naked Communist to understand this toxic and cancerous thought pattern. This is the same thought pattern that created the corrosive and destructive 1619 project that is an updated version of Marxs thoughts.

In conducting the forensics of our current social unrest, we have masks combined with grievance and narcissism. Now all the purveyors of hate and discontent need are the organization and structure to channel their hate and discontent.

School Teachers and Librarians as Social Justice Warriors

Having the organizational infrastructure in place, unionized K-12 teachers and staff are the perfect societal, organized group to take the combination of masks, grievance, and narcissism and operationalize it as the shock troops for taking down the American constitutional system. Rick Moran identified this in his 2017 piece, Dozens of public school teachers involved in Antifa. It was a clarion call that something was going on.

The arrest reports from around the country have shown a high number of those arrested are part of the K-12 education system. Often times, arrests from Portland have reflected numbers north of 50 percent. Andy Ngo and others have done an excellent job of documenting this connectionoften at great personal risk. The street thugs of Antifa and BLM seem to lose their bravery once the mask comes off and they are exposed.

Read more at: TheEpochTimes.com
Bhubaneswar: India on Saturday successfully test-fired indigenously developed hypersonic nuclear-capable Shaurya missile, an advanced version of Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) K-15 (B-05).

The test was carried out by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) from a defence facility off Odisha coast, said reports.

The 10-metre-long nuclear-capable Shaurya missile has a strike range of around 800 kilometres.

Capable of carrying a payload of up to one tonne, the missile is a land variant of K-15 SLBM (Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile) and can be stored in a composite canister, said sources.

The missile is less vulnerable to anti-ballistic missile defence systems due to its high manoeuvrability, added sources.

The test-flight of Shaurya missile comes just a couple of days after the country successfully test-fired an extended range version of surface-to-surface supersonic cruise missile BrahMos off Odisha coast. The missile was tested on September 30 from Chandipur Integrated Test Range (ITR) at 10.30 AM in Balasore district, nearly 250 km from here.

The extended version of BrahMos is capable of hitting targets at more than 400-km range. The airframe and booster of this missile has been developed indigenously. The missile can be launched from submarines, ships, aircrafts, as well as from land platforms.

BrahMos is regarded as the fastest supersonic cruise missile in the world. It is operational with Indian Army, Navy and Air Force.

The successful flight-test of Shaurya missile extended range version of surface-to-surface supersonic cruise missile BrahMos is seen by defence experts as major steps in enhancing the countrys indigenous contents.
Convicted killer Michael Stone claims he will take a lie detector test over the murders of a woman and her six-year-old daughter in 1996 as long as Milly Dowler's killer Levi Bellfield provides the DNA that he says would clear his name.

Stone, 60, was jailed for life following a retrial over the fatal battering of Lin Russell, 45, and her six-year-old daughter Meghan in Kent 14 years ago.

Meghan's sister Josie, then nine, survived the brutal attack, leaving her traumatised and unable to speak for a whole year.

Stone, who was jailed after a fellow prisoner claimed he confessed to the horrific crime while awaiting trial, has always denied responsibility.

His DNA was never found at the scene of the attack in Chillenden in 1996, and his lawyers now want samples from Bellfield, 52, to test against exhibits.

Writing to the Sunday Mirror, Stone complained: 'I want justice with the real murderer exposed. I'm condemned to life in prison because of a lie.'

Convicted killer Michael Stone (left) claims he will take a lie detector test over the murders of a woman and her six-year-old daughter in 1996 as long as Milly Dowler's killer Levi Bellfield (right) provides the DNA that he says would clear his name

The row between the two criminals, both held in HMP Frankland, Durham, blew up three years ago after Stone alleged that Bellfield's DNA would prove he killed doctor Lin, 45, and Megan, six, as they walked home from a swimming gala.

Stone's lawyers want tests on Lin's string bag containing six strips of torn towel found near the bodies, her right shoe lace, a hair found on her T-shirt, and two of four hairs found on Josie's shoes that were not linked to the victims.

Bellfield, who is serving a whole-life prison sentence for killing Milly Dowler, 13, Marsha McDonnell, 19, and Amelie Delagrange, 22, in south-west London between 2002 and 2004, denied the accusation.

He added that he would only give DNA if Stone took an advanced polygraph test  which Bellfield insists would prove his guilt.

Serial killer Bellfield's DNA is held at the national database. However, he is also protected under privacy laws, which means he does not have to give a sample.

Stone, 59, was jailed for life following a retrial over the fatal battering of Lin Russell, 45, and her six-year-old daughter Meghan (both pictured) in Kent 14 years ago

Stone told the Sunday Mirror: 'Levi Bellfield may well deny doing it but even he knows he is far from eliminated as a suspect. I would take him up on his challenge if he would provide a DNA sample. I am condemned to life in prison because one desperate liar claimed I confessed.'

Det Supt Paul Fotheringham of Kent Police said: 'Following two trials and an unsuccessful appeal, Michael Stone remains convicted of the murders of Lin and Megan and the attempted murder of Josie.

'Furthermore, (an) investigation was carried out by the Met into allegations concerning Levi Bellfield and concluded there is no evidence to support those claims.

'Since Stone's conviction, there have been allegations and statements set against what has already been disclosed and they have not provided information that changes the position of Kent Police.'

Stone is serving three life sentences over the Chillenden murders. He lost a retrial in 2001 and an appeal in 2005.
A Delhi court on Sunday sent former JNU student leader Umar Khalid to judicial custody for 14 days in a case related to the communal violence in north east Delhi in February and directed prison authorities to provide him adequate security. Metropolitan Magistrate Dev Saroha sent him to jail after he was produced before the judge on expiry of his police custody in the case related to riots in Khajuri Khas area.

The court directed the Jail Superintendent to provide adequate security to Khalid while taking proper precautions that no harm should be caused to him. It had earlier sent him to police custody for three days in the case.

Khalid was arrested under the stringent anti-terror law  Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act- in a separate case related a larger conspiracy in the north east Delhi riots. In application filed through his counsel advocate Trideep Pais, Khalid sought adequate security in prison so that he is not harmed by anyone in judicial custody.

In the plea, Pais sought that Khalid may be permitted to communicate with his family, friends and relatives in accordance with jail rules. Khalid also submitted that he has not signed any statements or documents during his police custody.

The application sought permission for two legal interviews a week with his counsel using video conferencing facility for at least 30 minutes on each occasion outside the audible range of prison officials. Khalid requested for headphones to maintain privacy of his conversation between him and his counsel and the facility to share screen on the Cisco Webex platform.

He sought permission to leave his cell early morning and be locked up at dusk in compliance with the Delhi prison rules, 2018, with adequate security arrangements and not to be confined to his cell for extended period of time. The application further said that he may be permitted to keep his spectacles while in judicial custody and obtain books and and reading material from outside, which were not limited to academic books.

The court directed the Jail Superintendent to provide the facilities sought in the application as per the Jail Manual. A case of rioting was registered at the Khajuri Khas Police Station in which 15 people, including suspended AAP Councillor Tahir Hussain, were arrested for their alleged role in the riots that occurred at about 2.15 pm on February 24 outside Hussain's house in Delhi's Chand Bagh area.

Khalid is in judicial custody till October 22 in the UAPA case. 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.
Unable to repay around 50,000 loan that they had taken from a few microfinance companies, a couple in Odisha by suicide Friday night after consuming insecticide, police said Saturday.

Police in coastal Balasore district said the bodies of Kashinath Roul and his wife Kanaklata Roul, both in their 50s, were found in their village Podadiha under Rupsa police station area of the district Saturday morning.

Jaleswar sub-divisional police officer Jalandhar Jali said Kashinath sold snacks in local trains, but had lost his livelihood after train services were suspended in view of Covid-19 pandemic, Finding no other option he took loans from some microfinance companies to start a new business. However, Kashinaths business plans could not take off due to some reasons. He spent the loan amount on his familys daily expenses, said Jali.

One of Kashinaths two sons, who lives separately in the village, alleged that a few days ago an agent of a microfinance company demanded repayment of the loan. When Kashinath expressed his inability to repay the loan, the agent scolded him and mockingly asked him to die if he could not repay his loan.

My father had taken loans from a few groups. They were harassing him as he was unable to clear the debts, said Balram Roul, Kashinaths son.

The other son lives in a different place. Police said they have lodged a case of unnatural death and awaiting the post-mortem report for further investigation.

In June this year, Union minister of state for MSME, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Pratap Sarangi had urged chief minister Naveen Patnaik to put in place firm guidelines to rein in the microfinance companies in Odisha who harass borrowers amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sarangi had alleged that microfinance companies in Odisha had unleashed a great deal of hardship on women borrowers, leading to social unrest, intimidation, violence and even suicides in some places.

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By PTI

KOLKATA: The Left and Congress will be organising state-wide protests on October 6 against the alleged gang rape of a Dalit woman in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras, besides incidents of rape and murder West Bengal.

A mega rally will be organised in Kolkata, while similar programmes will also be held in the other districts, according to a statement issued by Left Front Chairman Biman Bose and Leader of Opposition Abdul Mannan of the Congress.

The Kolkata rally will begin at Esplanade and go through the Park Street to end near the Lady Brabourne College, it said.

"Apart from the ghastly incident at Hathras in UP, we need to raise our voice against the rise in incidents of rape and murder of women in West Bengal," it said.

"The recent instances being the brutal rape and murder of women at Ghatal and Debra in Paschim Medinipur. The TMC government owe an explanation to the women of the state, to the people of the state about the rise in brutalities against women," it added.

Around 1,000 activists of the Left and the Congress on Saturday protested in Kolkata against the alleged gang rape in Hathras that has triggered a nationwide outrage.

The 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped at a village in Hathras by four men on September 14.

After her condition deteriorated, she was referred to the Delhi's Safdarjung hospital where she breathed her last on Tuesday.

She was cremated in the early hours of Wednesday, with her family alleging the local police forced them to conduct the last rites in the dead of the night.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 14:31:56|Editor: huaxia

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PANAMA CITY, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Cooperation with China could be a key factor to help make Panama a scientific "hub" for Latin America, said Jagannatha Rao, director of the Institute for Scientific Research and High Technology Services of Panama (INDICASAT-AIP).

Panama's position as a "hub" in the region could create connections with China, and that would turn the Central American country into an incubator for scientific training and knowledge transfer in Latin America, the specialist told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Thanks to joint work in the fields of technology and innovation, Rao said, INDICASAT-AIP and Chinese research institutions have forged an important relationship.

There is also a two-way channel for information sharing on scientific researches between Panama and China, according to Rao, who gave the visit of Bai Chunli, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, to Panama in 2018 as an example.

In October 2018, Bai attended the National Congress of Science and Technology in the capital of Panama City, an event sponsored by the Panamanian Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Secretariat of Science, Technology, and Innovation.

Rao said he values China's knowledge of and experience in the fight of COVID-19, adding that as the Asian country was the first to keep the pandemic under control, it has a better understanding of the disease, something that could help Latin America.

In addition to human capital training, the specialist sees many possibilities for cooperation with China through the establishment of a high-tech institution, such as the Panama Genomic Center, as well as the development of joint master's and doctoral programs.

The development of bilingual science and technology communication, in both English and Spanish, was important, the director said, noting that language would not be an obstacle for the cooperation between China and Latin America. Enditem
The Assam Police has said that a retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer who is one of the prime accused in the police job recruitment scam in Assam, is believed to be hiding in neighbouring Nepal, will be caught in a few days.

PK Dutta, who retired as a deputy inspector general (DIG), has been absconding since September 20, when the Assam government cancelled a written exam to recruit 597 sub-inspectors to the police force after the question paper was leaked and was circulated on social media.

Dutta and his son Ishan are suspected to have fled to Nepal by road after the scam came to light. The former police officers daughter is married to a Nepali citizen based in Kathmandu.

We can assure you Dutta will be nabbed within few days. Our investigation is on and he will be arrested whether he is in Nepal or anywhere else, GP Singh, additional director general of police (law and order), told journalists on Saturday.

Dutta along with ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Diban Deka are suspected to have fleeced many candidates for posts of sub inspectors by assuring them jobs in lieu of cash. Deka is alleged to have procured the question paper ahead of the written test.

Police investigation has revealed that a day ahead of the test on September 20, many candidates had taken a mock exam in a Guwahati hotel. Nearly 70 of these candidates were staying at one of the five hotels Dutta owns in Guwahati.

Police had issued a look out notice for both Dutta and Deka and alerted income tax department, enforcement directorate and department of revenue intelligence after unearthing many properties belonging to the police officer.

On September 30, Deka, who had unsuccessfully contested as a BJP candidate from Barkhetri assembly seat in 2011, was arrested by the police. The 43-year-old was expelled from the party after his arrest.

According to reports, an associate helped Dutta and his son reach Siliguri in West Bengal on September 23 where they spent a night in a hotel. It is speculated Duttas son-in-law helped the duo enter Nepal the next day.

An Assam Police team is reported to be in Nepal at present and trying to bring back Dutta. Senior police officials in Assam, however, remained tightlipped about Duttas whereabouts as it could impact investigation and his arrest.

Meanwhile, Deka, who was remanded to five days police custody after his arrest, has been kept at a high security lock up of the special branch in Guwahati following apprehension of threat to his life.

Prior to his arrest, the BJP leader in a Facebook post had admitted his association with the agency conducting the written exam for sub inspectors and added that he was absconding as there were threats to his life.

Till Saturday, crime branch and criminal investigation departments of Assam Police who are investigating the scam had arrested 32 people including those who lured candidates with promise of jobs as well as job applicants who were in touch with Dutta and Deka.

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Experts from India and Japan discussed ways in which the two countries can collaborate to strengthen healthcare for older people, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) said on Saturday.

A webinar on India-Japan Celebration of the International Day of Older Persons was organised to deliberate on this issue by the DST, jointly with the Embassy of India, Tokyo and the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI), Government of Japan to celebrate the International Day of Older Persons on October 1.

A B Dey, former professor, and head, Department of Geriatric Medicine, former dean (research) nodal officer, National Center for Ageing, AIIMS, New Delhi, suggested that expansion of initiatives like the National Program for Healthcare of the Elderly, Ayushman Bharat and implementation of WHOs long term care protocol (ICOPE) could help in strengthening healthcare for older people.

Ensuring peoples health also ensures national security, said Tatsuya Kondo, Chief Executive Officer of Medical Excellence JAPAN (MEJ), Advisor on Health and Medical Strategy for the Cabinet Secretariat of the Government of Japan. He highlighted the scope of re-imagining ageing through education and re-training of the elderly and stressed on strengthening bilateral relations towards achieving universal healthcare by working together.

Sanjeev Varshney, Head, International Cooperation, DST, said dividing the entire work in two aspects, namely research aspect and demonstration and application aspect, should be the way forward for India and Japan to strengthen their bilateral relations for realising Medical Excellence India (ME-India).

Usha Dixit, Counsellor (Science and Technology), Embassy of India, Tokyo, said a collaborative model will provide an opportunity to explore new directions in research on population ageing as well as the need to design and develop S&T interventions for providing comprehensive health services to elderly at all levels.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.)

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Students walk through the University of CaliforniaIrvine campus in Irvine, Calif., on Sept. 25, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

UC Irvine Students Move Into On-Campus Housing for Virtual Fall Term

Students attending the University of CaliforniaIrvine (UC Irvine) have moved into campus dormitories for the school year despite no in-person classes.

The fall quarter, which will be held entirely online, began Oct. 1.

UC Irvine will require students to undergo weekly tests for COVID-19 and sequester for seven days in small clusters before mixing with other students, a university representative told The Epoch Times.

Nearly 7,500 students are expected to live in the universitys on-campus housing during the termabout half of its 16,000 student capacity.

Tom Vasich, UC Irvines director of media relations, told The Epoch Times via email that there were 4,142 students living in campus dormitories prior to the wave of latest move-ins. The universitys scheduled move-in week began on Sept. 25 and concluded Sept. 29.

Vasich said the university wont add any more students to on-campus housing after this round. Vacant units will be used for student isolation space.

Although there are no in-person classes this quarter, allowing students to live on campus helps those who dont have stable internet access at home, others who live with high-risk family members, and young adults from the foster care system.

Testing Students for COVID-19

The university has set up a phased approach for students currently living on campus and for those who are about to move in, to help protect against the spread of COVID-19.

All students living on campus are required to be tested weekly for the disease.

The nasal tests will be administered by the university at no cost to students. The tests will take place in outdoor tents on the universitys campus.

Each student will be required to walk up to the tent, where an instructor will demonstrate how to properly use the nasal swab to obtain a proper sample. The student will then self-administer the test and place the swab inside a bag for processing.

The process takes approximately six minutes. Students will receive the results in approximately 48 hours.

A student crosses a walkway on the UC Irvine campus in Irvine, Calif., on Sept. 25, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

New Arrivals Required to Sequester

After new students move into campus housing, theyre required to self-sequester for at least seven days.

During the student move in, the campus has created student-housing Zot Pods, according to a statement provided by the university. Theyre clusters of six to 10 students who are allowed to quarantine together after being tested for COVID-19 upon arrival.

The students may eat and socialize with only each other until Oct. 6, when interactions can be expanded to other residents.

The small factions allow for a sense of college normalcy while limiting the spread of the coronavirus and aiding potential contact tracing, the statement says.

University guidelines for students during sequestration include a ban on in-person gatherings of any kind, limited essential activities outside of an assigned residence, and daily symptom checks.

Students who dont follow the guidelines will be subject to a conduct-review process. The review investigates four levels of noncompliance, depending on the severity and frequency of the offenses, according to the university.

Potential consequences include disciplinary probation, loss of privileges, suspension, and even dismissalif a student commits an act that blatantly threatens the health of the community, such as hosting a large party.

Concerns Over Arriving Students

Orange County officials have expressed concerns with students arriving on campus, citing a recent outbreak at San Diego State University (SDSU) following the return of students to that campus.

Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett said she was concerned that the university could increase Orange Countys case count in the same manner that the San Diego State outbreak raised San Diego Countys case count.

Youre getting students from other counties, other states, and other countries, Bartlett said, adding that San Diego barely held on to the red tier after its influx of students.

Even with a robust testing program, we saw firsthand what happened at San Diego State. I would hate to replicate that here in Orange County, she said.

But Vasich told The Epoch Times that the circumstances in Orange County today are very different than they were in San Diego six weeks ago when SDSU started school, so there is no way to make any comparisons.

He declined to speculate on the possibility of an outbreak on the UC Irvine campus.

Dr. Matthew Zahn, medical director of the countys communicable disease control division, said on Sept. 24 that Orange County is working closely with the university to help protect against an outbreak similar to what happened at San Diego State.

A significant issue associated with [what happened in San Diego] was off-campus housing and transmission of the virus. We have been talking with UC Irvine and other colleges and universities not only about classroom sites and whats appropriate, but dorm facilities and off-campus housing, Zahn said.

We know UC Irvine is planning to do regular testing of staff and students.  UC Irvine and other colleges are taking measures that are appropriate with social distancing, and measures to identify people who are sick.

Dr. Clayton Chau, the Orange County Health Care Agency director and the county health officer, approved of the universitys efforts.

It looks like [UC Irvine] is one of the strictest UC campus, which is good for us, Chau said. They have a great testing protocol and contact tracing system.

The UC Irvine fall quarter ends Dec. 18. The winter quarter is scheduled to begin Jan. 4, 2021.
One of the subjects of a classic book on a West Side Chicago Housing Authority complex regrets that he sold heroin and plans to use his time in prison to reflect on his lifeand take college courses, the book's author said today.

Pharoah Walton, 34, was 7 years old when Alex Kotlowitz met him and his older brother Lafayette, and Kotlowitz began the reporting that led to the book "There Are No Children Here," about the Henry Horner Homes, a now-demolished public housing complex on the West Side. The book was later made into a TV movie starring Oprah Winfrey.

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In May, Walton was sentenced to 45 months in prison for his part in a heroin-delivery case that also involved another brother, Raydale Mitchell, who last week was sentenced to 14 years in prison in the case, according to the U.S. attorney's office in Madison, Wis. Walton began serving his sentence last week, Kotlowitz said. He's in prison in Elkton, Ohio, according to federal records.

After Walton pleaded guilty to the drug charge March 1, Kotlowitz wrote a letter on his behalf to the judge in the case, noting that Walton lived with Kotlowitz's family from age 12 until he graduated from high school. In the letter, Kotlowitz says Walton is "like a son to me" and asks the judge to "acknowledge the trials he has faced, and the potential he possesses."

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Kotlowitz said today he's glad Walton "did the right thing" and pleaded guilty, adding that Walton knows "What he did was wrong, and he knows how I feel about it."

"He's deeply attached to our two children, and considers them brother and sister," Kotlowitz said in his letter. "He knows how much he's let themand usdown. He knows how much he's let himself down."

Prosecutors say officers from a Madison-area drug and gang task force arrested Walton Feb. 24, 2010, in the parking lot of a business on Madison's east side after he delivered almost 100 grams of heroin. When they arrested him, officers found $10,000 in cash that Walton had received for the heroin, which prosecutors said Mitchell had gotten Walton to deliver.

Walton previously spent time in Illinois prison on a drug charge, and was paroled in 2010.

Walton has been in federal custody for several months, and has been taking the time to read and start writing again, Kotlowitz said. Although the prison where Walton is being held has dormitory-style housing and he won't have much privacy, Walton hopes to continue with his writing there, Kotlowitz said.

Walton "is truly remorseful for what took placehe's had time for some reflection," and hopes to work on college courses while in prison, Kotlowitz said today. Walton attended Southern Illinois University, but that's where "he began to drift," Kotlowitz said in his letter to U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Crabb.

Kotlowitz said he is optimistic about Walton's chances, especially after seeing, in his work on the movie "The Interrrupters," about former gang members involved with the anti-violence group CeaseFire, that with the right help some convicts can change their attitudesand their lives.

"He plans to do what he can to use the time to move forward," Kotlowitz said.

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After prison, Walton will spend three years under supervised release.

lford@tribune.com

Twitter: @ltaford
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-05 03:07:40|Editor: huaxia

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ALGIERS, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Algeria on Sunday reported 141 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the tally of the infections to 52,136 in the country, the Ministry of Health said.

The ministry also announced four new fatalities from coronavirus, raising the death toll in the North African country to 1,760.

Meanwhile, 96 more patients were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recoveries to 36,578.

Mohamed Yousfi, a member of Algerian scientific committee in charge of the progress of COVID-19, said to local media that all staff of medical sectors have not enjoyed regular rest since the outbreak of COVID-19.

He suggested that medical sectors could resume normal schedules when the epidemic is under control.

Algeria, which reported its first COVID-19 case on Feb. 25, has been resuming economic and commercial activities since June 7 as part of its efforts to return to normal life.

China and Algeria have offered mutual help in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

In early February, Algeria sent medical donations to help China combat the coronavirus. China sent two batches of medical aid to Algeria on March 27 and April 15 respectively.

A Chinese medical team arrived in Algeria on May 14 for a 15-day mission to help fight the coronavirus by sharing China's experience in curbing the spread of the contagious disease. Enditem
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- This Sunday I pray for the full recovery of President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania, all those with Covid-19 and the over 200,000 U.S. families who have lost loved ones to the pandemic.

President Trumps diagnosis has been dubbed this elections October Surprise and described as shocking news. It should be neither a surprise or shocking given the number of Covid-19 cases in the United States and President Trumps previously routine dismissive attitude toward the disease and wearing masks to help prevent its spread and contracting it.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/doctors-say-trump-steroid-therapy-health-improving-after-brief-episodes-n1242057

WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump's medical team said Sunday in a press conference that Trump's conditions were improving after multiple "episodes" over the weekend and after he was placed on a steroid therapy typically used with more severe Covid-19 cases.

"Since we spoke last, the president has continued to improve. As with any illness, there are frequent ups and downs over the course particularly when a patient is being so closely watched," said Dr. Sean Conley, a White House physician, adding that the president could be discharged from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center as soon as Monday.

Trump's doctors said that the president was on dexamethasone, the steroid used for the sickest Covid-19 patients. The medical team said the president took his first dose of the drug on Saturday and would remain on it for the "time being."

Conley said that Trump had a high fever late Friday morning and was administered supplemental oxygen for about an hour while at the White House. Later that day, Conley said, Trump appeared to be improving but doctors still felt the best course of action was to move the president to Walter Reed. Trump has remained without a fever since Friday morning and his vital signs are stable, according to the president's doctors.

Conley said that the presidents oxygen levels dipped for a second time Saturday, but it was unclear if Trump was again administered oxygen. When pressed by reporters, Conley said "Id have to check with the nursing staff." Conley and other members of the president's medical team also dodged questions about what they found on Trumps lung scans.

Dexamethasone works by reducing inflammation in and around the lungs, which can make it difficult to get enough oxygen into the blood. The treatment is not recommended for mild illness because, in some cases, it can make the infection worse by helping the virus replicate. The NIH recommends against using the steroid for patients who don't require supplemental oxygen.
New Delhi: Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan on Sunday (October 4, 2020) said that the central government is planning to receive and utilize 400-500 mllion COVID-19 vaccine doses which will cover around 20-25 crore people by July 2021.

Harsh Vardhan announced this while responding to questions posed by his social media interactors in the fourth episode of his 'Sunday Samvaad'.

He said that the Health Ministry is currently preparing a format in which States will submit lists of priority population groups to receive the vaccine, especially health workers engaged in the management of COVID-19. The list of frontline health workers will include both government as well as private-sector doctors, nurses, paramedics, sanitary staff, ASHA workers, surveillance officers and many other occupational categories who are involved in tracing, testing and treatment of patients.

The Minister informed that this exercise is targeted to be completed by the end of this October and the States are being closely guided to also submit details about cold chain facilities and other related infrastructure which will be required down to the block level.

"The Centre is also working on plans for building capacities in HR, training, supervision etc on a massive scale and roughly estimates to receive and utilise 400-500 million doses covering approximately 20-25 crore people by July 2021," stated the Union Health Minister.

#SundaySamvaad States given time upto end-Oct to submit lists of priority population groups for receiving #COVID19 vaccine, where priority shall be given to health workers. We expect to receive & utilise 400-500 million doses & cover approx 20-25 crore people by July 2021. pic.twitter.com/po5Q4YyyDR  Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) October 4, 2020

He further informed that the Government is also keeping an eye on immunity data with regard to COVID-19 disease while finalizing these plans.

He stated that there is a high-level committee under the chairmanship of Niti Aayog Member (Health) VK Paul which is drawing up the entire process. Vaccine procurement is being done centrally and each consignment will be tracked real-time until delivery to ensure it reaches those who need it most.

He added that these Committees are working on understanding the timelines of availability of various vaccines in the country, obtaining commitments from vaccine manufacturers to make the available maximum number of doses for India inventory & supply chain management and also on prioritisation of high-risk groups.

"This is work in progress which will be completed by the time the vaccines are ready to ensure the swift roll-out of the immunisation program," said Vardhan.

"Vaccines will be distributed as per pre-decided priority and in a programmed manner. To ensure transparency and accountability, details of the entire process will be shared in the coming months," he added.

He stressed the need to prioritize health care workers and adults or those who have underlying health conditions.

Answering similar questions, he said that it is not possible to comment on the superiority of one vaccine over the other although he would ensure that even if we have multiple vaccines available, they will all be safe and will elicit the requisite immune response against novel coronavirus.

He said that all vaccines that have proven to be safe, immunogenic and efficacious in clinical trials outside India need to undergo bridging studies to prove their safety and immunogenicity in the Indian population as well although these studies can be conducted with much smaller sample size and end quickly.

While tackling a question on the level playing field for various clinical trials, Harsh Vardhan shared that all proposed clinical trials in India are designed using set principles and are stringently reviewed by the Subject Expert Committee set up by the Drug Controller General of India.

Recently, the DCGI has also formulated draft guidelines on regulatory requirements for licensure of COVID-19 vaccines in India.

On a question regarding Phase 3 Clinical Trial of Russias 'Sputnik-V' vaccine in India, Vardhan clarified that the matter is still under consideration, and no decision has been taken as yet on the Phase 3 trials.

Stating that adverse events developing after vaccination are common, Harsh Vardhan said that adverse events after vaccination include local reactions such as pain at the injection site, mild fever and redness, anxiety-related such as palpitations, syncope or fainting and that these events are transient, self-limiting and do not affect the protective response of the vaccine.

He also detailed on the ethical concerns of Human Challenge Experiments and said, "India is not planning to venture into such trials until the method is proven to have an established benefit as per global experience. India has robust processes in place to ensure the vaccines that successfully complete the clinical trials are safe and effective against the novel coronavirus."

"When conducted, human challenge studies should be undertaken with abundant forethought, caution, and oversight. The value of the information to be gained should clearly justify the risks to human subjects," he added.

Sharing his views on single-dose vs double-dose vaccines, the Minister accepted that for quick control of a pandemic, it is desirable to have a single-dose vaccine. However, it is often difficult to achieve desired levels of immune protection using a single dose. He added, two-dose vaccines are suitable for attaining the desired immunogenicity as the first dose gives some immune protection, and the second dose augments it further.

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At the same time as the Stalinist bureaucrats were transforming themselves into capitalist oligarchs, the former Labor and Social-Democratic Parties of Europe and Australia were ditching their formal allegiance to socialism, becoming the vehicle for sharp attacks on living conditions and social programs. Bourgeois nationalist parties that had once been nominally identified, in one way or another, with socialism or national reformsuch as the Congress Party of Indiabegan to actively collaborate with global finance capital in imposing austerity measures and privatizing state industry.

The degeneration of the trade union bureaucracies, including the AFL-CIO in the United States, was one example of this international process. While many of the unions that made up the AFL-CIO had been formed in mass struggles that had led to real gains for the working class, the unions accepted the political hegemony of the Democratic Party and the profit system. During the ascendancy of American capitalism, the unions were still able to increase the living standards of their members on the basis of a policy of national reform. However, under the impact of globalization and the deepening crisis of American capitalism, this perspective became unviable. The policy of the trade unions assumed an ever-more openly corporatist character. Even the semblance of independence from corporate interests was abandoned. Throughout the 1980s, the AFL-CIO in the US had worked systematically to isolate and defeat strike after strike. The bureaucracy increasingly separated the sources of its own income from that of the workers it was supposedly representing. In this process, the bureaucracy assumed a social identity distinct from and hostile to the working class. Ritualistic references to the unions as working-class organizations, which failed to take notice of the changing social nature of its ruling apparatus, became increasingly hollow. In reality, the unions were not workers organizations but organizations controlled by, and serving the interests of, a distinct petty-bourgeois constituency, alienated from and deeply hostile to the working class.

The 1993 Workers League perspectives document, The Globalization of Capitalist Production and the International Tasks of the Working Class, explained:

The basic orientation of the old labor organizationsthe protection of national industry and the national labor marketis undermined by globally integrated production and the unprecedented mobility of capital. The role of these bureaucratic apparatuses in every country has been transformed from pressuring the employers and the state for concessions to the workers, to pressuring the workers for concessions to the employers so as to attract capital.[ 1 ]

On the basis of an historical analysis of the role of the trade unions and their recent development, the Workers League concluded:

The Workers League rejects tactical opportunism and trade union fetishism and does not counterpoise to the betrayals of the AFL-CIO bureaucracy a syndicalist perspective. It addresses itself first and foremost to the advanced, vanguard elements of the working class and seeks to educate as Marxists a new generation of workers, who have largely been cut off from the traditions of Marxism. Therefore it insists on explaining directly and bluntly to the working class the political character of its old organizations and the social forces which they represent. The Workers League does not ignore the unions or the workers in them. We do not hold the workers responsible for the reactionary character of the organizations within which they are trapped. Wherever it is possible, the party intervenes in these unions (as it would even in fascist-controlled unions) with the aim of mobilizing the workers on the basis of a revolutionary program. But the essential premise for revolutionary activity inside these organizations is theoretical clarity on the character of the AFL-CIO (and its associated unions) and brutal honesty in explaining the unpleasant facts to the workers. The Workers League rejects entirely the idea that the AFL-CIO, as the organizational expression of the interests of the labor bureaucracy, can be captured and turned into an instrument of revolutionary struggle...[ 2 ]

The Workers League withdrew its demand for a labor party based on the trade unions. This tactical demand had been appropriate during a period when the unions had the support of masses of workers, and still functioned, if only in a limited way, as defensive organizations of the working class. This was no longer the case by the 1990s.
Published on 2020/10/04 | Source

The coronavirus epidemic, accompanying depression and more time spent with their partners, have sent many men to their urologists in search of a cure for erectile dysfunction and low libido.

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At one urology clinic in Songpa in southern Seoul, patients increased between 20 to 30 percent compared to pre-coronavirus days. Operations for erectile dysfunction have risen from two to three a month to two to three a week.

"I can't say this applies to all urology clinics, but it looks like many clinics have seen the number of patient increase or more Viagras prescribed since the epidemic started", a urologist said.

One pharmaceutical company says sales of its generic Viagra have increased around 10 percent on-year in the first eight months of this year.

Experts attribute the trend to growing fears among men of losing their virility, especially when their financial capabilities are being challenged. Urologist Park Kyung-shik said, "A primordial way of affirming one's existence in tough times is sex, so a lot of men seem to be turning to urologists and drugs for help".

One 47-year-old man in Seoul recently visited a urology clinic for the first time in his life, seeking help with erectile dysfunction. When the problem started around two years ago, he did not pay much attention. But his thoughts changed after the epidemic started.

"My business is faring poorly due to the pandemic and I felt depressed by the fact that I was also having problems with my sex life", he said.
LJP decides 'not to contest Bihar polls under Nitish Kumar'; wants tie-up with BJP only

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Oct 04: The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) on Sunday virtually walked out of the National Democratic Alliance in Bihar ahead of the state assembly polls, saying that it will not fight the election under JD(U) president and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar''s leadership of the ruling alliance in the state.

An LJP parliamentary board meeting chaired by its president Chirag Paswan instead passed a resolution in favour of an alliance with the BJP and said its MLAs will work to strengthen the hand of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The BJP has already announced that the NDA will fight the polls under the leadership of Nitish Kumar.

As such, the LJP resolution makes the party''s break up with the NDA in the state inevitable.

While making its resentment with the JD(U) president Kumar clear, the LJP also went to great lengths to highlight its strong ties with the BJP, asserting in a statement that it wants the saffron party to head the future government in the state and its MLAs will work towards this goal.

Mukesh Sahni-led VIP to contest all 243 seats in Bihar polls

LJP president Chirag Paswan chaired the party's parliamentary board meeting in which a decision was taken to not fight the assembly election, which begins from October 28 in three phases, under Kumar's leadership of the NDA in the state.

"Due to ideological differences with the JD(U), a member of the alliance at the national level and in the assembly polls, the Lok Janshakti Party has decided to fight the elections in Bihar separately from the alliance," a party statement said.

"We will triumph," was the brief comment of Chirag Paswan as he sported a victory sign after the meeting.

However, the LJP is likely to continue as the member of the NDA at the Centre as of now, more so as its patron and the only member in the Modi government, Ram Vilas Paswan, has undergone a heart surgery in the national capital and will remain hospitalised for a few weeks.

The BJP's relations with the regional party have remained cordial, and the LJP has maintained that it will not contest against candidates of the saffron party.

The LJP also said that it has no "bitterness" with the BJP and has often lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.

However, the LJP's decision has thrown open new possibilities in the Bihar polls as the party may end up damaging the JD(U)'s prospects at several seats.

The opposition alliance of the RJD, Congress and the Left may receive a boost with the development.

The LJP meeting also passed a resolution in favour of an alliance with the BJP, and said its MLAs will work to strengthen the hand of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The party said it was keen to execute the "Bihar first Bihari first" vision documents it had prepared following interactions with lakhs of people from the state but an agreement on this could not be reached in the alliance.

"We have a strong alliance with the BJP in Lok Sabha," it added. The LJP has said that it will contest on 143 seats in the election to the 243-seat assembly.

The ties between the JD(U) and the LJP had long been worsening over a number of issues.

The JD(U) was also not keen to part with as many seats as the LJP believed was its due in the assembly polls, and Chirag Paswan's constant attack on the Nitish Kumar government in the state soured their ties. The JD(U) had refused to engage in any talks with the LJP, saying that Paswan's party's alliance was with the BJP and not with it.

Though the BJP was more accommodative of the LJP's concerns, sources in the regional party said, but the JD(U) believed that it overestimated its strength.

The LJP primarily draws its vote bank in the state from a section of Dalits and also has several 'upper' caste leaders in its ranks who command influence in certain pockets.

Chirag Paswan had met BJP president J P Nadda a few times of late and also spoke to senior BJP leader and Home Minister Amit Shah over the alliance issues.

The Bihar assembly polls will be held in three phases on October 28, November 3 and November 7, and the counting of votes will take place on November 10.

The nomination process for the first phase, under which 71 of the total 243 seats will go to polls, began from October 1 and will end on October 8. In 2015, the LJP had contested 42 seats and won two.

The JD(U) was then part of the opposition alliance which decisively defeated the NDA.
HELSINKI (AP)  The United States and Russia will hold a round of nuclear arms control talks in the Finland's capital, Helsinki, on Monday to follow up on negotiations in Austria this summer, the Finnish presidents office said.

The round of discussions on strategic stability and nuclear weapons between the United States and Russia, which began in Vienna in the summer, will continue in Helsinki on Monday, the office of the Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said in a brief statement late Sunday.

The office said nuclear arms negotiators from Washington and Moscow met a previous time in Finland in 2017.

Finland welcomes the negotiators, this time (U.S.) Ambassador (Marshall) Billingslea and (Russian) Deputy Foreign Minister (Sergei) Ryabkov, the statement said, adding that Niinisto would meet both representatives after the talks.

The talks are aimed at producing a new agreement to replace the New START treaty that expires in February  the last remaining pact constraining the arsenals of the worlds two major nuclear powers.

According to Russian news agency TASS, the previous round of consultations between Billingslea and Ryabkov were held in Vienna on Aug. 17-18.
He's brought to life countless fictional killers in his American Horror Story anthology series, not to mention real-life murderer Andrew Cunanan in another acclaimed show.

And for his next project, television wunderkind Ryan Murphy will be co-producing a limited series about Jeffrey Dahmer, a convicted serial killer who was responsible for the heinous deaths of 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991.

Deadline reports that Netflix has greenlit Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story - a limited series co-created by Murphy, 54, and his longtime collaborator Ian Brennan - as the next project in their high-profile deal with the streaming giant.

For his next project: Television wunderkind Ryan Murphy will be co-producing a limited series about notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. He's seen at the 2019 Emmy Awards above

The series is still searching for the right actor to portray the infamous murderer, who was sentenced to 15 consecutive life sentences in 1992 for murders that involved rape, necrophilia, cannibalism and other horrors.

Dahmer was subsequently beaten to death in prison two years after his sentencing, at the age of 34.

Oscar nominee Richard Jenkins is already attached to costar as Dahmer's father Lionel.

Deadline reports that Murphy's depiction of Dahmer will mainly focus on his victims, who were primarily people of color, as well as the nearly dozen times in which the Milwaukee, Wisconsin native was almost apprehended but managed to get away due to white privilege, police incompetence and general apathy.

Monster: The infamous murderer was sentenced to 15 consecutive life sentences in 1992 for 17 murders that involved rape, necrophilia, cannibalism and other horrors; seen in August 1991

Murphy and fellow producers are also in the midst of casting an actress for the lead female role of Glenda Cleveland, a black neighbor living next to Dahmer who repeatedly attempted to alert law enforcement of her suspicions about the man  to no avail.

Cleveland, who died in 2011, had been quoted in later interviews as saying she believed her race was part of the reason why police did not take her pleas seriously.

Five of Dahmers 17 murders came AFTER Cleveland notified police  and even the FBI  as to what she called his erratic behavior.

Horrific story: Murphy's depiction of Dahmer will mainly focus on his victims, who were primarily persons of color, as well as the nearly dozen times in which he was almost apprehended but managed to get away due to white privilege or police incompetence

Jeffery Dahmer's life and crimes have been fodder for numerous previous filmic incarnations, most recently in the 2017 oddball high school-set indie My Friend Dahmer.

The murderer has also been played by actors Jeremy Renner and Carl Crew, in sensationalized biopics Dahmer in 2002 and 1993's The Secret Life: Jeffrey Dahmer, respectively.

An updated, culturally relevant look at this story makes sense for Murphy, especially considering his body of work  real-life murders have often figured as the centerpiece to his series, as seen in the first two installments of his anthology series American Crime Story.

Crime story mastermind: An updated, culturally relevant look at this story makes sense for Murphy, especially considering his body of work

Chilling: Real-life murders have often figured as the centerpiece to Murphy's series, as seen in the first two installments of his anthology series American Crime Story; Darren Criss seen in The Assassination of Gianni Versace, American Crime Story in 2018

Both the first season, titled The People Vs. OJ Simpson, as well as the following season's The Assassination of Gianni Versace, won multiple awards including several Primetime Emmys.

Dark subject matter is definitely one of the super-producer's strong suits, whether it be his still-going-strong American Horror Story, which has been renewed through its 13th season in 2023, or his most recent successful Netflix show Ratched.

That series focuses on the origins of one of fiction's notoriously evil characters, Nurse Ratched from the Oscar-winning film One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (as well as the novel and play upon which it was originally based).

Dark subject matter is definitely one of the super-producer's strong suits: As seen in his most recent successful Netflix show Ratched; Sarah Paulson seen in that show

The Pose creator is also a master with lighter fare, as seen with some of his other material made for Netflix, such as The Politician.

Murphy's most recent entry on the streamer as producer was for the remake of The Boys In The Band, which dropped this week.

Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story will be a 10-episode period series that will span the 1960s, 70s and 80s, ending with Dahmer's arrest in the early 90s.

Production on the limited series is set to begin in January.
The Japanese fashion designer who founded Kenzo has died from coronavirus today in a hospital near Paris.

Kenzo Takada, 81, died at the American hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a spokesman for the fashion star confirmed.

The self-made Japanese and French designer is known worldwide under his first name Kenzo, which he shared with his fashion brand famed for colourful and eccentric designs.

His death comes just four days after the brand showed its spring/summer 2021 collection at Paris Fashion Week.

Despite leaving the brand in 1999 to enjoy a 'permanent holiday' of a retirement Kenzo was still involved in maintaining the brand's seamless mix of traditional Japanese fashion and modern western style that it is famed for.

Kenzo Takada, 81, died from coronavirus in a hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, today

The Japanese-French designer is known worldwide under his first name Kenzo and his fashion brand is famed for its colourful and quirky designs

Kenzo, who was born on February 27, 1939, in Himeji, Japan, to hoteliers, developed his love for fashion at a young age while reading his sisters' magazines.

After becoming one of the first male students to study at Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo he travelled to Paris for the first time in 1965 at the age of 26 to become a freelance designer.

He had only intended to stay in Paris for a few months before returning to Japan, but became determined to create a brand for himself as a designer.

Five years later, in the spring of 1970, Kenso used just $200 worth of fabric to create his first fashion collection which was mostly cotton to keep costs down.

The same year he took over a Paris boutique and had his clothing featured on the front cover of Elle magazine.

A spokesman for the fashion star, who was 81, confirmed the sad news, according to RT

Kenzo opened his flagship store, Kenzo, in the Place des Victoires in October 1976. Pictured: A Kenzo catwalk at his autumn/winter 1986-1987 show

As his fashion brand began to steadily grow as more and more people were exposed to it, Kenzo also delved into the perfume world. Pictured: Kenzo's spring/summer 2019 fashion show

Kenzo releases butterflies during the birthday cake illumintion during the Kenzo Takada Birthday Party as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2019/2020

Japanese fashion designer Kenzo salutes the audience at the end of his's ready-to-wear autumn/winter 1998/99

Two fashion models wear a haute couture dress and a matador's bullfighting uniform by Japanese fashion designer Kenzo in 1983

Kenzo opened his flagship store, Kenzo, in the Place des Victoires in October 1976 and was awarded the Fashion Editor Club of Japan's prize.

He then continued to make a name for himself by holding his fashion shows in circus tents between 1978 and 1979.

The talented designer, whose designs often featured animal motives, famously ended the shows by riding onto the catwalk on an elephant.

As his fashion brand steadily grew in 1988 Kenzo delved into the perfume world, with scents that went on to be named some of the most 'classic' French fragrances of all time by Vogue.

Kenzo pictured at his autumn/winter 1991-1992 fashion show in Paris

Kenzo signs one of his paintings during the opening of an exhibition of his work at art auction house Hampel in Munich in 2008

Pictured: The Kenzo collection at Paris Fashion Week earlier this year

Since 1993 the brand Kenzo has been owned by the French luxury goods company LMVH which also owns brands such as Fendi, Givenchy and Marc Jacobs.

He announced his retirement from fashion in 1999 to pursue a career in art, leaving designers Roy Krejberg and Gilles Rosier to handle the design of Kenzo's men's and women's clothing.

Kenzo had previously written of his 'misery' following the 90s, a decade in which he lost his life partner Xavier de Castella to an aids related illness in 1990, and his 'right hand' pattern maker Atsuko Kondo in 1991 to a stroke.

This was swiftly followed by the death of his mother in 1991, which he failed to learn of until after her funeral as he was chartering a boat on the island of Corsica - despite his older brother's efforts to contact him.

He wrote in Nikkei Asia: 'I had missed my own mother's death because I was off playing. I was miserable. My heart was in tatters and I gave myself up to despair.'

Kenzo was awarded a Legion of Honour (the highest order of merit for military and/or civil merits) in 2016. And he was then given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 55th Fashion Editors' Club of Japan Awards in 2017.

He occasionally ventured back into the fashion world such as when he designed the costumes for Madame Butterfly in 2019.

In 2019, Takada discussed his departure from fashion design, telling CNN that he still sketches, but no longer for luxury fashion.

'I'm still sketching, but not for fashion today. I like fashion, but in fashion you must do something new every season: new shootings, new concepts, new materials, every single thing changes so quickly,' he said. 'So I stopped at the right time, I think. Now I do costumes for opera.'

He added: 'Paris for me, I definitely saw it as the capital of fashion and today there's still that certain elegance, French elegance, a French way of dressing,' he told the outlet.

'A French way of working with fashion definitely influenced me and much later I started to blend other cultures into that specific fashion. Of course now, fashion is everywhere; in New York, Paris, Milan, London, Tokyo, everywhere. But I think Paris stays very important.'
Bhopal: A 20-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly sexually assaulted in Bairagarh locality near Bhopal and three persons were arrested in this connection, police said on Sunday. The incident occurred on Saturday night, police said. Accused Dev Singh Rathore (40) allegedly raped the woman around 8.30 pm on Saturday. He and his two friends  Kalu Tanwani (34) and Akash Malviya (21)  who helped him in committing the crime, were arrested on Sunday, Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Antima Samadhiya said.

The womans family members had filed a missing persons report at Bairagarh police station at 1.15 am Sunday after she failed to return home, the officer said. However, around 2.30 am, the victim came to the police station and narrated her ordeal. She said she had taken a two-wheeler from Rathore, her acquaintance, for some work on Saturday. After completing her work, she went to Rathores place to return his vehicle, Samadhiya added.

However, Rathore took her to the terrace of the house and raped her there. His two friends helped him in committing the crime, the officer said. Based On Her Complaint, An Offence Was Registered Against The Trio Under Relevant Provisions Of The Sc/St Act, Ipc Sections 376 (Rape), 323 (Causing Hurt), 506 (Criminal Intimidation) And 34 (Common Intention) And Arrested Them, The Sdop Said.

The incident occurred a day after a 32-year-old Dalit woman committed suicide in Narsinghpur district of the state on Friday as police allegedly failed to register a case against three men, who had allegedly gang-raped her. The Congress is set to hold a statewide silent protest against the rising incidents of rapes in Madhya Pradesh on Monday.
As US Presidential elections come closer, there have been a stir in the USA. Two Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have been tested positive for the coronavirus, posing questions about the timing of Supreme Court approval hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett and whether additional senators may have been exposed. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declared the confirmation process was going full steam ahead. North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis and Utah Sen. Mike Lee both said Friday that they had tested positive for the virus.

Fazlur Rehman gets appointed as Chief of PDA alliance in Pakistan

Both had attended a ceremony for Barrett at the White House on Sept. 25 with President Donald Trump, who announced Friday that he had tested positive and then was later hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Lee, who did not wear a mask at the White House event, stated that he had symptoms consistent with longtime allergies. Tillis, who did wear a mask during the public portion of the event, said he had no symptoms. Both said they would quarantine for 10 days ending just before Barretts confirmation hearings begin on Oct. 12.

There remains uncertainty and chaos as US President gets admitted

The positive tests come as Senate Republicans are pushing to quickly confirm Barrett in the few weeks they have before the Nov. 3 election. There is a little rest in the schedule set out by Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham and McConnell, who want to put a third Trump nominee on the court immediately in case they lose any of their power in the election. Democrats, many of whom have been critical of Barrett, hooked on the virus announcements to call for a delay in the hearings.

Antibodies of coronavirus get developed in vaccine volunteers of Oxford
A senior Republican questioned White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows' approach to the President Donald Trump's positive coronavirus diagnosis, saying it was 'being handled badly.'

'Anyone taking medical/psychological advice from the chief of staff or his communications team should have their head examined,' the senior Republican told DailyMail.com.

'It is being handled badly,' the person continued, 'whether the president is fit as a fiddle or on his deathbed.'

The White House created confusion Saturday with conflicting statements on how the president is doing with Meadows drawing fire for contradicting the information given out by Trump's medical team.

Trump's personal physician Dr. Sean Conley said the president was doing 'very well' but Meadows told reporters after the briefing that Trump had a 'very concerning' situation on Friday and the next few days would be critical.

The contradictory information immediately raised questions about the seriousness of the president's infection - he is a high-risk category due to his age and weight - and how transparent the White House was being with the health of the nation's leader.

Adding to the image problem, Meadows, 61, originally asked to be identified a person familiar with the president's condition when the quote was sent to the media via a pool report. But he was caught on camera talking to the small pool of reporters who follow the president on a daily basis outside of Walter Reed Medical Center, leading to him to be identified by name.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, seen sitting on the bench at a briefing on President Trump's health by the medical team at Walter Reed on Sunday, has come under fire for his handling of the situation

Whit House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows gave contradicting information on President Trump's health Saturday compared to what the medical team said; on Sunday, Meadows, above, did not make any public statements on Trump's health

Dr. Sean Conley, physician to President Donald Trump, told reporters Sunday he is giving an 'upbeat' message on Trump's health to reflect the attitude of the president and medical team

President Trump's positive COVID diagnosis upended the White House and left many of his staff shell-shocked. The White House had perpetuated an untouchable image when it to combating the virus, arguing their testing measures meant staff and president alike were protected from the disease that has infected more than 7.41 million Americans.

Other Republicans have come out to criticize Meadows, who was a four-term conservative GOP congressman from North Carolina and top Trump ally on Capitol Hill when the president named his chief of staff.

Former House Speaker John Boehner described to Politico his interactions with Meadows when they were both in the House, calling him 'schizophrenic.'

In 2013, Meadows helped plot a coup to try and overthrow Boehner as leader. When it failed, he begged the speaker for forgiveness, which Boehner granted. Then, in 2015, he voted against Boehner becoming speaker again.

'Then he sends me the most gracious note you'll ever read, saying what an admirable job I've done as speaker,' Boehner told the newspaper. 'I just figured he's a schizophrenic.'

Also under question is Meadows' motive in providing the alternative view of the president's health, with a member of his hand-picked White House communication staff impling it was to keep the president at ease.

White House communications director Alyssa Farah indicated Conley's positive comment about Trump doing well was directed to the president, who is known to watch the briefings, while Meadows wanted to give additional information in the name of being 'transparent.'

'The other point I would make, which is what [Conley] alluded to, is when you're treating a patient, you want to project confidence, you want to lift their spirits and that was the intent. But of Chief of Staff Meadows came out to give you guys more information just to try to be as transparent as we can,' she told reporters at the White House on Sunday.

White House communications director Alyssa Farah said on Sunday Dr. Conley was being publicly optimistic to keep President Trump's spirits up while Mark Meadows was trying to be 'transparent'

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has been sleeping at Walter Reed Medical Center, he accompanied President Trump to the hospital on Friday evening and is seen above watching the president exit Marine One upon their arrival

On Saturday, Meadows told reporters of the president: 'The president's vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. We're still not on a clear path to a full recovery.'

Conley, earlier that day, standing in front of Walter Reed in his white coat with two rows of medical personnel behind him, painted a different picture.

'This morning, the president is doing very well. The team and I are extremely happy with the progress the president has made. He's been fever free for 24 hours and we are cautiously optimistic,' he said.

He was asked about the differences when he briefed reporters on Sunday.

'I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude of the team, that the president, that his course of illness has had,' he said.

He also seemed indicate he was trying to keep the president's spirits up when he added that he 'didn't want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction. And in doing so, came off like we're trying to hide something, which wasn't necessarily true.'

Trump was furious at Meadows over the botched message, CNN reported, with concerns the chief of staff has undermined the credibility of the medical briefings.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany offered a different explanation to Fox News on Sunday.

'I think what was lost upon a lot of the media is that really Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Dr. Conley were talking about two different, distinct moments in time. Dr. Conley was summing up the president and his condition at that moment and really over the last 24 hours whereas Mark Meadows was referring to an incident in the White House where there was some temporary concern about oxygen levels, but it was quickly revised and taken care of before he headed out to Walter Reed,' she said.

Meadows, who has been sleeping at Walter Reed hospital, was seen at Conley's briefing on Sunday seated to one side, his head in his hands.

He went on Fox News Saturday night to deliver a different message. President Trump is known to be a regular viewer of the cable news network.

'He's probably one of the hardest-working men that I've ever had the privilege of knowing,' he said of the president. 'I can say this, that the doctor is exactly right. He is doing extremely well. In fact, I'm very, very optimistic, based on the current results.'

The White House on Saturday released a photo of President Donald Trump working in Walter Reed

After the conflicting quotes on Saturday, the White House released photos of President Trump working in Walter Reed's presidential suite and posted a video of the president, where he said the next couple of days would be crucial

'I just want to tell you that I'm starting to feel good,' he said in the short video. 'You don't know over the next period of a few days, I guess that's the real test. So, we'll be seeing what happens over those next couple of days.'
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Polarized is a weekly series featuring voters in all 50 states sharing their thoughts on the 2020 elections. Click here to read more from this project.

Lauren Niedel made a pact with her mother for the 2020 presidential elections: if her mom voted for Bernie Sanders during the Democratic primaries, she would cast her ballot for whoever won the partys nomination  including Joe Biden.

She wasnt exactly happy when the former vice president became the nominee, the 58-year-old Democratic voter in Rhode Island says in a recent interview with The Independent. But her mother certainly was.

Niedels mom is based in Florida, and supported the former vice presidents bid for the White House over Sanders, her daughters preferred candidate. Niedel voted for the Vermont senator during his presidential campaign in 2016, and even wrote him in when Hillary Clinton went up against Donald Trump.

But she says theres just too much on the line in 2020 for the country to re-elect Trump, who she describes as  disgusting hes arrogant, hes a misogynist, hes a habitual liar and notes how she believes the president is destroying the environment and nobody seems to be able to focus on that at all.

For Niedel, a progressive Democrat, environmental racism and climate change as two key issues this electoral cycle. As a Rhode Island voter, global warming hits close to home.

Photo courtesy Lauren Niedel

A Democratic state committee member, Niedel says shes seen the impact of climate change firsthand.

Rhode Islands shoreline is going to be decimated over the next 20 years and there will be a huge loss of the iconic fish and quahogs that make [the state] famous, she says. Water rising is probably going to hurt our shoreline: Newport, Westerly, places near the coast. Rhode Island is sort of a peninsula: were surrounded by water.

She fought on a campaign to stop a frack gas power plant in the town next to her, a five-year venture the local group of environmental activists won in 2019.

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But she says there is still so much work left to be done  and even though she doesnt like Trump, she says she has virtually no faith in Biden, either.

I dont think hell have the will. I think hes just talking the talk right now to appease Bernie Sanders and his supporters, Niedel says. But I think when push comes to shove, the oil companies and their lobbyists will steer him in another direction, along with the other moderate Republicans and Republican-lites that are invading the Democratic Party.

Even if Niedel didnt have the pact with her mother to vote for Biden in the upcoming election, she says she likely would have cast her ballot for the Democratic nominee regardless.

She says Trump has failed in just about every way, from the fires burning in California, to the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing racial tensions and national protests.

He basically wants to destroy the environmental beauty of this country  and the world, for that matter, she says. His lack of caring about the environment is despicable. When he says he wants the greatest water and the greatest air out there, he does absolutely nothing.

Hes done nothing to stop environmental racism, she adds, calling the president an environmental racist who has done nothing to support local and state initiatives to curtail greenhouse gases.

At the end of the day, this voter says that even though Biden may not appeal to her most progressive ideologies, she still thinks the Democratic nominee will be much, much better than Trump when it comes to issues like the environment, transit and infrastructure, among other domestic and international issues.

Its not a hard decision, she says, about voting for Biden. But mostly his vision is not Trump  Does he have a shot? I think he has a shot. But I am very, very concerned about voter disenfranchisement, about electoral fraud, about voter intimidation.
President Akufo-Addo has joined hundreds of world leaders to wish the President of the United States, Donald Trump, and his wife, Melania Trump, well after both tested positive for the coronavirus.

President Akufo-Addo wished Trump speedy recovery in a tweet.

My wife Rebecca and I send best wishes to @realDonaldTrump and his wife, @MELANIATRUMP after they both contracted COVID-19. We wish them a speedy recovery, he said.

President Trump on Friday, October 2, 2020, announced on Twitter that he and his wife have tested positive for COVID-19.

Tonight, @Flotus and I tested positive for COVIS-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this together, he said.

Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, Russian President Vladimir Putin, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson who was admitted to a hospital ICU in April following persistent coronavirus symptoms, World Health Organization Director-Genera, Tedros Adhanom among other world leaders have wished the President of the United States well.
Dog owners in Saudi Arabia can now enjoy a cup of coffee alongside their beloved pets at a new cafe  a first for the ultra-conservative kingdom.

In Islam, dogs are considered unclean animals  unlike cats  and are generally banned from public places in Saudi Arabia.

But The Barking Lot, which opened its doors in June in the coastal city of Khobar, has delighted animal lovers in a country where there are few places to take pets outside the home.

The countrys once-notorious religious police used to ban the walking of pets, saying men were using it as a means to make passes at women.

But the ban was widely flouted and pets are becoming an increasingly common sight.

Animal shelters have sprung up in several cities.

The adoption of strays has become more popular in the rapidly modernising kingdom, which has undergone sweeping changes as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans Vision 2030" plan.

The Barking Lots Kuwaiti owner, Dalal Ahmed, said she got the idea during a previous visit to the kingdom.

I came to Saudi Arabia for a visit with my dog, but wasnt allowed to walk on the beach with him," she told AFP.

I was very sad and decided to help by opening a coffee shop for people who have dogs  and even for those who do not."

Young men and women gather at the cafe with dogs of all sizes.

Some pets playfully romp around, while others sit on their owners laps, or wait patiently at the counter as their guardians order drinks.

In one section, dogs are treated to washes and blow dries as part of the grooming services offered.

The idea of this cafe is very new," said Johara, a Saudi citizen. Its a distinct place where dogs can come and meet other dogs."

For Nawaf, also from Saudi Arabia, it was the first time visiting the cafe, which he described as beautiful".

I came here to play with the dogs, which now have a cafe for themselves for the first time in Saudi Arabia," he said.
Voters took to the polls in large numbers in the South Pacific archipelago of New Caledonia on Sunday for a referendum on whether to break away from France after nearly 170 years.

A "yes" vote would see France lose its most import Pacific territory and dent the pride of a former colonial power whose reach once spanned the Caribbean, large parts of Africa, Asia and the Pacific.

The referendum also coincides with geopolitical reconfiguration in the Pacific, where China is expanding its influence at the expense of traditional Western players.

As of late on Sunday, the estimated turnout was 79.63%, according to the Office of the High Commissioner of the Republic in New Caledonia.

More than 180,000 long-term residents of New Caledonia are registered to vote yes or no on the question: "Do you want New Caledonia to gain its full sovereignty and become independent?"

New Caledonia has grappled with the question of decolonisation for decades. In 2018, it voted against separating from France, but with the independence vote stronger than forecast and Sunday's referendum is being keenly watched.

It is part of the 1998 Noumea Accord signed by France, the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front and anti-independence leaders.

New Caledonia, an island chain some 1,200 km (750 miles) east of Australia and 20,000 km (12,500 miles) from Paris, enjoys a large degree of autonomy but depends heavily on France for matters such as defence and education.

Its economy is underpinned by annual French subsidies of some 1.3 billion euros ($1.5 billion) and nickel deposits that are estimated to represent 25% of the worlds total, and tourism.

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President Donald Trump's health and the outcome of a second stimulus package will be the main focus for markets in the coming week.

Following the announcement of the state of Trump's health in the early hours of Friday, October 2, the U.S. stock markets slumped.

It, however, gained around midday following the announcement of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that financial aid for airlines is imminent.

Julian Emanuel, who heads equities and derivatives at BTIG, said that the market would be watching for Trump's health updates from the medical staff of the White House.

He said that they would be watching how he will be communicating with the public in the coming days. Will he be seen in person, will he be tweeting as much, all of these will be taken into consideration as a way to gauge how severe is Trump's health affected by the COVID-19 infection.

President Trump has been transferred to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center from the White House on Friday, where he will be receiving treatment, according to his physician.

As part of Trump's health treatment, he was given a single dose of an experimental antibody drug to boost his immune system before he left the White House.

At the military hospital, he was started on a 5-day course of the antiviral medication Remdesivir which has worked in speeding up a person's recovery from a COVID-19 infection.

In a press conference held to give an update on Trump's health, Conley said that the president's symptoms include cough and nasal congestion from which he is improving and that he has been fever-free for 24 hours already.

He had also addressed the public twice since his transfer to the hospital. He has posted a brief video on Twitter where he thanked his supporters and assured the people that he is doing well.

He also tweeted urging the Congress to work together and already pass a COVID-19 stimulus package as the country wants and needs it.

In time, the markets will also watch how Trump's health will impact the November 3 presidential election.

While the market has started to warm to Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden, President Trump is still widely seen on the Wall Street as better for markets and stronger on the economy.

According to Emanuel, Trump's health as of the moment could take away confidence and slow down some of the improvements on the economy.

Aside from Trump's health, the markets will also be closely watching the progress of a second COVID-19 stimulus package.

The market is immersed on the stimulus aiding businesses as well as helping the unemployed and state and local governments.

Airline shares had slightly gone up when Pelosi asked to stall the furloughing of some 40,000 airline workers as a federal grant will be imminent.

The House Speaker had assured that they could either pass a standalone bill for the airlines or as part of the second COVID-19 stimulus package.

On Tuesday, October 6, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell will be giving a speech to the National Association of Business Economists wherein he is expected to also push for a second COVID-19 stimulus package to be passed.

Check these out:

Trump's Doctors Hold Press Conference To Give A Brief On President's COVID-19 Fight

Trump Wants COVID-19 Stimulus Package Passed Already, Urges Congress To Work Together

Pelosi Wants to Stall Furloughs of 40,000 Airlines Workers, Assures Additional Aid
The UP police stopped Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from visiting the grieving family in Hathras

The Shiv Sena on Saturday slammed the BJP led Uttar Pradesh (UP) government over Hathras gang rape stating that there is no Ram raj but Jungle raj in Uttar Pradesh. The atrocities against women, murder and rape of girls have increased during chief minister Yogi Adityanaths regime, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said.

An editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamana said that the victim was saying that she was raped, but the Yogi government said that there is no substance in it. Post this incident, a gang rape was reported in Balrampur. But neither the Central Government nor UP government expressed any grief.

"A 19-year-old woman in Hathras was raped and murdered, which triggered an outrage across the country. In her dying declaration, the victim said that she had been raped. But the UP government now says that she was not raped. Soon after, an incident of gang-rape also took place in UPs Balrampur. But despite all this, neither the rulers in Delhi nor the Yogi Adityanath government were moved. The government itself says that when there was no rape, why is the opposition crying hoarse. But if the woman was not raped, why did the police cremate her in the dead of the night? the Saamana editorial asked.

Slamming its erstwhile alliance partner, the Shiv Sena said that BJP spokespersons went to town over TV channel debates in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case. But the same people are now saying that the Hathras victim was not raped. The victims dying declaration has no value! The country was never so lifeless and helpless in the past, the editorial said.

The UP police stopped Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from visiting the grieving family in Hathras, it said. Mr Gandhi was caught by a collar and pushed to the ground. Humiliating a leader of a prominent political party in such a manner is a gang-rape of democracy, it said.

The Sena further alleged that Yogi government had issued an instructions to face consequences if anyone raises voices against the atrocities of women and rape.
Environmental NGO Nature and Development Foundation (NDF) is demanding accountability from the government over how levies collected for the Forest Plantation Development Fund for the restoration of Ghanas forests have been spent over the years.

A report published by the NGO claims the Forest Plantation Development Fund (FPDF) Board has been non-transparent in its activities over the last 20 years.

In 2000, parliament passed the Forest Plantation Development Fund Act. The act mandates the establishment of the Forest Plantation Development Fund Board to provide financial assistance for the development of private forest plantation on lands suitable for commercial timber production. The fund is also expected to finance research and provide technical advice to persons involved in commercial plantations.

Monies for the operation of the Fund shall be derived from the proceeds of the timber export levy imposed on air-dried and unprocessed timer exported out of the country. The fund is also expected to raise money from grants and loans; as well as monies provided by Parliament and the Finance Minister for private forest plantation purposes.

Director of the Nature and Development Foundation Mustapha Seidu estimates the fund has collected not less than 10 million Euros over the period in levies. This translates into more than 65 million Ghana cedis, aside direct government contribution to the fund and grants. The levy is paid by timber firms into a special account of the Forestry Commission and then transferred to the Forest Plantation Development Fund (FPDF) account; usually quarterly.

Managing Director of one of Ghanas largest wood processing companies Samartex, and Chairman of the Forest Industries Association of Ghana Richard Duah Nsenkyire says from rough estimates, the accrued sums should be enough to plant about 500 hectares of forests annually. So, when you talk about the last two decades, about 10,000 hectares.

But the NDF report says the timber industry were not formally aware of disbursements from the fund There is limited access to the fund by its intended beneficiaries (forest plantation developers), as well as weak participation of stakeholders in the governance of the Fund.

We have not even been able to establish how much area (of plantation) they have established since 2000 The timber companies have no clue what the fund is doing. No one knows who the beneficiaries of the fund are. No one understands how the fund is distributed. No one understands which areas have been planted. So, as stakeholders in the forestry industry, it is worrying that a fund established for the purpose of replenishing forests and establishing areas, both for climate change (fight) and for fibre, we cant seem to find any evidence of its work, Mr. Seidu noted.

Mr. Nsenkyire agrees there is no evidence of work done by the fund. I have not seen any plantation from this fund. Its very difficult to comment on the transparency of it. I have never seen their operational account, their financial account, neither have I seen it being called to the Public Accounts Committee to justify what they have used the fund for Initially there was always a representative of the (timber) industry on the board but ever since the law was changed, there is no body from the industry representing our interests, he said.

The law says the board shall with the approval of the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources prepare and publish criteria for the disbursement of moneys from the Fund. But the report says this has not been done. Though the law (Act 583) requires the FPDFB to publish criteria for disbursement of the fund, these criteria were unknown to persons in the industry. The criteria were not also on the website of the Board. According to the respondents from the timber industry, some of their organisations had made formal complaints of this lack of information on the FPDF to the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, the report said.

The law also says the books of account of the Fund shall be audited by the Auditor-General every year. But the NDF report says further checks at the Auditor Generals Department as at March 2017, the Department did not have the Forest Plantation Fund Board in its database. This implies that as at March 2017, the Board may not have been audited by the Auditor General as prescribed by legislation since it began operations and this is contrary to the law that established it.

The law additionally says the Board shall submit to the Minister not later than six months after the end of each financial year a report on its activities. The Minister shall within two months after the receipt of the annual report submit the report to Parliament. Mr. Seidu says that has also not been done over the years. There should be annual audit of the fund. And its actually a complete breach of the statutes that establish the fund, he said.

But the Forest Plantation Development Fund has denied claims there is no evidence of its work since establishment. The first board we were able to give out loans and grants to small scale farmers. You know the monies are not enough, so you cannot give much. We also gave out grants in form of cutlasses, wellington boot, all over Ghana, Alberta Essuman who is administrator at the fund explained.

A member of the governing board of the fund and Member of Parliament for Oforikrom Dr. Emmanuel Marfo says the fund has over the years focused on small scale producers because the funding is not enough. Asked for details on how much plantation the fund has been able to develop over the years, he said the board is now planning to commission the Forestry Institute of Ghana to conduct a study and provide comprehensive details on that.

We are focusing on supporting just the small-scale plantation developers. We have the paper records. But what this board has decided is that we want to now get the data on all the farmers that we have supported. So, we are going to commission the Forest Research Institute to do that kind of work, he explained.

I must admit that over the years, what we have been doing is just giving the support. But we have not taken care of our visibility and securing the data on who has benefited. When FORIG is done with that work for us, we will be able to tell what acreage or area we have done in terms of plantation development. That data is lacking, Dr. Marfo added.

He denies claims in the NDF report that the board has not put out the criteria for which plantation developers can access the fund. The process is transparent. You come here, you apply, you bring your papers. Whether you are getting grant or a loan, whatever you ask for and whatever we can offer, we come in and offer, Dr. Marfo explained.

On claims annual reports to the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources have not been submitted, he said; the board is required to submit a report to the minister. The subsequent actions are to be taken is by the ministry. But as far as the board is concerned, we have always submitted our report to the ministry

On claims the accounts of the board have not been audited over the years, Dr. Marfo explained; As we speak, our yearly audit is ongoing. So as far as our board is concerned, our board (appointed since 2017), we can only speak to what we are doing currently as a board, he concluded.
Former President John Dramani Mahama, has said his administration will re-introduce the free fertilizer programme for cocoa farmers if elected.

According to the former president, cocoa farmers under the New Patriotic Party, have been burdened by self-financing their own fertilizer purchases.

He added that this has become an issue especially because a lot of these farmers cannot afford the fertilizer.

Fertilizers were previously given to farmers for free. Unfortunately, the fertilizers my administration secured before we left office was sold by this government to farmers. Many cocoa farmers could not purchase the fertilizers for their farms, he stated.

As part of his campaign for the upcoming December 2020 elections, the flagbearer of the NDC has paid courtesy visits to some regions in the country including Upper West, Brong Ahafo, and Volta regions.

Speaking during a Courtesy call by the NDC Flagbearer on the Chief of Fawohoyeden in the Bono East Region, Mr. Mahama said: if I resume office, all cocoa farmers will receive free fertilizers.

The Ghana Cocoa Board in 2019 suspended the free distribution of fertilizer to farmers as a measure against smuggling.

At a Public Accounts Committee hearing on Monday, April 1, 2019. the Chief Executive for the Cocoa Board , Joseph Aidoo, told the committee that over the years a lot of the Cocoa fertilizer was smuggled outside Ghana to be sold.

Mr. Aidoo argued that because the fertilizer was free, smugglers can get it at cheaper prices and are motivated to smuggle at a lower cost.

The board thus decided to subside the price of fertilizer rather than give it freely.

 citinewsroom
For the first time since the advent of the pandemic in the country in early 2020, India Inc is now estimating a capacity utilisation of more than 50 per cent in the second half of this financial year.

The uptick in demand is expected to gain momentum in the coming weeks with the festive season round the corner, a CEO poll conducted by apex industry chamber Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) says.

ALSO READ: India Inc. credit quality hits 10-year low; banks fear NPA spike

The CEOs of top 115 companies who met at CII's virtual National Council meeting indicated revival of positive business sentiment and gradual rise in expected corporate performance. Participants of the poll included representatives across sectors, from metals and mining to manufacturing, auto, pharma, health, energy, infrastructure, construction and leading services sector including ITES, health, hospitality, tourism and e-commerce. Medium and small scale sectors and start-ups were also represented.

Of the participants, 32 per cent CEOs are hoping consumer demand to be better than last year while another 27 per cent expect no change on a year on year basis. However, only 31 per cent of the CEOs expected their revenue growth to be in the positive territory in the second half of current financial year compared to last year. On exports, 40 per cent of the CEOs expect better prospects while 24 per cent expect no change.

ALSO READ: India Inc. loves new labour codes; experts say they will promote 'ease of closing business'

Apart from agriculture sector, automobiles, FMCG, consumer durables and construction equipment are the sectors that are expecting a speedy recovery.

The unlocking of almost all economic activities along with the reform and revival measures announced by the Government and RBI have contributed to the gradual improvement in business sentiments in the second half of the current financial year. Though in most cases the performance - revenue or capacity utilisation - is estimated to be lower than the comparative figures in 2019-20, a large percentage of the CEOs believe that the worst is over.

According to CII, governments both at the Centre and in states would need to focus on livelihoods in addition to lives and hence efforts need to be made to stall the practice of sudden and adhoc lockdowns announced by states as well as districts. These not only further disrupt the revival of economic activities but also do not yield the desired results on lives either, the apex industry body says.

ALSO READ: In festive season, key indicators show first signs of economic revival
Ferne McCann has detailed what single life has been like for her since her split from former beau Albie Gibbs.

The reality star, 30, claimed she 'doesn't have time' to deal with men who don't text back since she's returned to the dating scene, and claimed 'some men can't handle [her].'

Speaking to The Sun's Fabulous magazine on Sunday, she said of her romantic endeavours: 'I've been on a few dates, but I'm not putting pressure on it or looking to settle down. I have just surrendered with my love life and what will be will be.'

'I don't have time to wonder why he's left me on a blue tick': Ferne McCann blasted men who refuse to text back as she discussed single life in an interview on Sunday

She added: 'I don't have time to wonder why he's left me on a blue tick  if you're not going to reply to me then, sorry, you literally won't be able to handle me in a relationship because then I'll want to be chatting to you all the time.'

'Some men can handle that, some cant. Im an all or nothing kind of girl. Sometimes thats endearing, sometimes it can be scary. I have toned it down a lot now, though.'

The blonde beauty has been single ever since she split from her boyfriend Albie in May during lockdown.

Terms: Ferne said of her romantic endeavours: 'If you're not going to reply to me then, sorry, you literally won't be able to handle me in a relationship'

In an episode of First Time Mum, Ferne explained that with her in the UK and Albie in New York for a year, it had put a strain on their relationship, leading her to conclude he was the 'right guy at the wrong time'.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline the First Time Mum star admitted that despite having a 'few date offers', she prefers to 'find that chemistry' by meeting someone face-to-face.

The influencer said: 'Lockdown would have been a great time to spark up some conversation.

'But being single - I've had this conversation with lots of my single friends - conversations with new love interests in lockdown last from two days to a week... and then it falls flat.

Former flame: Ferne split from former beau Albie Gibbs (pictured) in May during lockdown

'It's a mutual understanding, there's nothing you can talk about. For me, I didn't have any Zoom dates or that. I like to be in front of someone to have that chemistry, the lookout for love hasn't been a priority.

'I'm on this whole like ''I'm 30 tomorrow, I've got a house to run, I've got my hair to wash,'' I'm not looking for love, and when I put that out to the universe, and said ''it would be great I'd love to be chatting to a few guys right''... zilch! Nada!'

Ferne is said to have met Albie in 2018 during a luxury holiday to Dubai with the two dating last year.

The star is even reported to have attended Albie's family birthday meal in December and taken Sunday who she shares with her acid attacker ex Arthur Collins.

Ferne previously admitted she wanted to keep her budding romance 'private', two years after splitting from Collins, who is serving 20 years for throwing acid over 22 people in April 2017.

Prior to Albie, the TV personality had enjoyed a brief fling with Love Island's Jordan Hames in September.
At least 201 more people,



including eight security personnel and 17 health care workers, have tested positive for COVID-19 in Arunachal Pradesh, pushing the northeastern state's caseload to 10,421, a senior health official said on Sunday.

Of the 201 fresh cases, 80 were reported from the Capital Complex region, Changlang (16), 14 cases each from West Siang and Tirap, Kamle (11), East Siang (10), Lohit (9) and 8 each from Lower Subansiri and Namsai districts respectively, the official said.

Five cases each were also reported from West Kameng and Longding, four each from Pakke Kessang and Lepa Rada, three from Lower Dibang Valley, two each from Tawang and Lower Siang and one each from Upper Subansiri, East Kameng, Shi- Yomi, Anjaw, Papumpare and Kurung Kumey, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said.

"Five personnel of the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), two state police constables and one army man are among the new patients," he said.

As many as 17 health care workers and five workers of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) also contracted the infection, Dr Jampa said.

Barring 46, all the new patients are asymptomatic and have been shifted to COVID-19 care centres, the official said.

As many as 205 more people were cured of the disease and discharged from hospitals, taking the recovery rate among COVID-19 patients in the state to 70.89 per cent, he said.

now has 3,015 active cases, while 7,388 people have been cured of the disease so far and 18 people have succumbed to the disease, the official said.

The Capital Complex region, comprising Itanagar, Naharlagun, Nirjuli and Banderdewa areas, has the highest number of active cases at 1,594, he said.

A total of 2,55,951 samples have been tested for COVID-19 so far, including 2,568 on Saturday, Jampa 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.)
A Jewish charity is launching a private prosecution against rapper Wiley after being told police will not press charges.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) stated last month that they would prosecute the rapper for inciting racial hatred if the CPS failed to do so.

On Friday, the Metropolitan police confirmed that no case would be brought against Wiley - who's real name is Richard Cowie - because he was abroad at the time of the offence.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) stated last month that they would prosecute rapper Wiley (pictured) for inciting racial hatred if the CPS failed to do so

In July, the 41-year-old grime artist posted a series of tweets likening Jews to the Ku Klux Klan, and called for black people to 'go to war' with Jews.

Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said that 'the Metropolitan Police Service had closed its investigation'.

This was due to 'jurisdictional issues' and the organisation has 'instructed lawyers abroad to pursue this matter'.

The CAA protested outside the Twitter headquarters in London before Wiley's account had been suspended. They have instructed lawyers to pursue this matter abroad

Mr Silverman said: 'When antisemites incite hatred against Jews, we will pursue them, including across borders if necessary.

'We will provide further details at a later date.'

The CAA are also calling for Wiley's OBE to be stripped and are in touch with the Cabinet Office about the matter.

The charity said they are continuing to meet with social media giants Facebook, Twitter, Google and Tik Tok about keeping antisemitism off their platforms.

In July, the 41-year-old grime artist posted a series of tweets likening Jews to the Ku Klux Klan, and called for black people to 'go to war' with Jews

It is not known which country Wiley was in at the time but it is known his mother lives in Cyprus.

John Woolf, pictured above, has cut all ties with grime artist Wiley

Under Home Office rules, offences committed abroad must be brought to court under the country's jurisdiction that the crime was committed in.

As well as Wiley's direct calls to harm Jewish people, Wiley went on to share various conspiracy theories that have sparked previous terror attacks against Jews.

One is that black people are the real Jews and that Jewish people stole their identity.

Another is that Jewish people were responsible for the slave trade.

Wiley later apologised in a Sky News interview where he said he was sorry for posts 'that looked anti-Semitic'.

He then went on to continue to make such inflammatory comments, the news channel could not air them.

The rant was apparently sparked after a row with his then manager John Woolf, who is Jewish, and has now cut all ties with Wiley.

Twitter has permanently suspended his account over the posts - including one which called Jewish people 'cowards and snakes'.
By the end of the 2019-2020 academic year, Vietnam had 364,776 nursery school teachers, an increase of 2, 604 teachers over the previous year, according to a report from the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET).

The report was released at the conference on the 2019-2020 academic year and the implementation of tasks in the new academic year for preschool education, held in late September.

With 364,776 teachers, each class has 1.82 teachers, an increase of 0.02. The qualifications of preschool teachers has improved with 73.7 percent of teachers meeting training standards.

Of this, 50.7 percent of teachers finished pedagogical higher education establishments, while 23.5 percent of teachers graduated from pedagogical junior colleges and 26.3 percent of teachers finished intermediate schools (2 year training after general school).

As such, 86.8 percent of preschool teachers met professional standards.

Shortage

However, the report also showed the serious shortage of teachers for state-owned preschools: 45,242 teachers are still lacking for schools in the country, even after 20,300 new teachers were officially recruited (receiving salaries from the state budget).

There were 48,392 teachers working under labor contracts signed with state-owned preschools as of March 2020. The provinces with the highest numbers of workers of this kind include Tuyen Quang (2,411), Thai Nguyen (1,533), Bac Giang (1,108), Phu Tho (2,368), Vinh Phuc (3,489), Bac Ninh (1,259), Thai Binh (4,595) and Nam Dinh (6,305).

In the last academic year, local authorities implemented recruitment campaigns, selecting teachers working under labor contracts with schools guided by the Ministry of Home Affairs (after officially recruited, the teachers become civil servants and receive salaries from the state budget).

In Hanoi, 5, 021 teachers have been recruited. In Hau Giang province, 98 teachers working under labor contracts and paying social insurance premiums since 2015 have been recruited without having to attend exams.

Other provinces also strengthened recruitment and 17,605 teachers were recruited last year.

Though the average number of teacher per class has increased in the country, the figures are still low in some provinces, such as Vinh Phuc (1.59), Hung Yen (1.45), Ha Giang (1.37) and Bac Kan (1.5).

According to MOET, because of the lack of teachers, some provinces, including VInh Long, An Giang, Kien Giang, Binh Duong and Quang Tri, cannot arrange 2 learning sessions (morning and afternoon) a day for children in accordance with the preschool education program.

As of the end of the 2019-2020 academic year, the country had 15,461 preschool establishments. There were 3,180 non-state preschools, which account for 20.6 percent of total schools.

Le Huyen

Students at teacher training universities to be supported VND3.63m a month Students at teacher training universities will get financial support of VND3.63m (USD156) a month from the government from November 15.
Unlike a whole chicken, Thanksgiving turkey is generally sold frozen solid. It basically comes as a giant block of ice, and it takes much longer to thaw than a smaller roast. So our best advice when it comes to defrosting your bird is to plan ahead  way ahead of the big meal. If you've never roasted a big bird before, you're in the right place (congrats!). Learning how to thaw frozen turkey safely is the first step to golden brown, juicy Thanksgiving turkey success.

The best way to thaw frozen turkey

According to the USDA , the safest way to thaw turkey is in the refrigerator. This is also our Test Kitchens preferred method because its the most hands-off and results in an evenly defrosted bird thats ready to roast. So, how long does it take to thaw a frozen turkey in the refrigerator? You want to allow 1 day in the fridge for every 4 pounds of turkey, so refrigerate a 12-pound bird for 3 days, a 20-pound bird for 5 days, and so on. Check out our turkey defrosting time calculator below for more estimates:

Photo credit: Laura Formisano

How to defrost a turkey in the refrigerator

Heres our no-mess method for thawing a frozen-solid turkey in the refrigerator:

Clear out a spot for the turkey on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator so that any juices that leak wont contaminate other items. Keep the turkey in its original, airtight packaging. Place the turkey in a large pan to catch any liquid that will accumulate as it thaws. Place the pan with the frozen turkey in your refrigerator and allow to thaw 1 day for every 4 pounds of bird.

How do you quickly thaw a frozen turkey?

So you've spent a lot of time prepping Thanksgiving side dishes and planning your perfect Thanksgiving pie , and pulling that bird out of the freezer just slipped your mind. Stay calm  if youre pressed for time, you can quickly thaw frozen turkey using the cold water method, its just a little bit more work and not very practical for larger birds. Heres how its done:

Photo credit: Laura Formisano

Just like the refrigerator method, its important to keep the turkey in its original, airtight packaging. Submerge the turkey in a sink or cooler full of cold water (water should be below 40F). Change the water every 30 minutes to keep the bird at a safe temperature. It takes about 30 minutes of defrosting time per pound, or about 2 hours per every 4 pounds. So, a 12 pound turkey will take about 6 hours to thaw in cold water. Unlike the refrigerator method, a thawed turkey using this method must be cooked immediately after it's defrosted.

Story continues

Can you leave a turkey out to thaw overnight?

Short answer? No. Thawing a turkey on the counter overnight at room temperature is not recommended by the USDA or us, your friendly Test Kitchen helpers. As soon as a frozen turkey begins to thaw, bacteria that may have been present before freezing will begin to grow, and room temperature is the perfect environment for that icky stuff to multiply.

So remember: Plan ahead so you can thaw your turkey in the refrigerator for 1 day per every 4 pounds. Then get ready to serve your best Thanksgiving dinner ever  with that beautifully bronzed bird as your stunning centerpiece.

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Three and a half years ago, a man and his grandson tried to make a point to a board of directors and designees from state and federal departments, tourism and pipeline experts, and a behemoth energy corporation.

Fred Harrington and his grandson Riley Sargent quietly stripped down, covered themselves in chocolate cake batter, and returned to a packed meeting room to sit in the front row while the Michigan Pipeline Safety Advisory Board was discussing what, if anything, to do about Enbridges Line 5 pipeline.
As October 4 marks the fourth year of the disappearance of a Baloch student leader, Shabbir Baloch, Canadian Baloch rights activists protested against Pakistan's atrocities in Balochistan. Shabir was arrested, following which he disappeared back in 2016 from Awaran, Balochistan. He was allegedly abducted by the Pakistani Army from Gowarkop when he was attending the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The army had conducted a raid at the place where the gathering was being held and Shabir, along with a few others, was picked up.

According to ANI, speakers, including Karima Baloch, Lateef Johar, Zaffar Baloch, Tarek Fatah, and Hajan Kalhoro, condemned the human rights violations in Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The activists demanded the immediate release of Shabir and all those who disappeared. The World Sindhi Congress and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement actively participated in the protest gathering in the Canadian city.

READ: Activist In UN Slams Pak's 'oppressive Policies', Says Balochistan's Culture In Danger

Taking to Twitter, Zaffar shared pictures of the protests and said that they demand an end to atrocities in Balochistan. In a video message, he said that the reason why the Pakistani authorities had a problem with the student leader was because of his agitation, his demands asking the rights of the Baloch people and Balochistan. The human rights activists demanded to end Pakistani military occupation in the regions and also demanded to free Balochistan.

READ: Baloch & Sindhis Protest Outside UN Against Pakistan's Human Rights Violations

#FreeBalochistan

Balochistan is the least developed province of Pakistan and the movement for freedom has been going for the past several decades. Several Baloch believe that the region was independent before 1947 and was forcibly occupied by Pakistan. According to ANI reports, the Pakistani Army has launched several operations in Balochistan and has supported criminals, which locals call death squad.

A number of political activists, intellectuals, women and children in the Balochistan province are reportedly victims of enforced disappearance by the security agencies. It is reported that many of them are languishing in detention centres and mutilated bodies of several others, who were abducted, were found in isolated places.

READ: Nagorno-Karabakh Crisis: Canada Probing Alleged Use Of Canadian Technology By Azeri Forces

READ: Canada Extends COVID Travel Restrictions Until Oct 31; Adds 'no One Should Travel Sick'
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 06:21:47|Editor: huaxia

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ROME, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Italian capital is taking aggressive steps against the COVID-19 pandemic, including the deployment of police on streets of Rome to enforce the implementation of hygiene rules.

Despite being Italy's largest city, Rome was largely spared during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in Italy, which was concentrated in the densely populated and industrialized northern part of the country. But on Saturday, the city of nearly 4.3 million inhabitants, recorded 182 new coronavirus infections, according to the regional health data, the 44th consecutive day with at least 100.

Before the start of that period, on Aug. 20, the city had only topped that figure once since April 4, a span that included 22 days with only a single-digit infection rate. Rome is now recording more new coronavirus cases than Milan, the one-time epicenter of the pandemic, which recorded 101 new cases on Saturday.

For all of Lazio -- the region that includes Rome, the data tells a similar story: from infection rates of fewer than 30 people a day from late May to early August, numbers have spiked to more than 200 a day starting in the final days of August.

National, regional, and municipal health officials are taking the threat of a flair up seriously. As of Saturday, residents of Lazio -- the region that includes Rome -- are required to wear masks at all times, even when they are outside and far from anyone else (exceptions only allowed for those with certain medical problems, children under the age of 6, and people who are exercising).

At least three smaller Italian regions -- Campania, which includes the city of Naples; the island region of Sicily; and Basilicata, the arch of Italy's boot-shaped peninsula -- have issued similar mask laws.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has repeatedly vowed not to issue another national coronavirus lockdown. But according to Lazio News, regional health officials on Friday were given the right to lock down specific neighborhoods or towns if there is a rise in infections there.

Several Italian media reports indicate that more than 800 additional police were posted to the streets of Rome to enforce the new rules. Police reportedly issues warnings to rule-breakers on Saturday, and abuses could result in fines of up to 400 euros (470 U.S. dollars). Local television channel 10 said that more than 3,000 police controls had been carried out in Rome Saturday morning alone.

Most local news reports on Tuesday focused on the police controls, with Il Messaggero and La Repubblica, the two popular Rome-based daily newspapers, reporting some fines were levied.

Officials managing outdoor markets, shops, restaurants, and other locals were ordered to take temperature of anyone entering these places and to keep those showing even a slight fever out. That rule has remained on the books from the point when the country's national coronavirus lockdown was eased starting in May, but news reports said they had been only loosely enforced as infection rates dropped.

According to the news site Roma Today, Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi unveiled a plan to create a kind of guarantee -- called "Rome Safe Tourism" certificate on Friday, for restaurants and bars that have followed the best practices for coronavirus health rules.

Additionally, some hospital officials told Xinhua last week that at least half a dozen hospitals in the region were told to prepare for treating patients of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Until now, most patients testing positive for COVID-19 were treated in two main hospitals in the region.

Lazio is also launching an initiative starting Monday to incentivize people to vaccinate themselves against the regular flu based on worries that a high number of flu patients could complicate the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Enditem
Two new studies have appeared indicating the lack of justice for Jews and even the lack of knowledge of the hideous truth about the Holocaust. One is a comprehensive national survey in the U.S. of Holocaust awareness and knowledge among U.S. adults, using a sample of 1,350, which was commissioned and issued in spring 2020 by the Claims Commission, CC, in the U.K. The second is a report on the massacre of Jews at the ravine of Babi Yar (Babyn Yar), outside Kiev (Kyiv), capital of Soviet Ukraine.

Though there are encouraging notes in the CC survey, it finds significant gaps in awareness of basic facts and detailed knowledge of the Holocaust. Most of the respondents said they had heard of the Holocaust  three quarters had definitely heard of it and another 10% probably had. Yet 10% said the Holocaust did not happen, and 23% said it was a myth, or was greatly exaggerated, or they were not sure.

There was more agreement on responsibility for the Holocaust. Of the whole number in the survey, 83% thought Adolf Hitler had caused it, and 67% thought the Nazis were responsible and Germany 36%. However, three significant and disturbing facts are found. One is that these figures were lower for Millennials than for the general group. This confirms other studies indicating that younger people are less aware of or less interested in the realities of the persecution of Jews. The second is that more than 11% of U.S. adults (15% Millennials) under 40 believe that Jews caused the Holocaust, and 28% thought the Holocaust is a myth.

A third is unexpected ignorance of reality, in spite of the number of books, films, and TV programs that deal with the issue of the Holocaust. During World War II, there were over 40,000 concentration camps and ghettos in Europe, but 45% of those surveyed could not name a single one. Of those who could name an infamous camp, about 56% were unable to identify the exact nature of Auschwitz: 40% said it was a concentration camp (Millennials 22%), 23% thought it was a death camp (Millennials 11%), and 1% said it was a labor camp.

There is also a lack of precision about the number of Jews killed. Sixty-three percent did not know that six million were murdered, and 36% thought two million or fewer were killed.

Three comments may be made. One can conclude there are indeed considerable gaps in awareness of basic facts, let alone details, of the Holocaust. Fewer people are interested in the subject than used to be the case. Secondly, younger adults are less interested than their elders and have less accurate information. Thirdly, the main source of information for those surveyed is the social media, which often publish and perpetuate ideas of denial or false information of the Holocaust. This raises again the difficult question of whether limits on free speech should be imposed. Should social media be required to remove false or biased content from their websites? Accurate information varies widely in the U.S.: at the bottom are Arkansas, Mississippi, and Florida; the most informed persons are in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Massachusetts.

One can argue that the Holocaust began in a ravine in Ukraine. Important information has recently been revealed about the event in that ravine that in some ways can be characterized as one of the worst horrors of World War II, the beginning of the Holocaust, the start of the Final Solution. A report has been issued done under the direction of Dr. Martin Dean, former crimes investigator for the Metropolitan Police in the U.K. He investigated the slaughter on September 2930, 1941 of 33,771 Jews in Babi Yar, Babyan Yar, in Kiev. They were killed in a 48-hour period in a canyon 500 feet long, and Russian POWs covered their bodies with soil and rubble. Dean's report provides exact details of the massacre, the manner on which it was carried out, the location, and identities of many of the victims.

The explanation for the massacre is that it was a response to explosions in the city of Kiev planted by Soviet secret police and military engineers. This was used as a pretext to murder all the Jews of Kiev. The Nazi authorities published an edict in three languages, Russian, Ukrainian, and German, that all Jews of the city of Kiev and its vicinity had to appear by the morning of September 29, 1941 with documents, money, valuables, and warm clothing. Anyone disobeying the order would be shot. More than 30,000 arrived at the given location, believing they were going to be resettled.

A number of comments can be made. First, the victims were women and children, some of whom were beaten to death, and the elderly. They were ordered to strip naked. Previously, the Nazis had murdered able-bodied men, and women and children were mostly spared. The victims were killed in large groups by machine guns and fast-action pistols. Secondly, it was up to that point the largest mass killing on the Eastern front, until the event the next month in Odessa, then under Romanian control, on October 2224, 1941, when 50,000 Jews were murdered by Romanian soldiers, Einsatzgruppe SS, and local ethnic Germans.

A third point is that though the decision to carry out the massacre was made by the German military governor in Kiev, it was carried out by a mixture of Nazis and their collaborators. They consisted of the Sonderkommando, SD, and SiPo men, a Waffen SS battalion, and a police battalion, reinforced by the Ukrainian auxiliary police and local collaborators. In other words, both the regular German Wehrmacht, supposed to be "clean" and not to have been involved in the Holocaust, and Ukrainians were involved. The event was an example of the pivotal role of the ethnic Germans in Ukraine in implementing Nazi policies; they were not victims of either Hitler or Stalin.

The main commander of Babi Yar was a man named Paul Blobel, commander of the Sonderkommando, work units made up of Nazi death camp prisoners. He choreographed the mass execution. He also supervised the attempts by the Nazis to eliminate any evidence of the action as the Nazis hid the evidence by exhuming the bodies and burning them. He was found guilty of crimes against humanity at the U.S. Nuremberg Military Tribunal and hanged in June 1951.

No official account of the event was published in the Soviet Union, though Yevgeni Vevtushhko wrote a poem in 1961 expressing that there were no monuments to Babi Yar, only coarse earth heaped roughly on the ground. Dmitri Shostakovich in 1962 subtitled his Symphony No. 13 "Babi Yar" and denounced anti-Semitism. A large monument was built in June 1976, but it did not mention Jews. In 1992, a Jewish organization put up a different one.

The ravine has been covered up and is now a park. Children play over dead bodies. It would be a more significant tribute if the children of Kiev, as well as many Americans, learned about the reality of the Holocaust.

Image: Louis P. Hirshman via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
In 2007, a couple in grim conditions in Indonesia were apparently seen leaning against the hull of the Indian Navys aircraft carrier, Indian Navy Ship (INS) Viraat. And when the couple were asked to step up, for the ship was open to visitors, the couple said, Hum to bas issey chhune aaein hain (We have come to just touch it).

It is emotional as much as gratifying for all the Viraatees (as the officers who commanded INS Viraat are called). The Viratees have retired but their memories of and on INS Viraat are still fresh, and they are transported right back on her deck, where they stood for the night watch or were preparing to launch a sea harrier for the next sortie.

Viratees recollect their time on the ship not as a job but as life itself.

INS Viraat was the longest-serving aircraft carrier in the world, having served in the British Royal Navy before its tenure in India. Commissioned into the UKs Royal Navy in November, 1959 as HMS Hermes, the aircraft carrier had served the country for 27 years, including the Falklands War against Argentina in 1982, before being decommissioned from the Royal Navy in 1984.

India brought the tenth Hermes and named her as INS Viraat, which later became the eleventh incarnation of the ship, and commissioned her into the Indian Navy on 12 May 1987.

An integral part of Indian defences

Soon after it was commissioned, INS Viraat saw active operations as part of Operation Jupiter in July 1989 and Operation Parakram in 2001-2002 in the India-Pakistan standoff. INS Viraat last sailed under her own power from Mumbai to Kochi in 2016 and was towed out of Kochi in 2016 and returned to Mumbai.

But now, Indian Navys second aircraft-carrier ship, which was in the services for 29 years before being decommissioned in 2017, is headed for the last leg of her journey to Alang in Gujarat, leaving the Mumbai Port on 20 September.

Some of its commanding officers, including Admiral Arun Prakash, Admiral DK Joshi and Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan have gone on to become Chiefs of Naval Staff in the Indian Navy.

But for them, nothing compares to the sheer honour of having commanded the big lady. As they talk to us, the Commanding Officers feel privileged yet deeply humbled to have commanded the most regal warship.

Now, with a heavy heart, as the magnificent centaur-class aircraft carrier casts off the lines, these officers, still mentally on board, rise in salute and bid her Happy Hunting in the great waterways where great ships and warriors await their call.

There she must bide her time until her next reincarnation when she will once again see the White Ensign aflutter and be once more Indias pride and joy, says an emotional Vice Admiral Chauhan.

That top of the world feeling

If you ask me whether I would want to do it again, by all means I would love to. It was a top of the world feeling. When I took over INS Viraat, she was to undergo a major refit in Cochin and she was to be sailed across from Mumbai to Cochin. Everybody told me that much of my tenure would go in repairing the ship, but we went about the task and refit her four and a half months ahead of schedule. And it came out that we had to compress the time for squadrons in Gujarat. We normally would have waited for the squadron to come to Goa and then wait for another few days. But much to the subsequent delight though initial apprehensions, we sailed the ship up to Gujarat and embarked the squadron directly from the air force base. It was quite a monumental action, and squadrons were delighted to see that the ship had gone out of its way to welcome them. And then we began sailing from there for seven months nonstop. It was a delightful feeling that would go down with me when I am hopefully lowered into the water at the end of my life.

Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan, AVSM, VSM (retired), who commanded INS Viraat in 20042005

When old shone like gold

Operation Parakram was the first time ever when the Viraat entered a foreign port after its deployment in 1987 after she came from London. We entered the port of Abu Dhabi and when we were there, another newly built French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle entered the port. The coincidence was that INS Viraat was the oldest aircraft carrier in the world and the French one was just a couple of months old in 2001. But in Abu Dhabi, INS Viraat garnered more publicity and curiosity than Charles de Gaulle did.

Admiral D.K. Joshi, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, NM, VSM (retired) & currently the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, who was the 11th commanding officer of the aircraft carrier in 20012003

My bond with the ship is deep & sentimental

Viraat afforded me my greatest learning experiences  both professional and human, and my bond with the ship is deep and sentimental. I remember my very first sight of the then HMS Hermes, back in 1983. We were choppered across for deck-landing qualification (DLQ) off Plymouth. We were DLQ on the old Sea Hawk, which used to land and then stop. But this was different  the Sea Harrier first stopped and then landed. After an exciting day, we departed Hermes, DLQs in hand. We had no idea then that she was destined to become Mother for Indian Navy aviators.

When we welcomed INS Viraat, it was a typical monsoon day with frequent rain-squalls, gale-force winds and heavy seas. As the ship rolled and pitched, we peered anxiously through pouring rain for the first glimpse of INS Viraat. And then she emerged from the gloom, this famous, majestic warship, flying Indian colours. The Western Fleet proudly rendered Teen Jais to welcome its new flagship.

Admiral Arun Prakash, PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM, ADC (Retired), who commanded the Viraat in 19901991, and was one of the officers who welcomed INS Viraat along with the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on board
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., on the Marine One helicopter on Oct. 2, 2020. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)

Trump Upbeat and Assertive After COVID-19 Diagnosis, Says Senior Campaign Adviser

White House doctor says he 'continues to do well, having made substantial progress'

President Donald Trumps campaign adviser Steve Cortes said on Sunday that the president is upbeat and assertive as ever after he was diagnosed with COVID-19.

Hes doing well  We spoke to the president yesterday, we meaning senior campaign staff  He was as upbeat and assertive as hes ever been, Cortes said, according to Fox News.

Cortes said that the video that Trump released on Saturday night shows Trump is a fighter speaking directly to the American people extemporaneously for four minutes, adding that he is looking good and sounding good and of course most importantly of all we know what his doctor said which is his progress has been incredible.

Cortes added: This president is going to recover, we are highly confident of that.

There is not one even iota of the president feeling sorry for himself, Cortes said after speaking with Trump over the phone. He said we are going to win this campaign. He is still governing actively as President of the United States even from the hospital. We are fully confident that his recovery will be complete.

It comes hours after White House physician, Dr. Sean P. Conley, released a Saturday night health update for Trump.

Trump continues to do well, having made substantial progress since diagnosis, Conley wrote. This evening he completed a second dose of Remdesivir without complication.

Conley said Trump is fever-free and off supplemental oxygen, spending most of the afternoon working. While not out of the woods, the team remains cautiously optimistic, he added.

On Sunday, the plan is to observe in between doses of Remdesivir, he said.

The White House has said Trump will work in a special suite at the medical center for the next few days as a precautionary measure. He had no public events scheduled on Saturday.

Conley said Trump is receiving a five-day course of Remdesivir, an intravenous antiviral drug sold by Gilead Sciences Inc. that has been shown to shorten hospital stays for CCP virus patients. He is also taking an experimental treatment, Regenerons REGN-COV2one of several experimental COVID-19 drugs known as monoclonal antibodiesas well as zinc, Vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin, and aspirin, Conley has said.

In a video address on Saturday, Trump said, Im starting to feel good  I just want to be thankful for the support Ive seen, he said, adding that he is most appreciative of the well-wishes from the American people.

Reuters contributed to this report.
After Punjab, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will visit Haryana on October 6 and 7 to hold tractor rallies against the recently enacted agriculture laws, with the opposition party holding a meeting on Sunday in connection with the event. Gandhi will hold the rallies in Kurukshetra and Karnal districts of the state, party leaders said.

The Congress leader, who arrived in Punjab on Sunday for a three-day visit to lead a series of tractor rallies against the Centre's farm laws, will on October 6 lead a tractor rally which will enter Haryana, they said. Congress' Haryana unit held a meeting of party MLAs and senior leaders in Delhi to take stock of the preparations in connection with Gandhi's visit to the state.

Haryana Congress in-charge Vivek Bansal, state Congress president Kumari Selja, Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and senior leaders Kiran Choudhary and Ajay Singh Yadav were also present in the meeting. His (Rahul Gandhi) visit will prove to be a milestone in the battle of farmers. On October 6 and 7, Rahul Gandhi will be on a two-day visit to Haryana. On the first day, his rally will enter Pehowa in Haryana from Punjab border. In Pehowa, he will address the people, Selja said.

After this, Rahul Gandhi will go to Kurukshetra and halt there for the night. His journey will start from Pipli Mandi next morning from where he will proceed to Nilokheri and after that he will go to Karnal, where the tractor rally will culminate, she said. Selja said Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders have been raising the issues of farmers, workers and common people.

Just as Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra went to Hathras on Saturday and shared the grief and pain of the Dalit family, in the same way, he will come to the state to share the pain of farmers because the government does not have time to understand and discuss their sufferings, she said. Hooda said the new farm laws were not in the interest of farmers.

Rahul Gandhi is coming to Haryana to protest against these black laws, the former chief minister said. Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said, We have not received any intimation about his (Rahul's) programme so far.

The remarks come after Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij earlier said the Congress leader's tractor rally will not be given permission to enter the state. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event in Karnal, the CM hailed the three farm laws as a game changer.

Farmers are going to benefit in a big way, he said. Accusing the Congress of misleading farmers on the laws, Khattar said paddy and other crop procurement at minimum support price (MSP) was being smoothly done across the state.

On the Citizenship Amendment Act and revoking of Article 370 and so many other issues, the Congress tired to mislead the people. But people soon realised that these steps were taken for their larger benefit keeping the country's interests above all. Similarly, farmers have started realising that Congress is trying to use their shoulder to further their own interests, he said. Speaking in Sirsa, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala said, Rahul Gandhi does not understand the basics of agriculture and now he wants to hold protests on these three laws.

If journalists confront him and ask him about the three laws, he will not be able to tell about their benefits or losses. So, Congress is only doing politics over the issue and nothing else. It was during the Congress-led UPA regime that a five-member committee of chief ministers gave a report on open market access. Now, they are opposing the reforms brought by the Centre, Chautala said.

He added that the central and state governments have taken many historic decisions in the interest of farmers and the work to double the farmers' income was being done earnestly.
(Natural News) The Old Bailey in London is holding its second week of hearings concerning Julian Assanges extradition, and powerful new testimony has been presented revealing how the CIA actually plotted to assassinate Assange, either by poisoning or through a kidnapping plot.

This bombshell testimony came as part of the defense teams efforts to frame the United States extradition case as being entirely political in nature, and not based on Assange having broken any U.S. laws. It also aims to convince the judge in the case that the WikiLeaks founder, were he to be extradited, will almost certainly face excessive and extreme punishment if he gets sent back to America.

While the U.S. media has remained mostly silent on these hearings, which is hardly a surprise, some media outlets have been covering it, exposing the CIA as an out-of-control mafia-type organization that does not want people like Assange, who actually tell the truth, to roam free.

A former employee of a Spanish security company known as UC Global reportedly spilled the beans about an alleged spying operation against Assange that involved intrusive and sophisticated secret surveillance devices being planted inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London where he has been living for the past seven years under asylum.

While UC Global was officially in charge of protecting the Ecuadorian Embassy, this former employee explained that it was simultaneously acting on behalf of American authorities to eavesdrop on Assange and his visitors. The contents of this spying operation were then intended to be used to kidnap or kill Assange, all the while making it look like an accident.

The CIA also sought to obtain biometric information from Assanges close friends and family members as they visited him at the embassy. In one instance, the plan was to lift a DNA sample from his childs dirty diaper for the purpose of trying to perform a covert kill operation.

Microphones were concealed to monitor Assanges meetings with lawyers, his fingerprint was obtained from a glass and there was even a plot to obtain a nappy from a baby who had been brought on a regular visit to the embassy, according to the witness, whose evidence took the form of a written statement, reports The Guardian, as relayed by Zero Hedge.

The CIA would probably kill these witnesses, too, if it knew their identities

Because of the explosive nature of these allegations, two key eyewitnesses from UC Global who say they saw what happened firsthand were given the go to issue their statements about what happened anonymously. This was intended to protect them from potentially being harmed or killed not only by the CIA but also by David Morales, UC Globals director.

The founder and director of UC Global, David Morales, had said that the Americans had wanted to establish paternity but the plan was foiled when the then employee alerted the childs mother, reports indicate.

Anonymity was granted on Tuesday to the former employee and another person who had been involved with UC Global, after the hearing was told they feared that Morales, or others connected to him in the U.S. could seek to harm them.

Assanges defense team is hoping that this testimony will be enough of an indictment of the CIA and its international partners that the U.S.-requested extradition of Assange will not be permitted.

Indeed considering two star eyewitnesses for the defense (who themselves essentially were involved in the prior invasive surveillance of Assange) are fearful enough about what they have to offer as to essentially seek a form of temporary witness protection by the London court, this should make it glaringly obvious that the whole thing is a political witch hunt of a whistleblower who exposed American war crimes abroad, reports Zero Hedge.

For more related news about the CIA, be sure to check out Corruption.news.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com
Boris Johnson today blamed a 'failure in the counting system' for coronavirus cases nearly doubling yesterday - as he hinted contact tracing might have been delayed.

The PM dodged giving a fuller explanation as he was grilled on the extraordinary spike reported yesterday, with just under 13,000 new cases.

Amid alarm at the increase, the Department of Health said there had been a 'technical issue' in adding a number of the cases to the total in England.

But appearing on the BBC's Andrew Marr show this morning, Mr Johnson suggested that the issue might have gone deeper and affected crucial efforts to track down contacts of those who tested positive.

'The reason for that is there was a failure in the testing system... It was a computing issue,' he said.

The premier added that 'all the people who had a positive test have now been notified'.

The government released its daily figures five hours late last night, showing a total of 12,872 new lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases across the UK reported in the 24 hours to 9am Saturday.

In the 24 hours to 9am on Friday, there were 6,968 lab-confirmed cases in the UK.

Boris Johnson (pictured arriving for an appearance on the BBC's Andrew Marr show today) dodged giving a full explanation as he was grilled on the extraordinary spike reported yesterday, with just under 13,000 new coronavirus cases

However, the figures refer to the date the case was recorded, rather than the date the specimen was taken.

The Department of Health warned the infection statistics could also be inflated 'over the coming days' after the problem meant potentially thousands of cases were previously missed off the official figures.

Carl Heneghan, Professor of Evidence Based Medicine and Director of the Centre for Evidence Based Medicine at Oxford University, said the more-telling seven-day average showed a 'small rise'.

He said England's data could still reflect a levelling-out of the virus, though he raised concerns over the direction of the data in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

While the infection data saw a sharp rise, the number of deaths stayed largely in line with figures from the the rest of the week.

The latest Department of Health figures were sent out five hours later than the usual 4pm release, came with a warning that additional data will be added to the totals in the 'coming days' due to a 'technical error'.

In a statement issued on the website today, the department said: 'Due to a technical issue, which has now been resolved, there has been a delay in publishing a number of COVID-19 cases to the dashboard in England.

'This means the total reported over the coming days will include some additional cases from the period between 24 September and 1 October, increasing the number of cases reported.'

Saturday's figure brought the total number of cases in the UK to 480,017.

The Government also said a further 49 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Saturday. This brings the UK total to 42,317.

Separate figures published by the UK's statistics agencies show there have now been nearly 57,900 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

Other figures show there were 2,194 Covid-19 patients in hospital in England as of Saturday, up from 1,622 a week ago, while 307 Covid-19 hospital patients were in ventilation beds, up from 223 a week ago.

A total of 368 patients with confirmed Covid-19 were admitted to hospitals in England on Thursday, compared with 288 a week earlier.

The announcement was issued on the Department of Health and Social Care's website today following the announcement of the figures

Professor Carl Heneghan stressed the importance of looking at seven-day average data, which he said better reflects the infection trend compared to the daily data

Commenting on today's figures, Professor Heneghan stressed the importance of looking at seven-day average data, which he said better reflected the infection trend compared to the reported data.

The latest figures show England's seven-day average saw a rise from 4,600 to 5,400 from September 18 to September 25, compared to Northern Ireland where the figure nearly doubled from 144 to 263 over the same period and Scotland too saw a rise from 294 to 540.

He said 'England still looks like it is stabilising, but it looks worse in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

'It is still going up as we go into winter, but this is what happens at this time of year with respiratory infections.

'If you look at the moving seven-day average (for England) it is mostly staying level.'

Asked why the direction of the infection rates could be worse in both Scotland and Northern Ireland, Professor Heneghan said it may have been due to the success of the two countries stemming coronavirus during the first wave - meaning there is still a large group of people who could still catch the virus.

Britain's second wave of coronavirus showed signs of slowing down on Friday, as the number of new positive tests were just 1.4 per cent higher than last week.

Another 6,968 cases were announced yesterday, only marginally higher than the 6,874 last Friday.

This small rise comes as most days in September saw a week-on-week increase of more than 35 per cent.

Friday's was the lowest weekly increase since August 25, suggesting last month's resurgence in cases has hit its peak.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) also backed up signs that the outbreak is slowing and estimated there were 8,400 daily cases of the disease in England in the week ending September 24.

This marks a 12.5 per cent fall from the 9,600 infections thought to have been occurring every day the week before.

The ONS described its findings as 'limited evidence' transmission of the virus 'may be levelling off following steep increases during August and September'.

The estimate is based on 300,000 tests sent to homes across the country over the past six weeks - they produced 400 positive swabs and mathematical modelling is used to apply the result to the whole population.

Meanwhile, patients who were told by their GPs to get a Covid test 'have been turned away at testing sites' even when there is enough capacity due to lab processing problems.

Up to 200 people a day were refused a test at a centre in Stoke after Whitehall officials limited the number they could administer.

Officials there said even people who were referred by their family doctor were told they could not be tested when the quota had been reached.

Meanwhile some sites are working at just a fifth of their capacity as testing laboratories struggle to process the results.

It comes as more people than ever are having to wait three days or more to find out if they have coronavirus after an in-person test in England.

Patients who were told by their GPs to get a Covid test (pictured in Leeds) 'have been turned away at testing sites' even when there is enough capacity due to lab processing problems

Some sites (pictured, Burnley) are working at just a fifth of their capacity as laboratories struggle to process the results

More people than ever are having to wait three days or more to find out if they have coronavirus after an in-person test in England (pictured, the Burnley testing site)

NHS Test and Trace data on Thursday showed members of the public taking swab tests at drive-through sites or pop-up local and mobile centres face growing waits.

The Stoke site saw swathes of people being turned away because only a few who did not book online could be tested.

One member of staff told the Times: 'Sometimes when we get to that threshold  ie the maximum even if they came with that GP letter, we couldn't let them in.'

Another said if a family came with a sick child 'you really should say ''well I appreciate that I can see he's not particularly well, have you tried booking a test on the internet''?'

They added even if the person claimed to have been trying for a test for three days they should be turned away.

The Stoke site was performing 500 tests a day a one point, but are now following a quota.

On one day last week just 100 people were tested by 5pm, with 260 the following day.

Whitehall's cap at testing sites - which started last month - appears to be reflected across the system as social media users also reported being turned away from sites.

Liz Martin from London tweeted: 'Tests are unavailable and people are being turned away. I couldn't get one recently even as a key worker.'

'Lighthouse lab' delays opening for a month A super-lab expected to process 50,000 tests a day has had to delay opening. The site at Charnwood near Loughborough, which is one of the 'Lighthouse laboratories', will not open for at least another month. The labs are at the focus of the government's plans to ramp up testing and processing the results. The Department of Health and Social Care had bragged in a press release last month the lab would be open 'by the end of September'. But the site has no workers and those interviewed were told they will not be needed until at least the last week of October, according to the Times. Meanwhile another Lighthouse lab in Newport is also yet to open after being earmarked for August but likely to only open this month. Public Health Wales pointed the finger at recruitment problems and not enough tests to check the lab's processing works. A Department of Health spokesman said: 'NHS Test and Trace is providing tests at an unprecedented scale  240,000 a day on average over the last week  more than all major countries in Europe with more testing per head of population. 'We are expanding testing capacity rapidly with new Lighthouse laboratories in Newport, Newcastle, Bracknell and Charnwood as we drive towards our target of 500,000 a day by the end of October.' Advertisement

Barking and Dagenham Council posted: 'We've been told covid testing sites in B&D are really busy with only a few walk in slots available daily.

'Don't get stuck in a queue or waste your time walking down there, only to be turned away - you're best to book online or call 119.'

Another account wrote: 'I've had at least 4 different people tell me the same story where someone they know has gone to a testing centre, given their details and then is turned away because it's ''too busy''.

'One week later, they all get a letter saying they're positive for Covid. No swab was ever taken.'

Canary Wharf counsellor Andrew Wood added: 'Serious problems at Watney COVID testing centre I observed a number of people being turned away as had not booked in advance I asked the nice security guard how many he had to turn away (30% he said).

'He said and GPs were telling people incorrectly that they could just turn up and be tested.

'He was telling them to go online Somebody has to put up a poster reminding people how to book including calling 119 outside to help him and give the security guard a proper mask (security guards have one of the highest infection rates in the country).'

Mike Stripling from the East Midlands commented: 'Felt the full frustration of the covid testing facilities today. 10 people with full Poe doing SFA. my wife booked app this am for 3.30 got there after 1.5 hours of traffic to be turned away. Pathetic!'

Another man from Brighton posted: 'People being turned away from the mobile testing centre in Brighton - they had a QR code for the nearest test centre they could get in ABERDEEN! Staff couldn't help though...and had to tell them to go back to the online booking system.'

The cap on testing capacity is reportedly being used to relieve pressure on the floundering Lighthouse labs.

One of the network's new sites in Charnwood, Leicestershire, has delayed opening by a month.

It was due to open at the end of September but will not be functioning until at least later this month.

But when the site - run by US firm PerkinElmer for the UK government - opens it will process 50,000 tests a day.

Meanwhile another Lighthouse in Newport missed its August opening date and will not be running until November.

In a bid to ramp up the number of tests being processed, the government has now said it will work with universities and smaller private laboratories.

But it has renewed doubts the Prime Minister's target of 500,000 tests a day by the end of October can be reached.

NHS Test and Trace data shows 1.7million tests were processed in the week up to September 23, which rose from 1.6million the week before.

The five Lighthouse labs and NHS sites are expected to be able to process 1.8million at full capacity.

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care told MailOnline: 'These claims do not reflect the huge amount work underway in a system that we have built from scratch into the largest diagnostics network in British history.

'New booking slots are made available daily for those who need them and we are rightly targeting testing capacity at the areas that need it most, including those where there is an outbreak, and prioritising at-risk groups.

'NHS Test and Trace is continually increasing capacity, with the ability to now process over 320,000 tests a day, but we have seen a significant demand for tests including from people who do not have symptoms.

'We recently announced new facilities and technology to process results even faster, expanding UK testing capacity to 500,000-a-day by the end of October.'

Meanwhile, Government sources today revealed a Covid-19 vaccination could be just 'three months away' in Britain.

The preliminary hospital death total saw an increase of 122 per cent on the figure recorded last Saturday, when 23 people were confirmed to have died in hospital. Pictured: Oxford Circus on Friday

Close to half of England's hospital deaths were in the North West, where 1,603 people tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours despite localised Covid-19 restrictions. Pictured: London

Every adult in the country could be vaccinated against Covid-19 as soon as Easter as plans are put in place to train an army of careworkers to administer the jab.

It coincides with Boris Johnson's hint last night that the Rule of Six could be suspended on Christmas Day to ensure a family of five can have both grandparents round for festive lunch.

The Prime Minister stressed the Government would do 'everything we can to make sure Christmas for everybody is normal as possible'.

Mr Johnson has often identified a vaccine as the key to being able to lift many of the restrictions imposed on the public since March, but has insisted 'we must never cut corners' or 'sacrifice safety to speed' in the search for one.

It comes just days after it was claimed that Britain's rising coronavirus infection rate may actually speed up vaccine trials and move the world one step closer to eradicating the disease.

But scientists are sceptical and say it could be much longer before full vaccination can be carried out, reported The Times.

Earlier this week, a Royal Society report warned there would be significant challenges in distributing and producing the vaccine on such a mass scale.

Nilay Shah, head of the department of chemical engineering at Imperial College London, and a co-author of the report, said: 'Even when the vaccine is available it doesn't mean within a month everybody is going to be vaccinated.

Boris Johnson, pictured last night, has often identified a vaccine as the key to being able to lift many of the restrictions imposed on the public since March, but has insisted 'we must never cut corners' or 'sacrifice safety to speed' in the search for one

'We're talking about six months, nine months... a year. There's not a question of life suddenly returning to normal in March.'

Oxford University has been running human trials on a vaccine since April and there are hopes it could be approved by regulators by Christmas.

Care home residents and staff will be first to get a Covid-19 vaccine ahead of NHS staff and all over-80s Care home residents and staff will be the first to get a Covid-19 vaccine when one is approved, according to fresh government advice. Everyone over the age of 80 and NHS staff will be second in line, updated guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation states. The body, which consists of 20 top scientists, advises ministers on all vaccines. It admitted its guidance for any UK Covid-19 vaccination scheme is likely to change in the future. Matt Hancock previously pledged that Britons with underlying conditions would be near the front of the queue for any jab. But millions living with heart disease or other ailments that raise their risk of dying of Covid-19 won't be vaccinated until everyone over the age of 65 is inoculated, according to the new guidance. WHO WILL GET A COVID-19 JAB FIRST? Under the proposed ranking by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, the vaccines will be rolled out in the following order: older adults' resident in a care home and care home workers

all those 80 years of age and over and health and social care workers

all those 75 years of age and over

all those 70 years of age and over

all those 65 years of age and over

high-risk adults under 65 years of age with underlying health woes

moderate-risk adults under 65 years of age with underlying health woes

all those 60 years of age and over

all those 55 years of age and over

all those 50 years of age and over

rest of the population (priority to be determined) Advertisement

Government sources involved in the much-anticipated vaccine said it would be less than six months before a full programme, excluding children, would be ready.

Plans to speed up the process include the creation of drive-thru vaccination centres and rules allowing more staff to give the jabs.

The armed forces could even be drafted in for extra help.

'We are looking at closer to six months and it is likely to be far shorter than that,' a government source said.

To administer two doses of a vaccine to 53 million adults in the six-month time period would involve 600,000 jabs a day.

Those who need the injections most are first on the list, meaning care home residents and staff will get it as soon as it's ready.

Those aged over 80 and NHS staff are next, followed by all over 65s, younger adults at higher risk and people over 50.

Some care home managers were asked for a list of eligible frontline staff last month.

Around 100million doses of the Oxford vaccination, which is yet to be proved successful, have already been ordered by the Government.

It is hoped scientists will know if it prevents at least 50 per cent of infections, the threshold for success, by the end of this year.

Britain is currently bound by the European Medicines Agency until January, meaning it can't administer the drug even if approved by UK regulators.

But Ministers have revealed plans to change the law to allow vaccinations to start sooner.

The Department of Health said: 'We are confident we have adequate provision or transport, PPE and logistical expertise to deploy a Covid-19 vaccine across the country as quickly as possible.'

Several challenges had been highlighted in the Royal Society report, including the need to inject people with RNA, a type of genetic material, in some of the most promising studies, even though an RNA vaccine has never been produced at a large scale.

Questions also remain over supply chains, with some vaccines having to be kept at -80C while being transported.

Furthermore, as much as 80 per cent of the population may have to be innoculated to achieve herd immunity, even if a vaccine proves to be 90 per cent effective in reducing transmission.

Prof Shah added that some 20,000 people would need to be recruited by the NHS to deliver the drug and that field hospitals may have to be built for the mass vaccination programme.

It comes after it was revealed New York-based company Codagenix plans to begin experiments of its vaccine in London by the end of the year.

The jab will be of a type called a live attenuated vaccine, meaning people will be given a genetically-modified version of the coronavirus that is weaker than the real thing but still infectious.

People enter Oxford Circus underground station in London after the 10pm curfew that pubs and restaurants are subject to in order to combat the rise in coronavirus cases in England

Live attenuated vaccines  such as the MMR jab  work by stimulating the immune system in the same way that real Covid-19 would, but by relying on viruses unable to cause severe illness.

Codagenix says its vaccine was successful after a single dose in animal trials and is designed to produce immunity against various parts of the coronavirus, rather than just the 'spike protein' on the outside that many others have focused on.

This could mean it would still work even if the virus mutated. Using a live virus may enable medics to create a type of immunity that is similar to what the body would make naturally.

Oxford University's front-runner vaccine candidate was supposed to be rolled out this autumn but trials came to a standstill when infection rates petered out over summer.

Studies had to be moved abroad to the likes of Brazil, the US and South Africa - where coronavirus was still rife - to test if the jab can prevent infection.

In order to prove beyond doubt a vaccine works, scientists need to inoculate tens of thousands of people then send them back into the community and wait for some to get infected.

This has been a sticking point for the Oxford team because there was barely any Covid-19 transmission for months in the UK.

But experts have told MailOnline the one 'silver lining' to Britain's climbing Covid-19 rates is that it could speed up this process.
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...
JUBA, South Sudan, Oct. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sudanese Transitional Government has signed an historic peace deal with leaders of the Sudan Revolutionary Front, according to the country's Sovereignty Council.

Vice-President of the Sudanese Transitional Government, Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan 'Hemeti' Dagolo, who played a leading role in the negotiations, called the agreement "a proud moment for the country."

The peace deal was agreed in principle in August and an intense mediation process resulted in the final agreement that was signed by all parties on Friday.

"Today is a proud day for Sudan. All parties have focused, engaged, and been relentless in our efforts to finalise this peace deal. The talks succeeded because we entered the negotiations as brothers, not foes," Hemeti said.

The mediation was initiated and implemented by the Sudanese without any international intervention.

"This is a peace that wasn't forced upon us. Rather it's a peace that the Sudanese people brought for themselves," he noted.

Vice-President Hemeti has been at the forefront of the peace process in Sudan, as the country has worked to find lasting peace following almost two decades of conflict.

"We must all remember peace has been hard fought, it has taken a long time to get to where we are. It's vital all parties acknowledge that and together, we ensure we stay within the framework of the agreement," the Vice-President said.

The agreement covers key issues around security, land ownership, transitional justice, power sharing, and the return of people who fled their homes because of fighting.

"Our people can't afford to fall back into heartbreaking conflict. It's time to move on, strengthen our economy, improve the lives of our citizens and work more closely with our international partners," Hemeti pointed out.

The peace deal also provides for the dismantling of rebel forces and the integration of their fighters into the national army.

Vice-President Hemeti called on other armed groups to join the peace process. "We still have work to do. Not everyone has engaged with the process. To Abdu Al Wahid Mohamed Al Nuor and other members of the Sudan Liberation Movement, engage, choose peace and let's allow our people to heal and grow," he said.

SOURCE Sovereignty Council of Sudan
The Gujarat government on Sunday said it will provide food grains to additional 10 lakh families in the state at concessional rates under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), which will benefit around 50 lakh individuals. These 10 lakh families will be able to avail all the benefits provided to the beneficiaries under the NFSA, the state government said in a release.

At present, 3.5 crore people are getting food grains under the NFSA in the state, it said. All divyangs (differently-abled), widows, beneficiaries of Vridh (elderly) Pension Assistance Scheme will also get the benefit of this food distribution scheme. BPL families not covered under the NFSA will also get the benefit under the Food Security Act," it said.

The decision taken by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani will ensure distribution of food grains at concessional rates to auto and mini tempo drivers living in cities and villages as well as to registered construction workers and other daily wagers, the release said. The chief minister has instructed authorities concerned to ensure that the process of this scheme is completed quickly and the benefit of food distribution reaches the beneficiaries immediately.

During the lockdown imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the state government had distributed free food baskets" under the Public Distribution System (PDS) to various categories of card holders. As per information provided by the government, there are 23.94 lakh BPL card holding families in Gujarat who are covered under the NFSA.
The House of Congress has already passed the $2.2 trillion stimulus package. These are the new things that you should know about the new stimulus check.

Million of Americans are still hoping for another round of stimulus checks. If not all, but most are expecting that they will receive the stimulus check to appear in their bank account before the election. Moreover, the most optimistic date to receive the money will be in the week ending October 12.

In the approval of the new stimulus package, there are chances that you should know. These changes include how quickly you are going to receive the stimulus checks and how these stimulus payments relate to your income taxes. These are the things that you should know, according to CNET:

1. Hospitalization of Pres. Trump Could Change the Timeline

Pres. Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump announced on Thursday night that they both tested positive for COVID-19 and this could change the timeline of stimulus approval. On Friday the president was admitted to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland after a report Friday morning that he'd experienced mild symptoms.

Moreover, Pres. Trump tweeted on Saturday and wrote "OUR GREAT USA WANTS & NEEDS STIMULUS. WORK TOGETHER AND GET IT DONE. Thank you!" Pres. Trump urged both chambers to support the new stimulus bill. It is a sign of urgency in the context of his illness.

Meanwhile, negotiators -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin -- have been continuing talks and appear to be closer to a deal than they've been in weeks.

2. A New Bill Has Passed, This is What It Means

The new bill has included direct stimulus payment, $600 weekly unemployment benefits, funding for airlines, and restaurants. However, this is still very critical because this is not yet a law. Only a bill that passed the House of Congress.

There is another negotiation underway with strong bipartisan support. This negotiation if could reach a deal will ultimately change the legislation and the fate of new stimulus checks

If both chambers will support the new stimulus negotiation that is underway, then it could become law. However, if they will not be successful Pres. Trump could issue an executive order that will mandate the release of stimulus checks and other relief aids.

3. Both Parties Want to Send $1,200 Stimulus Checks

President Donald Trump, Republicans, and Democrats want to send another round of stimulus checks, PPP loans, unemployment benefits, and more. All stimulus proposals coming from either Republicans or Democrats included these relief measures.

4. IRS Ensures to Send the Money Quickly

The Internal Revenue Service sent the stimulus checks in within 19 days during the first round. However, many until today are still waiting. It is either they did not update their IRS information with bank account information or did not file their taxes.

Despite this, the U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that he could send the stimulus money faster this time. He said, "I could get out 50 million payments really quickly and start sending the money a week after a bill is signed."

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Traveling now carries with it more uncertainty than ever before. If you plan on traveling anytime soon, one thing you can do to protect yourself is get a trip insurance policy that includes coronavirus coverage. Previously, many insurers excluded COVID-related claims due to the virus' status as a foreseen event/pandemic. But now, some insurers are changing their tune. Heres what you need to know about how to find travel insurance providers that offer coronavirus-related coverage, as well as what is and isnt covered.

What is covered

Coronavirus coverage falls into several categories:

Trip cancellation: You need to cancel a trip prior to departure because you, a covered travel companion or possibly someone you need to care for contracted COVID-19.

Trip delay: Your trip is delayed due to changing COVID-related guidelines.

Travel medical coverage: You (or a covered travel companion) become ill with COVID-19 while traveling abroad and incur health care expenses or require an evacuation. You (or a covered travel companion) become ill with COVID-19 while traveling abroad and incur health care expenses or require an evacuation.

Of providers that are offering COVID policies, most are covering these expenses.

What is not covered

Countries with Level 4 travel advisories: Some insurers disclose that if a Level 4 Do Not Travel advisory is issued by the U.S. Department of State for a specific country, you will not receive coronavirus-related coverage. With cases surging in various countries unexpectedly, the list of Level 4 countries is constantly changing. Before booking a trip and purchasing a policy, Some insurers disclose that if a Level 4 Do Not Travel advisory is issued by the U.S. Department of State for a specific country, you will not receive coronavirus-related coverage. With cases surging in various countries unexpectedly, the list of Level 4 countries is constantly changing. Before booking a trip and purchasing a policy, make sure to check that the country does not have a Level 4 advisory.

Fear of getting sick while traveling: Canceling a trip because youre afraid youll get sick does not qualify for coverage under your travel insurance policy. Travel insurance providers have a list of standard reasons that qualify for cancellation, including: car accident, jury duty, terrorist act, military duty and other extenuating circumstances. If you want ultimate flexibility to cancel a trip (no matter the reason), youll want to look into the Canceling a trip because youre afraid youll get sick does not qualify for coverage under your travel insurance policy. Travel insurance providers have a list of standard reasons that qualify for cancellation, including: car accident, jury duty, terrorist act, military duty and other extenuating circumstances. If you want ultimate flexibility to cancel a trip (no matter the reason), youll want to look into the cancel for any reason, or CFAR, supplemental upgrade , which is offered on some travel insurance plans. When you purchase CFAR, you can get up to 75% of your nonrefundable deposit back as long as you cancel at least two days in advance. Not all plans offer CFAR as an option, so research before you purchase if youre interested in this add-on.

COVID-related events not directly related to you: If you planned on going to a conference or a family reunion that was canceled due to COVID-associated concerns, your travel insurer will not reimburse your nonrefundable flight or hotel accommodations.

Finding travel insurers covering COVID-19

Generally, the policies underwritten by U.S.-based travel insurance providers vary by state, trip information, travelers' ages and other various details. Travel insurance comparison site Squaremouth is one of the very few comparison sites that allow you to filter by policies that offer coronavirus coverage.

To find a policy that specifically covers coronavirus-related losses, input your departure and return dates, your main destination and select Search for Policies Now.

In our example, we will input the following details: A $3,000 paid-in-full trip to Greece leaving on Oct. 9 and returning on Oct. 18 by a 40-year old U.S. citizen who is a resident of California. The policy will include trip cancellation coverage.

When incorporating the Coronavirus Pandemic filter, the results reveal that 40 out of 84 policies include this coverage. You can select additional filters, such as cancel for any reason, if youre looking for that optional upgrade.

The results can be sorted by price, top sellers, top reviews and insurance providers, offering plenty of ways to easily search for the specific policy youre looking for.

Each of the top three policies (which is just a sampling of the 40 options) includes coronavirus cancellation and medical coverage, and displays the associated limits. Trip cancellation coverage is $3,000, representing the value of the trip. The price of the policy is clearly stated and ranges from 4.1% to 5.4% of the total trip cost. This range represents very typical travel insurance costs.

The bottom line

Once you narrow your search, youll want to review the full policy details to ensure youre familiar with what exactly is covered and not covered. If you have specific questions  especially as they relate to the constantly changing travel advisories or whether coronavirus is considered as a foreseen event (which some providers will not cover)  youll want to reach out to the insurer. The last thing you want is to purchase travel insurance and later find out it will not cover you in your intended destination.

More From NerdWallet

Elina Geller is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: egeller@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @elina_geller.

The article How to Find Travel Insurance That Offers COVID Coverage originally appeared on NerdWallet.
Bhopal, Oct 4 : The Assembly bye-elections for 28 seats in Madhya Pradesh will not be a direct fight between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the principal opposition Congress. Instead it may well be a triangular contest with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) deciding to field its candidates for all 28 seats.

Voting for the bypolls is scheduled for November 3 across the 28 constituencies in the state and the results will be declared on November 10.

The Congress has announced its candidates while the BJP is yet to officially announce its list of party candidates. The Mayawati led-BSP has released two lists comprising 18 party candidates.

Of the 28 constituencies going for bypolls in the state, 16 seats are reserved in Gwalior-Chambal region. This is the region where the BSP has its own vote bank. There are nine Assembly seats in this region where BSP candidates have earlier won elections. These include Mehgaon, Karaira, Jaura, Sumavali, Morena, Dimani, Ambah, Bhander and Ashok Nagar. In the last Assembly elections, too, the BSP bagged a lot of votes from these regions.

The politics of this region can be gauged from the violence which erupted in 2018 due to reservation. The state comprises nearly 16 per cent Scheduled Castes (SC) population and most of it belongs to the Gwalior-Chambal region. This is why the region is considered as a stronghold of the BSP.

Though the BSP has never shown any interest in contesting bypolls earlier but this time around it is all set to contest with full strength. The reason is the Congress wants to dent the chances of BSP. Among the names of candidates the Congress has announced so far, many of them had earlier contested as BSP candidates. Among them are leaders such as Phool Singh Baraiya, Satyaprakash Sankhwar, Pragi Lal Jatav and Ravind Tomar.

The backward class feels disillusioned with both BJP and Congress considering that the two parties failed to pay heed to their concerns.

Political analyst Dev Shrimali believes that one-third of the seats in the Gwalior-Chambal region would be a triangular fight between BJP, Congress and the BSP. The triangular contest factors in caste and organisational potential of the candidate concerned. Though BSP's strength in the region has steadily declined according to data collected from the last two Assembly elections, the party is still a force to reckon with in certain parts of MP.
Five ministers in Nitish Kumar government would hope for a better show in the upcoming Bihar assembly polls when they seek re-election after having won by a wafer-thin margin in 2015 polls. They will pin their expectations on the poll arithmetic of a JD(U)-BJP alliance delivering a resounding verdict in their favour.

The most prominent face among them is BJPs Nand Kishore Yadav, MLA from Patna Sahib and road construction minister. In 2015, he had won by 2,792 votes against his nearest rival, Santosh Mehta of RJD. Yadav will now be seeking the sixth term as an MLA.

In the 2010 elections, when JD (U) was part of the NDA, Yadav had won comfortably by a margin of 65,337 votes.

Bihar Election 2020: Full coverage

Jai Kumar Singh, sitting Janata Dal (United) MLA from Dinara in Rohtas and the incumbent science and technology minister, had by a margin of 2,691 votes against Rajendra Prasad Singh of BSP in 2015. The two-term MLA, if allotted a ticket, would this time be facing the combined might of Upendra Kushwahas RLSP and the BSP, which have tied up.

The BSP has decent strength in the districts of Bihar bordering Uttar Pradesh.

Also Read: Post Hathras incident, Congress gears up to woo Dalits in poll-bound Bihar

In 2010, Jai Kumar had defeated Sita Sundari Devi of RJD by a comfortable margin of 16,610 votes.

Brij Kishore Bind of BJP, who is the minister for mines and geology, had won Chainpur seat in Rohtas against Mohammad Zama Khan of BSP by a thin margin of 671 votes in 2015 compared to a comfortable victory margin of 13,580 votes against BSPs Dr Ajay Alok, registered in 2010 polls.

Also Read: Bihar Assembly Election 2020: HAM-S seals deal with JD(U), all eyes on BJP-LJP

Minority welfare minister Khurshid alias Firoz Ahmed, who is the JD (U) MLA from Sikta in West Champaran, had won by 2,835 votes in 2015 against Dilip Varma of the BJP.

In 2010, Varma, who fought as an independent candidate, had defeated Ahmed by 8,779 votes.

Tourism minister Krishna Kumar Rishi, who is the BJP MLA from Banmankhi in Purnia, a reserved constituency, had defeated his nearest rival Sanjiv Kumar Paswan of RJD by 708 votes in 2015. In 2010, he had a cakewalk, defeating Dharmlal Rishi of RJD by a margin of 44,890 votes.
Panipat:

Haryana government on Sunday announced that it would soon launch a special recruitment drive to fill up the backlog posts for Scheduled Castes in the government jobs.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also announced an increase of Rs 10,000 in financial assistance provided by the government for the marriage of daughters belonging to Scheduled Castes community under Mukhyamanti Vivah Shagun Yojna from Rs 41,000 to Rs 51,000.

This shagun amount would reach the beneficiaries seven days prior to the marriage, he said.

Addressing a state-level function orgnanised to commemorate the 640th birth anniversary of Guru Ravidass here, he said the state government was making concerted efforts to complete the backlog of posts for Scheduled Castes in the government jobs.

The process has already been begun. A committee headed by P Ragvendra Rao, Additional Chief Secretary (Finance and Planning) had been asked to study about the percentage of posts for reserved categories lying vacant in different departments. The report of 20 departments has already been received.

After getting complete report, the government will conduct special recruitment drive to fill up posts for members belonging to the Scheduled Castes, he said.

Khattar also announced setting up a Bhawan Nirman Academy named after Guru Ravidass at a cost of Rs 100 crore in Jind.

Greeting the people on the birth anniversary of Guru Ravidass, he said apart from these, half acre land would be identified in Panipat for construction of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar Hostel. He also announced the release of first instalment of Rs 21 lakh for construction of hostel.

Khattar said following the footsteps of Guru Ravidass, the present BJP government in Haryana is ensuring welfare of all sections of the society.

To restore the faith and trust of people, the government had decided to celebrate the anniversaries of saints at state level.

Referring to the benefits being given to Scheduled Castes in the state, the Chief Minister said that the government is working to enhance their educational and socio-economic status.

During the last 27 months, scholarships under Dr BR Ambedkar Medhavi Chatra Yojna, have been given to more than 72,000 students, he said, and listed the various schemes being implemented for the welfare of members belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes.

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UN special representative on Libya Stephanie Williams welcomed on Sunday the positive development witnessed during talks between the warring parties in the Red Sea resort city of Hurghada.

Williams, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, pointed out that trust was being built between the Libyan delegations in Hurghada, hoping that negotiations will end with a permanent ceasefire agreement.

She noted that the ceasefire deal, agreed upon in August, between the Tripoli-based Government of National Accords (GNA) head Fayez Al-Sarraj and the Tobruk-based House of Representatives speaker Aguila Saleh led the Libyans themselves to suggest holding talks in Egypt.

Previous talks in Hurghadawhich took place in late Septembersaw an agreement between the Libyan parties to work on the release of all prisoners and protect the North African states oil and gas facilities to completely resume production and export activities.

Williams added that most of the Libyan parties are "now more convinced than ever before that the solution to the conflict has to be 'political'," stressing that military intervention and imposing blockades on natural resources did not lead to positive outcomes.

Nothing remains for the Libyans except a political solution to solve their disagreements and divisions. Build a state that includes everyone and allows people to live with dignity, Williams emphasised.

Libya has been divided between two authorities in Tripoli and Tobruk for six years. While the GNA is based in Tripoli, the capital, Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) controls the east and is allied to the Tobruk-based House of Representatives.

The LNA is backed by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, France, and Russia; while the GNA is backed by Turkey, Qatar, and thousands of Syrian mercenaries.

On 22 August, both parties to the conflict declared a ceasefire that ended fears about possible GNA aggression against the port city of Sirte, 370 kilometres east of the capital Tripoli and Jufra, which has a major military airbase.

GNA head Al-Sarraj announced on Facebook that he "issued instructions to all military forces to immediately cease fire and combat operations in all Libyan territories."

Saleh announced a ceasefire which was welcomed by world leaders. The two warring parties agreed to hold elections in March 2021.

Talks in Hurghada followed an earlier round of diplomacy in Moroccos coastal town of Bouznika, south of the capital Rabat, last month. In Bouznika, both parties agreed on the "criteria, transparent mechanisms and objectives" for key power positions.

After Moroccos talks, Williams called on the "international community to shoulder its responsibilities to support this process and to unequivocally respect the Libyan people's sovereign right to determine their future."

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It's not an item likely to be on the weekly shopping lists of many households  but one supermarket giant has started selling gold bullion alongside its everyday groceries.

Bulk-buy specialist Costco, more normally known for its pile-em-high, sell-em-cheap philosophy, is now offering bars of the precious metal for up to 24,500 a time.

But experts last night warned shoppers they could be getting a poor deal, particularly after violent swings in the gold market this year.

Bulk-buy specialist Costco, more normally known for its pile-em-high, sell-em-cheap philosophy, is now offering bars of gold for up to 24,500 a time (file photo)

While the companys mark-up on gold is up to seven per cent on the market rate, it is also selling silver bars at a whopping 28 per cent premium.

Many investors have been turning to what they see as the security of gold this year, amid huge uncertainties in the world economy caused by Covid-19, international tensions and political discord in America.

But while the price of gold has risen by 28 per cent in the past 12 months to almost $1,900 (1,469) an ounce, it is a volatile market, declining by more than six per cent in the past two months alone.

Professor Trevor Williams, an economist at St Marys University, London, warned: Gold is an investment product and people should be wary about buying it. Some say it holds its value, but that is not true  it can move up and down quite markedly.

On September 24, Costcos 100g bar was on sale for 4,939.99, when the market price for that much gold was 4,619.70  equal to a seven per cent mark-up in store.

It also had a 50g bar of gold that day for 2,442.99 (six per cent higher than market rates) and a 500g bar at 24,549.99 (6.5 per cent).

On September 24, Costcos 100g bar was on sale for 4,939.99, when the market price for that much gold was 4,619.70  equal to a seven per cent mark-up in store (file photo)

A 1kg silver bar cost 711.99 at a time when that much of the metal traded at 554.90  meaning that the mark-up was a hefty 28.3 per cent.

Gold is normally bought direct from the Royal Mint or from bullion traders, rather than loaded into a supermarket trolley with multipacks of toilet rolls.

Other investors might use funds that track the market price, or buy a share of a bullion bar, which is then kept in storage.

Some market-watchers believe the price of gold will resume its upward climb later this year as governments will need to print more money to prop up their economies.

Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at trading firm CMC Markets UK, said: I think that by the end of 2021 the price of gold could well be more than 30 per cent higher than it is today.

Watchdogs at the Financial Conduct Authority have previously warned of the danger in investing in unregulated assets such as physical gold, as there is very little protection if something goes wrong.

Costco declined to comment last night.
Washington: President Donald Trump 's condition is improving as he is being treated for COVID-19 at a military hospital, and he could return to the White House as early as Monday, the doctors leading his treatment said on Sunday.

That word came the day after a series of contradictory messages from the White House about Trump's conditions caused widespread confusion about his health.

"The patient continues to improve. He has remained without fever since Friday morning, his vital signs are stable," Dr. Sean Dooley told reporters at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where Trump has been receiving treatment since Friday.

Trump released a four-minute video on Saturday in which he said the "real test" of his condition will come over the next few days.

"Over the next period of a few days, I guess that's the real test, so we'll be seeing what happens over those next couple of days," Trump said into the camera, looking tired and wearing a jacket and open-necked shirt.





Trump's illness has upended the campaign ahead of the November presidential election and cast a spotlight on the president's handling of the pandemic. The Republican president is trailing Democratic rival Joe Biden in opinion polls.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Sunday found that Biden had opened a 10 point lead over Trump nationally, slightly wider than it has been for the past two months. Some 65% of Americans said Trump likely would not have been infected had he taken the virus more seriously -- a view that half of registered Republicans polled supported. Some 55% said they did not believe Trump had been telling the truth about the virus.

Trump's campaign vowed that Vice President Mike Pence, who would assume the presidency if Trump were unable to carry out his duties, would have an "aggressive" campaign schedule this week, as would Trump's three oldest children.

"We can't stay in our basement or shut down the economy indefinitely. We have to take it head-on," Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller said on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday.

Trump has repeatedly played down the threat of the pandemic, even as it has killed more than 208,000 Americans and hammered the U.S. economy.

CONDITION UNCLEAR

Differing assessments of Trump's health from administration officials on Saturday left it unclear how ill the president had become since he tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday night.

A White House team of doctors said on Saturday morning Trump's condition was improving and that he was already talking about returning to the White House.

Within minutes, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows gave reporters a less rosy assessment, saying, "The president's vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. We're still not on a clear path to a full recovery."

Meadows, whose initial comments were delivered on condition that he not be identified, altered his tone hours later, telling Reuters that Trump was doing "very well" and that "doctors are very pleased with his vital signs."

Meadows did not clarify the discrepancy in his comments. A Trump adviser who spoke on condition of anonymity said the president was not happy to learn of Meadows' initial remarks.

However in an interview with Fox News broadcast Saturday night, Meadows revealed that Trump's condition on Friday was far worse than officials had made public, saying doctors recommended the president go to the hospital after seeing he had a fever and his blood oxygen level dropped rapidly.

White House doctor Sean P. Conley told reporters outside the hospital on Saturday that Trump had not had trouble breathing, and was not given oxygen at Walter Reed.

He declined to give a timetable for Trump's possible release from the hospital, and later had to issue a statement saying he misspoke after appearing to suggest Trump had been diagnosed as early as Wednesday.

In a statement on Saturday evening, Conley said the president was "not yet out of the woods" but his team remained cautiously optimistic.

CAMPAIGN RESHAPED

With Trump off the campaign trail indefinitely, his campaign announced "Operation MAGA," based on his slogan "Make America Great Again," which will see high-profile allies including Pence and Trump's elder sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, take over in-person campaigning this week.

Pence, who tested negative on Friday, is scheduled to debate Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Wednesday.

Biden, who largely avoided direct criticism of Trump during a campaign trip to Michigan on Friday, took a more aggressive tone on Saturday while speaking to a transit workers' union, even as he wished the president well.

"I'm in a little bit of a spot here, because I don't want to be attacking the president and the first lady now," Biden said, adding he hoped Trump and his wife Melania, who also has the illness, make a full recovery.

But he quickly turned to Trump's response to the pandemic, calling it "unconscionable" and blasting Trump's comment in an interview this summer that "it is what it is" when asked about the death toll.

Biden, who tested negative on Friday, told reporters he would next be tested on Sunday. His campaign will begin releasing the results of each test, a spokesman said.

Conley said Trump had received the first two doses of a five-day course of Remdesivir, an intravenous antiviral drug sold by Gilead Sciences Inc that has been shown to shorten hospital stays.

He is also taking an experimental treatment, Regeneron's REGN-COV2, as well as zinc, Vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin and aspirin, Conley has said.

A number of other prominent Republicans have also tested positive for coronavirus since Trump's announcement, including Republican senators Mike Lee, Thom Tillis and Ron Johnson, former White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

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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According to information released by the United States Missile Defence Agency, on October 1, 2020, The Missile Defense Agency, U.S. Army Program Executive Office Missiles and Space, and U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command successfully conducted a test of the Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) air defense missile systems from White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. The test, designated Flight Test Patriot Weapon System (FTP)-27, consisted of two events that took place today and earlier this year.

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MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems during a static-display demonstration Aug. 15, 2019, at Katterbach Army Airfield in Ansbach, Germany. (Picture source U.S. DoD)

Today, the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) Army-Navy/Transportable Radar Surveillance and Control Model 2 (AN/TPY-2) detected and tracked the Black Dagger target and successfully provided data to the Patriot weapon system to determine a launch solution. The Patriot weapon system successfully achieved an intercept of the target with a Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptor using data provided by the THAAD AN/TPY-2 radar.

During the first event on February 20, 2020, the THAAD Army-Navy/Transportable Radar Surveillance and Control Model 2 (AN/TPY-2) also detected and tracked the Black Dagger target and successfully provided data to the Patriot weapon system to determine a launch solution. On that occasion, an intercept was not achieved due to an interceptor software upgrade error which has since been corrected, as demonstrated by today's successful intercept.

"The success of FTP-27 validates the interoperability of the Patriot and THAAD weapon systems," said MDA Director Vice Adm. Jon Hill. "This capability is vital to the Ballistic Missile Defense System to defend against rogue threats to our homeland, deployed forces and allies."

In addition, FTP-27 meets the requirements of the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act for the MDA and U.S. Army to annually test the interoperability and integration of the Patriot and THAAD weapon systems.



The Patriot MIM-104 is an air defense missile system produced by American companies Raytheon and Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. Patriot systems have been sold to the Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Egypt, Japan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Republic of China (Taiwan), Greece, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Romania. South Korea purchased several second-hand Patriot systems from Germany after North Korea test-launched ballistic missiles to the Sea of Japan and proceeded with underground nuclear testing in 2006.



The Patriot system has four major operational functions: communications, command and control, radar surveillance, and missile guidance. The four functions combine to provide a coordinated, secure, integrated, mobile air defense system. The first version of the Patriot was designed to destroy aerial threats as aircraft or combat helicopters and had very limited capability against ballistic missiles. The Patriot PAC-3 is an evolution of the standard Patriot able to destroy tactical ballistic missiles, advanced cruise missile and aircraft threats. The PAC-3 missile has a range of about 40 km and can reach targets at an altitude of up to 20 km.



U.S. Army Soldiers from Bravo Battery, 2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment system checks a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) launcher during routine start up procedures in the U.S. Central Commands area of responsibility, June 25, 2020. (Picture source U.S. DoD)

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), formerly Theater High Altitude Area Defense, is an American anti-ballistic missile defense system designed to shoot down short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles. The THAAD system is being designed, built, and integrated by Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control acting as prime contractor. Key subcontractors include Raytheon, Boeing, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Honeywell, BAE Systems, Oshkosh Defense, and MiltonCAT.



A THAAD battery consists of at least six launcher vehicles, each equipped with eight missiles, with two mobile tactical operations centers (TOCs) and the AN/TPY-2 ground-based radar (GBR). Although the actual figures are classified, THAAD missiles have an estimated range of 125 miles (200 km), and can reach an altitude of 93 miles (150 km).
Amid the countrywide outrage against the alleged rape of 19-year-old in UPs Hathras, members of the upper castes have started protesting in support of the four accused arrested for the gang rape and murder of the girl.

The upper castes group is agitating outside the village of the accused in Hathras calling for an unbiased probe into the matter by the SIT formed by the state government.

The protestors allege that the matter has been politicised and the four accused are wrongly being targeted. One of the demonstrators said that if our children (the accused) are guilty, then they should be punished, the innocent should not be framed and the guilty should not be spared.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday recommended a CBI probe into the alleged gang-rape and death of a 19-year-old Dalit woman that triggered a nationwide outrage. The decision was announced by the Chief Ministers Office after Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra wound up their visit to the home of the victims family at a village in Hathras district.

The protest started following a panchayat meeting held in Bhagna village, which is 5 kilometres away from the victims village. According to the reports, almost all of the attendees favoured the four accused held responsible for brutalising the teen resulting in her death. The panchayat claimed that some political parties were trying to make use of the case for their own benefit.

Bhim Army Chief Chandrasekhar Azad is scheduled to visit the victims family today. Congress, BSP and Bhim army have called for probe into the matter and strict punishment to the accused and suspension of officials involved in pressurising the victims family. A delegation of the Samajwadi Party leaves for Hathras to meet the family of the gang-rape victim. BJP on the other hand has accused the opposition parties of politicising the issue.
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The tangible shift in the manner in which Bollywood is maturing in articulating issues pertaining to gender dysphoria, trans identities and struggles lends one hope that the public discourse will also catch up with the same

Last weeks Netflix release, Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare, is being welcomed by viewers across the board. The slice-of-life dramedy representing working-class women negotiating their private and public lives has struck a chord with the audience. Of the many themes that the film deals with, Konkana Sen Sharmas character (Dolly) grappling with her sons early signs of gender dysphoria, stands out as a refreshing and welcome change in Indian cinemas handling of sensitive subjects. Apart from the screenplay and the brilliant performances, what stands out are the journey and representation of transgender characters in a mainstream Hindi film such as this. The nuanced portrayal of a complex phenomenon to an audience that is largely uninitiated about even the existence of something called gender dysphoria is commendable.

Gender dysphoria, as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), is the distress people feel when their gender at birth is contrary to the one they identify with. The term gender dysphoria is a revised diagnosis of DSM-IV criteria for the erstwhile term 'gender identity disorder'. This revision was aimed to better characterise the experiences of affected children, adolescents, and adults to ensure effective clinical care. Gender nonconformity is not a mental disorder in itself, but the presence of distress associated with the condition can lead to impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. In addition to that, the DSM-5 also has a separate post-transition specifier for people living full-time as their desired gender. This includes access to treatment for individuals undergoing hormone therapy, related surgery, or psychotherapy and counselling to support their gender transition.

Gender identity, however, continues to provoke debates and raises new issues on the already complex dialogue on gender. In June 2020, the author of the Harry Potter series, JK Rowling, posted a controversial tweet about the transgender community. After the initial backlash, she went on to post a series of tweets about transwomen being different from women who are female at birth and menstruate. After being called a Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist (TERF) for her transphobic comments, she issued a lengthy essay explaining her reasons for being worried about new age trans activism, which furthered her stance arising from biological essentialism.

People who menstruate. Im sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud? Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate https://t.co/cVpZxG7gaA  J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020

If sex isnt real, theres no same-sex attraction. If sex isnt real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isnt hate to speak the truth.  J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020

The American philosopher and gender theorist Judith Butler  whose work on gender as performance revolutionised the popular attitudes on gender  in her recent interview called trans exclusionary feminism a fringe movement seeking to speak in the name of the mainstream. She debunked Rowlings claims of the assumption of the penis being a threat, and anyone with a penis identifying as a woman entering changing rooms posing a threat to womens safety, as pure fantasy at play. This transphobic narrative arises from fear but is far removed from social reality. The safety of transwomen is endangered in mens bathrooms and self-identification is a way of describing a lived reality.

While the debate regarding transpersons and their civil and political rights are being discussed in the West, the discourse in India is still in its nascent stage. It is only in the year 2014 that the Indian governments Census (Crimes in India Report by National Crimes Record Bureau) started counting transpersons  individuals who were earlier considered male. This development came after the Supreme Courts order in the year 2014 that created a legally recognised non-binary status for transpersons.

In 2019, the upper house of the Indian Parliament passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2019. Following the protests regarding some of the provisions of the 2018 Bill (criminalising begging, for instance), the 2019 Bill was passed incorporating some of the recommendations of the standing committee as well as the principles established in the National Legal Services Authority v Union of India (NALSA v UoI). While this was a step forward from the previous legislation, it has been criticised for failing to incorporate many of the principles of the same case (declaring gender without medical evidence and reservations for jobs and education, for instance). Additionally, the Act is also claimed to be discriminatory towards the community, while penalising offences. Considering these aspects of the Act, the Supreme Court issued notice to the central government in a writ/Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the constitutionality of the Act, for which proceedings are still pending.

Following the Bill, which prohibits discrimination against a transgender person, including unfair treatment or denial of service in relation to employment, education, healthcare, access to public goods and facilities, among others, there are many companies such as KPMG, Infosys, Accenture, Nestaway and Sodexo that introduced policies and hiring plans to include transpersons in their organisations. The Transgender Persons Bill along with the 2018 Navtej Singh Johar v Union of India (where Section 377 was read down to exclude criminality of non-heterosexual intercourse between consenting adults) have played a crucial role in enabling organisations and institutions to have conversations about LGBTQ rights. This is also apparent with trade bodies like the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), who subsequently hosted panels on LGBTQIA+ diversity at their annual conclaves. Despite these provisions on paper, the experiences of transpersons in India have remained far from pleasant. For instance, there were 23 transpersons who were employed by Kerala's Kochi Metro Rail Limited in 2017, out of which eight had to quit their jobs within a month as the landlords refused to give them accommodation.

In the last few years, we have seen Bollywood breaking away from its polarised representation of transgender individuals, which was either the horrifying villain in movies like Sadak, Murder 2, or the comic stereotype with offensive transphobic humour directed at them in films like Style, Partner, and Masti.

Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare is an addition to the representation of the LGBTQIA+ communities in Indian cinema, where we are witnessing a gradual transition in the form of films like Aligarh, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga and Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan. With scope for many more stories about struggles of transpersons that need to be told, it is also important that they are told by trans individuals themselves. The tangible shift in the manner in which Bollywood is maturing in articulating issues pertaining to gender dysphoria, trans identities and struggles, lends one hope that the public discourse will also catch up with the same. Even though the legislative approach to the rights and welfare of the transgender community has been less than ideal, the social and judicial approach towards this community is definitely developing at a much faster pace. It is only through a holistic approach that the sustained othering of transpersons, seen as outside the bounds of normal, will be overcome.

Shruti Singhi is a Research Assistant at the Department of Sociology, Monk Prayogshala; Sumati Thusoo is a Research Author at the Department of Sociology, Monk Prayogshala.
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UTI Asset Management Company, the second-largest asset management company in India in terms of total AUM, closed its Rs 2,160-crore public issue on October 1. The focus now shifts to the allotment status expected to be known on October 7 or 8.

The unblocking of funds from ASBA account will start around October 8 and the shares will be credited to the account of eligible investors by October 9. The trading in shares will commence from October 12, as per the company's prospectus.

Here are five easy steps to check your allotment status through the website of Registrar - KFin Technologies. The registrar has provided the option of three links and you can click on any to view the IPO allotment status.

>> Select IPO "UTI Asset Management Company" from the dropdown>> Check box either "Application Number" or "DP ID/Client ID" or "PAN">> In case of, select application type (ASBA or NON ASBA) and Enter Application Number. In case of, select Depository "NSDL or CDSL" and enter "DP ID (depository participant ID)/Client ID". In case of the, enter the permanent account number>> Enter "Captcha" mentioned in digits-and-letters

>> Click on the "Submit" button.

You can also check the allotment status on the BSE website:

1) Check box "Equity" in Issue Type2) Select "UTI Asset Management Company" in the dropdown under Issue Name3) Enter your application number4) Enter PAN

5) Press or click on the "Search" button

If the information filled is correct, then you will see your application status. You can see the number of shares subscribed and the number of allotted shares on the page.

The IPO was expected to see a strong response but it didn't live up to the billing. The public issue that was open from September 29-October 1 was subscribed only 2.31 times.

The issue price was fixed at Rs 554 per share, the higher price band. The IPO comprised an offer for sale of 3,89,87,081 equity shares by SBI, Bank of Baroda, PNB, LIC and T Rowe Price International. Aall the funds raised via public issue will go to the selling shareholders.

UTI AMC is the second-largest asset management company in India in terms of total AUM and the eighth-largest asset management company in India in terms of mutual fund QAAUM as of June 2020. It managed 153 domestic mutual fund schemes, comprising equity, hybrid, income, liquid and money market funds as of June 2020.

Its total QAAUM for domestic mutual funds was Rs 1,33,630 crore, while other AUM was Rs 8,49,390 crore.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said he stands ready with Bangladesh leaders to better align the two countries strategies and jointly promote the construction of his multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to take the strategic partnership of the two countries to new heights.

Xi made the remarks in an exchange of congratulatory messages with his Bangladesh counterpart, Mohammad Abdul Hamid, on the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the bilateral diplomatic relationship on Sunday.

In his message, Xi hailed the steady and long-term friendship saying he is ready to work with Hamid to better align development strategies with Bangladesh, step up cooperation under the framework of the BRI and push forward the China-Bangladesh strategic, cooperative partnership to a new level, official media reported.

With over USD 26 billion Chinese investments and USD 38 billion dollars funding commitments, Bangladesh is one of the largest recipients of Chinas massive infrastructure project.

China has also offered zero-tariff treatment to 97 per cent of Bangladeshs exports by adding 5,161 more items to the existing list of 3,095 duty-free products. The BRI seeks to build rail, maritime and road links from Asia to Europe and Africa in a revival of ancient Silk Road trading routes.

The issues related to BRI, earlier known as One Belt One Road (OBOR), has been a major bone of contention between India and China as one portion of the corridor passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Besides Pakistan, where China initiated over USD 60 billion as part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), China has stepped up its huge infrastructure investments in Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives rising concerns of its growing influence in Indias immediate neighbourhood. The BRI is President Xis top priority initiative, which aims firm up Chinas global influence.

The initiative has, however, attracted allegations, especially from the US, of debt-diplomacy after Sri Lanka handed over its Hambantota Port to a state-run Chinese firm in 2017 for a 99 years lease in a debt swap amounting to USD 1.2 billion. Malaysia has also deferred several projects under the BRI, citing cost revaluation.

Xi, in his message to Hamid, also said the two countries had worked jointly to fight against Covid-19.

Earlier, China had sent medical team to Bangladesh to share its experience of handling coronavirus, which had emerged first in Wuhan in December last year.

Bangladesh also is among over a dozen countries where the final phase of clinical trials of Chinese vaccine is being conducted.

In his message, Hamid said the Bangladesh-China relationship is developing rapidly and has covered cooperation in key areas, to which Dhaka attached great importance, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

He expressed his deep appreciation for Chinas continuous support for Bangladesh in its socio-economic development progress, adding that he believes the close and friendly relationship between the two countries will continue to deepen in the future.
Bridget Braud wasnt about to let COVID-19 get in the way of having another baby.

The 32-year-old Madisonville woman had faced some health issues, including a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis in 2019, and doctors had finally given her the go-ahead to conceive her second child. On top of that, it takes meticulous planning for a teacher to line up maternity leave with summer vacation, and Braud knew that would leave her pregnant in the middle of a global pandemic. But the Mayfield Elementary teacher proceeded  with caution, of course  anyway.

Because of the MS, I really didnt want to wait any longer, but I was so torn because of the coronavirus on what to do, she said. I consulted with my OB and my neurologist, and they both said its (COVID-19) either going away soon or not going away for a while, so either way, I shouldnt put my life on hold for it when its something I really wanted at that particular time.

Braud found out she was pregnant in June and is expecting a baby boy in February.

But this is just one story of many on the north shore as the number of pregnant women is seemingly increasing following COVID-induced lifestyle changes and stay-at-home orders. Many families found themselves working and schooling from home, and many couples who typically wouldnt have quality time together had their crazy schedules screeched to a halt.

The Natural BirthHouse in Covington is already feeling the effects of a forthcoming surge, said Brittany OQuinn, a certified doula and office manager for the facility. The birth center offers women an alternative to a traditional hospital experience, which OQuinn says has become even more appealing given current hospital restrictions. Its patients work with midwives throughout their pregnancies to plan for a natural or home birth. The Natural BirthHouse is already booking up for January, March and April, she said, and midwives are expecting a boom after the first of the year.

OQuinn said that there is usually an uptick in births nine months after the winter holidays, and interestingly enough, the Super Bowl. This year, however, it seems to be aligning with the March stay-at-home orders. Several patients have due dates in the beginning of January.

Ive been doing this for eight years, and its definitely noticeable, said OQuinn. September and October are usually the busiest times, but definitely this year it will be starting in January.

Dr. Gregory Berault, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Slidell, said he has definitely seen an increase in the number of pregnancies. He likened the boom to other times when there were power outages that led to spikes in the number of births nine months later. This time, however, the time period is much more broad and the effects will extend into May of next year.

Officials at St. Tammany Parish Health System, Ochsner North Shore and Slidell Memorial Hospital were unable to guesstimate what the coming months will bring in terms of births at their respective hospitals.

One of the moms expecting a baby in January is Slidell resident Leila Perez, who is also a local real estate agent. Perez discovered she was pregnant amid the pandemic, but said it has less to do with free time and more to do with changed habits. The 28-year-old said she was excited when she found out she was pregnant in May. It was a long time coming, and she had been actively trying to expand her family. However, when stay-at-home orders forced her family to slow down and her Coast Guard husband to return home, the couple used the time to dive back into fitness. Getting physically fit definitely played a role, she said. However, the timing wasnt ideal.

Ive learned in time to just let things be as they are, said Perez, who is due Jan. 10. If thats what God set it up to be, that's what you can handle, this is your timing. It was exciting, nonetheless.

Still, there is some debate nationally over whether or not there will be a COVID baby boom or bust.

A report released in June from the Brookings Institute stated that researchers believe there will be a steep decline in births next year. The report estimates there will be between 300,000 and 500,000 less births in 2021. A fragile economy, fluctuating unemployment figures and historical trends were noted as reasons for the predicted decline. The report examined trends during the Spanish Flu of 1918, and according to data from the time period, birthrates declined by 12.5% with each spike of the virus.

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Research from Marie Stopes International suggests otherwise. The organization, which is known for its contraception and abortion services, released a report that stated there may be a rise in the number of unplanned pregnancies. Because medical resources turned toward COVID-19-related issues, many women went without access to proper health care, contraceptives and other resources. In addition, Malaysias Karex Bhd, the worlds largest condom manufacturer, said it was expecting a major shortage of condoms after factories were shut down.

But on the north shore where a boom is expected, the debate can only be settled in the coming months after hospitals actually have data.

Dr. Dan Mokry, an obstetrician with Ochsners Womens Health Center in Covington, said its business as usual as far as the influx of pregnant women coming into his office. There doesnt seem to be an abrupt increase or decrease, he said, however, it does look as if there is a bit of a shift happening that would make the end of the year busier than usual.

Our absolute numbers at the hospital are the same as its been, but other than that there has maybe been a little shift, he said. Usually summertime is really busy and slows toward the end of the year for babies, and were seeing a little shift in that toward the end of the year.

Regardless, the experience for pregnant women during the times of coronavirus is and will continue to be different as hospitals limit who can be in the delivery room and appointments.

Brenna Wood, 31, of Mandeville, who is expecting her second child after two miscarriages, said anxiety is a big piece of the puzzle as women navigate around COVID threats and restrictions on top of the normal challenge of being pregnant. Her husband has not been able to go with her to regular or ultrasound appointment, and the family has had to make big sacrifices to mitigate the risks.

I would be really depressed every day of the appointments, she said. He sat in the car with our daughter while I went in. They let me FaceTime him at the viability ultrasounds so he could see theres still a heartbeat.

But she was terrified of getting bad news with no support in the room. Fortunately, its been so far so good for the family. However, they have taken action to keep it that way. Wood said she pulled her toddler out of school and the family has been quarantined for months. She worries about how the hospital experience will be when she delivers in January and the logistics of visitors.

Its basically instinctual worries amplified, plus world pandemic concerns, said Wood. Not a great mix, but if she makes it here, we will do whatever it takes to keep us safe.

For first time mom Marlena Bourgeois, 32, coronavirus has taken away the traditional experiences that go along with pregnancy, she said, which has been a disappointment.

This is my first child, and I cant help but think how much COVID has taken away from me and my family, she said. I will be getting no maternity photos, no newborn photos. I had a small gender reveal with my husband, stepson, mom and dad, but that was it. I had no baby shower. I have literally experienced nothing a normal first time mom should get to experience.

In the end, though, the Covington mom-to-be said shes grateful and excited to meet her baby girl in January.

As much as I would love to experience all those things, the fact of the matter is, I am pregnant. I am pregnant during COVID, and that's OK, she said. This baby being strong and healthy is all that matters to us. She is worth it all.
On its face value, Marvel Cinematic Universe seems to be the entity every actor in the business hopes to become a part of at some point in their professional career. The money is great, the fans are dedicated and you get to travel the world while shooting and promoting the films.

Sometimes, however, the reasons mentioned above arent enough and once the actors do get the presumed sweet Marvel deal, they feel like it is not what they had signed up for.

Here are five actors who didnt want to be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe:

Gwyneth Paltrow

Tony Starks love interest and the lady who ran the Stark Industries, the character of Pepper Potts was played by actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who although appreciated shooting for the first Iron Man movie, confessed that she wanted to retire from the MCU after her appearance in Avengers: Endgame.

Hugo Weaving

You cant help but feel bad for Hugo Weaving, the man who brilliantly portrayed the role of Red Skull in the worst Captain America movie. In an interview with Collider, Weaving said that while he liked playing the role of the Hydra commander, he wasnt too excited about the idea of returning to the MCU. It is because of this reason why Red Skull was played by Ross Marquan and not the OG actor himself.

Idris Elba

While the audience were weeping during the first scene of Avengers: Infinity War, when Thanos and the Black Order destroy the Asguardians ship and kill Heimdall, the actor who played the role of the Gatekeeper must have been relieved. In an interview with The Telegraph, Elba openly talked about the kind of torture it was for him to work in Thor: The Dark World. Also Marvel Studios did listen to his concerns and managed to add a little bit more to his character in Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War.

Natalie Portman

Man, Thor: The Dark World really is the worst movie in the MCU, isnt it? Yet another star from the God of Thunder franchise, Natalie Portman was widely reported as being unhappy while shooting the film and even wanted to quit on the spot after Patty Jenkins, a director of her choice departed from the project based on creative differences. However, over the years, Portman has changed her alleged stance on the MCU and is set to return as Jane Foster in Thor: Love and Thunder to become the Mighty Thor.

Jeremy Renner

Whie Renner did become an important part of the MCU with time, he was completely unhappy with the way his character, Hawkeye was treated like a pawn and nothing more in the first Avengers movie. He believed that the role he played on screen was absolutely not what he had signed up for and even wished that his character would get killed off.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 19:55:49|Editor: huaxia

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DAMASCUS, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- At least three Turkey-backed police officers were killed and seven others wounded in a car bomb explosion in northern Syria, a war monitor reported on Sunday.

The explosion ripped through a checkpoint of Turkey-backed police corps in the city of al-Bab in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo province on Saturday night, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The death toll will likely rise due to the number of critically wounded people.

Al-Bab and other areas in the northern countryside of Aleppo are controlled by the Turkish forces and Turkey-backed rebel groups. Enditem
Harrison called on South Carolinians to hold elected officials accountable for their handling of the coronavirus pandemic

For the first debate of the tightening South Carolina senate race, Democratic candidate, Jaime Harrison, set up a plexiglass barrier between himself and Senator Lindsey Graham.

Screenshot of Debate (via CSPAN)

During the debate that was held at Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina, Harrison stood with the barrier by his side.

While addressing the precaution hed taken, Harrison called on South Carolinians to hold elected officials accountable for their handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Read More: Lindsey Graham photographed with leader of white nationalist group Proud Boys

We shouldnt blame anybody for the inception of this disease, Harrison said. Where blame should come is how we handle this disease, whether or not we take it seriously, he added.

Tonight, I am taking it seriously. Thats why I put this plexiglass up, because its not just about me, Harrison said.

Epic tear down. Jaime Harrison even brought his own plexiglass (visible at the start) to protect against Lindsey Graham who should be in quarantine for having recent Senate GOP no-mask lunch together with Lee, Tillis, and Johnson who are #COVID19 positive. pic.twitter.com/D0EoNlO6JJ  Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) October 4, 2020

Its about the people in my life that I have to take care of as well, my two boys, my wife, my grandmother, he continued. Lets take this issue seriously and do all that we can to not only take care of ourselves but each other.

In Twitter posts on Friday, Graham, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that he had tested negative for COVID-19 after learning that Senator Mike Lee of Utah, a member of the committee, had tested positive.

Story continues

However, Guy King, Harrisons campaign communications director, said Graham should have self-quarantined. He added that Grahams test results could be inconclusive after such a recent exposure.

Read More: Jaime Harrison spent millions on Facebook ads in an attempt to beat Lindsay Graham

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Even if you test negative for COVID-19 or feel healthy, you should stay home (quarantine) since symptoms may appear 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus.

Future face-offs between Harrison and Graham are scheduled for Oct. 12 and Oct. 21.

Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now!

The post Plexiglass separates Jaime Harrison and Lindsey Graham during debate appeared first on TheGrio.
Several schools in the city will participate in the Climate Action Project, an international initiative that aims to create awareness about climate change and environmental threats amongst school children.

The project, as part of which schools will teach a six-week long curriculum in climate change, is in collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Jane Goodall Institute and UN . A total of 107 countries are a part of the initiative.

City based schools like Chatrabhuj Narsee Memorial School (CNMS) in Vile Parle, Sanjivani International School in Navi Mumbai and Navy Childrens School Colaba are some of the participating schools in the project. Kavita Sanghvi, principal, CNMS and the climate action ambassador with the project said, Climate change is real and its high time we start talking about it at the school level. Through this initiative, we want students to participate in the crusade against climate change. Schools will start teaching the curriculum from this month and will gradually introduce different themes and concepts related to climate change and environmental hazards.

As part of the six-week programme, schools will not only include climate change and climate action as part of their everyday teaching but will also encourage students to take up several activities like environment awareness drives, tree plantation programmes etc.

We have just started the programme at our school and to begin with, geography teachers have been entrusted with the responsibility of teaching the curriculum. Just last week, we had a conversation with students about Greta Thunberg and showed them one of her talks to encourage them to talk about climate action, said Vandana Saxena, principal, Sanjivani International School.

Sanghvi said more schools in the city are likely to join the campaign in the coming days. We have sent out an appeal to several schools and have also written to the state education department in this regard. We hope that more and more schools participate for the good cause, she added.
Mumbai, Oct 4 : Babil Khan, the elder son of late actor Irrfan Khan, has posted a rare picture of him with his father.

In the image, we can see Irrfan holding toddler Babil in his arms.

"Death is painful for the living, for those dearest to your heart, but you taught me that death is only the beginning. So I'm here celebrating your life in my mind, divine bitter-sweetness.

"I was listening to 'The Beatles' then you got me obsessed with aThe Doors' and we used to sing along. I sing those songs still now, I feel you then," Babil wrote on Instagram giving a glimpse how he is celebrating Irrfan after his demise.

Irrfan breathed his last in Mumbai on April 29 after battling colon cancer for months.
The human rights of older people have been violated in Englands care homes because of a series of shockingly irresponsible government decisions in response to the coronavirus pandemic, a report has found.

Human rights campaigners Amnesty International demanded an immediate independent public inquiry, after a report by the groups crisis response team found that thousands of older people were effectively abandoned to die.

The report found that the death toll in Englands care homes was entirely avoidable and that residents rights to life, health and non-discrimination were violated.

It raised particular concern about the misuse of do not attempt resuscitation (DNAR) orders, after witnesses gave evidence that local GPs and clinical commissioning groups had requested their insertion into residents files on a blanket basis.

Interviews with care home managers and staff uncovered accounts of a complete breakdown of systems in the first six weeks of the crisis, with the government ordering the discharge of 25,000 people from hospitals into homes in order to clear NHS beds, including some who were infected with Covid-19.

Care homes reported delays in receiving guidance, difficulties sourcing personal protective equipment (PPE) and an inability to access tests, despite having to manage infected patients released from hospital.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 19 January 2022 Britains Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, participate in a therapy session with individuals who have experienced the care system, during a visit to the Foundling Museum in London REUTERS UK news in pictures 18 January 2022 Surfers enter the sea as the sun rises over Tynemouth on the North East coast PA UK news in pictures 17 January 2022 Bonhams Danny McIlwraith holds a Nigerian polycrome carved wood mask during a photocall for the sale of the Jim Lennon Collection at Bonhams in Edinburgh PA UK news in pictures 16 January 2022 The moon rises above the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, Hampshire PA UK news in pictures 15 January 2022 Demonstrators outside Downing Street during a Kill The Bill protest against The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in London PA UK news in pictures 14 January 2022 Ecologist Emma Smart (left) and retired GP Dr Diana Warner outside HMP Bronzefield, in Surrey, following their release from the prison where Emma undertook a 26-day hunger strike during her incarceration. Ms Smart was sentenced in November, along with other members of Insulate Britain, to serve four months for breaking a High Court injunction by taking part in a blockade at junction 25 of the M25 motorway during the morning rush hour on 8 October last year PA UK news in pictures 13 January 2022 A TV presenter holds a copy of a newspaper outside 10 Downing Streetafter the Prime Minister apologised for attending a gathering of colleagues in the Number Ten garden in May 2020, while the UK was in strict lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic Getty UK news in pictures 12 January 2022 Fitness guru Derrick Evans after receiving an MBE during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 11 January 2022 A couple walk underneath an umbrella during wet weather on Westminster Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 10 January 2022 A jogger passes the Covid Memorial Wall in London AP UK news in pictures 9 January 2021 The sun rises over horses at Seaton Sluice in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 8 January 2022 Riders compete during the Veterans Men's race at the UK Cyclo-Cross National Championships 2022 in Ardingly, south of London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 7 January 2022 A dog looks out of a car window at the wintry conditions in Killeshin, Co. Laois PA UK news in pictures 6 January 2022 People walk through frost and mist alongside a frozen lake during sunrise in Bushy Park, London REUTERS UK news in pictures 5 January 2022 A skier jumps on the slopes at Allenheads in the Pennines to the north of Weardale in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 4 January 2022 Freshly-fallen snow covers houses in Corbridge, near Hexham in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 3 January 2022 Dean Morrison, 13, receives his Covid-19 vaccine from student nurse Anthony McLaughlin during a vaccination clinic at the Glasgow Central Mosque PA UK news in pictures 2 January 2022 Konastantinos Tsimikas of Liverpool with Chelseas Mason Mount during the Premier League match at Stamfrod Bridge Liverpool FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 January 2022 New Years Eve Lasers, drones and fireworks illuminate the sky in front of the Royal Naval College in Greenwich shortly after midnight in London EPA UK news in pictures 31 December 2021 Competitors in fancy dress run across the Pennine tops near Haworth, West Yorkshire, in the annual Auld Lang Syne Fell race which attracts hundreds of runners every year PA UK news in pictures 30 December 2021 Sunrise at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 29 December 2021 The Very Revd Dr Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, looks at Becket, a six month old red-billed chough as he visits Wildwood Wildlife Park in Kent on the anniversary of the murder of Thomas Becket PA UK news in pictures 28 December 2021 Troops of the Household Cavalry are seen reflected in a puddle during the changing of the Queens Life Guard, on Horse Guards Parade, in central London PA UK news in pictures 27 December 2021 A pedestrian walks past a winter sale sign outside a John Lewis store on Oxford street in London Getty UK news in pictures 26 December 2021 Riders take their bikes through the snow near Castleside, County Durham PA UK news in pictures 25 December 2021 Patrick Corkery wears a santa hat and beard as waves crash over him at Forty Foot near Dublin during a Christmas Day dip PA UK news in pictures 24 December 2021 People stand inside Kings Cross Station on Christmas Eve in London Reuters UK news in pictures 23 December 2021 Christmas shoppers fill the car park at Fosse Shopping Park in Leicester PA UK news in pictures 22 December 2021 The sun rises behind the stones as people gather for the winter solstice at Stonehenge. Getty UK news in pictures 21 December 2021 People take part in a winter solstice swim at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh to mark the solstice and to witness the dawn after the longest night of the year PA UK news in pictures 20 December 2021 An auction employee displays poultry to buyers and sellers attending the Christmas Poultry Sale at York Auction Centre in Murton PA UK news in pictures 19 December 2021 Joao Moutinho of Wolverhampton Wanderers looks on during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 December 2021 Freight lorries queuing at the port of Dover in Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 December 2021 Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, bursts 'Boris' bubble' held by colleague Tim Farron, as she celebrates following her victory in the North Shropshire by-election PA UK news in pictures 16 December 2021 Brussels sprouts are harvested by workers as they prepare for the busy Christmas period near Boston in Lincolnshire PA UK news in pictures 15 December 2021 Lewis Hamilton is made a Knight Bachelor by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 14 December 2021 The Royal Liver Buildings surrounded by early morning fog in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 13 December 2021 People queue outside a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination centre at St Thomas's Hospital in Westminster Getty Images UK news in pictures 12 December 2021 People take part in the Big Leeds Santa Dash in Roundhay Park, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 11 December 2021 People arrive at a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Elland Road in Leeds, PA UK news in pictures 10 December 2021 Stella Moris speaks to the media after the US Government won its High Court bid to overturn a judges decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange PA UK news in pictures 9 December 2021 Camels are lead around Salisbury Cathedral during a rehearsal for the Christmas Eve Service PA UK news in pictures 8 December 2021 Margaret Keenan and Nurse May Parsons, a year after Margaret was the first person in the UK to receive the Pfizer vaccine PA UK news in pictures 7 December 2021 Snowfall in Leadhills, South Lanarkshire as Storm Barra hits the UK with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow PA UK news in pictures 6 December 2021 A person tries to avoid sea spray on New Brighton promenade in Wallasey as the UK readies for the arrival of Storm Barra Getty UK news in pictures 5 December 2021 People release balloons during a tribute to six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes outside Emma Tustin's former address in Solihull, West Midlands, where he was murdered by his stepmother PA UK news in pictures 4 December 2021 People walk through a Christmas market in Trafalgar Square Reuters UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 2 December 2021 Duchess of Cambridge inspects a Faberge egg at the Victoria and Albert Museum Getty UK news in pictures 1 December 2021 Meerkats at London Zoo with an advent calendar PA

The report - entitled As If Expendable: The UK Governments Failure to Protect Older People in Care Homes during the Covid-19 Pandemic - found that between 2 March and 12 June some 28,186 excess deaths were recorded in care homes in England, with over 18,500 residents confirmed to have died with coronavirus during this period.

Amnesty International UK director Kate Allen said: The government made a series of shockingly irresponsible decisions which abandoned care home residents to die.

Discharged without being tested, thousands of older people were sent to care homes at great risk to themselves and other residents and to staff.

The appalling death toll was entirely avoidable - it is a scandal of monumental proportions.

As the country faces a second wave of coronavirus, we urgently need a full independent public inquiry into the care home scandal, so that lessons can be learned and lives protected, before any more lives are lost.

Several care home managers told Amnesty that they had no coronavirus in their homes until they received patients discharged from hospital.

The manager of a care home in Yorkshire said: Because of what wed witnessed in Spain and Italy, we stopped visitors on 28 February and got PPE. We had no cases until 28 March when a resident was discharged from hospital with Covid.

Despite it being known early on in the outbreak that older people were particularly vulnerable to the virus, the government failed to take measures to protect Englands 400,000 care home residents, the report found.

Up until 13 March - two days after the World Health Organisation declared Covid-19 a global pandemic, Public Health England was advising that there is no need to do anything differently in any care setting at present. On 17 March, the government ordered the discharge of 25,000 patients from hospitals into care homes, said the report.

And as late as 2 April - the same day that the WHO confirmed the existence of pre-symptomatic cases of Covid-19 - the Government reiterated its guidance for hospital discharge that negative tests are not required prior to transfers / admissions into the care home.

Donatella Rovera, Amnesty Internationals senior crisis adviser, said: It is as if care home residents were seen as expendable. Despite thousands of empty beds they were de-prioritised when it came to getting access to hospital care, and had blanket do not resuscitate orders imposed on them without due process.

Such abuses are deeply disturbing. It is imperative that lessons are learned so that the same mistakes are not repeated, and that those responsible for such disastrous decisions are held accountable."

The 50-page report also detailed complaints that multiple residents were denied access to GP visits or hospital admission, with doctors offering consultations only by phone or video call. And it said that provision of testing was still far from adequate despite a promise in July of regular tests for care home.

It raised concern about blanket bans on visitors, regardless of individual patients circumstances, quoting one woman who said she had been unable to see her elderly mother for six months and been told by email that she would only be able to visit when she is dying.

Amnesty has launched a campaign for a full independent public Inquiry into the pandemic, with an interim phase starting immediately focusing on older people in care homes.

It also called on the government to order a review of the use of DNAR forms, ensure full access to NHS services for care home residents, make regular testing available to care homes residents, staff and visitors and ensure that restrictions on visits are tailored to the best interests of individual residents.

Responding to the report, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: Our position has always been clear that it is completely unacceptable for do not attempt CPR decisions to be applied in a blanket fashion to any group of people.

This has never been policy and we have taken consistent action to prevent this from happening.

From the start of the pandemic we have been doing everything we can to ensure care home residents and staff are protected.

This includes testing all residents and staff, providing over 228m items of PPE, ring-fencing over 1.1bn to prevent infections in care homes and making a further 3.7bn available to councils to address pressures caused by the pandemic  including in adult social care.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey described the report as an utterly damning indictment of the way in which this Conservative government has treated some of the most vulnerable in our society.

He repeated his demand for an independent inquiry, saying: "There are serious questions to be answered about whether at the top levels of government a decision was made to see tens of thousands of peoples loved ones as entirely expendable."
Vietnam goes out of the world in choice drone shots

A series of aerial photos taken in Vietnam by local and foreign photographers are among top selected entries at the Drone Photo Awards 2020.

Alex Cao's "The Buffalo Man" captures buffaloes stirring up the soil water logged fields in central Quang Ngai Province. The annual Drone Photo Awards showcase beautiful aerial photographs in a number of categories including nature, cities, and people. This year's event attracts photographers from 126 economies.

In "Mountains of Salt," Spainese photographer Igor Altuna captures a farmer in a conical hat among cones of piled up salt on a field in the coastal province of Khanh Hoa.

Khanh Phan's "Crossing the Field" captures mother, daughter and herd of cows heading home after work.

Women wearing the traditional conical hat wash pink water lilies they have harvested in a flooded field in southern Long An Province in this capture by Trung Pham Huy.

"Fish market on the beach" by Khanh Phan is a riot of color and humanity.

"Herding ducks" by Thien Nguyen.

Tong Tran Son catches a large fishing net just as it takes flight from the hands of a fisherman.

"Yoga patterns" by Pham Hung.

Trung Pham Huy catches a woman harvesting water chestnuts.

Another drone shot by Trung Pham Huy makes a huge floating flower as a fishing net is cast.

Contest organizers announced the top 45 photos last month, saying the selected shots will be displayed October 24 to November 29 at the "Above Us Only Sky" exhibition at the Accademia dei Fisiocritici Museum in Italy's Siena.

The "Photo of the Year" prize went to "Love Heart of Nature" by Australian Jim Picot. The photo, taken during winter in New South Wales, shows a shark amidst a heart-shaped school of salmon.

Photo courtesy of Drone Photo Awards
B oris Johnson has said that Brits may face a "bumpy" time beyond Christmas as he urged Brits to show common sense in the fight against coronavirus.

Speaking on BBC's Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, the Prime Minister said he appreciates that people are experiencing "fatigue" with restrictions rolled out to curb the spread of Covid-19.

But he said it is going to continue to be bumpy through to Christmas, it may even be bumpy beyond.

He told the Andrew Marr show: I appreciate the fatigue that people are experiencing but we have to work together, follow the guidance and get the virus down whilst keeping the economy moving.

Marr interrupted and said people are exhausted, theyre furious, and Mr Johnson replied: Theyre furious at me and theyre furious with the Government.

"But Ive got to tell you in all candour its going to continue to be bumpy through to Christmas, it may even be bumpy beyond. But this is the only way to do it.

He earlier said Brits should behave "fearlessly" but with "common sense" as he urged people to follow the guidelines.

It comes after the UK recorded nearly 13,000 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours on Saturday, the highest daily rise recorded since the pandemic began.

The official dashboard said on Saturday that due to a technical issue, which has now been resolved, there was a delay in publishing a number of cases.

Boris Johnson urged people to act with common sense / Andrew Marr Show/BBC One

Mr Johnson said: On the one hand we have the imperative to save life, it is a moral imperative to save life if we possibly can.

On the other hand we have to keep our economy moving and our society going.

That is the balance that we are trying to strike and thats why we have got the package of measures now that are in force both nationally and locally.

What we want people to do is behave fearlessly but with common sense, to follow the guidance  whether national or local  get the virus down but allow us as a country to continue with our priorities.

Mr Johnson said he wanted to offer hope and there was a significant chance that the coronavirus situation could be different by Christmas. But he warned that the UK could still be in for a tough winter.

Speaking to Marr, he said: What youve got to do is realise that this is a pandemic in which people need to understand that there is hope  and there is hope.

We will get through this and get through this very well. It is up to Government to show we have the tools and the imagination and the creativity to get through this and we certainly will.

And if you ask me do I think things can be significantly different by Christmas? Yes I do, and were working flat-out to achieve that.

But be in no doubt that it is still very possible that there are bumpy, bumpy months ahead. This could be a very tough winter for all of us  weve got to face that fact.

He also said he does not want to get peoples hopes up on the vaccine unnecessarily.

He told the show its possible that we will make significant progress on the vaccine this year", but added: I dont want to get peoples hopes up on the vaccine unnecessarily because I think there is a chance but it is not certain.
In a bid to calm unrest over governments handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to unleash Britains potential. With the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, Johnson ordered his cabinet to bring forward fresh ideas for a Queens Speech, which marks the beginning of the next Parliament session. According to a Bloomberg report, the UK government will be discussing plans to spend money on schools and hospitals, a crackdown on serious violence, and bring in tougher sentences for animal cruelty.

In a statement, spokesman for Johnson said that the PM was elected to get Brexit done and unleash Britains potential. The official added that the PM has been clear that he will not be blown off course in the plans to build back better, and thats just what the next Queens Speech, which is expected to take place in the spring, will do.

READ: UK PM Johnson Says He Is Sure 'resilient' Trump Will Make Strong Recovery From COVID-19

Johnson has been facing criticism over his lockdown measures and problems in the virus testing system. The UK government has been trying to strike a balance between trying to contain the unprecedented pandemic and reviving the economy. According to Johns Hopkins University tally, currently, the United Kingdom has over 482,000 confirmed cases and the deadly virus has claimed nearly 42,407 lives in the nation.

UK PM criticised over COVID situation

The recent statement from Johnsons office comes after Conservative party leaders threatened to rebel against the government in light of the COVID-19 situation. Last month, the British PM had announced a set of new regulations to curb an inevitable second wave of coronavirus. However, the authorities had exempted the parliament bars reasoning that they are classed as workplace canteens.

READ: Brexit Talks Extended For A Month Following Johnson And EU Leader Von Der Leyen's Meeting

Recently, Johnson was also reprimanded by the speaker of the Parliament for showing contempt towards the lawmakers. Johnson was scolded for hurrying through the COVID-19 restrictions without taking into account all the factors. The chief officer of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, told Johnson that he had made rules in a 'totally unsatisfactory' way, marking a rare intervention by the speaker.

Hoyle further told Parliament that the way in which the government has exercised its powers to make secondary legislation during this crisis has been totally unsatisfactory. She said that the government should no longer treat it with the contempt that it has shown. Following the backlash, Johnson had to apologise for the new COVID-19 local lockdown rules as they had caused confusion across the country and destroyed businesses in the process.

(Image: AP)

READ: UK, EU Leaders Urge Intensified Talks On Elusive Trade Deal

READ: UK Expecting COVID Vaccine In 3 Months, Every Adult Could Be Inoculated By Easter: Report
Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi on Sunday called upon the people to make mask- wearing a social medicine to prevent the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases.

In her message to the people through video, she said that after easing of lockdown and the Covid-19 restrictions, people should adopt mask-wearing as it could be a social medicine to stem the spread of the infection.

She said social gatherings were also becoming a major reason for spreading infections. Hence people should be on guard, she said.

The Union Territory administration was also doing maximum tests to detect the infection early, she said while asking the citizens to also report early if there were symptoms of the virus.

With bars opened, the Excise Department and the police attached to the department should make surprise checks and video-record observance of Covid-19 protocol in the bars and eateries and warned of legal action if there were violations, she said.
By Saurabh Sharma and Danish Siddiqui

LUCKNOW/NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Galvanised by the alleged gang-rape of a young woman who died of her injuries earlier this week, political parties representing India's downtrodden Dalit community held protests in several cities on Friday.

In Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, the state where the crime took place, police baton-charged more than 100 activists from the Samajwadi Party, who held placards demanding justice for the dead woman.

The Bhim Army, a party championing Dalit rights, protested at the historic Jantar Mantar monument in central Delhi.

The chief minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, also joined the protest attended by around 3,000 people, including political party workers and non-profit organisations representing the Dalit community.

"The whole country would like to appeal to the Uttar Pradesh government that the culprits be given stringent punishment and must be hanged till death," Kejriwal said.

The family of the dead woman has accused four high caste Hindu men, who have been arrested but not charged by police. Caste still plays an influential role in the politics of Uttar Pradesh, where the current state government is led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party.

Dalits, once known as "untouchables", are at the bottom of the social hierarchy.

The 19-year-old victim, who was allegedly attacked on Sept. 14 in a field near her home in Hathras district in Uttar Pradesh, died on Tuesday. The incident sparked nationwide protests.

While the family say the woman died as the result of a brutal sexual assault, senior state police officer Prashant Kumar told ANI News on Thursday the woman died due to a neck injury. "No sperm was found in samples," said Kumar.

Bhuri Singh, the uncle of the victim, said her "dying declaration said she was raped".

India is one of the world's most dangerous places for women with a rape occurring every 15 minutes, federal data shows. In December 2012, the gang rape of a 23-year-old woman sparked nationwide outrage and led to a tough new anti-rape law.

Story continues

Public criticism mounted in recent days after the family of the latest victim said her body was cremated by police without their consent, an allegation officials deny.

On Friday, members of a regional opposition party, the Trinamool Congress, were stopped close to the victim's house while some leaders were roughed up by police officers, video footage from ANI showed.

And in the eastern city of Kolkata, activists from the main opposition Congress Party also protested. On Thursday, police barred Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi, siblings and leaders of Congress, from visiting the dead woman's family in their village.

(Reporting by Saurabh Sharma in Lucknow and Danish Siddiqui in New Delhi; Writing by Nupur Anand; Editing by Aditya Kalra & Simon Cameron-Moore)
(Photo : Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images) BERLIN, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 03: A visitor tries out the Huawei P40 Pro smartphone at the IFA 2020 Special Edition consumer electronics and appliances trade fair on the fair's opening day on September 03, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. The fair is taking place despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, albeit in a reduced form and without personal access for the general public. The IFA 2020 Special Edition will take place from September 3-5.

(Photo : Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images) BERLIN, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 03: A visitor tries out the Huawei P40 Pro smartphone at the IFA 2020 Special Edition consumer electronics and appliances trade fair on the fair's opening day on September 03, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. The fair is taking place despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, albeit in a reduced form and without personal access for the general public. The IFA 2020 Special Edition will take place from September 3-5.



iPhone's latest system, iOS 14, is currently facing many issues, including bugs. Right now, iPhone users are reportedly suffering from massive battery drain after they upgraded their devices to iOS 14.

Also Read: Amazon Breaks Apple's App Store Cloud Gaming Rules After Releasing Luna-- Why Is It Allowed On iPhone?

So if you are also having this problem, remember that you are not alone, and Apple is currently fixing it for you. Many Apple users have reported that smartphones' battery life was significantly reduced with the latest system version.

@AppleSupport @apple If you havent done the iOS 14 update; DONT DO IT. The battery drain is unbelievable. From 90% to 3% in one hour. @Apple  pratish gupta (@pratishgupta16) September 28, 2020

iOS 14 killing my battery dawg  yofi (@Danqzzz) October 2, 2020

Also Read: Having Problem With Upgraded Apple Watch Series 3? Here's Why It's Happening

iPhone is not the only product facing many issues; some people also complained that their Apple Swatches are having some issues after upgrading to watchOS 7, which was released along with iOS 14.

MacRumors reported that watch users are having problems with GPS data, saying that it is not properly recorded during their activities. Just like iPhone owners, they're also experiencing battery drain.

Other issues you might encounter



Apple confirmed that the iPhone and Apple Swatches could also face experience other issues. Here are some of them;

If you update your device to iOS 14.0 or watchOS 7.0, you might experience some of these.

-Health-related apps, such as Heart Rate, and the Activity, fails when they're launched on your Apple Watch.

-Your iPhone fails to launch or load the data of the Health app or The Fitness app.

-Inaccurate amount of data storage is reported by the Health app.

-Your Health app's environmental sound levels data or headphone audio levels are missing on your iPhone.

-iPhone and Apple Watch suffer from increased battery drain.

The company released a support document, stating that it will address the problems this week. However, Apple didn't provide a solution in the document. On the other hand, the giant tech manufacturer explained that if the users experience the mentioned issues, it is advisable that they unpair their watch and iPhone, back them up, clear the data, and restore them from back up.

For more news updates about certain Apple products, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Also Read: Apple Patents 'Self-Healing' Crack Foldable iPhone; Self-Cleaning Display in 2014

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Giuliano J. de Leon

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Experienced striker Edinson Cavani will fly to England on Sunday to complete a move to Manchester United, according to a report.

Experienced striker Edinson Cavani will reportedly complete a move to Manchester United on Sunday.

The 33-year-old has been a free agent since leaving Paris Saint-Germain in June, and a number of clubs have been linked with his services over the last few months.

Benfica and Atletico Madrid are both believed to have been in contact with the Uruguay international, but according to The Guardian, the centre-forward is heading for Old Trafford.

The report claims that Cavani will travel to England on Sunday to undergo a medical with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side ahead of signing an initial one-year deal, with the option to extend for a further 12 months.

Personal terms and agent fees have allegedly already been agreed, meaning that United could announce the deal before or after their Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur.

Cavani is PSG's all-time leading goalscorer with 200 strikes in 301 appearances in all competitions.
Its certainly one of the things were looking at, he said. But he said its not unusual for hospitals to run at 90% of capacity.

Lowe said the increase in cases and hospitalizations should cause people to look back to see what was happening a few weeks ago when people were exposed to the virus and think about what needs to change to make things safer.

Our concern is not driving us to recommend closing things down, he said. But we really need to promote vigilance in adhering to wearing masks, keeping distance and not having large gatherings.

Researchers think that it is large gatherings, including at schools, universities, places of worship and events, that are contributing to the increase. Colleges and universities have been linked to increasing cases in college towns. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, for instance, reported 142 cases over the past 14 days, with a total of 784 since Aug. 12.

Lawler has been examining how the virus moves through communities. He has seen that infections tend to surge initially among young people, then move up through the age brackets, reaching people in their 70s and 80s about six weeks later.
Sachin Pilot, the former deputy chief minister of Rajasthan, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi has demanded a national project status to the desert states ambitious East Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP).

The ERCP proposes to provide drinking water to 13 districts of Rajasthan and irrigation water for 2.8 lakh hectares (ha) of land through 26 large and medium size projects.

Pilot stated the ERCP would prove to be a lifeline for Rajasthans 13 districts.

In these districts, animal husbandry and agriculture is a major occupation of the people but depleting ground water availability is adversely affecting farming, he said.

The NITI Aayog has also included Dholpur and Karauli districts in eastern Rajasthan in the category of aspirational districts as they are semi-developed, said Pilot.

It is a well-known fact that for development of any area, water availability is a must for which the ERCP was conceptualised and submitted to the central government.

Even you (the PM) had assured of considering the project in a meeting held in Jaipur in 2018, said Pilot, who represents Tonk in the Rajasthan legislative assembly.

Rajasthans geographical area is 10% of the countrys landmass, but only 1.16% and 1.72% of surface and ground water, respectively, is available in the desert state.

Pilot cited that of the 295 blocks in the state, 245 are under dark or critical zones. He said the state government has submitted the ERCP in a bid to bring 2.8 lakh hectares under irrigation, which required the Centres approval and financing.

The project will accelerate the development not only in eastern parts of Rajasthan but of the entire state. I have requested the PM to give technical sanction and financial assistance for the project, which is 37,247 crore, said Pilot, the former chief of Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee (RPCC).

Jhalawar, Baran, Kota, Bundi, Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Tonk, Jaipur, Dausa, Karauli, Alwar, Bharatpur and Dholpur are the 13 districts that are under the ERCP.

The project seeks to ensure availability of sufficient water for drinking and irrigation by 2051 in Jhalawar, Baran, Kota, Bundi, Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Tonk, Jaipur, Dausa, Karauli, Bharatpur and Dholpur districts.

Earlier, the Rajasthan governments, led by incumbent CM Ashok Gehlot, and his predecessor Vaundhara Raje, who belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), had raised the demand of granting a national project status to the ERCP.

In February, Gehlot had written to Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who represents the Jodhpur constituency in the Lok Sabha, and had urged him to ensure that the ERCP is granted the status of a national project.

Gehlot had also raised the issue before PM Modi during a meeting of NITI Aayog in June, 2019. He had reminded Modi about his promise made during a public meeting in Rajasthan and urged him to give an early approval to the ERCP as a national project.
There is no rationality in the governments decision over which countries are allowed to travel to South Africa under lockdown level 1.

This is according to the Association of South African Travel Agents (ASATA), which told Rapport it makes no sense that travellers from any African countries are permitted, while many low-risk European countries are prohibited.

These comments follow Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor announcing on Wednesday that international flights would resume to a number of countries around the world from 1 October.

To determine which travellers may visit South Africa, the government divided countries into three risk groups based on their relation to South Africas risk level  high-risk, medium-risk, and low-risk.

Under the current regulations, leisure travel from high-risk countries is not allowed. The exception will be business travellers with scarce and critical skills including diplomats, repatriated persons, investors, and people participating in professional sporting events.

Use of WHO criteria

During the announcement, Pandor noted the government looked at WHO criteria to assess the risk of countries when determining the whitelist for international travel.

According to the organisations guidelines, countries that have more than 20 active cases per 100,000 people are regarded as high-risk.

However, South Africas high-risk list includes countries like Armenia, which has had only 13 active cases per 100,000 people over the last two weeks.

Rapport noted there were several other prohibited countries which also fell into this category, including Georgia, Guatemala, Jamaica, and the Maldives.

Meanwhile, leisure travel from Morocco is allowed, despite the country currently having 85 active cases per 100,000.

Executive director of ASATA Otto de Vries said the restrictions are nonsensical in any case, since every visitor has to present a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival in the country.

The Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) has also asked for an urgent meeting with government to get clarity on its decision, as it believes the use of the test and other protocols are sufficient in ensuring there is no public health risk.

TBCSA executive director Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa added that the decision to revise the list every two weeks is impractical.

People need time to plans their trips. To revise the list every two weeks creates a layer of complexity and uncertainty. It will also scare off foreign governments from giving their citizens the green light to travel to South Africa, Tshivhengwa explained.

High-risk rules

The current list of high-risk countries as announced by Minister of Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaledi is below.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-03 11:38:44|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- About 25,000 enterprises from home and abroad will attend the 128th session of the China Import and Export Fair, popularly known as the Canton Fair, according to China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC).

The fair, including 50 exhibition areas for 16 categories of products, will be held online between Oct. 15 and 24.

It is the second time that the fair has moved online this year since the COVID-19 outbreak. The previous online session was held in June.

The MOC said the exhibition fees will be waived in order to help enterprises explore the international market and boost business confidence.

The fair will provide around-the-clock services, including online exhibition, promotion, business docking and negotiations.

Founded in 1957, the Canton Fair is seen as an important barometer of China's foreign trade. The 127th session in June drew nearly 26,000 domestic and foreign enterprises, with 1.8 million products exhibited. Enditem
President Donald walks to the White House residence on the South Lawn of the White House on October 1, 2020 in Washington, DC. President Trump traveled to Bedminster, New Jersey for a roundtable event with supporters and a fundraising event. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

President Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19 early on Friday.

Experts say his history of downplaying the pandemic could make it difficult for him and his administration to be trusted as they navigate the president's illness.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

President Donald Trump could struggle to navigate a public image as a "strong leader" as he deals with a COVID-19 diagnosis in part due to his previous lies.

Experts told Business Insider that Trump's history of false statements to the American public, especially his downplaying of the coronavirus pandemic itself, could prove an obstacle to renewing trust in him and his administration.

"I think that there, the White House [communications] for the last few years has had a credibility problem from time to time. And in times of a crisis, nothing's more important than your credibility," Fred Cook, director of the Center for Public Relations at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, told Business Insider.

"And I think the way this is being handled raises some questions with the American public about what's really going on. There's a lack of information. There are no details being passed along that would make you feel reassured that things were under control."

U.S. President Donald Trump walks to the White House residence after exiting Marine One on the South Lawn on June 25, 2020. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Karen North, a communications professor at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, told Insider that because Trump's stance on the pandemic has been dismissive of the threat, he can't change tune quickly.

"He's out of commission on a topic that just went in opposition to his rhetoric. And so they now have a messaging problem, and they're going to have to figure out what their message is going to be. Given the reality of the circumstances that hit them," North said.

His administration will have to find a way to mitigate his position, with the reality of his circumstance, and what the country needs from him as a leader, she said.

Story continues

North added that Trump having the virus could hit the Republican Party hard. Trump is the engine of its fundraising and central to its branding.

A small victory for Team Trump was the optics created around his flight to the hospital, North observe. His team did a good job from a messaging perspective when the president walked out alone, dressed in a suit - "not like a patient" - to board a helicopter to Walter Reed Hospital on Friday, she said.

Trump will stay at the hospital for several days out of an "abundance of caution," the White House said in a statement.

A video of him taken at the White House and tweeted by the president sends a message that the president is feeling good enough to stand on his own, which is a good image for him.

"He looked ready for business. No crisis  like that's a signaling," North said. "They signaled to the world that there is no crisis because he didn't need help. He didn't look sick. He wasn't dressed in clothes that meant that he was being rushed from one bed to another. So they did a lot of good sort of imagery like photo op imagery."

Cook said that there would be opportunities for Trump and his administration to regain some credibility.

"In a situation like this, but it depends on how quickly they address, address the facts and speak out," Cook said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Utica, N.Y.  A Utica firefighter suffered a leg injury after a stairway in a burning home collapsed, causing him to fall from the second floor to the basement.

Deputy Chief Matt Ambrose was among the firefighters who responded to a fire at 1003 Smith Place around 6:54 a.m. this morning.

The Utica Fire Department said in a new release that when firefighters first arrived, they saw smoke coming from the first and second floors of the residence.

Neighbors told firefighters that two adults may be on the second floor and neither had been seen exiting the residence.

As firefighters searched for the residents, they battled heavy smoke, as well as fire that was beginning to spread throughout the exterior walls and into the attic.

Firefighters were opening walls and ceilings on the second floor to combat the fire when the stairway to the second floor collapsed. Ambrose was on the second floor supervising interior operations at the time. The collapse caused him to fall to the basement.

The fire department said Ambrose was able to walk out of the basement with help from fellow firefighters. He was taken to St. Elizabeths Hospital for treatment of a leg injury and other minor injuries. He has since been released from the hospital.

The residents firefighters were searching for were later accounted for and were not home at the time of the fire.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
General view of passengers going through UK Border at Terminal 2 of Heathrow Airport - Steve Parsons/PA

Fears have been expressed for foreign exchange trips as peers urge the Government to scrap plans that would force all children from Europe to carry passports after Brexit is completed.

The Government plans to end the use of European ID cards as proof of identity for travel when the transition period ends on December 31.

Promised by the Conservative Party in December last year before Boris Johnsons landslide general election win, the plan is now set to be codified as part of the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination Bill.

The restriction on ID cards was first floated by Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, with the intention of improving border security of the UK after it leaves the European Union.

Monday (October 5) will see the Bill debated in the House of Lords at its report stage amid warnings from peers that it could devastate the UKs English language schooling sector.

Writing in Monday's Telegraph, peers including Lord Blunkett, the former Home Secretary, and the crossbench peer Lord Alton warn that the industry may not survive the double blow of Brexit and Covid-19.

In this Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019 file photo, Britain's Home Secretary Priti Patel addresses the delegates at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, England - Frank Augstein/AP

Every year nearly 200,000 young people come to study English in the UK, they say. The vast majority are European schoolchildren travelling with their schools and colleges using national ID cards.

Rather than forcing parents to purchase passports or excluding children without them, many European schools will take their students elsewhere.

The peers are among members of the House of Lords, including Conservatives, who plan to support an amendment to the Immigration Bill which would continue to allow travel to the UK for minors through the use of ID cards.

They estimate that English Language Teaching (ELT) centres contribute 35,000 jobs to the UK economy. There are more than 100 such schools in London alone, many of which have struggled to access Government support intended for the hospitality and leisure industries.

More than half a billion pounds of revenue is thought to have already been lost by the ELT industry amid Covid-19, with only seven per cent of staff working as they normally would, according to membership body English UK.
Weeks after India and China engaged in their deadliest border clash in decades, the sight of an American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier entering the Bay of Bengal drew attention across the region. The carrier, Nimitz, and its strike group deployed to the area in mid-July to conduct an exercise with the Indian Navy in pursuit of a free and open Indo-Pacific, according to a statement by the U.S. Navys Seventh Fleet, whose headquarters are in Japan. But as tensions soar between India and China, two nuclear-armed neighbors, the joint operation took on a greater ...
By Online Desk

With Bihar going to polls in another three weeks, the Lok Janshakti Party has decided to contest the elections alone and not within an alliance with NDA, Abdul Khaliq, National General Secretary, LJP announced.

Amid speculations that LJP would part ways with the NDA, a Central Parliamentary Board meeting was held under the leadership of party chief Chirag Paswan today, where the call to break away was taken due to 'ideological differences'.

LJP will hence be contesting the elections alone on 143 seats on its own.

@TheMornStandard @NewIndianXpress Patna: Finally,the LJP has decided not to go under leadership of Nitish Kumar .At party parlimentary board, it has been decided .Official announcement soon.The LJP will go alone on 143 seats.  Rajesh K Thakur (@hajipurrajesh) October 4, 2020

Paswan had on Saturday sought peoples blessings for his partys Bihar first Bihari first vision document and heaped praise on PM Narendra Modi, has made it amply clear that his main grouse is against Bihar CM Nitish Kumar-led JD(U).

Delhi: Lok Janshakti Party (LJP)'s Central Parliamentary Board meeting begins under the leadership of party chief Chirag Paswan. #BiharElections2020 pic.twitter.com/RIXyaZKLpz  ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2020

The seat-sharing talks in the NDA had been stuck because Chirag has proved to be a tough bargainer and had been adamant on contesting 130 seats and fighting against JD-U contestants.

The LJP, which survives on Dalit politics, had won only two of the 42 seats in contested in 2015. Yet, the party has been surprisingly assertive under Chirags leadership.

In Bihar, voters belonging to Dalits, extreme backward castes and other backward classes constitute 56% of total electorate. While the BJP in a fix over the seat-sharing stalemate, some leaders feel the LJPs exit would benefit the party vis-a-vis JD-U. Relations between these two parties had earlier nosedived when Paswan began sharing his views publically against law and order situation under CM Nitish Kumar's rule.

(With ENS, agency inputs)
This selection of books shares a common theme: What happens behind the curtain at companies that dominate the global financial and technology markets.
Hani Abdile has a poetic explanation for why she fled war-torn Somalia alone at the age of 17.

"There's a Somalian poet who says 'I wouldn't leave home unless home was the mouth of a shark'," she says. "No one ever leaves the garden of their birth unless they have to."

"No one ever leaves the garden of their birth unless they have to": Slam poet Hani Abdile, who features in the innovative Voxdocs series of short documentaries about the state of the performing arts. Credit:Kate Geraghty

Abdile prefers not to go into detail about her escape, saying "sometimes in life, you have to talk about the good things", but was among 45 asylum seekers rescued by the Australian Navy from a sinking boat that was headed for New Zealand but became lost off Darwin in 2013.

"It was a matter of die or survive," she says. "And I'm glad the second one happened."
In 1933, journalist Lorena Hickok got to see  up close  just how bad the Great Depression had become. She was traveling the country on behalf of President Franklin Roosevelts administration, and that year, she passed through western North Dakota. The states farm communities were fully unraveling, beleaguered by droughts and crop-eating grasshoppers and a bank crisis.

In a letter to Washington  collected in a 1981 book  Hickok said she visited a relief office in Williston where she came upon a farmer, middle-aged, with skin like leather, (and) heavily calloused, grimy hands. He cut a strange figure, though, in a young mans suit, with a flashy blue sweater and a topcoat and a cap. Hickok recalls the man explaining that the clothes belonged to his son.

Theyre all weve got now, the farmer said. We take turns wearing em.

Things would eventually get so bad in North Dakota that, as historian Elwyn B. Robinson noted, statewide cash farm income dropped to $61 million in 1932  despite never dropping below $200 million during the 1920s. The crisis in North Dakota was aggravated by drought years, with most of the 1930s seeing less than average rainfall, and grasshoppers that tore through crops. And the crisis was worse in the upper Midwest than in many other places; Robinson also notes that per capita income was less than 40% of the national average in 1933. The family that Hickok found was feeling the brunt of what North Dakotans around the state were feeling, too.

They needed AT ONCE a suit of underwear apiece, overshoes and stockings all around, Hickok wrote (the capital letters are hers). He wasnt even mentioning shoes. (He) said they could get along if they had overshoes and socks to wear inside.

A problem there, Hickok would write, was that the federal relief simply wasnt covering what people needed. Working with a local official, she calculated that it would cost about $40 to give the farmers family of nine what they wanted. But federal aid would only stretch so far.

Weve got 450 families on relief in this county now, and the number is increasing every day at the rate of about seven, a local official told Hickok. Some days we have as high as 15 new cases. Six thousand dollars a month isnt anywhere nearly enough to feed them decently and buy fuel  let alone provide clothing.

This is the second story in a series, produced by Forum News Service and the North Dakota Newspaper Association Education Foundation, about North Dakotas history that untangles how the states modern politics came to be. A lot of that story runs through the North Dakota countryside  where farmers, once under the thumb of corporate interests, like railroads and grain elevators, soon found themselves embroiled in the lowest points of the Great Depression.

Shaped by the Great Depression

Perhaps the most consequential change in North Dakota during the Depression was its hemorrhage of people. U.S. Census records put the state at more than 680,000 residents in 1930; but by 1950, that figure was only at about 620,000, tallying up a nearly 10% loss in population. The figure wouldnt recover until the early 2010s.

The crisis would fundamentally reshape the state and the country, leaving in North Dakota the animating spirit of the next five decades of state politics. As Mike Jacobs, the former Grand Forks Herald publisher and editor, points out, North Dakotas three Democratic-NPL governors all lived their early years during the Great Depression, their perspectives forever shaped by it.

People like Bill Guy and (subsequent governors) Art Link and George Sinner  all of them have significant Depression-era experience, Jacobs said. And the state was kicked on its hinder. North Dakota, statistically, was one of the hardest-hit states, not just by the economic depression, but by the truly desperate situation in American agriculture.

Former Gov. Bill Guy, the first of the three, held office from 1961 to 1973. Hes widely credited with modernizing the state, and helped build the Democratic apparatus that would rule North Dakota for decades, notably appointing a 26-year-old Byron Dorgan as tax commissioner in 1969  one of the latter-day titans of state Democratic politics who would eventually retire as U.S. senator in 2011.

After Guys death in 2013, his obituary recalled his list of the three most consequential events in state history: the policies that shaped homesteading and settlement, the rise of the railroads, and President Franklin Roosevelt's rural electrification program.

The day the lights came on

That electrification program, one of a sudden explosion of government programs meant to invigorate the economy, was one of the greatest leaps in technology anyone on the farm had experienced. Created by President Roosevelt in the 1930s, the Rural Electrification Administration offered low-interest loans to turn the lights on in rural farm country.

Lois DeFord was a schoolgirl in January 1948 when electricity came to her western North Dakota home, she recalled in an interview with the state historical society. Her father was a director of an electric co-op near Richardton, and their farms electrification would help celebrate the electric poles and wire stitching the state together.

As we left, Mom was busy cooking up food to feed the dignitaries, and Dad was grinning and pacing, the historical society account remembers. [When school let out, the day was overcast] cloudy and dark enough that we could see LIGHT in the house as the school bus turned off the highway. What a glorious feeling!

At the same time, farming was changing. The total number of farms in North Dakota has plunged since the 1930s, but the average farm size has grown enormously. According to federal records, the states total number of farms fell nearly 60% from 1930 to 1997, but the average size of a farm grew almost 240%. That shift  seismic in scale  has changed what it means to live and work in the state.

A 2005 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture sums up the breadth of the changes. In the early 1900s, more than half of Americans lived in rural regions home to small, diversified farms. By the 2000s, only about a quarter of Americans lived in rural farming areas. About 22 million beasts of burden had been greatly displaced by something like 5 million tractors.

Former Sen. Byron Dorgan began his political career in 1969 at age 26, when Gov. Guy appointed him tax commissioner. Dorgan remembers many of North Dakotas mid-century changes well. None of them stand out quite so much as the transformation of small towns, going from small farmers communities to relatively empty spaces, where one might fire a cannon through main street and not hit anybody, he said.

The larger farmers in many cases are not buying from small towns, Dorgan said, meaning that farm supplies  like fertilizer and equipment  are suddenly routed through small town businesses far less often. "It's a profound impact on small town life. No question."

Taken together, the Depression and the years that followed were really the process of the old North Dakota giving way to a new one. The nadir of the Great Depression destroyed a way of life. But the coming decades would bring new farm technologies and electricity. Beyond the economy, theyd both alter the political fabric of the state, too.

Jacobs said a key part of the states modern prairie populism was made in kitchens and living rooms where locals organized their own electric co-ops to take advantage of the New Deal. But as those days faded  and as farms got bigger  much of the community-minded, small town state began to slip out of living memory.

For decades, the memory of the New Deal, and of community political identity, persisted, shaping politics around the country and in North Dakota.

I do a lot of oral history, Jacobs said. And I remember talking to an old lady who said, she knew  as much as one knows these things  that she would not have been able to keep her family ... without aid from the federal government.

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The GST Council meeting on Monday may turn into a stormy affair, with non-BJP ruled states still being in disagreement with the Centre on the compensation issue.

While as many as 21 states, mostly ruled by BJP or parties which have supported it on issues, had till mid-September opted to borrow Rs 97,000 crore to meet the GST revenue shortfall in the current fiscal, opposition-led states like West Bengal, Punjab and Kerala have not yet accepted the borrowing option given by the Centre.

Sources said in the 42nd meeting of the Council on October 5, opposition-ruled states would object to the Centre's borrowing options and demand alternative mechanism for funding GST compensation deficit. They feel that the constitutional liability of compensating states lies with the union government.

In the current fiscal, the states are staring at a staggering Rs 2.35 lakh crore Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue shortfall. Of this, as per Centre's calculation, about Rs 97,000 crore is on account of GST implementation and rest Rs 1.38 lakh crore is the impact of COVID-19 on states' revenues.

The Centre in August gave two options to the states to borrow either Rs 97,000 crore from a special window facilitated by the RBI or Rs 2.35 lakh crore from market and has also proposed extending the compensation cess levied on luxury, demerit and sin goods beyond 2022 to repay the borrowing.

The non-BJP ruled states are at loggerheads with the Centre over the issue of funding the shortfall. Chief Ministers of six non-BJP ruled states  West Bengal, Kerala, Delhi, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu -- have written to the Centre opposing the options which require states to borrow to meet shortfall.

While these states want the Centre to borrow to meet the shortfall, the Centre has argued that the revenue accruing from GST compensation cess goes to the states and the Centre cannot borrow on the security of the tax it does not own. Under the GST structure, taxes are levied under 5, 12, 18 and 28 percent slabs.

On top of the highest tax slab, a cess is levied on luxury, sin and demerit goods and the proceeds from the same are used to compensate states for any revenue loss.

Attorney General of India K K Venugopal had given his legal view on the compensation cess issue where he has opined that there is no obligation on the Centre under the GST laws to compensate for the loss of revenue. He had opined that the GST Council has to find ways to meet any revenue shortfall arising out of GST implementation.

The payment of GST compensation to states became an issue after revenues from the imposition of cess started dwindling since August 2019. The Centre had to dive into the excess cess amount collected during 2017-18 and 2018-19. The Centre had released over Rs 1.65 lakh crore in 2019-20 as GST compensation. However, the amount of cess collected during 2019-20 was Rs 95,444 crore.

The compensation payout amount was Rs 69,275 crore in 2018-19 and Rs 41,146 crore in 2017-18. During April-July of the current fiscal, the total compensation due to states stand at over Rs 1.51 lakh crore.
MUMBAI, India, Oct. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Datacipher is delighted to announce the appointment of Sugam Chitre as its Vice President - Training Services (APAC).

The significant appointment reflects Datacipher's focus on strengthening its I.T. Training business division and improve its culture and operational effectiveness to successfully navigate towards the company's mission.

Sugam Chitre is an outstanding performer, bringing a wealth of experience from both a management and business development background. Announcing Sugam's appointment, Datacipher's Managing Director Amar R Kotha said: "Sugam Chitre is an exceptional leader with an excellent track record in transforming the training business and the organization."

Reflecting on his appointment, Sugam said: "I am honored and excited to have been given reins to lead training division of this wonderful firm. I am determined to continue Datacipher's momentum based on our differentiated training services offerings, which is resonating so strongly in the IT Training market." Sugam continued, "Datacipher is in great shape and has a very solid foundation to grow training business. I am passionately committed to lead Datacipher towards increasing the training services offerings and improve the business to even greater heights."

Commenting on Sugam Chitre's appointment, Datacipher's Country Manager Sameer Gandhi said: "Sugam is a brilliant performer and a great friend. I am personally delighted to be handing over the training services business to such an outstanding leader."

Datacipher's Country Sales Head Vivek Pandey welcomes Sugam Chitre's appointment: "Our System Integration and Professional Services business is certainly complemented by Datacipher's Education Services Business offerings. We are very confident Sugam Chitre's deep understanding of training business will help Datacipher to be positioned as a unique professional services organisation with comprehensive offerings including Solution Sales, Support, Consulting and Customer Enablement."

Datacipher has been enabling IT engineers in APAC region over 10 years, as an Authorised Training Partner for Palo Alto Networks, Aruba, Checkpoint, Juniper Networks, Fortinet, EC Council, Pulse Secure, Sonicwall and many more. All Course schedules can be found here.

About Datacipher: Datacipher is a system integrator, professional services and consulting services powerhouse. We began our operations a decade ago and have grown due to excellent relationships with our clients. We have served the world's most successful businesses, our client base spans across multiple continents and almost all business verticals.

We achieved our customer's confidence because of our fabulous technical team who enjoy working with complex networking projects. Our team's specialty is to make the most complex networking problem into the simplest problem. We won many awards over the years and the most important award came in 2015 from Juniper Networks as Worldwide Highest Customer Satisfaction Award for quality service delivery.

More information can be found at https://datacipher.com

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Phone: +1 512-599-8504

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Ireland will have to move to Level Four lockdown in weeks if the virus is not brought under control, a leading intensive care specialist fears.

The move would be necessary to help hospitals cope with the expected rise in Covid-19 cases, with warnings that 400 people with the virus may need admission by the end of the month.

Dr Colman O'Loughlin, clinical director and consultant at the ICU in the Mater hospital, said: "We have to reduce the virus or increase the capacity of the hospitals. You can't increase the capacity of a hospital in three to four weeks. It just can't be done."

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He added: "I fear that we will have go to Level Four restrictions to control the transmission rates and protect hospital capacity."

A move to Level Four would see a ban on visitors to private homes and on social gatherings. Schools and childcare would remain open, along with essential businesses.

Dr O'Loughlin's remarks reflect mounting concerns among public health officials about what lies ahead for hospitals as new cases spiked to 613 yesterday, with 10 additional deaths - the highest number of infections since April 26, when there were 701 cases. Eight of the 10 deaths reported yesterday occurred before September.

Dr Ronan Glynn, acting chief medical officer at the Department of Health, said last night: "The numbers being reported today and over the past week represent a significant escalation in the profile of Covid-19 in Ireland. We need to work together once again to make a significant impact on the number of cases in the community, and ultimately to reduce the number of people getting sick, being admitted to hospital and critical care, while protecting non-Covid healthcare services."

Professor Philip Nolan, of the National Public Health Emergency Team, warned that 400 people could be in hospital with Covid-19 by the end of this month, based on the current trajectory of the virus. He said that the rate of hospital admissions is now growing at about 4pc per day.

In a sign of building pressure, Dr O'Loughlin said if the number of patients in his own intensive care unit rises from its current three, plus one in critical care, to seven or eight, some non-urgent or elective services risk being curtailed.

In an exclusive interview, chief executive of the Mater, Alan Sharp, said the hospital has the capacity to "turn on" 140 Covid-19 beds and that it could "cope" with up to 300 cases. It would be "extremely difficult", he said, "but I think we could cope with that if necessary".

He revealed how the hospital is planning for a second "uplift" of the virus while maintaining all services. From tomorrow, the hospital will launch 24/7 testing for all patients admitted to the facility.
Gerard Butler has revealed that a series of devastating experiences left him questioning whether he wants to continue being an actor.

Speaking to the Courier Mail this week, the 50-year-old said one of those painful experiences was his split from his girlfriend of six years, actress Morgan Brown, 49, in August, in the middle of the pandemic.

He said: 'I went through a break-up during corona so I lost a loved one in a different way, and that's been very hard, much harder than I thought'.

Endings: Gerard Butler (left) has revealed that a series of devastating experiences left him questioning whether he wants to continue being an actor. One of those painful experiences was his split from his girlfriend of six years, actress Morgan Brown (right), 49, in August

Gerard says he also fell ill during that same period, as well as going through several surgeries related to his 2017 motorbike crash.

'I had a surgery that went wrong, which then became seven surgeries. I had a motorcycle accident that almost killed me and I suddenly thought, "There has to be something more,"' he told the paper.

The Bounty Hunter star reconsidered if his movies were important to people, and if he should continue in the profession.

Hard: 'I went through a break-up during corona so I lost a loved one in a different way, and that's been very hard, much harder than I thought',' he said

'There comes a point where you go, "Is that it? Is there something more that's part of my journey?" The things I've been through, not as an actor but as a person, make me think about a different kind of impact I could leave behind.

'So it's started me on a full-blown quest, which I'm in the middle of right now,' he added.

The Ugly Truth actor was rushed to hospital after crashing his motorbike in Los Angeles in October 2017.

Shortly after, he admitted he now 'thinks more' about his life following the terrifying accident - which sent him flying through the air, and fractured his foot in five places.

Going on? The Bounty Hunter star reconsidered if his movies were important to people, and if he should continue in the profession. Pictured in Angel Has Fallen

Changes: 'There comes a point where you go, "Is that it? Is there something more that's part of my journey?" The things I've been through, not as an actor but as a person, make me think about a different kind of impact I could leave behind' he said. Pictured in London Has Fallen

Speaking on ITV's Lorraine, the star vowed to adventure in a 'safer' way from now on, after believing he was going to 'wake up paralysed' or even lose his life to the crash.

The 300 star admitted he was convinced he was going to die as he flew 'through the air', after being hit by a car in LA.

Discussing the shocking incident, he said: 'I thought, this is it. I was going very fast so I knew I was going far when I crashed.'

Difficult: Gerard says he also fell ill during that same period, as well as going through several surgeries related to his 2017 motorbike crash. 'It's started me on a full-blown quest, which I'm in the middle of right now,' he added

'I was going through the air a certain way, and it seemed like a long time. I thought if I fall in the wrong way I'm a dead man, or I'm going to wake up paralysed.'

The PS I Love You actor went on to explain the crash has helped him realise how precious life is, and has led him to tone down his adventurous lifestyle - despite being a huge fan of motorbikes.

'It makes you think, I need to think about other things,' he added. 'I want to not have the stress of waking up in the morning and thinking I have this coming up and that coming up. I want an adventure but in a safer way.'
Reports said that the authorities suspect the involvement of around 30-35 militants belonging to the Paresh Baruah independent faction of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA)

An Assam Rifles jawan was killed and another injured in Arunachal Pradesh's Changlang district when suspected militants carried out an ambush on Sunday morning, according to several media reports.

Reports said that the attack occurred between 9 and 9.40 am.

NDTV reported that the militants fired grenades and bullets on an Assam Rifles team in the Tengmo village of the district.

"The incident occurred on Sunday morning. One security forces jawan was killed. Another one is injured. A massive combing operation is on in the area and we have also intensified counter insurgency operations as well," the report quoted the district police as saying.

Authorities suspect the involvement of 30 to 35 militants belonging to the Paresh Baruah independent faction of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), as per reports.

A report by The New Indian Express stated that members of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-Khaplang) are also suspected to have been involved.

The report quoted Changland district magistrate Devansh Yadav as saying, "The militants carried out the attack on a water tanker of the 19 Assam Rifles. It was travelling to a village to fetch water. We received reports that there was an explosion. However, we cannot confirm it until we receive the report of autopsy. But shots were fired. In all likelihood, death was caused by bullet injuries."

The injured jawan is likely to be airlifted to Assam, the report added.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 22:09:38|Editor: huaxia

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Combination photo shows smiling faces of local people from different ethnic groups in Qamdo City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Qamdo. (Xinhua)
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Express News Service

CHENNAI: "I finally feel included for the first time in my life, thanks to this job," says 27-year-old Kanchana, who was recruited as a conservancy supervisor by the Greater Chennai Corporation. She adds, Ever since I began identifying myself as a transgender, the society, including my parents and school, has rejected me.

A week ago, in its drive to include representation to the workforce, the civic body recruited 11 people from the transgender community as conversancy workers.

While 10 of them are workers, Kanchana is a supervisor in the Thiruvottriyur zone of the corporation.

Life has not been easy for Kanchana since childhood. Born in Salem, she left her family at a very young age due to differences with her parents.

I came to Chennai and used to put up at Royapuram. I studied till class 10 here, but when I identified myself as a transgender, the school decided to let me off, she recalls. Following that, Kanchana served in a social services organisation at Royapuram and learnt extracurricular activities, such as dancing, art, drama and stage shows.

The transgender group I found here has been my family ever since, says an emotionally overwhelmed Kanchana.

She adds, We also got a house at the Tsunami quarters in Ernavoor that gave us a sense of selfrespect. There were many learned people in our community and I learnt typing in English and Tamil from them. Kanchana has also performed various dance shows across the country, and also in Nepal. Once the lockdown hit, Kanchana like many others, ran out of job.

But it was her mentor and guide Soundarya, who surprised her with a job offer with the city corporation.

We immediately took up the offer. It is a great opportunity for us to be part of the civic body.

Though one section of the corporation staff treats us like siblings, for another section, this is something completely new. Some still do not know how to receive us. Maybe its a first experience for them. They will learn too, she says.
Faced with more than 200,000 deaths and counting, and over 7 million cases of a virus that recently infected the president himself, the Republican strategy is to scare voters with something else.

All they have left is the radical charge: An attempt to paint all Democrats as in cahoots with Bernie Sanders, AOC and the rioters in Portland and Kenosha.

But for the bespectacled, unassuming Rhodes scholar who represents the third district in South Jersey, its a particularly tough sell.

What Andy Kim personifies is the moderate, reasonable wing that dominates the Democratic party. Hes one of the newcomers elected in 2018 not for being a firebrand, but for trying to get practical things done  just as he once did in Afghanistan, as an advisor to General David Petraeus.

He is the classic well-intentioned public servant, and his opponent David Richters barb that hes spent his entire life living on a government paycheck is just offensive. Is public service supposed to be a demerit?

Kim has spent his time in office fighting to keep McGuire Air Force base open, which supports as many as 65,000 jobs in the South Jersey region. He opposed his own party on a congressional pay raise, forcing it to be dropped from an appropriations bill. Hes voted to increase border security funding and was endorsed by the N.J. Fraternal Order of Police.

In fact, it was Kims work with local businesses and the Chamber of Commerce that led the group to back him over Richter, a businessman, even though its rare that it would endorse a Democrat.

* * * * *

Kim has done heroic work on the virus, especially, as a member of a national coronavirus task force. Hes fought for more testing and protective equipment to prevent a second wave of outbreaks and lockdowns in his district.

Recall that it was Trumps White House that refused his repeated requests, at the height of this pandemic in the Spring, to set up a testing site in South Jersey  at a time when Kim was being inundated with calls from sick and desperate constituents.

Trump later acknowledged at a rally in Tulsa that hed ordered his people to slow down testing, because it drove up the numbers and made his stats look bad. It left Kim fuming.

I was thinking about the long lines, and literally people waiting hours in their cars for tests at those two FEMA facilities, and the backlog we had, he recounted.

Now, Kim continues to push for better solutions; like rapid home tests that might help you decide whether its safe to send your kid to daycare or visit an elderly parent. I would like to see testing become much more part of our daily lives, he says.

* * * * *

Contrast this with the fanaticism of Richter, who would open everything up right away, even giant concert venues, and leave safety precautions like wearing a mask to individual judgments.

He maintains that requiring masks would violate the Constitution, but when asked what clause, he cant answer. Its a purely reflexive right-wing response, as if defying medical advice is a way to demonstrate your independence  something patriotic that you can do for America.

Please. What it does is leave us helpless against this virus. Not only have studies found that wearing masks could avert hundreds of thousands of COVID cases; a Goldman Sachs report concluded it could help prevent new lockdowns: The economic benefit of mask-wearing could be sizable, it advised.

Yet like other countries and states that reopened too quickly, didnt take precautions seriously, and suffered new waves of closures, Richter wants us to walk into the same buzz saw, over and over.

* * * * *

Make no mistake, Richter would be a Trump loyalist, which hes made clear throughout this campaign, even leading the Trump boat parade on Barnegat Bay.

No, it does not offend his sense of fairness that Trump paid only $750 in federal taxes, vastly less than regular people.

No, it does not concern him that the self-professed billionaire president is actually hundreds of millions of dollars in debt, and wont say to whom. I have a mortgage, Richter shrugs.

And no, he has no quarrel with the inequality he sees all around him. I dont think inequality in and of itself is an issue, he told us.

Richter says he does support the Affordable Care Act, even though he backs attempts to ruin it as well, like killing the individual mandate that requires everyone to get insurance.

His position on climate change is bizarre. Yes, its a big problem and human activity is at the root of it, he says. But no, we should not tax carbon, enact a cap-and-trade program, or build wind farms off New Jerseys coast. Asked what we steps we should take, he offered a grand total of nothing.

Richter is a smart and accomplished man, with degrees in engineering and law. Hes built a family business managing construction projects into a global conglomerate.

But he hasnt done the homework that a jump to public service demands. He wants us to believe his business success will automatically translate into political success, a pitch that would be more plausible if he could answer basic questions on the Constitution, on climate, on health care with some fluency. Instead, he mostly chirps White House talking points, even on the pandemic and Trumps tax evasion.

* * * * *

In 2018, voters in the Third District chose Kim mainly because the GOP incumbent, Tom MacArthur, had teamed up with Trump to kill Obamacare, and replace it with a fake plan that would have demolished protections for those with pre-existing conditions and left more than 20 million without coverage.

We are still facing that threat today. A week after the November election, Trumps continued effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act will go to the Supreme Court, which deeply worries Kim.

If the law is struck down, will Richter  who says hes not up to speed on this major lawsuit  ultimately stand by Trumps efforts on health care, too?

Use the coronavirus as a litmus test for leadership. Ask yourself: In this race, who is responsible, and who is the radical?

Vote Andy Kim for Congress, by far the safest choice.

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Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.

Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share.
(Natural News) Back in August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that people exposed to a COVID-19 patient need not be tested, as long as they were low-risk, or if they didnt experience any symptoms. The controversial guidelines were posted on the agencys website, despite objections from the agencys own researchers.

Less than a month later, the CDC has walked back on its claims, as it now insists that anyone in close contact with a person infected with COVID-19 should be tested.

Asymptomatic patients can still spread COVID-19

With the CDCs retraction, its now important that people understand how SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, can be transmitted before, or without ever showing any symptoms. This also helps avoid confusion and prevents the pandemic from spreading further.

People who have been in close contact with a COVID-19 patient  those within six feet, or 1.8 meters, from the patient  should undergo SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic (molecular or antigen) testing, even if he doesnt have any symptoms, according to the updated CDC guidance.

Detailed below are the steps you need to follow if you believe youve been exposed to a patient with coronavirus.

Contact your healthcare provider or public health official. Immediate testing is crucial because of the potential for asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission. Getting tested ensures that contacts of individuals with COVID-19 can be quickly identified and tested. While waiting for your test results, self-quarantine, or isolate at home. This means avoiding contact with other household members whenever possible and using a separate bedroom and bathroom. Having a single negative test doesnt guarantee that you will remain negative after testing. Self-quarantine for 14 days, even if you test negative the first time. If you cannot self-isolate, or if you are required to report for work, take the necessary precautions: Wear a face mask, practice physical distancing, avoid large gatherings and wash your hands frequently and thoroughly. Monitor yourself for symptoms. If you live with a family member who has an increased risk of severe illness, like the elderly or those with underlying medical conditions, take special precautions at home to protect them. This includes limiting your interaction with them whenever possible or canceling a visit if you think you have coronavirus symptoms.

Even though the CDC has backtracked on its COVID-19 testing guidelines, scientific data on asymptomatic and presymptomatic transmissions are the same: Even if you dont have any symptoms, you can still transmit the virus.

The CDCs sudden changes to its previous guidelines earned the agency strong criticism. Health experts slammed the agency, saying that the updates were motivated by politics instead of verified scientific reasons. (Related: CDC backtracks on new guidelines saying coronavirus spreads through the air  immediately after publicly posting them.)

In an email, Krys Johnson, an epidemiology and biostatistics professor at Temple University, told Live Science that it was unethical to change recommendations to [maybe even ensure] underreporting of COVID-19 cases when things are clearly at their worst.

While it remains to be seen what percentage of COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic, the CDC suggests that at least 40 percent of patients dont exhibit symptoms.

If each of these people goes about their daily lives, this pandemic will continue to impact our country and daily lives for the foreseeable future, Johnson added.

Appropriate testing is key to stopping the spread of coronavirus

After the CDC changed testing guidance in August, Adm. Brett Giroir, the governments top testing official, backed up the agencys decision. In an interview with CNN, Giroir explained that the new guidance wasnt pushing for less testing, but for more appropriate testing.

The CDC attempted to save face by claiming that the most recent change to coronavirus testing guidance was a clarification instead of a sudden change in recommendations. According to the clarification, many cases can be traced to people who dont show symptoms and that asymptomatic people who have had close contact with COVID-19 positive patients require immediate testing.

Visit Pandemic.news to read more articles on how to protect yourself and your loved ones from the Wuhan coronavirus.

Sources include:

LiveScience.com

CDC.gov 1

CDC.gov 2
French authorities deployed about 1,000 firefighters, four military helicopters and troops to search for at least eight people who were missing after devastating floods hit a mountainous border region with Italy, where at least four people were killed.

Emergency workers in Italy recovered two corpses Sunday in northern Liguria that they feared may have been washed away as a result of the storms that killed two other people on Saturday.

Floods washed away houses and destroyed roads and bridges surrounding the city of Nice on the French Riviera after almost a years average rainfall fell in less than 12 hours. Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi said over 100 homes were destroyed or severely damaged.

Rescuers on Sunday were also providing emergency assistance, including food and water, to residents living in isolated villages.

The missing include two French firefighters whose vehicle was carried away by a torrent when a road collapsed south of the village of Saint-Martin-Vesubie. Authorities fear more victims as many families couldnt reach out to relatives due to cellphone service being down.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex, who flew over the area in a helicopter, expressed grave concern over the toll of the flooding.

About 10,500 homes were left without electricity on Sunday, French energy company Enedis said.

In Italy, the body of one person reported missing on Saturday  a French citizen of Italian origin  was found in the Roia River, the ANSA and LaPresse news agencies reported. The second one washed up closer to where the Roia empties into the Mediterranean along Italys border with France.

An Italian firefighter was killed on Saturday during a rescue operation in the mountainous northern region of Val dAosta. A search team also found a body in the Piedmont regions Vercelli province, where a man had been swept away by floodwaters.

Italian firefighters also rescued 25 people trapped on the French side of a high mountain pass due to the flooding.

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The history of all hitherto existing society [ 1 ] is the history of class struggles.[ 2 ]

Freeman and slave, patrician and plebeian, lord and serf, guild-master [ 3 ] and journeyman, in a word, oppressor and oppressed, stood in constant opposition to one another, carried on an uninterrupted, now hidden, now open fight, a fight that each time ended, either in a revolutionary reconstitution of society at large, or in the common ruin of the contending classes.

In the earlier epochs of history, we find almost everywhere a complicated arrangement of society into various orders, a manifold gradation of social rank. In ancient Rome we have patricians, knights, plebeians, slaves; in the Middle Ages, feudal lords, vassals, guild-masters, journeymen, apprentices, serfs; in almost all of these classes, again, subordinate gradations.

The modern bourgeois society that has sprouted from the ruins of feudal society has not done away with class antagonisms. It has but established new classes, new conditions of oppression, new forms of struggle in place of the old ones.

Our epoch, the epoch of the bourgeoisie, possesses, however, this distinct feature: it has simplified class antagonisms. Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps, into two great classes directly facing each otherBourgeoisie and Proletariat.

From the serfs of the Middle Ages sprang the chartered burghers of the earliest towns. From these burgesses the first elements of the bourgeoisie were developed.

The discovery of America, the rounding of the Cape, opened up fresh ground for the rising bourgeoisie. The East-Indian and Chinese markets, the colonisation of America, trade with the colonies, the increase in the means of exchange and in commodities generally, gave to commerce, to navigation, to industry, an impulse never before known, and thereby, to the revolutionary element in the tottering feudal society, a rapid development.

The feudal system of industry, in which industrial production was monopolised by closed guilds, now no longer sufficed for the growing wants of the new markets. The manufacturing system took its place. The guild-masters were pushed on one side by the manufacturing middle class; division of labour between the different corporate guilds vanished in the face of division of labour in each single workshop.

Meantime the markets kept ever growing, the demand ever rising. Even manufacturer no longer sufficed. Thereupon, steam and machinery revolutionised industrial production. The place of manufacture was taken by the giant, Modern Industry; the place of the industrial middle class by industrial millionaires, the leaders of the whole industrial armies, the modern bourgeois.

Modern industry has established the world market, for which the discovery of America paved the way. This market has given an immense development to commerce, to navigation, to communication by land. This development has, in its turn, reacted on the extension of industry; and in proportion as industry, commerce, navigation, railways extended, in the same proportion the bourgeoisie developed, increased its capital, and pushed into the background every class handed down from the Middle Ages.

We see, therefore, how the modern bourgeoisie is itself the product of a long course of development, of a series of revolutions in the modes of production and of exchange.

Each step in the development of the bourgeoisie was accompanied by a corresponding political advance of that class. An oppressed class under the sway of the feudal nobility, an armed and self-governing association in the medieval commune [ 4 ]: here independent urban republic (as in Italy and Germany); there taxable third estate of the monarchy (as in France); afterwards, in the period of manufacturing proper, serving either the semi-feudal or the absolute monarchy as a counterpoise against the nobility, and, in fact, cornerstone of the great monarchies in general, the bourgeoisie has at last, since the establishment of Modern Industry and of the world market, conquered for itself, in the modern representative State, exclusive political sway. The executive of the modern state is but a committee for managing the common affairs of the whole bourgeoisie.

The bourgeoisie, historically, has played a most revolutionary part.

The bourgeoisie, wherever it has got the upper hand, has put an end to all feudal, patriarchal, idyllic relations. It has pitilessly torn asunder the motley feudal ties that bound man to his natural superiors, and has left remaining no other nexus between man and man than naked self-interest, than callous cash payment. It has drowned the most heavenly ecstasies of religious fervour, of chivalrous enthusiasm, of philistine sentimentalism, in the icy water of egotistical calculation. It has resolved personal worth into exchange value, and in place of the numberless indefeasible chartered freedoms, has set up that single, unconscionable freedomFree Trade. In one word, for exploitation, veiled by religious and political illusions, it has substituted naked, shameless, direct, brutal exploitation.

The bourgeoisie has stripped of its halo every occupation hitherto honoured and looked up to with reverent awe. It has converted the physician, the lawyer, the priest, the poet, the man of science, into its paid wage labourers.

The bourgeoisie has torn away from the family its sentimental veil, and has reduced the family relation to a mere money relation.

The bourgeoisie has disclosed how it came to pass that the brutal display of vigour in the Middle Ages, which reactionaries so much admire, found its fitting complement in the most slothful indolence. It has been the first to show what mans activity can bring about. It has accomplished wonders far surpassing Egyptian pyramids, Roman aqueducts, and Gothic cathedrals; it has conducted expeditions that put in the shade all former Exoduses of nations and crusades.

The bourgeoisie cannot exist without constantly revolutionising the instruments of production, and thereby the relations of production, and with them the whole relations of society. Conservation of the old modes of production in unaltered form, was, on the contrary, the first condition of existence for all earlier industrial classes. Constant revolutionising of production, uninterrupted disturbance of all social conditions, everlasting uncertainty and agitation distinguish the bourgeois epoch from all earlier ones. All fixed, fast-frozen relations, with their train of ancient and venerable prejudices and opinions, are swept away, all new-formed ones become antiquated before they can ossify. All that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned, and man is at last compelled to face with sober senses his, real conditions of life, and his relations with his kind.

The need of a constantly expanding market for its products chases the bourgeoisie over the entire surface of the globe. It must nestle everywhere, settle everywhere, establish connexions everywhere.

The bourgeoisie has through its exploitation of the world market given a cosmopolitan character to production and consumption in every country. To the great chagrin of Reactionists, it has drawn from under the feet of industry the national ground on which it stood. All old-established national industries have been destroyed or are daily being destroyed. They are dislodged by new industries, whose introduction becomes a life and death question for all civilised nations, by industries that no longer work up indigenous raw material, but raw material drawn from the remotest zones; industries whose products are consumed, not only at home, but in every quarter of the globe. In place of the old wants, satisfied by the production of the country, we find new wants, requiring for their satisfaction the products of distant lands and climes. In place of the old local and national seclusion and self-sufficiency, we have intercourse in every direction, universal inter-dependence of nations. And as in material, so also in intellectual production. The intellectual creations of individual nations become common property. National one-sidedness and narrow-mindedness become more and more impossible, and from the numerous national and local literatures, there arises a world literature.

The bourgeoisie, by the rapid improvement of all instruments of production, by the immensely facilitated means of communication, draws all, even the most barbarian, nations into civilisation. The cheap prices of commodities are the heavy artillery with which it batters down all Chinese walls, with which it forces the barbarians intensely obstinate hatred of foreigners to capitulate. It compels all nations, on pain of extinction, to adopt the bourgeois mode of production; it compels them to introduce what it calls civilisation into their midst, i.e., to become bourgeois themselves. In one word, it creates a world after its own image.

The bourgeoisie has subjected the country to the rule of the towns. It has created enormous cities, has greatly increased the urban population as compared with the rural, and has thus rescued a considerable part of the population from the idiocy of rural life. Just as it has made the country dependent on the towns, so it has made barbarian and semi-barbarian countries dependent on the civilised ones, nations of peasants on nations of bourgeois, the East on the West.

The bourgeoisie keeps more and more doing away with the scattered state of the population, of the means of production, and of property. It has agglomerated population, centralised the means of production, and has concentrated property in a few hands. The necessary consequence of this was political centralisation. Independent, or but loosely connected provinces, with separate interests, laws, governments, and systems of taxation, became lumped together into one nation, with one government, one code of laws, one national class-interest, one frontier, and one customs-tariff.

The bourgeoisie, during its rule of scarce one hundred years, has created more massive and more colossal productive forces than have all preceding generations together. Subjection of Natures forces to man, machinery, application of chemistry to industry and agriculture, steam-navigation, railways, electric telegraphs, clearing of whole continents for cultivation, canalisation of rivers, whole populations conjured out of the groundwhat earlier century had even a presentiment that such productive forces slumbered in the lap of social labour?

We see then: the means of production and of exchange, on whose foundation the bourgeoisie built itself up, were generated in feudal society. At a certain stage in the development of these means of production and of exchange, the conditions under which feudal society produced and exchanged, the feudal organisation of agriculture and manufacturing industry, in one word, the feudal relations of property became no longer compatible with the already developed productive forces; they became so many fetters. They had to be burst asunder; they were burst asunder.

Into their place stepped free competition, accompanied by a social and political constitution adapted in it, and the economic and political sway of the bourgeois class.

A similar movement is going on before our own eyes. Modern bourgeois society, with its relations of production, of exchange and of property, a society that has conjured up such gigantic means of production and of exchange, is like the sorcerer who is no longer able to control the powers of the nether world whom he has called up by his spells. For many a decade past the history of industry and commerce is but the history of the revolt of modern productive forces against modern conditions of production, against the property relations that are the conditions for the existence of the bourgeois and of its rule. It is enough to mention the commercial crises that by their periodical return put the existence of the entire bourgeois society on its trial, each time more threateningly. In these crises, a great part not only of the existing products, but also of the previously created productive forces, are periodically destroyed. In these crises, there breaks out an epidemic that, in all earlier epochs, would have seemed an absurditythe epidemic of over-production. Society suddenly finds itself put back into a state of momentary barbarism; it appears as if a famine, a universal war of devastation, had cut off the supply of every means of subsistence; industry and commerce seem to be destroyed; and why? Because there is too much civilisation, too much means of subsistence, too much industry, too much commerce. The productive forces at the disposal of society no longer tend to further the development of the conditions of bourgeois property; on the contrary, they have become too powerful for these conditions, by which they are fettered, and so soon as they overcome these fetters, they bring disorder into the whole of bourgeois society, endanger the existence of bourgeois property. The conditions of bourgeois society are too narrow to comprise the wealth created by them. And how does the bourgeoisie get over these crises? On the one hand by enforced destruction of a mass of productive forces; on the other, by the conquest of new markets, and by the more thorough exploitation of the old ones. That is to say, by paving the way for more extensive and more destructive crises, and by diminishing the means whereby crises are prevented.

The weapons with which the bourgeoisie felled feudalism to the ground are now turned against the bourgeoisie itself.

But not only has the bourgeoisie forged the weapons that bring death to itself; it has also called into existence the men who are to wield those weaponsthe modern working classthe proletarians.

In proportion as the bourgeoisie, i.e., capital, is developed, in the same proportion is the proletariat, the modern working class, developeda class of labourers, who live only so long as they find work, and who find work only so long as their labour increases capital. These labourers, who must sell themselves piecemeal, are a commodity, like every other article of commerce, and are consequently exposed to all the vicissitudes of competition, to all the fluctuations of the market.

Owing to the extensive use of machinery, and to the division of labour, the work of the proletarians has lost all individual character, and, consequently, all charm for the workman. He becomes an appendage of the machine, and it is only the most simple, most monotonous, and most easily acquired knack, that is required of him. Hence, the cost of production of a workman is restricted, almost entirely, to the means of subsistence that he requires for maintenance, and for the propagation of his race. But the price of a commodity, and therefore also of labour, is equal to its cost of production. In proportion, therefore, as the repulsiveness of the work increases, the wage decreases. Nay more, in proportion as the use of machinery and division of labour increases, in the same proportion the burden of toil also increases, whether by prolongation of the working hours, by the increase of the work exacted in a given time or by increased speed of machinery, etc.

Modern Industry has converted the little workshop of the patriarchal master into the great factory of the industrial capitalist. Masses of labourers, crowded into the factory, are organised like soldiers. As privates of the industrial army they are placed under the command of a perfect hierarchy of officers and sergeants. Not only are they slaves of the bourgeois class, and of the bourgeois State; they are daily and hourly enslaved by the machine, by the overlooker, and, above all, by the individual bourgeois manufacturer himself. The more openly this despotism proclaims gain to be its end and aim, the more petty, the more hateful and the more embittering it is.

The less the skill and exertion of strength implied in manual labour, in other words, the more modern industry becomes developed, the more is the labour of men superseded by that of women. Differences of age and sex have no longer any distinctive social validity for the working class. All are instruments of labour, more or less expensive to use, according to their age and sex.

No sooner is the exploitation of the labourer by the manufacturer, so far, at an end, that he receives his wages in cash, than he is set upon by the other portions of the bourgeoisie, the landlord, the shopkeeper, the pawnbroker, etc.

The lower strata of the middle classthe small tradespeople, shopkeepers, and retired tradesmen generally, the handicraftsmen and peasantsall these sink gradually into the proletariat, partly because their diminutive capital does not suffice for the scale on which Modern Industry is carried on, and is swamped in the competition with the large capitalists, partly because their specialised skill is rendered worthless by new methods of production. Thus the proletariat is recruited from all classes of the population.

The proletariat goes through various stages of development. With its birth begins its struggle with the bourgeoisie. At first the contest is carried on by individual labourers, then by the workpeople of a factory, then by the operative of one trade, in one locality, against the individual bourgeois who directly exploits them. They direct their attacks not against the bourgeois conditions of production, but against the instruments of production themselves; they destroy imported wares that compete with their labour, they smash to pieces machinery, they set factories ablaze, they seek to restore by force the vanished status of the workman of the Middle Ages.

At this stage, the labourers still form an incoherent mass scattered over the whole country, and broken up by their mutual competition. If anywhere they unite to form more compact bodies, this is not yet the consequence of their own active union, but of the union of the bourgeoisie, which class, in order to attain its own political ends, is compelled to set the whole proletariat in motion, and is moreover yet, for a time, able to do so. At this stage, therefore, the proletarians do not fight their enemies, but the enemies of their enemies, the remnants of absolute monarchy, the landowners, the non-industrial bourgeois, the petty bourgeois. Thus, the whole historical movement is concentrated in the hands of the bourgeoisie; every victory so obtained is a victory for the bourgeoisie.

But with the development of industry, the proletariat not only increases in number; it becomes concentrated in greater masses, its strength grows, and it feels that strength more. The various interests and conditions of life within the ranks of the proletariat are more and more equalised, in proportion as machinery obliterates all distinctions of labour, and nearly everywhere reduces wages to the same low level. The growing competition among the bourgeois, and the resulting commercial crises, make the wages of the workers ever more fluctuating. The increasing improvement of machinery, ever more rapidly developing, makes their livelihood more and more precarious; the collisions between individual workmen and individual bourgeois take more and more the character of collisions between two classes. Thereupon, the workers begin to form combinations (Trades Unions) against the bourgeois; they club together in order to keep up the rate of wages; they found permanent associations in order to make provision beforehand for these occasional revolts. Here and there, the contest breaks out into riots.

Now and then the workers are victorious, but only for a time. The real fruit of their battles lies, not in the immediate result, but in the ever expanding union of the workers. This union is helped on by the improved means of communication that are created by modern industry, and that place the workers of different localities in contact with one another. It was just this contact that was needed to centralise the numerous local struggles, all of the same character, into one national struggle between classes. But every class struggle is a political struggle. And that union, to attain which the burghers of the Middle Ages, with their miserable highways, required centuries, the modern proletarian, thanks to railways, achieve in a few years.

This organisation of the proletarians into a class, and, consequently into a political party, is continually being upset again by the competition between the workers themselves. But it ever rises up again, stronger, firmer, mightier. It compels legislative recognition of particular interests of the workers, by taking advantage of the divisions among the bourgeoisie itself. Thus, the ten-hours bill in England was carried.

Altogether collisions between the classes of the old society further, in many ways, the course of development of the proletariat. The bourgeoisie finds itself involved in a constant battle. At first with the aristocracy; later on, with those portions of the bourgeoisie itself, whose interests have become antagonistic to the progress of industry; at all time with the bourgeoisie of foreign countries. In all these battles, it sees itself compelled to appeal to the proletariat, to ask for help, and thus, to drag it into the political arena. The bourgeoisie itself, therefore, supplies the proletariat with its own elements of political and general education, in other words, it furnishes the proletariat with weapons for fighting the bourgeoisie.

Further, as we have already seen, entire sections of the ruling class are, by the advance of industry, precipitated into the proletariat, or are at least threatened in their conditions of existence. These also supply the proletariat with fresh elements of enlightenment and progress.

Finally, in times when the class struggle nears the decisive hour, the progress of dissolution going on within the ruling class, in fact within the whole range of old society, assumes such a violent, glaring character, that a small section of the ruling class cuts itself adrift, and joins the revolutionary class, the class that holds the future in its hands. Just as, therefore, at an earlier period, a section of the nobility went over to the bourgeoisie, so now a portion of the bourgeoisie goes over to the proletariat, and in particular, a portion of the bourgeois ideologists, who have raised themselves to the level of comprehending theoretically the historical movement as a whole.

Of all the classes that stand face to face with the bourgeoisie today, the proletariat alone is a really revolutionary class. The other classes decay and finally disappear in the face of Modern Industry; the proletariat is its special and essential product.

The lower middle class, the small manufacturer, the shopkeeper, the artisan, the peasant, all these fight against the bourgeoisie, to save from extinction their existence as fractions of the middle class. They are therefore not revolutionary, but conservative. Nay more, they are reactionary, for they try to roll back the wheel of history. If by chance, they are revolutionary, they are only so in view of their impending transfer into the proletariat; they thus defend not their present, but their future interests, they desert their own standpoint to place themselves at that of the proletariat.

The dangerous class, [lumpenproletariat] the social scum, that passively rotting mass thrown off by the lowest layers of the old society, may, here and there, be swept into the movement by a proletarian revolution; its conditions of life, however, prepare it far more for the part of a bribed tool of reactionary intrigue.

In the condition of the proletariat, those of old society at large are already virtually swamped. The proletarian is without property; his relation to his wife and children has no longer anything in common with the bourgeois family relations; modern industry labour, modern subjection to capital, the same in England as in France, in America as in Germany, has stripped him of every trace of national character. Law, morality, religion, are to him so many bourgeois prejudices, behind which lurk in ambush just as many bourgeois interests.

All the preceding classes that got the upper hand sought to fortify their already acquired status by subjecting society at large to their conditions of appropriation. The proletarians cannot become masters of the productive forces of society, except by abolishing their own previous mode of appropriation, and thereby also every other previous mode of appropriation. They have nothing of their own to secure and to fortify; their mission is to destroy all previous securities for, and insurances of, individual property.

All previous historical movements were movements of minorities, or in the interest of minorities. The proletarian movement is the self-conscious, independent movement of the immense majority, in the interest of the immense majority. The proletariat, the lowest stratum of our present society, cannot stir, cannot raise itself up, without the whole superincumbent strata of official society being sprung into the air.

Though not in substance, yet in form, the struggle of the proletariat with the bourgeoisie is at first a national struggle. The proletariat of each country must, of course, first of all settle matters with its own bourgeoisie.

In depicting the most general phases of the development of the proletariat, we traced the more or less veiled civil war, raging within existing society, up to the point where that war breaks out into open revolution, and where the violent overthrow of the bourgeoisie lays the foundation for the sway of the proletariat.

Hitherto, every form of society has been based, as we have already seen, on the antagonism of oppressing and oppressed classes. But in order to oppress a class, certain conditions must be assured to it under which it can, at least, continue its slavish existence. The serf, in the period of serfdom, raised himself to membership in the commune, just as the petty bourgeois, under the yoke of the feudal absolutism, managed to develop into a bourgeois. The modern labourer, on the contrary, instead of rising with the process of industry, sinks deeper and deeper below the conditions of existence of his own class. He becomes a pauper, and pauperism develops more rapidly than population and wealth. And here it becomes evident, that the bourgeoisie is unfit any longer to be the ruling class in society, and to impose its conditions of existence upon society as an over-riding law. It is unfit to rule because it is incompetent to assure an existence to its slave within his slavery, because it cannot help letting him sink into such a state, that it has to feed him, instead of being fed by him. Society can no longer live under this bourgeoisie, in other words, its existence is no longer compatible with society.

The essential conditions for the existence and for the sway of the bourgeois class is the formation and augmentation of capital; the condition for capital is wage-labour. Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the labourers. The advance of industry, whose involuntary promoter is the bourgeoisie, replaces the isolation of the labourers, due to competition, by the revolutionary combination, due to association. The development of Modern Industry, therefore, cuts from under its feet the very foundation on which the bourgeoisie produces and appropriates products. What the bourgeoisie therefore produces, above all, are its own grave-diggers. Its fall and the victory of the proletariat are equally inevitable.
Prakash Javadekar takes 'middlemen' jibe at parties opposing farm laws

India

pti-Madhuri Adnal

Panaji, Oct 4: Union minister Prakash Javadekar on Sunday alleged that parties opposing the newly enacted farm laws were acting as "middlemen for middlemen". Talking to reporters on the second day of his visit to Goa as part of the ruling BJP's initiative to create awareness about the farm laws, Javadekar said the actual situation is that farmers earn less for their produce and customers have to buy it at higher rates.

The middlemen hike the prices and the farm laws deal with this problem by eradicating these middlemen, he said. "Sometimes I feel the opposition parties have become middlemen for middlemen," he alleged.

Claiming that the agitation against farm laws will die out on its own, the minister said, "Falsehood has limited life while truth lives forever." "The Congress and NCP launched their campaign to protest against the farm bills. I am going to ask them to look at their manifesto. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh has spoken about such (agricultural) reforms in his speeches. But, the Congress has now done a u-turn," he said.

Congress prepares draft model law to annul central farm laws

He alleged that the opposition parties were spreading a "myth" that APMCs (agriculture produce market committees) will be shut down under the new laws, and government will stop purchasing the produce or the minimum support price (MSP) would be stopped. "All these are lies," Javadekar said.

The BJP leader also said the conduct of opposition leaders in the Rajya Sabha over the passage of these bills was "condemnable and shameful".

Referring to a protest by a group of people on his way to Mapusa town on Saturday, Javadekar said he doubts that those who were protesting were real farmers. He said 60 per cent population of the country is involved in the farming sector, but their contribution to the GDP (gross domestic product) is 15 per cent. There is a need to increase the productivity and also give them markets outside the country so that their standard of living improves, he said. Javadekar said when he was in school, the country's population was 30 crore, which has now increase to 138 crore, but despite that, theres no shortage of food.

"We are thankful to farmers who have been feeding our country," he said, adding that it is the responsibility of the government to increase their income. 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 became law after getting the presidential assent recently.

Javadekar refused to comment on the issue of diversion of the Mahadayi river water, considered as the lifeline of Goa, by neighbouring Karnataka. Goa and Karnataka are locked in a dispute over sharing of the Mahadayi river water. Goa has been strongly opposing the Kalasa Banduri project proposed to be built by Karnataka on the river, which is aimed at providing drinking water to three north Karnataka districts by diverting the Mahadayi water into the Malaprabha river.

Asked about the Centre's silence over the issue, Javadekar said, "The matter is before court and I will not comment in it. There is nothing which is pending with us because nothing comes to us. CM will answer questions on it."

The Supreme Court in an interim order in February this year allowed the plea of the Karnataka government for implementation of the final award by a tribunal for sharing of water between Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra from the Mahadayi river. It also said the interim order is subject to the final outcome of the petitions filed by the three states against the tribunal's award.

The Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal passed an order in 2018, allocating 13.42 TMC water (including 3.9 TMC for diversion into the depleted Malaprabha river basin) from the Mahadayi river basin to Karnataka. Maharashtra was allotted 1.33 TMC water while Goa was given 24 TMC in the final decision of the tribunal.
My wedding day was May 20, 1983, and exactly 25 years later, to the day, my marriage was over. I intercepted a text message from a younger, thinner, much more intense woman when my husband was clearing away our anniversary dinner, and a few weeks later, we separated.

That was 12 years ago, so youd think I wouldnt have been surprised when last week a letter came informing me that I was divorced. But I was surprised  and rather crushed. Like someone I hadnt seen for a while had died. That felt odd, too, since Id seen my now ex-husband just the week before.

What a waste, I thought. All those could haves and might haves, all the dreams you had about a future that never happened. While you cant ever regret your children, we had four, there are so many other things you might wish away.

Divorce is never easy, but after all those years apart, it shouldnt have come as a shock.

Marion McGilvary (pictured), who lives in Oxford, explained why she was surprised when her divorce letter arrived last week, 12 years after she and her now ex-husband separated

Still, ridiculously, there was a tiny part of me that always thought it wouldnt happen.

We had waited for so long to divorce, with no prospect of ever getting back together (though there was a time that I hoped we would, followed by a much longer time of praying we wouldnt), that it seemed we would simply never get around to it.

So why did we wait so long, you might ask?

For a start, neither of us wanted to marry again. (Or so he said. He said he didnt want any more children either, and yet voila, he now has another daughter, of whom more in a moment.)

We had parted more in sorrow than in anger. And, on a practical note, we had a house together which was inhabited by an ever-changing rota of our four kids, moving in and out between school, university and travelling. (The youngest was just 15 at the time we separated.)

That meant selling straight away wasnt an option, as, in the housing market at the time, there wouldnt have been anywhere else for them to go.

So we agreed, at the beginning, we wouldnt sell the house, but would instead keep it as a family home. We also decided, since the house was our only asset, that we wouldnt get divorced until we could sell it.

He, meanwhile, rented a little bachelor flat which, in more cynical moments, I thought suited him well, since its difficult to carry on a love affair with a new woman if you have clunking great, disapproving teenagers sitting around.

On my side of the post-marital fence, I couldnt make a phone call without several pairs of ears listening to me, let alone sneak any prospective partner up the stairs.

Marion (pictured) admits she envied her now ex-husband when he moved into a cottage with his girlfriend and the pair welcomed a child

I offered to swap homes with my husband on several occasions, but that idea went down like a lead balloon.

So, I got the house and the family, he got the freedom and the bills. Win-win, really.

We made our arrangements, weird as they might be, both financial and domestic.

He kept his stuff in the house and came back and stayed on occasion.

We remained friends, even close friends, and life went on. And on. And on.

Eventually, he moved with his girlfriend to a little cottage that I admit I envied, and then, at an age when youd think both of them would have more sense  he 65 and she nearly 50  along came a child.

4-6 months is the average time it takes to get a divorce in the UK Advertisement

I held her on the day she was born. She looked so much like my own babies  hardly surprising, since she has half their genes  and I was entranced.

I had always wanted a grandchild. I just hadnt imagined it would be my husband who provided it.

Of course, I asked him then if he wanted a divorce so he could re-marry. He said no.

Friends were shocked.

Youre still married? But he has another baby, for Gods sake.

I just shrugged my shoulders. It didnt bother me. It didnt bother him. And if it bothered his partner, she didnt say.

To me, at least.

We became a sort of blended family, albeit one with the tendency to curdle if not carefully tended.

When faced with the prospect of a half-sibling for my kids, one that I had been promised was never going to be on the cards, I realised I had two choices: resent it and put a wedge between me and my kids, who wouldnt have any option but to accept the baby. Or join in, and be part of it.

Ive never been much of a joiner, but I signed up.

We began to have the odd dinner all together, and to meet on birthdays and big family occasions.

It wasnt too hard, and was possibly harder on his new partner, who got more than she bargained for. She thought she was getting a lover, but she got stuck with his kids and wife, too.

Theres some sort of revenge there, but it was unintended. More of a delicious side effect.

Meanwhile, I eventually got the kids out of the house long enough to meet a new man  Valentines Day 2012, thanks to online dating.

Two years later, he moved in with me.

Incidentally, he too was still married. He and his wife had been separated for 15 years but never divorced for the same reasons as us  shared property that was the family home and no wish to re-marry.

They were still married when she tragically died two years ago, and he was with her at the end.

The truth is, I think the long goodbye is more common than people realise. If you dont part on awful terms, for many people there is no rush to get the divorce papers signed.

Marion (pictured) said with the kids gone, her ex-husband filed for divorce the day she accepted the offer

But Ill fess up here, and say that, aside from all those mature, sensible justifications, part of me never wanted to divorce for a different reason.

I had spent 25 years of my life with this man, most of them good. We were besotted parents together. We knew each others families. We loved each others mothers.

We shared so many memories and had an irreplaceable bond. We were no longer together, but in many ways were still wed to each other. We were affectionate, loving, even.

I know him inside out, and he knows me. He is like a beloved brother, the best friend of my youth, the keeper of my secrets.

A divorce would mean there was no longer any formal relationship between us. That would be it, just two separate people with no official bond.

Its silly, I know. But I liked being related. However, this year, with the kids gone, the house could be sold  and he filed for divorce the day I accepted the offer.

I was slightly offended at the sudden speed.

I decided to move to Oxford and make a new start.

Marion (pictured) said her ex-husband now lives ten minutes away and his six-year-old daughter comes over for craft days

But before I did, my ex-husband and I rode the Tube together to go to the lawyer in the City so we could sign the final documents for the sale of the house. Oh, Ive got something to tell you, he said.

What now? I blurted, thinking marriage, another baby in his dotage, a health scare.

Erm, were moving to Oxford too, for the schools.

What bit of divorce did he not get? I joked.

Today, he lives ten minutes away. His daughter, now six, comes over for craft days. We have family dinners together. And then, the other day, the divorce papers arrived. An hour later, the phone goes  the now ex-husband.

I ask if hes seen the post this morning. He hasnt.

He goes to look and phones me back.

I didnt realise it was all happening so soon? The lawyer didnt tell me. But you know we will always be together, he says. And on that note, I need to ask you something . . . 

Marion (pictured) revealed her first act as a divorced woman was driving her ex-husband and his daughter to London

He cant drive, and wants me to take him up to London so we can see the kids together before he goes on a trip to the U.S.

So this is my first act as a divorced woman. Driving my ex-husband with his six-year-old daughter in the back seat, to sunny Willesden, North-West London, singing Beatles songs, to have lunch with our daughter-in-law and two of our kids.

At one point he gets out his phone and starts examining it.

Oi mate, I say. Were divorced now. Im not wifey any more. The days of me driving you places while you sit there and read, ignoring me, are long gone.

Put the damn phone away and talk to me.

Just one minute, he says, eyes down, thumb flicking up.

Divorce or not, some things never change.

Put the f****** phone down, I yell.

Marion, says his daughter. You said a bad word.

Indeed I did.
Arsenal and Sheffield United have unveiled a touching memorial to the late Metropolitan Police officer Matt Ratana - who was tragically shot dead inside a police station last week.

The 54-year-old was fired upon while preparing to search a handcuffed suspect who managed to smuggle a weapon into the custody suite in Croydon on September 25.

The shocking news was greeted with widespread shock from the sporting world, and both Premier League clubs have shared emotional tributes to Mr Ratana ahead of their clash on Sunday.

Arsenal and Sheffield United paid a touching tribute to the late Met Police officer Matt Ratana

The home shirts of both clubs dressed two seats at the Emirates and were flanked by a uniform

Sgt Ratana (R) received a long and good service medal from the Commissioner Cressida Dick

Just over a week ago, Sergeant Matt Ratana was tragically killed in the line of duty.



Sergeant Ratana served in the Hackney area between 2010 and 2015, and was the centrepiece of community policing.



Our condolences go out to his family, friends and colleagues. pic.twitter.com/Wp2zvI03HN  Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 4, 2020

Several seats at the Emirates have been dressed with club shirts adorned with Mr Ratana's name on the back flanking a Met Police uniform.

A joint message from the clubs read: 'Sergeant Ratana served in the Hackney area between 2010 and 2015, and was the centrepiece of community policing.

'Our condolences go out to his family, friends and colleagues.'

Both teams stood either side of the centre circle before kick off on Sunday afternoon to pay their respects, while a tribute to Mr Ratana was also shown on the big screen.

Sgt Ratana had been taken to hospital after the shooting at 2.15am last Friday and was tragically pronounced dead at 4.20am after fighting for his life, a coroner was told on October 1.

The handcuffed suspect has been widely named as Louis De Zoysa, 23. He remains in a critical condition in hospital with a neck injury after shooting himself with five shots.

The shots were discharged while De Zoyza's, of Norbury, south London, hands were handcuffed behind his back. He was not named at the inquest hearing.

The suspect had been taken into custody on suspicion of the possession of ammunition and a class B drug.

Media are seen outside Croydon coroner's court ahead of the inquest into Mr Ratana's death

Detective Superintendent Nick Blackman revealed the preliminary cause of death given following the post-mortem examination was a gunshot wound to the chest.

Teams have fallen silent for a minute before kick-off at several top flight games in honour of Mr Ratana. He is the eighth officer to be shot dead in Britain over the last 20 years.

Officers across Britain also observed a minute's silence in memory of their colleague and many forces shared solemn tributes on social media.
Even teleprompter could not take so many lies: Rahul's dig at PM Modis Davos speech

'Congress will remove these black laws': Rahul Gandhi assures farmers

India

oi-Deepika S

Moga, Oct 04: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hit out at the Centre on Sunday over the three new agriculture laws, asking why were the farmers agitating if these were meant for them.

Addressing a public meeting in Badhni Kalan in Punjab''s Moga district, Gandhi asserted that the contentious Acts would be revoked if the Congress was voted to power. He wondered what was the "hurry" and need to implement these legislations amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"I guarantee that whenever the Congress comes to power, we will remove these black laws. We will fight against the Narendra Modi government and will remove these black laws," he said.

"The prime minister says the laws are being framed for farmers. If the laws are being made for farmers, then why didn''t you debate in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha?" Gandhi asked.

Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi call for justice after meeting hathras victim's family

"And if farmers are happy with these laws, then why are they agitating across the country? Why is every farmer of Punjab agitating?"

Farmers have expressed apprehension that the Centre''s farm reforms would pave the way for dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big companies.

President Ram Nath Kovind has given assent to the Farmers'' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill; Farmers'' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill; and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, which were passed by the Parliament last month.

Earlier, Gandhi arrived in Moga for leading tractor rallies across the state from Sunday till Tuesday in protest against the laws.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, state Congress president Sunil Jakhar, party''s Punjab incharge Harish Rawat and other leaders were present. Former minister and MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu, who had been staying away from all Congress activities, was also seen at the public meeting.

The tractor rallies, which have been named as ''Kheti Bachao Yatra'', will cover more than 50 km over three days in various districts and constituencies.

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Story first published: Sunday, October 4, 2020, 15:48 [IST]
SPRINGFIELD -- Despite an increase in COVID-19 infections that pushed the regions largest city into the high- risk category, the number of patients admitted for the virus at Baystate Health hospitals has declined from the previous week.

Officials reported eight people who have tested positive for the disease are hospitalized with one in the critical care unit. That is a decline from 12 being treated on the previous Sunday and 13 people hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 on Sept. 20.

The numbers have declined dramatically from April when a high of 179 patients were being treated at Baystate Health facilities.

The decrease comes even though Springfield reported a spike in cases last week after previously seeing the daily rates of infection drop into the single digits.

Data released Wednesday by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health put Springfield in the states red or highest risk category for spread of the virus. The state bases its designations on the number of average new cases per day, per 100,000 residents, over a 14-day period.

Springfields rate climbed to an average of 8.3 daily cases per 100,000 people on Sept. 30. It joined communities including Boston, Worcester and Framingham in moving into the highest risk category.

Seven patients are being treated at Baystate Medical Center, in Springfield, and one person has been admitted to Baystate Franklin Medical Center, in Greenfield. The company also operates Baystate Wing Hospital, in Palmer, and Baystate Noble, in Westfield.

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Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - Facing a critical rise in the spread of the Coronavirus disease in Tunisia, Prime Minister Hicham Mechichi, on Saturday announced a package of measures designed to curb the unbridled spread of the new virus, recorded in recent weeks in most parts of the country
2 cops deputed for CM Bommai's security held for trying to 'extort' money from drug peddlers

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Karnataka Minister CT Ravi quits cabinet days after being appointed BJP general secy

India

pti-Madhuri Adnal

Bengaluru, Oct 4: Karnataka Minister for Kannada, Culture and Tourism C T Ravi has resigned from the cabinet, sources close to him said on Sunday.

Ravi's resignation comes in the backdrop of him being appointed BJP national general secretary on September 26. The sources said the Minister submitted his resignation to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Saturday.

I think it was a planned riot, says Karnataka Minister C T Ravi on Bengaluru violence

The development was not unexpected in view of his appointment to the party post and Ravi had on Thursday said he has kept his resignation letter ready.
New York, Oct 4 : Confusion continued over the treatment of US President Donald Trump on Sunday when a specialist said that he could be released from the military hospital as early as Monday while his National Security Advisor said that he could stay there for "another period of time." Trump had also had two short, temporary setbacks when he needed to be put on oxygen, his personal doctor Sean Conley disclosed at a Sunday morning briefing.

But he and other doctors gave an overall upbeat assessment of Trump's condition.

Sean Dooley, a military pulmonary critical care specialist, said that Trump "has remained without fever, since Friday morning, his vital signs are stable, from a pulmonary standpoint" and is walking around without "complaining of shortness of breath, or other typical respiratory symptoms".

A member of the medical team, Brian Garibaldi, a specialist from Johns Hopkins University, said: "If he continues to look and feel as well as he does today our hope is that we can plan for a discharge as early as tomorrow to the White House where he can continue his treatment course." But earlier National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien told a CBS TV programme that although Trump feels "very well" and wants to return to the White House, "I think he's going to stay at Walter Reed for at least another period of time." O'Brien, who had come down with Covid-19 and has recovered, said: "Days seven and eight are the critical days." With elections 30 days away, Trump's campaign is hobbled by his illness. Vice President Mike Pence is set to debate Democratic Party's vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Tuesday.

Her campaign has asked for a 12-foot separation between them on the stage given Pence's likely exposure to Trump.

Three Republican senators, Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel and Trump's advisers, Kellyanne Conway and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, are among those who have come down with the virus.

Conley, who had been evasive on Trump's oxygen use, said that "Over the course of his illness, the President has experienced two episodes of transient drops in his oxygen saturation".

Late Friday morning at the White House, Conley said, that he found Trump had a high fever and his oxygen saturation was below 94 per cent and gave him supplemental oxygen.

"Fortunately, that was really a very transient limited episode, a couple hours later, he was back up," he said. He said that Trump's oxygen levels, a key indicator of a Covid-19 patient's status, did not dip into the 80s at any time.

Conley said that Trump was given a powerful steroid, dexamethasone, on Saturday. That, like remdisivir with which Trump is being treated, is an experimental medication for the treatment of Covid-19.

Asked about Trump's Chief of Staff Mark Meadows saying on Saturday that Trump's "vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning," Conley said that the remark was "misconstrued" and that he was only referring to the specific temporary incident on Friday morning, which he said prompted the decision to fly him by helicopter him to the hospital.

In a video made at the hospital and released on Twitter on Saturday, Trump said: "Over the next period of a few days, I guess that's the real test. So we'll be seeing what happens over those next couple of days." (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter at @arulouis)
Bihar Election 2020: What ideological difference, JD(U) hits back at LJP

India

oi-Deepika S

Patna, Oct 04: The Janata Dal (United) on Sunday hit back at the Chirag Paswan party over 'ideological differences' remarks and asked the LJP to spell out the differences.

"We want to know the specific ideological difference that the LJP has with us. During Lok Sabha polls, they partner with us and request Nitish Kumar's presence in their constituency and win the elections. Now for Bihar Assembly polls, they claim an ideological difference," JDU leader Ashok Chaudhary told media persons.

He added that both the JD(U) and the BJP have an unfaltering coalition, and Nitish Kumar has been declared as the leader of the coalition with the saffron party for the Bihar elections.

PM Modi, Amit Shah attend BJP CEC meet to finalise candidates for Bihar polls

The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) on Sunday walked out of the ruling National Democratic Alliance in Bihar ahead of the state assembly polls, as it attacked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and announced that it would fight JD(U) candidates in the elections.

"Due to ideological differences with the JD(U), a member of the alliance at the national level and in the assembly polls, the Lok Janshakti Party has decided to fight the elections in Bihar separately from the alliance," a party statement said.

"We will triumph," was the brief comment of Chirag Paswan as he sported a victory sign after the meeting. However, the LJP is likely to continue as the member of the NDA at the Centre as of now, more so as its patron and the only member in the Modi government, Ram Vilas Paswan, has undergone a heart surgery in the national capital and will remain hospitalised for a few weeks.

The BJP's relations with the regional party have remained cordial, and the LJP has maintained that it will not contest against candidates of the saffron party. The LJP also said that it has no "bitterness" with the BJP and has often lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.

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Story first published: Sunday, October 4, 2020, 21:44 [IST]
A new $1.2 billion federal subsidy will not be enough to restore apprentice and trainee numbers to levels recorded before the Coalition took government, sparking a political fight over the best way to help young Australians.

Employers hailed the new wage subsidy on Sunday after Prime Minister Scott Morrison vowed to add 100,000 apprentices and trainees by paying half their wages over the next year.

The new apprentice and trainee wage subsidy is open to employers of any size in any industry. Credit:Ryan Stuart

But some education experts said the program should be matched by a new cadet scheme of equal size to help young workers who did not end up in traditional trades or traineeships.

Labor education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek accused the government of acting too slowly to help people leaving school at the end of this year, saying the Coalition had presided over a steady decline in vocational training.
MYRTLE BEACH  The Myrtle Beach Police Department is mourning the loss of one of its own after an officer-involved shooting incident late Saturday night.

According to MBPD Chief Amy Prock, PFC Jacob Hancher was killed in the line of duty while responding to a call for service.

She said that PFC Hancher was employed by the MBPD for four years as a community service officer and less than one in patrol.

"He was a dedicated public servant who upheld his oath to protect this community and made the ultimate sacrifice," Prock said. "He cared about the people that he served, served with and absolutely loved Myrtle Beach."

Chief Prock asked for the community to, "pray for Jacob, his family and fellow officers in your prayers."

In a post on Facebook on Sunday morning, Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune said, "I am humbly asking for your heartfelt prayers for our MBPD. They need our community to show them love, support and strength."

Conways Catholic Church of St. James posted that Hancher was a parishioner and attended its 2017 mission trip to Honduras. His kindness and selflessness inspired others from the church.

For those that were able to serve alongside him, they learned of his kindness and selfless service, the post read.

According to authorities, the incident occurred around 10 p.m. in the 400 block of 14th Ave. South. Portions of Kings Highway and Ocean Boulevard were closed while police were investigating.

Tommy Crosby, the public information officer for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said an investigation is underway.

Shots were exchanged during a confrontation between a man and officers from the MBPD who were responding to a domestic call, according to details provided by SLED.

Crosby said that one officer was killed, and later identified as PFC Hancher, and a second officer was shot during the incident and taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and has since been released according to the MBPD.

After an the exchange of gunfire, the suspect was discovered deceased.

No other injuries were reported.

Crosby said this is still an ongoing investigation by SLED.

SLED said the incident was the 37th officer-involved shooting in South Carolina in 2020. It is the first this year involving the MBPD.

In 2019, there were 45 officer-involved shootings in South Carolina; one involved the MBPD.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
There has now been a total of 1,810 Covid-19 related deaths, and 38,032 confirmed cases, in Ireland.

Of today's cases:

195 are men/168 are women

74 per cent are under 45 years of age

27 per cent are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case

42 cases have been identified as community transmission

100 cases are in Dublin, 55 in Cork, 31 in Donegal, 24 in Limerick, 23 in Galway,17 in Clare, 14 in Sligo, 13 in Roscommon, 10 in Kerry, eight in Tipperary, eight in Wicklow, seven in Kildare, six in Kilkenny, six in Offaly, five in Cavan, five in Mayo, five in Meath, with the remaining 27 cases in nine counties

The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) met for a previously unscheduled meeting on Sunday due to concerns over the rising Covid-19 numbers.

The meeting started at noon and it is still ongoing.

Government sources told The Irish Times that the meeting, believed to be the first weekend NPHET meeting, was called due to concerns over rising infection numbers and the number of people in hospital with Covid-19.

One source said there was unlikely to be any immediate action arising from the meeting.

I think we are in difficulty. I wouldnt be surprised if we see early moves.

However, a second source told The Irish Times: I think we are in difficulty. I wouldnt be surprised if we see early moves.

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The meeting is being chaired by acting chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan after he returned to his post after taking a period of leave for personal reasons.

Dublin and Donegal are currently on Level Three restrictions as part of the Government's Living with Covid-19 plan.

According to HSE figures, there were 132 Covid-19 cases in hospital at 8pm on Saturday evening, 20 of these are in intensive care.
A meeting of LJP's parliamentary board chaired by Chirag passed a resolution in favour of an alliance with the BJP and said it will work to strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Mod

The Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) on Sunday said it will fight the upcoming Bihar Assembly election alone and not under the leadership of JD(U) president and chief minister Nitish Kumar, according to several media reports.

However, the party continued to back the BJP with a meeting of its parliamentary board chaired by Chirag earlier passed a resolution in favour of an alliance and said it will work to strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, PTI, quoting sources, reported.

As per a report in Hindustan Times, those in the know of details stated that the party would opt for a 'friendly contest' against the NDA partners. The party leadership earlier said they would not put up candidates against the BJP, as per the report.

The meeting was also attended by party leaders Veena Devi, Chandan Singh, Surajbhan Singh, Raju Tiwari, Prince Raj, Kali Pandey, and Abdul Khalid, reported NDTV.

On Saturday, Chirag had "sought people's blessings" for his party's "Bihar first Bihari first" vision document. He tweeted an image with Modi, saying all his party's candidates will strengthen the BJP leader's hand



The LJP had last week served an ultimatum to the BJP, demanding a decision on the seat-sharing formula.

As per NDTV, Chirag, whose father Ram Vilas Paswan is a minister in the Modi government, had claimed that the LJP will contest 143 seats out of the 243 seats in the Bihar Assembly.

The LJP has in recent months stepped up attack on Kumar over issues like handling of the COVID-19 situation and the post-lockdown migrant crisis. The relationship between the two NDA allies further deteriorated following Nitish Kumar's move to bring rival-turned-ally Jitan Ram Manjhi to the NDA.

The BJP has already announced that the NDA will fight the polls with Nitish Kumar as the face of the alliance. The BJP central election committee is slated to meet later in the evening to finalise the party's candidates for the three-phase Assembly election, which begins from 28 October.

The Manipur Model

This is hardly the first time the LJP will be going it alone. The party, for the 2017 Manipur Assembly polls, put up candidates for 11 constituencies. After winning one seat, the party offered support to the BJP.

The party also struck out on its one during the 2019 Assembly polls in Jharkhand and the 2014 Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

Bihar goes to polls on 28 October, 3 and 7 November and the results will be announced on 10 November.

With inputs from PTI
The Democrat narrative about the Wuhan virus is that Donald Trump killed Americans with his panicked and inept response. Democrats dont care that this contradicts their beloved Dr. Faucis acknowledgment that Trump followed his recommendations. Most recently, Nancy Pelosi appointed a subcommittee to enshrine the narrative in federal records, but the Democrats couldnt make it happen. Meanwhile, the Republicans on the subcommittee identified the many steps Trump immediately took to save lives. These facts challenge the Democrats dishonest narrative.

Steve Scalise is doing his bit to make sure Americans know how well Trump helmed the ship of state during the pivotal first months of the Wuhan virus. To that end, he and other Republicans completed a minority version of the subcommittee report, which they published on Friday.

On Saturday, Fox News published Scalises summary of the reports highlights. They all deserve to be noted, and you should probably memorize some of them for the next time you hear a Democrat claim Trump killed 200,000 Americans. To whet your appetite, the following are just a few of Trumps pivotal steps. You can read the rest here.

Trump responded immediately to the coronavirus threat

In the face of resistance and accusations of xenophobia from Democrats and many in the media, President Trump closed our borders to China, and then to Europe and other high-risk areas. President Trump launched the 15 Days to Slow the Spread initiative in mid-March, then extended this initiative for another 30 days  protecting at-risk populations across the nation.

Trump made effective decisions that saved lives

The presidents tough and effective decisions  based on the advice of our nations top medical professionals  saved hundreds of thousands of lives.

In testimony before the select subcommittee, Dr. Anthony Fauci said lives were saved because of the presidents actions to ban flights from China and Europe; extend the flight ban to the United Kingdom; and implement the program 15 Days to Slow the Spread, and then extend that program another 30 days.

Fauci is the internationally respected director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The report is also important because it emphasizes that most American deaths occurred due to Democrat governors decisions. Trump, who is the opposite of the fascist that Democrats claim him to be, did not use the virus to assume dictatorial control over America. Instead, Trump noted that governors were best situated to know what resources their states had, and the resources their states still needed.

Trump, therefore, respected the Tenth Amendment and left governors in control of their states. He confined himself to playing a supporting role, giving the governors everything they asked for, from ventilators, to masks, to hospital ships and, of course, to money.

Some governors made horrific choices, and Scalise summarizes those choices:

Thousands died when Democratic governors sent infected people to nursing homes

Democratic governors ignored guidance from the Trump administration and sent coronavirus-positive patients back to nursing homes, resulting in tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths.

Subcommittee Democrats had little interest in uncovering the devastating and scandalous behavior of the Democratic governors of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan and California. But thousands of grieving families demanded answers from Congress. Republicans stepped up to investigate.

For example, New York state has seen over 32,000 COVID-19 deaths. Gov. Andrew Cuomos deadly must admit order led to the deaths of at least 6,600 elderly Americans. In fact, [sic]

The Associated Press recently reported that the Cuomo administration is likely undercounting the nursing home deaths, estimating the true count to be around 11,000 elderly Americans  over a third of total COVID-19 deaths in New York alone.

The Justice Department has opened an investigation into the deadly must admit orders of these governors.

With twenty-twenty hindsight, its easy to say that Trump should have done one thing instead of another. However, in real-time, Trump did all of the essential things: He closed the borders as best he could, he convened a task force, he followed the advice of those people in the government who are paid to give that advice, and he worked like a demon to put that advice into effect.

Meanwhile, Blue State governors herded sick people into nursing homes, where those most vulnerable to the Wuhan virus lived. Those governors effectively turned nursing homes in their states into slaughterhouses. And now, in a singularly disgusting act of dishonest, New Yorks governor, Andrew Cuomo, is gaslighting America by denying that he issued the orders that made these deaths inevitable.

Image: Trump and Fauci at a March 25, 2020, Wuhan virus briefing. White House Flickr. Public Domain.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government plans to receive and utilise 400-500 million doses of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccine, when one is ready, to induce protection against the virus in about 200-250 million people by July 2021, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said.

A list of citizen groups that will require vaccine administration on priority is being drawn up by the health ministry in association with the state governments. There is a high-level expert body going into all aspects of vaccine procurement and delivery, Harsh Vardhan said in response to Covid-19-related queries of social media users.

For this, a format is being currently prepared in which states will submit priority population groups to receive vaccine, especially health care workers engaged in the management of Covid-19 such as testing, tracing and treating {patients}. We have placed a realistic target of end-October {2020} to complete this humongous exercise, he added in a recorded video of him answering questions that were sent to him by people. The video was played on Sunday on his social media accounts on Twitter and Facebook as well as YouTube.

The list of frontline health care workers includes doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and sanitary workers, both from the government and the private sector. It will also include accredited health activists, surveillance officers and other workers who are engaged in managing Covid-19 patients.

Apart from health care workers, priority will also be given to the elderly  those who are above 65 years of age  and people who have underlying medical conditions.

Currently, the states are being closely guided to also submit details about cold chain facilities and other related infrastructure that will be required down to the block level for vaccine storage and delivery as part of the governments immunisation programme.

The Centre is also working on plans for building capacities in human resource training and supervision on a massive scale, and also keeping an eye on immunity data with regard to Covid-19 while finalising these plans, the minister said.

A high-level committee under the chairmanship of Dr VK Paul, member (health) at the governments policy think tank Niti Aayog, is looking into the entire process. After various discussions, it has been decided that the vaccine will be procured centrally, and each consignment will be tracked in real-time until delivery to ensure it reaches those who need it the most.

The vaccine will be distributed based on pre-decided priority and in a programmed manner and it will be appropriately controlled to avoid any diversion or black marketing. To ensure transparency and accountability, details of the entire process will be shared in coming months, the health minister said.

He added that various committees were working on understanding the timelines of availability of various vaccines under development in the country and obtaining commitments from vaccine manufacturers to make available the maximum number of doses for inventory and supply chain management.

India currently has two indigenous vaccine candidates in advanced stages of clinical trials. Bharat Biotech International Ltd is carrying out trials on Covaxin, which is being developed using a virus isolated by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Virology, Pune; and Cadila Healthcare Ltd is testing a candidate called ZyCov-D.

Harsh Vardhan also said that while clinical data on the vaccine candidates was still emerging, it wouldnt be prudent at this stage to comment on one vaccines superiority over another.

 even if we have multiple vaccines available, they will all be safe and will elicit the requisite immune response against novel coronavirus.

The vaccines developed and tested outside India that have proven to be safe, immunogenic and efficacious in clinical trials would need to undergo bridging studies to prove their safety and immunogenicity in the Indian population although these studies can be conducted with much smaller sample size and end quickly, he added.

On the Russian vaccine Sputnik V, the minister said that it was still under consideration by the government.

The matter is still under consideration, and no decision has been taken as yet on the Phase 3 trials, he said.

On the subject of conducting human challenge experiments in India, wherein participants are exposed to the virus in a laboratory controlled setting to test the vaccines, the minister raised ethical concerns.

India is not planning to venture into such trials until the method is proven to have an established benefit as per global experience. India has robust processes in place to ensure the vaccines that successfully complete the clinical trials are safe and effective against the novel coronavirus, he said.

When conducted, human challenge studies should be undertaken with abundant forethought, caution, and oversight. The value of the information to be gained should clearly justify the risks to human subjects, he added.

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Six months delayed after its normal May date, the election for the Alamo Colleges Districts board of trustees on Nov. 3 will feature 10 candidates seeking four of its nine seats. Two of the three incumbents on the ballot have challengers.

The contest was postponed in April along with other local elections statewide in response to the coronavirus. In August, the board voted 6-2 with one abstention to delay the election indefinitely, but hastily reconvened after a public backlash, setting the date hours before the deadline.

The board decides policy and finances for the five-college district, including tuition rates and an annual budget totaling more than $380 million. Its Alamo Promise initiative, launched last year, offers a free community college education to all seniors graduating from traditional public high schools in Bexar County.

The five schools  San Antonio College, St. Philips College, Palo Alto College, Northwest Vista College and Northeast Lakeview College  serve more than 60,000 students, including early college high schoolers. About half of them are economically disadvantaged and about 80 percent take classes part-time, according to the district.

Trustees serve six-year terms. This years ballot has regular elections for Districts 4, 8 and 9, and a special election for District 2.

Courtesy /Judson ISD

Jose A. Macias Jr., 49, was appointed to the District 2 seat in 2019 after longtime board member Denver McClendon resigned and wants to stay for the terms remaining four years.

I appreciate the appointment, but it was never intended to be a long-term deal, Macias said. I need to be elected by my community.

On ExpressNews.com: Having missed 2 chances, Alamo Colleges board finally sets election for November

Macias, a development manager for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, drew a challenge from Gloria Ray, 76, a former U.S. Civil Service executive and former Martin Luther King Commission chairwoman. She has served on several ACD committees and in 2006 was appointed by then-Gov. Rick Perry to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs board.

Courtesy /Gloria Pryor Ray

Macias, who got an associates degree from SAC and a bachelors from Our Lady of the Lake University after a stint in the military, said he makes it a priority to ensure students of all backgrounds get the resources they need.

We cannot afford to lose that opportunity to offer a successful pathway for students, he said.

One of the most pressing issues in the ACD community is a lack of diversity in district leadership, said Ray, who is Black. The board has been without a Black trustee since McClendons resignation, and District 2 includes much of the East Side and other Black neighborhoods.

We have no African American representation, no African American presence on the board at all, Ray said. I believe that we need to have a seat at the table.

Both Macias and Ray said they want to push for more workforce training for students while involving more minority-owned businesses with the colleges..

If were going to move a community forward, its not going to only be through the (Alamo) Promise program; its also going to be through workforce development, Macias said.

Required Reading: Get San Antonio education news sent directly to your inbox

In District 4, Marcelo Casillas, the current board chairman, is stepping down after three terms, leaving a vacuum that has drawn four candidates, the most in the board race. They include Connie Prado, 71, a longtime trustee in the South San Antonio Independent School District who, because election date changes, is running for seats on both boards at the same time.

Prado has said she will resign from the South San board if she wins the Alamo Colleges election. She was involved in years of school board infighting that was blamed for high leadership turnover, increased state oversight and, since December, a Texas Education Agency investigation.

Those issues are in the past and trustees now get along well, Prado said earlier this year. If elected to the ACD board, Prado said she would like to help ensure that the college district establishes stronger relationships with the areas high schools, which would give students more of what they need to achieve in college.

My concern right now is that we have a lot of kids who  want to follow through with college but just don't have the resources to succeed, Prado said. They need help.  Theyre not getting the guidance they need.

Juanito Garza /San Antonio Express-News

Lorena Lorraine Pulido, 50, a communications manager for VIA running for the District 4 seat, said she has personally experienced some of the challenges many Alamo Colleges students face.

Pulido grew up on the citys South Side with immigrant parents, and took dual credit courses as a Harlandale High School student in a Palo Alto College program. She became a mother as a teenager and got bachelors and masters degrees at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University while raising her child.

She has a doctorate from OLLU and is the board vice chairwoman of the Brooks Development Authority, which owns and administers the employment hub on the South Side at the former Brooks AFB. Pulido has taught at local colleges, including Palo Alto, for 20 years.

I know the struggles, I know the challenges, I know the temptation to just quit, and I think those are really important perspectives to have for a position like this, she said.

She wants to ensure long-term funding for the Alamo Promise, increase student retention rates and expand the districts workforce training programs through community partnerships.

Another candidate for the seat is Jose Joe Gallegos, 67, a former San Antonio gang member who credits his education at SAC, OLLU and Trinity University for giving him purpose and a way out of poverty.

Now semiretired after a career as a probation officer and high school counselor, he runs a small nonprofit called Adelante/2nd Chance, to provide advocacy services for families and individuals.

So many of our young folks are still being left behind. Ive always been a proponent of working with those students who are on the cusp, who need that additional support and resources to get ahead, Gallegos said.

Gallegos wants to see Alamo Promise succeed and would add even more programs to help disadvantaged students. He also wants to ensure that the ACD attracts more high-quality faculty committed to help them as well.

TOM REEL /SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

Also running in District 4 is Robert A. Casias, 70, a retired military officer who spent seven years on the board of the Somerset ISD Education Foundation. He has a bachelors degree in sociology and raises cattle.

The district should improve its workforce development programs while cutting unnecessary costs, Casias said  and the advocacy programs and student support services that other candidates wholeheartedly back, Casias calls a waste of millions of dollars.

He said he wants to refocus the board of trustees spending priorities away from expansive programs that help students cover the costs of rent, food, childcare and more. Those support systems can be valuable but should not be funded by taxpayer dollars, he said.

This board has lost focus on education. I think they're trying to be a welfare agency, Casias said. Helping students must be based on merit  thats the way the world works; thats the way business works.

In District 9, incumbent Joe Jesse Sanchez, 72, a lifelong educator and school administrator, is looking to keep the seat he was appoiinted to in 2017 after the death of trustee James Rindfuss. Sanchez said he wants the district to develop more community education and training centers while continuing to expand the support programs it offers students, including the Alamo Promise, whose first cohort of about 2,800 students started college this semester.

The Alamo Promise is a game-changer, he said. Were fighting the war on poverty here.

He also wants to ensure that every campus has a veterans center. Right now, only two do, and there are about 8,000 enrolled students districtwide who are veterans, he said.

Courtesy Leslie Sachanowicz /

Leslie Sachanowicz, 63, is one of Sanchezs challengers. A former Bexar County assistant district attorney, Sachanowicz has taught government and law at SAC and St. Marys University. His legal experience would be an asset to the board, he said, especially in light of the boards recent attempt to indefinitely delay its election, which he called self-serving.

Several current board members have disputed that interpretation, saying the decision was made with the intention of safeguarding the health of voters. Sanchez initially voted for the election delay but then made the motion days later to call for a November election.

If elected, Sachanowiczs priorities would include taking a critical look at and rescrubbing the districts budget to ensure that funds are being allocated as efficiently as possible, especially amid the pandemic. Sanchez said the pandemic has saved the district about $10 million as a result of reduced expenses for utilities, travel and more.

The budget needs to have a fresh pair of eyes looking at it, Sachanowicz said. These are new times.  We dont know whats going to happen three months from now.

You cant just do things the same way you were doing them; you have to revisit them, he said.

In addition to potential belt-tightening measures, Sachanowicz said he wants to focus on the districts student advising program to make sure students are being heard when they raise concerns.

Courtesy Michael Good /

Also vying for the District 9 seat is Michael Good, 53, a former parole officer and investigator with Texas Child Protective Services who earned a bachelors degree in public justice from St. Marys University before completing two associates degrees at St. Philips College in 2017 and 2019.

Goods reasons for running stem from his experience as a recent student in the district. His instructors were outstanding, he said, but he felt that his needs as a student were not being adequately considered by administrators.

As a student who held a job, Good was disappointed that the bookstore on his campus was only open a few days a week with limited hours, while the on-campus bowling alley was fully staffed six days a week, he said. He had to take a day off from work to buy his textbooks, and when he reached out to a trustee, he never got a response, Good said.

My No. 1 priority is being attentive to student needs  to enhance the student experience so they're better prepared to do their jobs when they get out into the field, Good said. They need to get results. I want bang for the buck.

He also wants to ensure that faculty are given the respect and reverence that they deserve, which could include working to raise their salaries, he said.

On ExpressNews.com: Editorial endorsements: At Alamo Colleges, time for a change

Clint Kingsbery, 40, the current trustee for District 8, is running for reelection to a second six-year term unopposed. He has two degrees from the University of Texas at San Antonio and is working to earn a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies, also at UTSA.

I am focused on Student Success, working to ensure that all initiatives and programs work toward increasing student performance, while also being aware that each student is unique, and that uniqueness should be celebrated, Kingsbery said in an email. It is through our holistic approach that we are able to be successful, and a successful student is the more effective use of the resources provided by our community.

Darius Martin, a second-year student studying business administration at St. Philips College, is the Alamo Colleges student trustee. He was appointed by the board in May and will remain in his role as a liaison between trustees and the student body until the end of the academic year.

Early voting will run from Oct. 13 to Oct. 30.

Andres Picon is a staff writer covering San Antonio education. To read more from Andres, become a subscriber. andy.picon@hearst.com | Twitter: @andpicon
BURLINGTON  A 43-year-old Burlington man, who has now been charged with his fourth OWI, allegedly threatened to kill multiple officers.

Jason M. Erickson, 43, of the 400 block of South Pine Street, was charged with a felony count of operating while under the influence with a general alcohol concentration enhancer and four felony counts of threat to a law enforcement officer.

He was charged with 12 misdemeanor counts of bail jumping and misdemeanor counts of resisting an officer, obstructing an officer, disorderly conduct, failure to install an ignition interlock device and operating a motor vehicle while revoked.

According to a criminal complaint:

At 6:18 p.m. on Wednesday, officers were dispatched to the Beachview Motel at 30427 Durand Ave. for a report of a hit and run accident.

At 6:21 p.m., the vehicle in question had returned to the bar parking lot and the operator was identified as Erickson.

Erickson spoke with a heavy, slow and slurred speech and didnt have an ignition interlock device in his vehicle, even though he was required to. He became agitated and refused to enter the police vehicle.

When he finally got in, he began kicking the door and tried to break the window. He looked at one of the officers and allegedly said, I will kill you, and I will kick your (expletive).

Upon arrival at Ascension All Saints Hospital, Erickson refused to perform the sobriety tests and continued to swear at officers. He stated to an officer Ill find where you live and will come after you, and take these handcuffs off for a second and Ill kick your (expletive).

He also said to another officer and I will find where you live and kill you. He also said his wife would find the four officers and kill them.

Erickson was given a $7,500 cash bond in Racine County Circuit court on Friday with the conditions he doesnt possess or consume alcohol nor drive at all.

A preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 7 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave., online court records indicate.

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Kenzo Takada, the founder of global fashion company Kenzo, has died at the age of 81 from coronavirus.

The Japanese fashion designer was at the American Hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, when he died on 4 October.

Takada was born in Japan but moved to Paris in 1964, at which point he began his fashion career. In 1970, he launched his namesake fashion line, which proved wildly popular with its loud colours and vibrant prints.

Kenzo was later purchased by luxury conglomerate LVMH in 1993, with Takada retiring from the company in 1999.

After stepping down from his eponymous line, the designer continued to pursue other creative pursuits, including most recently a luxury homeware and lifestyle brand called K-3.

It is with immense sadness that the brand K-3 announces the loss of its celebrated artistic director, Kenzo Takada, the company said in a statement.

The world-renowned designer passed away on October 4th, 2020 due to Covid-19 related complications at the age of 81 at the American Hospital, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France."

Jonathan Bouchet Manheim, CEO of Takada's K-3 brand, also shared a statement following Takadas death, in which he reflected on the designers curiosity and open-mindedness.

"Kenzo Takada was incredibly creative; with a stroke of genius, he imagined a new artistic and colourful story combining East and West - his native Japan and his life in Paris," he said in a statement to CNN.

"I had the chance to work alongside him for many years, always in awe, admiring his curiosity and his open-mindedness. He seemed quiet and shy at first, but he was full of humour. He was generous and always knew how to look after the people close to his heart. He had a zest for life... Kenzo Takada was the epitome of the art of living," he added.

Kenzo shared a tribute to its founder on Instagram, where the brand said Takada would be greatly missed and always remembered.

It is with immense sadness that Kenzo has learned of the passing of our founder, Kenzo Takada. For half a century, Mr Takada has been an emblematic personality in the fashion industry - always infusing creativity and colour into the world, the statement reads.

Today, his optimism, zest for life and generosity continue to be pillars of our Maison. He will be greatly missed and always remembered.

In 2019, Takada discussed his departure from fashion design, telling CNN that he still sketches, but no longer for luxury fashion.

I'm still sketching, but not for fashion today. I like fashion, but in fashion you must do something new every season: new shootings, new concepts, new materials, every single thing changes so quickly, he said. So I stopped at the right time, I think. Now I do costumes for opera.

At the time, the designer also opened up about his ongoing love for Paris, and how the fashion capital influenced his career.

Paris for me, I definitely saw it as the capital of fashion and today there's still that certain elegance, French elegance, a French way of dressing, he told the outlet. A French way of working with fashion definitely influenced me and much later I started to blend other cultures into that specific fashion.

"Of course now, fashion is everywhere; in New York, Paris, Milan, London, Tokyo, everywhere. But I think Paris stays very important.

News of his death comes a day after the brand showed its spring/summer 2021 collection at Paris Fashion Week.
Saudi Arabia has allowed its citizens and other pilgrims to perform the annual umrah pilgrimage from Sunday, after a seven-month break due to the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

In March, the Saudi government decided to suspend the umrah pilgrimage over the fear of growing coronavirus infections. In July, it only allowed 1,000 pilgrims residing in the country for the pilgrimage due to the pandemic.

Saudi Arabia hosts around 2.5 million pilgrims annually across the globe for Haj. So far, Saudi Arabia has recorded around 336,000 Covid-19 cases while 321,000 coronavirus disease patients have been recovered. There have been 4,850 deaths in the country.

Here is all about the umrah pilgrimage:

* Umrah is a year-round pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. It is a voluntary pilgrimage, unlike haj which is compulsory for every Muslim who is physically capable and can afford it.

* Umrah is a shorter version of the annual haj pilgrimage which allows Muslims to seek refuge in Allah, ask for mercy and pray for their needs.

* The Saudi Arabia government has decided to allow the pilgrimage in four phases considering the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

* Only 6,000 citizens and residents already within the kingdom will be allowed to take part each day, which is only 30% of the total capacity, in the first phase starting Sunday. They will be able to perform the ritual of circling the sacred Kaaba, a cubic structure inside the Grand Mosque towards which Muslims around the world pray.

* The second phase will start from October 18 and will allow 15,000 pilgrims from the country.

* In the third phase from November 1, pilgrims from inside and outside the kingdom will be allowed to perform umrah at 100% capacity with necessary precautionary measures. Saudi Arabia will only allow pilgrims from countries which are free from Covid-19 danger by the time.

* During the fourth phase, the government will allow 100% of the total capacity of the pilgrimage from inside and outside Saudi Arabia to perform umrah. The decision on this phase will be taken when the competent authority decides that the risks of the pandemic are over.

* Saudi Arabias ministry of hajj and umrah will launch an application with the aim to regulate the entry of pilgrims and implement health standards and controls approved by the ministry of health and competent authorities.
Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 2:35 - 0:00 transcript White House Physician Says Trump Had Been Given Supplemental Oxygen and Dexamethasone Insisting that President Trumps health is improving, Dr. Sean P. Conley, the White House physician, gave a statement on Sunday contradictory to his previous update, informing the public that the president has received supplemental oxygen and is on the steroid dexamethasone. The president has continued to improve. As with any illness, there are frequent ups and downs over the course, particularly when a patient is being so closely watched. Over the course of his illness, the president has experienced two episodes of transient drops in his oxygen saturation. We debated the reasons for this, and whether wed even intervene. It was the determination of the team based predominantly on the timeline from the initial diagnosis that we initiate dexamethasone. Id like to take this opportunity now, given some speculation over the course of the illness the last couple of days, update you on the course of his own illness: Thursday night into Friday morning, when I left the bedside, the president was doing well with only mild symptoms and his oxygen was in the high 90s. Late Friday morning, when I returned to the bedside, the president had a high fever and his oxygen saturation was transiently dipping below 94 percent. Given these two developments, I was concerned for possible rapid progression of the illness. I recommended [to] the president we try some supplemental oxygen [and] see how hed respond. He was fairly adamant that he didnt need it. He was not short of breath. He was tired, had the fever and that was about it. And after about a minute on only two liters, his saturation levels were back over 40  over 95 percent. Today he feels well. Hes been up and around or plan for today is to have him to eat and drink, be up out of bed as much as possible to be mobile. And if he continues to look and feel as well as he does today, our hope is that we can plan for a discharge as early as tomorrow to the White House where he can continue his treatment course. Dr. Conley, you said there were two instances where he had drops in oxygen. Can you walk us through the second one? Yeah, yesterday there was another episode where he dropped down, about 93 percent. He doesnt ever feel short of breath. We watched it, and it returned back up. [crosstalk] Why did it take until today to disclose that the president had been administered oxygen? Thats a good question. Thank you. I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude that the team, the president, that his course of illness, has had. I didnt want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction. And in doing so, it came off that we were trying to hide something, which wasnt necessarily true. And so I have, here I have it. He is  the fact of the matter is is that hes doing really well. Insisting that President Trumps health is improving, Dr. Sean P. Conley, the White House physician, gave a statement on Sunday contradictory to his previous update, informing the public that the president has received supplemental oxygen and is on the steroid dexamethasone. Credit Credit... Anna Moneymaker for The New York Times

President Trumps medical team delivered an update on Sunday of his condition, as the presidents personal physician acknowledged delivering an overly rosy picture of his illness a day earlier to please his notoriously sensitive patient. The details of the briefing signaled to some health experts that the presidents condition might be more serious than a mild case of Covid-19.

I didnt want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction, and in doing so, you know, it came off that we were trying to hide something, which wasnt necessarily true, Dr. Sean P. Conley, the White House physician, said in a briefing with reporters Sunday.

Based on the doctors account, Mr. Trumps symptoms appear to have rapidly progressed since he announced early Friday morning that he had tested positive for the coronavirus.

Mr. Trump had a high fever on Friday, and there were two occasions when his blood oxygen levels dropped, his doctors said  on Friday and again on Saturday. The presidents oxygen saturation level was 93 percent at one point, his doctors said, below the 95 percent that is considered the lower limit of the normal range.

Many medical experts consider patients to have severe Covid-19 if their oxygen levels drop below 94 percent. The physicians said Mr. Trump had received supplemental oxygen at the White House on Friday; they were not clear about whether it had been administered again on Saturday, or whether his blood oxygen levels had fallen below 90 at some point.

Dr. Conley said that the president had been given the steroid dexamethasone on Saturday, in addition to remdesivir, an antiviral drug. Dexamethasone has been shown to help patients who are severely ill with Covid-19, but it is typically not used in mild or moderate cases of the disease.

Because of the incomplete picture offered by the presidents doctors, it was not clear whether they had given him dexamethasone too quickly, or whether the president was far sicker than has been publicly acknowledged, experts in infectious disease and emergency medicine said on Sunday.

The dexamethasone is the most mystifying of the drugs were seeing him being given at this point, said Dr. Thomas McGinn, the physician-in-chief at Northwell Health, the largest health care provider in New York State. The drug is normally not used unless the patients condition seems to be deteriorating, he added.

Suddenly, theyre throwing the kitchen sink at him, Dr. McGinn said. It raises the question: Is he sicker than were hearing, or are they being overly aggressive because he is the president, in a way that could be potentially harmful?

The World Health Organization issued guidelines on Sept. 2 recommending that dexamethasone only be given to patients with severe and critical Covid-19. The National Institutes of Health has issued similar guidance, specifying that the drug is recommended only for people who require a mechanical ventilator to help them breathe, or who need supplemental oxygen.

A large study of dexamethasone in Britain found that the drug helped those who had been sick for more than a week, reducing deaths by one-third among patients on mechanical ventilators and by one-fifth among patients receiving supplemental oxygen by other means.

Later Sunday, presumably to allay concerns, Mr. Trump posted an upbeat if rambling video praising his doctors at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Its been a very interesting journey, he said. I learned a lot about Covid. He added: I get it, and I understand it.

Wearing a dark jacket and no necktie, Mr. Trump stood in the video and spoke energetically and with no apparent trouble breathing..

Determined to reassert himself on the political stage on his third day in the hospital, Mr. Trump then appeared in a black S.U.V., escorted by Secret Service vehicles, on the street outside the hospital. Mr. Trump could be seen in the back, wearing a suit and a mask and waving.

The stunt seemingly placed his Secret Service detail at risk of infection, as many pointed out. The irresponsibility is astounding, tweeted Dr. James P. Phillips, the chief of disaster medicine at George Washington University and an attending physician at Walter Reed. He noted that the risk of coronavirus transmission inside a hermetically sealed vehicle was about as high as it gets outside of medical procedures.

On Friday, Mr. Trump was given an infusion of an experimental antibody cocktail that is being tested in Covid-19 patients by the drugmaker Regeneron. Mr. Trump is also receiving a five-day course of remdesivir, another experimental drug that is used in hospitalized patients and has been granted emergency authorization by the Food and Drug Administration.

Regenerons antibody cocktail is being tested early in the course of the infection, because it fights the virus itself and could prevent it from spreading throughout the body. Remdesivir is also an antiviral drug, but has been commonly used along with dexamethasone, which reduces the bodys immune response and is given later in the illness, when some peoples immune systems go into overdrive and attack their vital organs.

On Sunday, the doctors said that Mr. Trump was in good spirits and that he was walking on his own and not complaining of shortness of breath.

If he continues to look and feel as well as he does today, our hope is to plan for a discharge as early as tomorrow to the White House, where he can continue his treatment, one of his doctors, Dr. Brian Garibaldi, said at the briefing on Sunday.

But several medical experts said that the decision to prescribe dexamethasone to Mr. Trump did not align with that optimistic scenario.

Michael Crowley contributed reporting.
The North-South Dichotomy is not a subject within the shores of this nation that one talks about without understanding, it evokes a lot of passions from the heated debates, and arguments which it generates, everyone holding dear to their views, values, idiosyncrasies and what not. A lot has been written, on old perspectives likewise new viewpoints...more are still being penned down. Onyedikachi Ponfah

I have written quite a sizable on this topic on the Nigerian subject matter, and as we continue in the celebration or otherwise mourning of our a non existent statehood. It is important I revisit the topic; given the false impression by both eggheads, and generation X dudes who live under the fans pretense that just break Nigeria and all will be well.

Every nation has one dichotomy or the other, if it is not the north vs south, it is versus blocs or religious or even ideological dichotomies. There are several reasons why such dichotomies exist. Sometimes it is a function of creation like we have in the Nigerian case, and in another it evolves.

In our sensational North South dichotomy, we have in every sense approached most problems sectionally thereby creating all kinds of unnecessary petty-culture-ethnic parapoism and bourgeois mentality in dealing with our national issues. Dichotomy is one that is used by political apologists as a socio-economic weapon. Apart from the positive, the dichotomy has been used to exploit and bamboozle the masses without major consideration being given to the dynamics of the law of development which in essence deals scientifically with the unity and struggle of opportunities and opposites.

Another musing on the issue of the North South Dichotomy is that in truth only a social revolution can solve our problems, be they political, economic or social. In this sense we need more than a free, fair and credible election, what we need is the progressive element (Sadly that progressive element today is largely on paper) to come together as a striking force. Because they have a revolutionary duty to this nation to help in striking a balance in the North-South Dichotomy, to disabuse the thought pattern that has been built..

Like it was at independence, the problem still persists, the North/South dichotomy borrows a lot from bourgeois theories, which essentially is directed at confusing our intellect, like we try to argue within the parameters of anti-class theory, theory of undevelopement, take off theory, theory of cooperation, theory of external push, end of ideology theory, convergence theory, the theory of the periphery in the periphery. Wonderful sociological concepts that do very little in helping us shift in the way of progress because only few theories work for us..."theory of corruption", "theory of bad governance", "chop I chop theory", and "killing for god theory", or the ideology and theory of hatred, one that continues to sweep across the nation.

Like I said there is hardly any nation that you do not find a form of dichotomy. But when not managed it only retards conscious development of the people, creates inter ethnic hostilities and allows for continued exploitation from and management of political power. In neighbouring Sudan, it is the same, it does exist almost everywhere, but the question is what keeps them in check. In all cases however only the haves in the society allow the dichotomy to yield chaos. Professor Edna Bonacich does something in this vein; it is called A theory of ethnic antagonism.

The North/South dichotomy denies us of one thing and it is the national question. What is a nation? We cannot fully understand the implication of the North-South dichotomy without answering the national question scientifically in relating this phenomenon to our socio-political economical development, it is important to look at the historical development of the national question. And ask how we can practice it as a people.

The national question is a question of solving vital national problems of social development, abolishing national oppression and inequality, eliminating obstacles to the development of peoples, including achievement of factual quality and internationalism in national relations. Under what we have, the national question cannot be answered because we propagate false national chauvinism and ethnic hatred, sow inter-tribal hostility and organize armed clashes and conflicts, which always negate socio-political programs and techno-economic development.

Nigeria has not defined national will and like, both Max Savelle and Peter Haslett hold strongly that a nation is just a metaphor, Nigeria is a metaphor, and so do we break it as the only solution?

The concepts national character, national culture, national consciousness, national philosophy and psychology are often used and discussed without carefully and critically understanding their contradicting class nature in antagonistic societies and their relative independence.

Nationalism anywhere is the ideological requirement of society for the formation of nationhood. In turn, the formation of nationhood is the reflections of more profound changes in the socio-economic structure of a country. These changes in turn should be necessary, and bring about the dialectical integration of all various ethnic groups, a new form of socio-political unit. When this state of affairs is established, the development of community production relations occurs. Greater exchange among the various sections of the nation also occurs and truly, there will be the destruction of ethnic chauvinism and parochial relations. When this goal is achieved, there will be the enablement among the various ethnic groups or classes in the country of new economic relations on the basis of positive nationalism and true democracy. This situation in the final analysis, gives rise to the various ethnic groups towards greater realization of cultural togetherness, peace and stability for all.

The above is not found in IPOB, MASSOB, AREWA, ODUA or any of the dandalilos masquerading as separatist movements, in Plateau there are 58 selfish nations, no one Plateau ideology yetand it is the case, Catholics vs Protestants, sects vs sects, young vs old, elite vswe and thema long list of dichotomies I dare say.

I therefore warn and challenge Nigeria on the basis of what I have outlined; it is only fair and fitting to direct our critical analysis of the Nigerian political climate in the form of serious warning to the reactionary forces in the country. At the same time, we shall only be performing our historical function if we alert the progressive force in the country about the most urgent need for a collective approach and prompt action against elitist domination and exploitation of our national affairs and national resources. We cannot abdicate our responsibility to do and say what is right.

This is the only way we can continue to be right. We are seriously warning the reactionary force to come to grips with realities of the moment, which point to the inevitabilities of the future, because time is running out, at us to initiate a wind of hurricane of social revolution.

In the last 60 years we have tried, it may not be as fast as we had wanted to go, its been largely a mess but we have made progress, the fact that the military has not struck and will not for now is a legacy we are building, we are equally slowly but steadily evolving; but real questions remain unanswered, such as, is there a Federated Nigerian Republic, with functional federating states, are ethnic nationalities free and happy and developing, the answersonly time will tell.
Chhattisgarh minister and Congress leader Shiv Kumar Dahariya has termed the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl in the state's Balrampur district as a "small" incident while talking about the Hathras case.

After the BJP criticised Dahariya and the Congress for the comments, the minister said that his remarks were "misconstrued".

"(Former Chhattisgarh chief minister) Raman Singh is unaware that the big (rape) incident has occurred in Balrampur of Uttar Pradesh and not in Balrampur of Chhattisgarh," he said.

"The incident happened here is different from that of Uttar Pradesh. Such a tragic incident occurred in Hathras but why Raman Singh did not tweet about it? Why did he keep mum? He should answer whether what happened in Hathras was good. And when any small incident happens in Balrampur in Chhattisgarh, he (Singh) is not doing anything else except criticising the state government," the urban administration minister told reporters on Saturday.

He was responding to a query on tweets posted by Raman Singh on the recent incident of rape in Balrampur.

However, he later clarified that his remarks were misconstrued and he did not call the Balrampur rape a small incident.

"My remarks on big and small incidents were wrongly presented. I was actually referring to a sequence of incidents happening after the Hathras gang-rape. In Hathras incident, the Uttar Pradesh government did not provide proper treatment to the victim. The way attempts were made to hush up evidence in Hathras and the way the victim was cremated at night is inhuman and barbaric. Contrary to that, police in Balrampur (Chhattisgarh) immediately arrested the accused and the state government took a swift action," he said.

"(Incidents of) rapes and atrocities, wherever they take place, are inhuman and they could not be tolerated. I never called rape incidents as small incidents," he said in a video released on Saturday night.

The opposition BJP has slammed the minister saying his comments showed the "distorted mindset" of the state Congress.

"See the 'vikrit mansikta' (distorted mindset) of @ INCChhattisgarh! They feel incidents of horror with daughters of Chhattisgarh are small incidents. @RahulGandhi ji should tell whether incidents of rape in Chhattisgarh are small for you (Gandhi) also? When will you remove a minister with such poor thinking? When will justice prevail?" BJP national vice president Raman Singh tweeted in Hindi.

The BJP has also demanded an apology from the minister for his comments.

Earlier, Singh had accused the Congress government of trying to suppress the alleged rape of a girl in Balrampur.

On September 27, a girl was allegedly sexually assaulted and beaten up by a 22-year-old man in Wadrafnagar area of Balrampur. Two persons were arrested in the case.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for Ejisu, John Kumah, has called on Ghanaians particularly those in the Volta Region to remain calm amidst recent attacks by separatist movements.

Speaking on the Big issue, Mr. Kumah, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), said Ghanaians should not be intimidated by the Western Togoland separatists as they appear underresourced.

We do not need to over panic, I can tell you the security of this nation is not under threat. These are people who attacked police stations and made away with police cars. They are even unarmed, they attacked barehanded with their philosophy and chanting.

He, however, said it will be ideal for the government should attempt building a consensus with the separatist groups.

It is very disturbing what they do, but we need to find a middle ground. In the midst of all these, we should consider the unity of the country. Yes, we should ensure that no one takes the peace we enjoy as a country for granted. But I think we should first try building a certain level of consensus, if it does not work, then we can try a different approach. Background

The Homeland Study Group wants the Volta Region to be an autonomous country known as Western Togoland.

The group has made a number of attempts to push for the secession of the Volta Region from Ghana for the creation of a Western Togoland.

The group even declared independence for the Western Togoland on May 9, 2019.

On Friday, September 25, 2020, members of the separatist group mounted roadblocks on the JuapongAccra, and SogakopeAccra main roads.

Some attackers also besieged the Aveyime and Mepe police stations freeing inmates and making away with assault rifles and shotguns.

They subsequently attacked the State Transport Corporation (STC) in the Volta Regional capital, Ho, and set ablaze one of its buses.

A Deputy Minister for Information, Pius Enam Hadzide says 60 suspected secessionists have so far been arrested.

---citinewsroom
The Centre estimates to receive and utilise 40-50 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine covering 20-25 crore people by July next year, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said

As the COVID-19 caseload in India crossed 65 lakh with 75,829 new cases on Sunday, while the total number of recoveries rose to 55 lakh, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said the Centre estimates to receive and utilise 40 to 50 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine covering 20 to 25 crore people by July.

The toll rose to 1,01,782 lakh with 940 new deaths in 24 hours, as per data from the health ministry. The total coronavirus cases (65,49,373) includes 9,37,625, active cases, which comprises 14.32 percent of the total caseload, as per the data.

The recovery rate stands at 84.13 percent, while the case fatality rate has dropped to 1.55 percent, the ministry added. According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 7,89,92,534 samples have been tested up to 3 October, with 11,42,131 samples being tested on Saturday.

'Centre estimates 40-50 cr vaccine doses by July'

Vardhan said the Centre is preparing a format for the states to submit by October-end their list of priority population group to receive the vaccine. He said priority will be given to health workers engaged in COVID-19 management in getting the vaccine.

During an interaction with his social media followers on 'Sunday Samvad' platform, he said a high-level expert group is going into all the aspects of vaccines and the health ministry is preparing a format in which states will submit lists of priority population groups.

The list of frontline health workers will include both government as well as private-sector doctors, nurses, paramedics, sanitary staff, ASHA workers, surveillance officers and many other occupational categories who are involved in tracing, testing and treatment of patients.

This exercise is targeted to be completed by the end of October and the states are being closely guided to also submit details about cold chain facilities and other related infrastructure which will be required down to the block level, the minister said.

"The Centre is also working on plans for building capacities in human resources, training, supervision and others on a massive scale and roughly estimates to receive and utilise 400-500 million doses covering approximately 20-25 crore people by July 2021. All this is under various stages of finalisation," Vardhan said.

He further informed his audience that the government is also keeping an eye on immunity data concerning COVID-19 disease while finalising these plans.

"Our government is working round the clock to ensure that there is a fair and equitable distribution of vaccines, once they are ready. Our utmost priority is how to ensure a vaccine for each and everybody in the country," Vardhan said.

Under 10L active cases for 13 days straight

For the 13th day in an "unbroken string", India has maintained its steady trend of clocking less than 10 lakh active cases of COVID-19, the Union health ministry said on Sunday.

It also said that an average of 11.5 lakh tests for detection of coronavirus infection were done on a daily basis during the past ten days.

From merely one test conducted in January 2020, India's total tests for detection of COVID-19 have crossed 7.89 crore so far. There has been a commensurate dip in the COVID-19 positivity rate, it said.

"With progressively falling positivity rate, testing has worked as a highly effective tool to limit the spread of COVID-19 infection," the ministry highlighted.

There are 9,37,625 active cases of COVID-19 as on date, which is7,371 cases fewer than Saturday.

8,000 patients discharged from LNJP hospital since March

Around 8,000 coronavirus patients have so far been discharged from the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital in Delhi after recovering from the infection, the highest in any government hospital across the country, PTI reported.

As many as 331 women, who tested COVID-19 positive, have given birth in the hospital, also the highest in the country.

According to the hospital's medical director Suresh Kumar, LNJP was declared a dedicated COVID-19 facility on 17 March, and since then, 11,415 patients have been admitted. These included people who suspected they had the disease but then tested negative, he said.

"As many as 7,919 coronavirus patients have been discharged from the hospital after recovery. Besides, around 2,700 people who got admitted to the hospital with COVID-like symptoms were sent home after they tested negative," Kumar said.

"Around 1,450 coronavirus patients have received dialysis at LNJP so far. Also, 59 COVID-19 patients have undergone successful surgeries related to orthopaedic problems, gallbladder stone, piles, liver and lung abscess at the hospital," Kumar said.

The total number of recoveries in the hospital since March include 420 children. Around 10 percent of them were severe cases, according to Dr Urmila Jhamb a paediatrician at the hospital.

'Bumpy coronavirus situation until Christmas'

UK prime minister Boris Johnson on Sunday warned of a "bumpy ride" till December as the country recorded more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases in a day for the first time since mass testing for the deadly virus was put in place.

According to official figures, there were 12,872 new cases on Saturday, while a further 49 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for COVID-19.

However, the government said a technical issue meant some cases from earlier in the week were not recorded at the time so these were included in Saturday's data.

In his interview, Johnson tried to strike a note of optimism over progress in beating the virus and said he believed over the "next few weeks and months" the "scientific equation will change, whether that is vaccines or testing".

"I've got to tell you in all candour it's going to continue to be bumpy through to Christmas, it may even be bumpy beyond," Johnson told the BBC. "This could be a very tough winter for all of us we've got to face that fact," he said.

State-wise deaths

The 940 new fatalities include 278 from Maharashtra, 100 from Karnataka, 65 from Tamil Nadu, 62 from West Bengal, 61 from Punjab, 60 from Uttar Pradesh, 41 from Andhra Pradesh and 34 from Delhi.

A total of 1,01,782 deaths have been reported thus far in the country including 37,758 from Maharashtra followed by 9,718 from Tamil Nadu, 9,219 from Karnataka, 5,977 from Uttar Pradesh, 5,941 from Andhra Pradesh, 5,472 from Delhi, 5,132 from West Bengal, 3,562 from Punjab and 3,487 from Gujarat.

With inputs from agencies
Assistant inspector Deepak Girkar from Tulinj police station is facing inquiry after the mother of a 19-year-old suicide victim from Nallasopara (East) alleged that he asked her objectionable questions while probing her daughters rape case.

The teen allegedly ended her life on Friday night. The police filed an accidental death report (ADR) and began probe.

The victim, who stayed at Ansari Nagar, was in love with a mineral water company employee named Sunil Mane, 28. As the girls parents opposed their relationship, the couple eloped from their homes in August. The girls mother then registered a missing complaint with Tulinj police, said Vijaykant Sagar, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), Mira Bhayander Vasai Virar (MBVV) police commissionerate.

A month later, after knowing about the couples whereabouts, the girls parents agreed to get them married. But Mane would give excuses and kept delaying the marriage. The victims mother then registered a case of rape against Mane on September 29 at Tulinj police station. He was arrested and sent to judicial custody, said Sagar.

After the incident came to light, the victim and her mother were subjected to humiliation by people in their vicinity. The victims mother approached Girkar to file a complaint against the people who mocked her and her daughter.

During questioning, Girkar allegedly asked inappropriate questions to the mother, following which she approached me to complain against Girkar and demanded his immediate suspension as she believed he was siding with the people in her vicinity, said Sagar.

On Friday night, unable to bear the humiliation, the teen allegedly ended her life, said Sagar.

On Saturday morning, her mother refused to take her body from a civic hospital after post-mortem and demanded action against Girkar. After I convinced her that an inquiry has already been initiated under Ashwini Patil, deputy superintendent of police, Vasai, the body was taken for cremation late on Saturday night, said Sagar.

Meanwhile, Chitra Kishor Wagh, vice-president, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Maharashtra, met Sagar on Sunday to discuss the issue.

I demanded that action be taken against Girkar and also against the people who made the victim and her mother go through humiliation. As the new MBVV commissionerate has come into force on October 1, I have demanded the recruitment of more women police officers. In one month alone, 100 rape and 200 molestation cases have been registered in Vasai-Virar region and hence more women officers are needed for such cases, said Wagh.

She also said chief minister Uddhav Thackeray must control crimes against women in the state. Recently, after the Hathras incident of Uttar Pradesh (UP) came to light, he said crimes against women will not be tolerated in Maharashtra. Vasai-Virar has reported an increase in crimes against women. So he should not play the Maharashtra versus UP card, said Wagh.
Labor will build a new multimillion-dollar facility at Hamilton Northshore to manufacture medical technologies  including a needleless vaccine patch that could be used to combat COVID-19  to sell to global markets.

The new "medi-tech centre" will create 139 construction and research jobs over 10 years, Treasurer Cameron Dick said on Sunday.

Vaxxas chief development officer Angus Forster  with State Development Minister Kate Jones  announces the new facility at Brisbane's Hamilton Northshore. Credit:Facebook.

But the exact amount a Labor government would contribute under its Advancing Queensland policy would not be revealed because it was commercial in-confidence, State Development Minister Kate Jones told reporters.

However, one company to benefit would be Vaxxas, whose Queensland-developed patch is pressed against the skin for 10 seconds to deliver vaccines.
Washington, Oct 4 : US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will cut short his upcoming Asia trip, the State Department announced, amid President Donald Trump's hospitalisation following his Covid-19 diagnosis.

The top US diplomat was expected to visit Japan, Mongolia and South Korea, but according to the Department's announcement on Saturday, he has canceled the Mongolia and South Korea legs of the trip, reports CNN.

The announcement by Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said Pompeo would work to reschedule those countries on another Asia trip later this month.

Pompeo will depart for Tokyo on Sunday as originally scheduled.

The development came after Pompeo called off a trip to Florida address a conservative Christian organization on Saturday evening, saying he had done so "out of an abundance of caution".

Pompeo said he told Vice President Mike Pence that "everything's in good order".

"You should know that I'm feeling fine, I'm doing great, I've been tested twice in two days, I'm as healthy as I've been and I intend still to have a trip that I'm planning to take to Asia tomorrow," CNN quoted the Secretary of State as saying on Saturday.

Following Trump's October 2 announcement that he and First Lady were infected with the virus, Pompeo said that he had not interacted with the President since the signing of an agreement between the US, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates at the White House on September 15.

Pompeo and his wife were tested after Trump's announcement, but the couple tested negative.

This was the fourth time that the Secretary of State had been tested in the last two and a half weeks, the CNN reported.
Former Great British Bake Off judge Mary Berry will be made a dame as part of the Queen's Birthday Honours list, it has been revealed.

Berry, 85, was included in a 'bumper' list that includes medics, fundraisers and volunteers involved in the coronavirus response in Britain.

The honours list was postponed from June this year to allow for the names of those who made a special impact during the pandemic to be added.

The food writer has been awarded the honour after six decades of broadcasting, reported the Sunday Telegraph.

It comes eight years after she was handed a CBE for services to culinary arts. Berry trained at Le Cordon Bleu - a cooking school in Paris - before becoming the cookery editor of Housewife magazine, followed by Ideal Home magazine in the 1960s.

Mary Berry's Simple Comforts. Berry, 85, was included in a 'bumper' list that includes medics, fundraisers and volunteers involved in the coronavirus response in Britain

By the 1970s she had moved on to TV, with her first television series Afternoon Plus.

Berry was quickly a household name and won a number of awards including the National Television Award for Best TV Judge in 2017.

She once said her 'greatest' career memory was being invited to dinner with the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

'I had a phone call saying the Queen would like me to go to the Palace for dinner,' she told Cambridge University students in 2017. 'When I first got the call to invite me I had thought it was a joke.

The honours list was postponed from June this year to allow for the names of those who made a special impact during the pandemic to be added. Pictured, th Queen in July

'Thomas [her son] answered the phone and said, "It's Buckingham Palace for you". 'Well, I just assumed he was taking the Michael out of his mother.

'Then I took the call and they said, "It's Buckingham Palace here. Her Majesty would like you to come for lunch." Gosh, I thought, how lovely.'

Berry was later pictured speaking to the Queen at the Chelsea Flower Show.
TWIN FALLS  The 2020 General Election officially takes place Nov. 3, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many Idahoans already received their ballots in the mail. If you dont have yours yet, theres no need to panic. Some counties are still mailing them out.

Here is a guide to the competitive races in the Magic Valley.

Ballot questions

Constitutional Amendment

The Legislature this year approved a constitutional amendment to freeze the number of legislative districts at 35. The state constitution currently allows between 30 and 35, though there have been 35 since 1992.

Heyburn mayor recall

A citizens group in Heyburn alleges Mayor Mark Rosa has created a hostile work environment. Rosa denies the allegations.

Rock Creek Rural Fire Protection District levy

The district is asking for an additional $605,837 a year for two years. This amounts to a tax increase of $69.66 per $100,000 of assessed property value.

Camas County Cemetery District levy

The district is asking to increase its property tax collection to $33,331 a year from $4,520. Residents would pay $20 per $100,000 of assessed property value.

State Legislature

District 23, Senate: Laura Bellegante vs. Christy Zito

Rep. Christy Zito, R-Hammett, is attempting to move from the House from the Senate to fill the seat vacated by Sen. Bert Brackett, who is retiring. Zito has been one of the most conservative members of the Legislature since being elected to the House four years ago. Zitos website describes her as an outspoken voice for gun rights, health freedom, and other conservative causes.

Laura Bellegante is challenging Zito for the seat. Bellegantes main policy positions are more funding for education, offering a livable wage, and addressing Idahos property tax issues. Her Facebook page describes her as the candidate for common sense solutions for the under-served, the uninsured, and the under-represented.

District 23, House Seat A: Matthew Bundy vs. Benjamin Lee

Matthew Bundy is running as the Republican candidate to fill the opening left by Rep. Christy Zito, who is running for Senate. Bundy is a Air Force veteran and spent 16 years as a teacher. He also has experience in local government.

Benjamin Lee is running as the Democratic candidate. He is a disabled Air Force veteran, according to his website.

District 23, House Seat B: Megan Blanksma vs. Michael Oliver vs. Tony Ulrich

Rep. Megan Blanksma, R-Hammett, was first elected in 2016 and serves as the majority caucus chair. Blanksma has also worked for the party as precinct committee person, state committee member, and chair of the Elmore County Central Committee.

Michael Oliver is running as a Democrat in the election. Oliver is a disabled veteran who was injured in the line of duty. He is running to to continue serving my country and the people of Idaho.

Tony Ulrich is running as a Constitution Party candidate. Ulrichs website says is pro-education and anti-government spending. I will stand and fight for the people, for what is true and just, his website says.

District 24, Senate: Lee Heider vs. Rocky Ferrenburg

Republican Sen. Lee Heider was first elected in 2010 and is chair of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee. Heider previously served on Twin Falls City Council and as vice mayor.

Rocky Ferrenburg is a commercial truck driver and a student at Washington State Universitys Global Campus. Hes a recovering addict who has been clean for six years and says it gives him knowledge of the criminal justice system. Hes running as an independent candidate. I support free markets, limited governments, peace, tolerance and individualism, his website says.

District 24, House Seat A: Lance Clow vs. Paul Thompson

Republican Rep. Lance Clow was first elected in 2012 and has been the House Education Committee chair since 2018. Before the Legislature, he served nearly two decades on Twin Falls City Council, including six years as mayor. I consider myself open to public input and studious in my deliberations on legislation that flows through each session, his website says.

Paul Thompson is challenging Clow as a Constitution Party candidate. Thompson is pastor at Eastside Baptist Church. I will strive to be principled in my representation and act with integrity to the people, while not usurping the constitution, his website says.

District 26, Senate: Eric Parker vs. Michelle Stennett

Democrat Sen. Michelle Stennett was first elected in 2010 and serves as the Senate minority leader. Stennett worked in advertising and sales for a television company, and in flight operations for Horizon Air and Sun Valley Aviation. My pledge to my constituents is simple: work hard on their behalf, be knowledgeable about their issues, and maintain the strength and integrity I have upheld representing this district at the legislature, her website says.

Eric Parker is running as a Republican. Parker is a leader of Real 3%ers Idaho  a far right militia organization. Parker also participated in an armed standoff with federal agents near the ranch of Nevada cattleman Cliven Bundy in 2014. A widely circulated picture showed Parker lying prone and aiming a rifle at federal agents. He later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor obstruction stemming from the incident.

District 26, House Seat B: William Thorpe vs. Sally Toone

Democrat Rep. Sally Toone was first elected in 2016. Toone taught for 37 years as a math teacher in Gooding and Wendell school districts. Shes also taught adult education at College of Southern Idaho the last six. She and her husband own and operate cattle ranches in Gooding and Camas counties. I value an honest, forthright government that works for the people, her website says.

William Thorpe is running as the Republican candidate. Thorpe has worked in finance, as a vice president of finance, controller, and chief financial officer for a variety of public and family owned companies. His website say its time to have a Republican represent the district. I realized we have no voice in the legislature since we are now dominated by Blaine county.

County Commissions

Twin Falls County Commission, District 1

Brent Reinke

Jim Schouten

Blaine County Commission, District 2

Jacob Greenberg

Kiki Tidwell

City Races

Bellevue Mayor

Ned Burns

Jared Murphy

Bellevue Alderman (vote for 3)

Robert R. Bradford

Doug Brown

Gregory Cappel

Tammy E. Davis

Other races

Northside Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor

Steven Huettig

B. Roy Prescott

Wood River Soil and Water Conservation Supervisor

Kay Billington

Carl Pendleton

College of Southern Idaho Board of Trustees, Zone 4

Jan Mittleider

Doug Howard

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New Decatur High Principal Leslie Russells affection for her students is evident as she greets them every morning, but its an affection she said is balanced by her determination they will graduate with the tools they need to succeed.

Were going to love (our students), but were not going to love them into poverty. We want them to be successful, Russell said. I want to love on these kids, but I also want to push them. I want the rigor in our high school to be there.

Russell said she knew she wanted to become an educator after working as an aide at an elementary school during high school: I enjoyed being able to help students and then see that light bulb come on where you feel like you made a difference, or you helped them understand something.

Russell, 44, earned her degree in elementary education from Auburn University and started her career as an elementary teacher in both Moody and Oneonta. When a school consultant observed Russells leadership abilities at Oneonta Elementary and learned she already held a masters degree in administration, Russell was recruited for the schools assistant principal position.

I had never thought about doing it so early in my career, Russell said. I thought, I have a chance to make a bigger impact on student learning (while) still having those relationships (with students).

After three years as assistant principal, Russell was promoted to principal of Oneonta Elementary. After nine years as principal, and a year as principal at Oneonta Middle, Russell accepted her current position as principal of Decatur High.

Oneontas a great school system. Its a great place to work, but I wanted something different. I wanted to see how other schools operated, she said. Id always wanted to work with high school students.

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

This is Russells 14th year as an administrator, 22nd in education overall, and a unique year due to the COVID-19 pandemic: Its definitely been a challenge, Russell said.

Sarah Dunlap, history department chair and teacher at Decatur High, said Russells personal and professional leadership style has helped the school thrive during COVID-19.

She wants to make sure that her students are OK, and her teachers are OK, Dunlap said. Ive seen her on countless occasions, if a teacher has a problem, has a question, she just stops what shes doing. She puts her students and her teachers first.

Russell said the best part of her job is interacting with her students, and she starts each day standing at the front door greeting students as they enter the building.

Theres a lot you can tell about a child before they enter the building in the morning, she said. I wanted to greet my kids with a smile and I wanted them to see me first thing each morning. Theres kids that come from difficult situations and being there to greet them  thats my favorite part because its the part (where) I get to see them on a different level.

UNIQUE CHALLENGES

Coming from Oneonta elementary and middle schools, Russell said Decatur High has unique strengths and challenges.

Theres more of a diverse population here at Decatur High School, so that brings its own set of challenges. ... The biggest challenge you face when you get to the high school level is if youve got students who have fallen behind somewhere along the way, Russell said.

In elementary school if youre a grade level behind or two grade levels behind, its pretty easy to catch them up. At the high school level, its difficult to get them caught up.

Russell said Decatur High has an impACT period at the end of students' third block where students are able to work on whatever skills they need to hone, including English proficiency, intervention for students who are failing courses, and ACT preparation for students who want to boost their scores.

Dunlap said impACT was a part of Decatur High before Russell came to the school, but that Russell has improved the program with new ideas: I love working with her. I enjoy coming to work every day and seeing what new things shes going to have for us.

Russell said its important to her that her students are on a path not only to graduate high school, but to leave with the skills they need to succeed after graduating. As an elementary and middle school administrator, her students were years away from graduating, while her high school students are a lot closer to that milestone.

I realized how important it was to make sure those kids were on track to graduate, and make sure they had everything they needed to be successful, she said. When you think about it, the pathway we set them up on in ninth grade will determine their future.
Chris Wallace admitted he lost control of the first presidential debate and called the chaotic night a terrible missed opportunity. (AFP via Getty Images)

Fox News anchor and presidential debate moderator Chris Wallace is thankful that there was no traditional handshake greeting during Tuesdays presidential debate.

Mr Wallace was speaking on Fox News on Friday morning following president Donald Trumps positive test for Covid-19 overnight.

The debate commission had decided there would be no opening handshake, and thank God for that. They were about eight feet apart from each other at their podiums, he said on Americas Newsroom.

Mr Wallace confirmed that he never got closer to the president than was shown on television on Tuesday night, but said that he was close enough to warrant getting a test.

At Tuesdays debate, both candidates wore masks backstage but removed them upon taking to the stage.

Former vice president Joe Biden approached the moderators desk at the end of the debate for a brief moment, but the president did not.

Vice president Biden did briefly to basically  I'm trying to remember the exact words, basically to say  I bet you didn't know you had signed up for this, Mr Wallace said earlier on Friday on Fox & Friends.

Obviously, it was an extremely contentious debate. I certainly saw no sign of any flagging of energy in the president and the vice president during the debate, he added.

The Trump family reportedly declined to wear masks while seated in the debate audience. Melania Trump joined her husband onstage at the end, without a mask, while Jill Biden wore one to congratulate her husband on his performance.

Both the president and first lady tested positive for the coronavirus having been in close contact with the presidents adviser Hope Hicks who had already tested positive.

There is a flurry of testing underway across the political world among those who have met with the president, attended events at the White House, or were present at the debate.

The Trump campaign is under fire for going ahead with a fundraiser in Bedminster, New Jersey, knowing that the president had been exposed to the virus.

Story continues

Senator Mike Lee and Republican national chair Ronna McDaniel have already tested positive for Covid-19.

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RIYADH/ISTANBUL, Oct 4 (Reuters) - The head of Saudi Arabia's Chambers of Commerce has called for a boycott of Turkish products amid reports from merchants that animosity between Ankara and Riyadh is hindering the flow of goods between the two regional powers.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been at odds for some years over foreign policy and attitudes towards political Islamist groups. The murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi's Istanbul consulate in 2018 escalated tensions sharply.

Earlier this year the two countries blocked some of each other's news websites.

"A boycott of everything Turkish, be it imports, investment or tourism, is the responsibility of every Saudi 'trader and consumer', in response to the continued hostility of the Turkish government against our leadership, country and citizens," businessman Ajlan al-Ajlan tweeted on Saturday.

The Saudi Chambers of Commerce is a non-government group of private sector business people. The Saudi government's communications office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

For over a year, some Saudi and Turkish traders have speculated that Saudi Arabia was enacting an informal boycott of imports from Turkey.

A Saudi importer told Reuters on condition of anonymity that containers he imported this year from Turkey lay for three months with customs before being released. He said customs officials informally advised him not to import directly from Turkey again.

Turkish opposition lawmaker Mehmet Guzelmansur said last week that goods, in particular perishable fruit and vegetables, exported from his region of Hatay are held at the Saudi border for longer than necessary on arrival.

In comments reported in Turkish media and on his Twitter page, he said he was concerned that what he described as the partial, informal embargo by Saudi Arabia would be deepened.

On Thursday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan took a swipe at the Gulf Arab states in a speech to parliament.

"It should not be forgotten that the countries in question did not exist yesterday, and probably will not exist tomorrow. But we will continue to fly our flag in this geography forever with the permission of Allah," Erdogan said.

Neither Turkish nor Saudi trade data show an unusually large drop in bilateral trade this year, taking into account the strains the coronavirus pandemic has placed on global commerce.

In the second quarter of this year, Turkey was Saudi Arabia's 12th trade partner by total import value. In July - the latest available data - Saudi imports from Turkey were worth around $185 million, up from roughly $180 million in June. (Reporting by Marwa Rashad, Irem Koca and Daren Butler; additional reporting by Davide Barbuscia Writing by Lisa Barrington Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
President Donald Trump is in high spirits despite being infected with the COVID-19 said his doctors in a press conference held at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

The briefing was led by Navy Commander Dr. Sean Conley to give an update on President Trump's condition since he was transferred to the military hospital from the White House on Friday, October 1, as a precaution.

In the press conference, Dr. Conley, with the rest of Trump's team of doctors behind him, said that the president started exhibiting symptoms of the COVID-19 on Thursday afternoon, October 1.

Dr. Conley added that the president was not put on oxygen on Thursday, not at the moment that the briefing was ongoing nor when he got to the hospital.

According to Dr. Conley, Trump's symptoms included cough and nasal congestion from which he is improving from.

He also said that the president has not had fever for 24 hours already.

Another doctor, Dr. Sean Dooley, said that the president is in exceptionally good spirits despite his COVID-19 infection.

Trump's age, that is 74 years old, his sex and his being clinically obese puts him at a higher risk group said to suffer severe illness as a result of the viral infection.

The United States has the highest number of COVID-19 infections worldwide at more than 7 million and also has the highest number of deaths at more than 200,000.

Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, said on Saturday though that President Trump had a very concerning Friday and that his care for the next 48 hours will be critical as he battles the COVID-19 infection.

Meadows said that they are still not on a clear path to a full recovery.

Before the president left for Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, he was given a single dose of an experimental antibody drug to boost his immune system and decrease his risk of developing severe illness.

The drug produced by biotechnology company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., is said to have the most promising approach in preventing severe illnesses from a COVID-19 infection.

The drug, however, has yet to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as it is still in the late-stage testing, and its safety and effectiveness are not yet known.

At the military hospital, Trump was started on a five-day course of the antiviral medication Remdesivir that is said to speed up recovery from a COVID-19 infection.

The antibody drug works on boosting the president's immune system while the Remdesivir will work on stopping the SARS-CoV-2, which causes the COVID-19, from multiplying.

Dr. Conley said that they are maximizing all aspects of President Trump's care by attacking the virus in multiple ways. He added that he does not want to hold back anything if it means adding value to the president's care.

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The unprecedented Covid-19 has killed more than 1,031,100 people across the world, as per the latest John Hopkins figures. India continues to occupy the top global position with the maximum number of Covid-19 recoveries and accounts for 21% of the recovered cases worldwide, while its share in the total cases stands at 18.6 per cent, the Union Health Ministry has said. The total coronavirus cases mounted to 65,49,374 with 75,829 new infections being reported in a day, while the death toll climbed to 101782 with the virus claiming 940 lives in a span of 24 hours.

Read highlights here:
Kathryn "Kathy" Gossard and Irene Mannheims Mueller at their second meeting - a fancy lunch at the Joseph Ambler Inn. Read more

Irene Mannheims Mueller and Kathryn Kathy Gossard

When Irene saw the slim, blonde woman walking toward her, she immediately knew exactly who she was.

After nervous hellos, Kathy settled into the opposite side of the diner booth and spread a DNA chart bearing the names of Irenes family on the table.

Between sips of coffee, then bites of lunch, Kathy asked question after question. Irenes answers fit so neatly into the puzzle of her past that Kathy took a breath and asked her boldest question yet: Are you an aunt?

Irene reached across the table and offered her hand. Kathy took it.

Dont you understand who I am? Irene asked gently. Kathy, I am your mother.

*

In 1965, Irene, who grew up in Olney and Cheltenham, was 26. She had great friends and a good job she loved. One evening, an acquaintance offered a ride home from a gathering, pulled off the road, and attacked her in the car.

When Irene learned she was pregnant, she took steps that did not seem optional: She left her job. She stayed with friends, then on the beach in Ocean City, and then, for six weeks, at St. Vincents Home for Unwed Mothers. Irene did everything she could to have a healthy pregnancy and to quell her feelings. Catholic Charities promised to find a home for the baby girl, and Irene wished her one filled with love and joy.

*

The baby, Kathy, was adopted by Patricia and Ralph, who made Irenes wish come true in Holland, Bucks County.

Kathy always knew she had been adopted. Her parents shared what little information they had about her birth mother and pledged their support if she ever wanted to find out more. For decades, she didnt. She had wonderful parents and felt fiercely loyal to them. Yet, traits she didnt share with them  such as her messy creativity  made Kathy wonder if she was like someone else out there. Patricia and Ralph told her that her other mother was an artist.

*

Irene thought about the baby nearly every day, but she moved forward and built a happy life. She excelled at her job in publishing, which she held for nearly 40 years. In 1970, she married Walter, who worked in the physics department at Penn and did most of the cooking. They traveled to Germany, France, Switzerland, and Italy, spent an annual week in the Caribbean, and, in 2003, took their first cruise. In 2009, Irene and Walter moved from Olney to Warminster. She has a solid network of close friends. She makes jewelry and dabbles with watercolor.

In 2015, Walter died, and Irene was still grieving in 2016 when doctors discovered her sister Charlottes glioblastoma had returned. Irene managed her sisters home and finances and whatever else Charlotte needed for the year she was hospitalized. In 2018, in the later days of her sisters life, Irene received Kathys first letter.

*

Kathy grew up, got married, moved to Warminster, and had a daughter, Mya, now 13. Her mother died in 2016. Later that year at a family Christmas party, a couple excitedly shared their DNA test results. It made Kathy wonder what such a test might reveal about her own background  information that might be useful or at least interesting for her and Mya.

The results showed she was not German and Irish, as her parents had thought, but German and Italian. Kathy wanted to learn more but didnt know how. Then a friend, coworker, and genealogy sleuth at Abington Hospital-Jefferson Health, where Kathy manages the respiratory therapy department, offered her help.

Melissa found some cousins, and one gave Kathy the family name of relatives who lived in Philadelphia the year she was born: Mannheims. Online, Kathy found a photo of a grave she would later learn is her grandmothers, and the names of the womans two daughters, both in their 20s in 1965.

Kathy sent a letter to the younger sister, Charlotte. There was no answer, but her genealogy buddy had unearthed more news: The older Mannheims sister, Irene, lived just a mile and a half from Kathy, and they had a mutual Facebook friend.

Kathy sent the first letter  the one that Irene didnt have the emotional bandwidth to answer. She also messaged the mutual friend on Facebook, a classmate of Kathys and Irenes niece.

Irenes parents and her husband had been the only people who knew about the baby. She told her niece that Kathys questions were likely valid.

Irene was about to leave for Europe with friends when Kathys second letter arrived. This time, Irene answered: When she returned, she wrote, she would be ready to talk.

*

Kathy, who is now 55, and Irene, now 81, each took a short drive to Lancers Diner to meet for the first time since Irene held her on the day Kathy was born.

Kathy knew Irene had information that could help her find her biological family, but she was not expecting the most surreal words she has ever heard: I am your mother.

Neither woman expected their anxiety to give way to two hours of excited conversation that ended with elation, a selfie in the parking lot, and plans to meet again for a fancy lunch.

From then on out, it was pretty steady dating, Irene jokes.

We did describe it like that, adds Kathy. Each knew she wanted to see more of the other, but at first was afraid the feeling would stop being mutual, and that things would fall apart.

I asked her, How can you even like me after I gave you up?  said Irene.

I thanked her for giving me life and allowing me to have a good family, said Kathy.

They think so much alike that they were soon finishing each others sentences. At later gatherings at Tonys Place in Ivyland, folks would see them obviously enjoying each others company and ask how they were related. Were mother and daughter, but we just met, Irene would say. She and Kathy would laugh, and then delight in sharing how DNA, Facebook, and a couple of letters brought them together. This story is no longer a secret.

Asked what she loves about the woman she calls Mama or I, Kathy says: Everything! I love my [late] mother so much and we had such a good relationship, but this is also a connection that is so real. And what a gift to have this connection, to learn about myself and to know the place where so many parts of me come from.

Kathy has fully embraced her love of photography, and she and Irene together attend Bucks-Mont Art League meetings (temporarily on COVID-19 hiatus) for which Irene arranges the guest speakers.

Asked what she loves about the woman she calls Sweetheart or Darling or Dearest Daughter, Irene says: Everything! She is the sweetest, most loving, better version of me. She is smart. She is capable of everything.

Irene didnt just get a daughter. I got a charming, adorable, very smart granddaughter, who is wise beyond her years and absorbs everything, she said. Mya calls Irene Mia. The three generations enjoy museums and trips together, and hope to reschedule this years planned excursion to Germany.

Kathys father, who knows Irene and is happy that Kathy now does, still lives in her childhood home. She talks to him daily and sees him weekly.

Kathy and Irene are also in each others COVID bubble. They have dinner together every Tuesday. I am so thankful that we live so close to each other that we can see each other, and have really grown to love each other so much, Kathy said.

Irene looks forward to the day Kathy retires. I want her to take her old mother on trips, she said. I want to play with her every day.
With RJD which spearheads Grand Alliance in Bihar announcing that it will accommodate Jharkhand Mukti Morcha from its quota of 144 seats, the JMM on Saturday expressed hope that it would get affection like a younger brother" from Lalu Prasads headed party. Announcing the seat-sharing formula in the anti-NDA grouping for Bihar polls, RJD leader and the coalition chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav told media persons in Patna that his party will share some seats with ally in adjoining Jharkhand- the JMM and Vikashheel Insaan Party (VIP)- its coalition partner since the Lok Sabha polls last year, from its own quota of constituencies.

He said the party would declare seats for them in the next two to three days. JMM General Secretary and its spokesman Vinod Pandey said they have presented a demand of over one dozen seats in Bihar.

In Jharkhand coalition government, the RJD is in the role of a younger brother and we have given them respect. Likewise we are a younger brother in Bihar and hope will get the same treatment there," Pandey told PTI-Bhasha.

The lone RJD MLA in Jharkhand Satyanand Bhokta has been made a minister in the Hemant Soren cabinet. Soren had met Prasad in RIMS recently and talked on seat distribution in the Bihar polls.

The RJD supremo is in jail in Ranchi after being convicted in four cases of the multi-crore rupees fodder scam. The JMM has no presence in the 243-member Bihar Assembly at present.

Its interested in entering into fray in Bihar from some constituencies in the areas bordering Jharkhand.
Yemenis arrive back in Sanaa after receiving medical treatment in Amman

Yemenis who were airlifted to Jordan to undergo treatment for critical illnesses earlier this year were brought home on Sunday on a flight into the rebel-held capital Sanaa, the United Nations said.

Thirty-one men, women and children in dire need of medical care were flown out in February along with their companions.

"A UN flight carrying civilian Yemenis & their companions just landed in #Sanaa," the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a tweet, without saying how many had returned.

"Thanks to the UN medical air bridge, the patients received treatment in #Jordan for different chronic conditions for which they could not be treated inside #Yemen."

The UN organised two evacuation flights to Amman in February, the first carrying seven children and the second with 24 other patients.

"Nine patients and their companions arrived in Sanaa on board the UN chartered plane," Dr Motahar Darouiche, head of the airlift on the side of the Huthi rebels who control Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, told reporters.

He said 10 Yemeni patients were still in Jordan.

"Five will return on Monday and the other five after the repatriation procedures are completed," he added. He did not specify where the remaining patients were.

Darouiche called for the reopening of Sanaa airport to commercial flights to "alleviate the suffering of thousands of patients who need treatment abroad".

The military coalition led by Saudi Arabia, which backs Yemen's internationally recognised government, imposes an air blockade on the Huthis, which has resulted in the closure of Sanaa airport to commercial flights since 2016.

Last November the coalition said it was prepared to allow medical evacuations from the airport as a confidence-building measure to support UN peace efforts.

The return of the medical flight comes shortly after the warring sides in Yemen's long conflict agreed to exchange 1,081 prisoners, after talks in Switzerland.

The release of the loyalists and insurgents -- if it materialises -- would mark the first large-scale handover since the war erupted in 2014.

The agreement was a modest step forward amid efforts to end he six-year conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, and led to what the UN describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
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)

Pompeos East Asia Trip Cut Short, Quad Meeting to Proceed

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is cutting short a planned trip to Japan, Mongolia, and South Korea, at a time when U.S. ties with Beijing are at their worst in decades in the face of the coronavirus, which has now infected President Donald Trump and the First Lady Melania.

The visit, originally scheduled for Oct. 4 to 8, will now only include meetings with his foreign ministry counterparts from the Quad countriesAustralia, India, and Japanon Oct. 4 to 6 in Tokyo.

The visit is important to strengthen ties with regional allies on issues in the Indo-Pacific region, from Chinas dealings with the coronavirus to trade issues, new national security legislation in Hong Kong, tensions in the South China Sea, and to stand up against Chinese efforts to bully its neighbors, unite by a shared responsibility to uphold the benefits of democracy, human rights, economic development, and security and people-to-people ties. Also is committed to the complete denuclearization of North Korea, the end of North Koreas illicit ballistic missile programs, and the resolution of the abductions issue.

The Quad seeks to establish, promote, and secure Indo-Pacific principles, especially as Chinese tactics, aggression, and coercion increase in the region. Recent discussions among the Quad have focused on building cooperation with, in, and among members on issues including maritime security, cyber and critical technology, infrastructure, counterterrorism, and the Mekong regional cooperation.

The timing is also great because Japans new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has just recently taken office.

Pompeos visits to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and Seoul, South Korea have been canceled and rescheduled for later in October, the department said in a statement.

Mongolia, a landlocked country of about 3.3 million people between China and Russia, sees an increasingly important need to strengthen its geopolitical partnership with the United States. Bordered exclusively by Russia and China, Mongolia describes the United States as its most important third neighbor.

The U.S. supports Mongolias efforts to strengthen its democratic institutions and human rights, including freedom of religion. Mongolias democracy is a model for the region. David Stilwell, assistant secretary at the departments Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs said on Travel Teleconference.

The Republic of Korea is a critical partner on regional and global issues, including combatting COVID-19, advancing peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, and strengthening regional ties under the Indo-Pacific strategy, along with South Koreas new southern policy.

On economic and people-to-people ties, the U.S. is the ROKs second-largest trading partner and top foreign investor after Japan. The ROK is a major investor in the United States, stated in a special briefing on the secretarys travel.

In a speech delivered virtually earlier to the Florida Family Policy Council, Pompeo said he was in good health but that he canceled his in-person appearance at the event out of an abundance of caution. He said he still planned to go to Asia.
New Delhi, Oct 4 : Sugar manufacturers have bucked Covid-19 induced downtrend on record exports, said ratings agency India Ratings and Research.

Accordingly, the agency pointed out that aggregate revenue of major sector entities grew 21 per cent YoY in 1QFY21 making it a rare sector to buck the trend of lockdown-induced declines.

"The growth was driven by a surge in exports, attributed to industry leaders such as 'Balrampur Chini Mills Limited' and 'Dalmia Bharat Sugar and Industries Limited'," the ratings agency said in a report.

"Besides, being an essential commodity of consumption, sugar saw a lower demand decline in the domestic market than other segments." However, the report pointed out that while the domestic demand is likely to have witnessed a quick recovery in 2QFY21, many entities could see a moderation in the super-normal export volumes seen in 1QFY21.

Nevertheless, the report said that surge in sugar profits have compensated for decline in distillery and cogen.

"The strong growth in the sugar segment offset the declines in higher-margin distillery and cogen segments," the report said.

"Distillery EBIT fell 25 per cent YoY in 1QFY21, as the lockdown impacted petrol demand, leading to reduced offtake from oil marketing companies, in addition to higher molasses prices." Additionally, the report cited the 18 per cent YoY decline in production to 27.2 million tonnes (mnt) in 'SS20' is likely to reduce closing stock to 11.5mnt, it would remain almost twice of the normative carry forward requirement.

"Furthermore, Ind-Ra expects sugar production to increase to 30.5mnt in SS21, factoring in cane diversion equivalent to 1.5mnt of sugar, resulting in a continued oversupply," the report said.

"Sugar volumes are likely to have been back to near-normal in the second-half of 2QFY21, which would limit the decline to around 3 per cent in FY21." -IANS

rv/rs
Jerusalem (AP) A member of Israels Cabinet has tested positive for the coronavirus as the country remains under lockdown while battling a second wave of infection. Gila Gamliel, Israels environmental protection minister and a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Likud party, announced on Twitter Sunday that she had tested positive. She was the fourth minister in Israels government to test positive for COVID-19 since March.

I feel good and hope to recover quickly with Gods help, she wrote on social media. The Israeli government imposed a nationwide lockdown on September 18 ahead of the Jewish High Holidays in an effort to rein in a runaway outbreak of the coronavirus. The country has one of the highest daily infection rates per capita in the world.

According to Health Ministry figures, Israel has recorded over 264,000 cases and almost 1,700 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. (AP) .

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
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's coronavirus diagnosis shook Republicans like an earthquake. Then came the troubling aftershocks.

There was the positive test result for a prominent conservative GOP senator, Mike Lee of Utah. Then another for Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Then the same news from Trump's campaign manager, the chairwoman of the Republican Party and his former White House counselor.

And then on Saturday, as the president remained hospitalized, came word of two more high-profile Republicans close to the president testing positive for the virus - Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, who had helped Trump prepare for last week's debate.

After months in which Trump and others in his party questioned the danger of the virus and refused to take precautions such as wearing masks, the Republican Party is now coming face to face with the scientific realities of the pandemic.

The drip-drip-drip of positive tests, coupled with the specter of a president who as of Saturday was "not on a clear path to a full recovery," as White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows put it, has prompted some Republicans to question whether the party is responsible for its own potential undoing.

And it has left them wondering how to wage a strong closing campaign when the judgment, actions and competence of its leaders were so squarely at issue just as voting is getting underway across the country.

"There was a panic before this started, but now we're sort of the stupid party," said Edward Rollins, co-chairman of the pro-Trump super PAC Great America. "Candidates are being forced to defend themselves every day on whether they agree with this or that, in terms of what the president did on the virus."

"The president and the people around him flouted the rules," said Republican strategist Michael Steel, who was an aide to former House Speaker John Boehner. "We wish him and his family a speedy recovery, but he has been reckless, and voters dealing with the health and economic effects on them and their families won't look on that kindly."

Stuart Stevens, a veteran Republican adviser who works with the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, said "there is fatalism" among GOP officials and donors. "They wonder, 'What can you do? How can you spin this?' "

Stevens said, "If I were running a Senate race, I'd run out and say the White House should have taken this more seriously."

Many Republican officeholders, however, remained publicly muted on Saturday about any unease over their political future as they hoped for Trump's return and that voters would not deliver a harsh verdict in November.

Former New Hampshire senator Judd Gregg, a Republican, said that will be the posture for most Republican candidates ahead of the election.

"There hasn't been a coherent strategy from the president" but Democratic leaders have "politicized it and used it as a wedge," Gregg said, arguing that voters would ultimately see the pandemic as "something that was like a horrible hurricane, where you can't lay the blame and have little control over it."

But Trump's hospitalization at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and a series of confusing statements from the White House about his condition, continued to send shudders of uncertainty through GOP ranks.

It was unclear when their leader would be able to return to the campaign trail, leaving the presidential race strangely quiet as Trump's tweets dwindled in number and Democratic nominee Joe Biden took down negative advertising.

Even the event that only days ago was seen by many Republicans as a crowning achievement in an otherwise difficult year - installing Judge Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court before Election Day - faced new hurdles amid senators' virus diagnoses and revelations that multiple people may have become infected at her White House nomination ceremony.

Striking images of last weekend's event, where influential Republicans and lawmakers mingled without masks, seemingly played on a loop on cable television, fueling critics who called the party reckless and enablers of superspreader events.

"Their extraordinary rejection of what scientists have been recommending is coming home to roost," said Irwin Redlener, founding director of Columbia University's National Center for Disaster Preparedness.

Redlener, a former Biden adviser, said that "everyone who hitched themselves to the president's dishonest messaging about the virus is being confronted with the reality that the president himself is sick."

While GOP leaders publicly shrugged off concerns about the party's operations and its message, private anxiety was rampant as aides and donors voiced frustration about the perceived lack of a strategy and guidance from Trump's team amid a crisis with health, economic and political challenges.

But Republicans' ability to escape being seen by moderate and independent voters as a party that has adopted a politics-first, science-second attitude could be difficult following months of cheering Trump's handling of a pandemic that has killed more than 200,000 Americans.

As the administration's coronavirus task force has pleaded with Americans to wear masks and socially distance, Trump has hosted rallies where face coverings have been scarce, encouraged the reopening of the nation's economy and schools, claimed the virus will "just disappear," and intentionally misled the public about its lethality because he did not want to "create a panic."

Key Republicans were isolating on Saturday after recently testing positive for the coronavirus, including Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien and Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee. Other Trump advisers - such as former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway and Christie - have also tested positive.

Campaign advisers said on Saturday that they do not believe Trump will be back on the campaign trail for 10 to 14 days and more than a dozen trips to swing states in that period will probably be canceled or rescheduled. They declined to say if the large rallies that have become Trump's staple will cease.

"We're going to mobilize the entire MAGA universe to carry the president forward until he returns to the campaign trail," campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said.

Republican anxiety extends to the battle over the GOP's Senate majority after Tillis - who is behind in the polls and is on the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced he tested positive on Friday. While he is asymptomatic, the senator said he would isolate at home for 10 days.

Lee, another member of the Judiciary Committee, and Johnson have also been diagnosed with the coronavirus over the past week, potentially complicating the plans of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to push through Barrett's nomination.

McConnell said on Saturday that "floor proceedings will be postponed until October 19th" but said the "confirmation hearings for Judge Barrett's nomination" will proceed as scheduled. GOP aides said that Barrett's hearings could be conducted at least partially by remote video conference.

Polling across the political map over the past week has further darkened the outlook as incumbents flail in traditional GOP enclaves, particularly in the South, where Democrats are energizing the Black community and White suburban voters amid significant changes in several states' populations.

Beyond Tillis, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, remains locked in a tight race with Democrat Jaime Harrison.

In the industrial Midwest, Democrats see a path for Biden and Democrats as the pandemic keeps rattling the region.

"I felt it before the president's circumstances and I feel it even more now," former Ohio governor Ted Strickland, a Democrat, a Biden ally, said on Saturday. Referring to Trump family members who removed their face coverings after entering the presidential debate hall last week in violation of ground rules, Strickland added: "You had the president's family sitting in Cleveland, mask-less, and all of the others were wearing them. That sent a message to everyone watching: There is an incredible amount of arrogance around the president. People can see it clearly."

Nationally, Biden is holding a steady advantage over Trump, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll last month. Biden and vice-presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris of California lead Trump and Vice President Mike Pence by 53% to 43% among registered voters, statistically unchanged from the 12-point margin in a poll taken in August before the conventions.

Inside the Trump campaign and Trump-allied GOP circles on Saturday, some aides and strategists said they remain confident despite the turbulence, pointing to Trump's upbeat tweets - he called on Congress to pass another stimulus bill - and to Pence as a political troubleshooter.

The vice president, who has tested negative for the coronavirus in recent days, plans to travel extensively after his upcoming debate with Harris on Oct. 7 in Salt Lake City, a Pence aide said. Justin Clark, the deputy campaign manager, is working with Pence's staff to orchestrate trips, along with surrogates.

"We are going to be maximizing family members, allies and surrogates in this upcoming stretch," said Jason Miller, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign.

Pence's debate is seen by some Republicans as an opening to both boost Trump with skittish voters and refresh the party's message on the pandemic since Pence has led the coronavirus task force.

"All he has to do is be kind and pleasant, to be reassuring and competent," said former House speaker Newt Gingrich, a Republican.

Meanwhile, RNC and Trump campaign volunteers are going to keep up with ongoing field efforts, such as door-knocking campaigns, even though in-person fundraisers have been canceled, party officials said.

On Saturday, a group of top Republicans carried on campaigning in Iowa. For Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, and Trump political adviser Marc Lotter, among others, the road trip across the state was business as usual.

Lotter tweeted out photos from the tour, including a shot of Reynolds and Republicans without masks and high-fiving indoors. Posters with "Trump 2020" and "Trump: Keep America Great" were on the wall.

- - -

The Washington Post's Emily Guskin contributed to this report.
After Rail Safety Week and Winona Wednesday, Minnesota Operation Lifesaver thanks its partners in Winona for helping us share our message of making safe decisions on or near railroad property.

The support of our primary business partner, Miller Ingenuity, permits MNOL to share our message in tangible ways with students of all ages.

Business partner Dahl Automotive provided a safety message on its Winona message board throughout Rail Safety Week. We are particularly grateful to retiring executive editor Rusty Cunningham of the Winona Daily News for featuring our rail safety guest columns all seven days, both in printed and online issues.

We also thank the Winona Post for publishing our guest column. Both the YMCA and WAPS partnered with us this year by sharing our safety message with students in their after-school programs.

Mayor Mark Peterson, a strong supporter of safety in Winona, was kind enough to take time from his busy schedule to join us at the Main Street grade crossing as we applied one of many bright yellow spray chalk messages to remind pedestrians and bicyclists to think train when they see tracks.

Local first responders are important partners in terms of both education and enforcement, and we thank the Winona Police Department, the Winona Fire Department and the Winona County Sheriffs Office for their dedicated work on scene and behind the scenes.

These local partners are devoted to rail safety more than one week a year, for which we are grateful.

Sheryl Cummings and Jeanine Black

Sheryl Cummings of Minneapolis is Minnesota Operation Lifesaver state coordinator; Jeanine Black of Winona is a volunteer for Minnesota Operation Lifesaver. This is the last in a weeklong series.

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NEW BRAUNFELS  On Saturday morning, passers-by on the streets of New Braunfels were surprised when the Caravan of Compassion rolled past them. With flashing lights and blaring horns, more than 25 cars, SUVs and trucks wound through shaded neighborhoods, along country lanes and through the center of downtown. Vehicles bore signs such as Unity Over Division, Peace and Be Kind. Organizers said there was only one condition for the event  no politics, just positive messages.

Army retired Staff Sgt. Matthew Stevison, 48, said the idea came after learning of disparaging remarks President Donald Trump allegedly said in an article from The Atlantic about fallen military members. The caravan was a way to express his concerns with a positive message.

After he helped line up vehicles in rows at the CBE Companies parking lot, Stevison, told a crowd of more than 60 people the drive was for the voiceless and unrepresented.

Well put all of our stuff aside, Stevison said, all the politics, all of the pain that youre feeling to tell everyone that we love you. With the beating heart that is inside each of us, we love you, so, lets ride!

Event organizer Aja Edwards, 39, drove the lead car from the parking lot onto the 8-mile route. The event took place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

On ExpressNews.com: Trump Train is a regular party in New Braunfels, but some are feeling the hangover

Theres a lot of negative press going on with our town right now, she said as Sam Cookes A Change Is Gonna Come, blared from speakers. Were a good town, have good people and its not all about the negative stuff thats getting out there.

For the past three months, the New Braunfels Trump Train, a weekly procession of vehicles bearing Pro-Trump signs, has rolled through the streets with reports of noise, harassment and negative behavior.

Before the caravan began, Stevison reminded the participants to not engage negatively with anyone along the route.

Amy Parks, 42, who served in Afghanistan as an Army combat medic in 2010, came to support a fellow veteran. She brought her 9-year-old daughter, Amiyah Parks.

This is meaningful, Parks said. It has a message to unite together. It feels good to jump in and spread joy.

Parks said her daughter has been to Black Lives Matter rallies and is aware of issues people are fighting for across the nation.

Its an honor to help Black people, Amiyah said, and be a voice for everyone.

On ExpressNews.com: New Braunfels mayor denounces social media posts after Trump Train rally

Danielle Newton, 46, taped a sign on her car that read, I See Your True Colors and Thats Why I Love You. Newton, who came with her daughter, Jenna Field, 23, wore a T-shirt with the words, Believe, Inspire, Impact. A banner with a dove and rainbow-colored peace sign covered the back of her car from the top of the trunk to the bottom of the bumper.

Andrae Blissett, 43, sang the song, Pick Me Up, to the crowd. Recently, a man was accused of harassing Blissett and other African American men by posting their photos on social media and suggesting participants at a rally arm themselves in the event of a confrontation.

Blissetts attorney has filed reports with the FBI and the New Braunfels police.

The procession was free of any incidents. Motorists honked their horns in support. Pedestrians raised fists in the air as the caravan passed the Schlitterbahn water park. A couple strolling near downtown applauded the procession.

The drive ended at the At Home parking lot where a voter registration table was set up along with a school supplies collection point.

Deborah Thomas, 66, said she was moved by people who showed their support along the route. She said a man driving a truck with a Trump sticker gave them a peace sign.

It got rid of a lot of my angst, Thomas said. We got a lot of love.

vtdavis@express-news.net
TCN News

Indians in Germany have addressed the Consul General of India at Hamburg to bar Indian MP Tejaswi Surya from speaking at the upcoming Indian startup conference.

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India Startup Conference 2020 being held by the Consul General of India in partnership with GloMan Consulting GmbH on October 7 to promote startups and support ongoing economic relations between Hamburg and India. Concerned Indian citizens at Germany have written to the organizers stating that it is disheartening to see its speaker list include Tejaswi Surya, a highly provocative and communal politician from Bangalore, seasoned by the RSS.

Quoting his comments on secularism, This is a new India we are creating.Your namby-pamby secularism that you people have built so far will not work anymore, the citizens have strongly objected having Tejaswi Surya at the event. The platform, originally designed to foster international cooperation in trade and investments between the two countries, has the name of the politician among the official register of panelists. Through the letter, Indians in Germany have questioned the decision of the Consul General, pointing that Surya is a highly polarizing figure from Indian Politics and he cannot be an eminent guest in an event that is actually inclusive in nature for Indians of all faiths.

The signatories have also recalled that Surya was a part of a pro-CAA rally where he called the Indian minority community uneducated, illiterate, and puncture-wallahs who were against the CAA. The letter has further invited support from all over to condemn Surya being granted a platform in the country, stating that it is extremely concerning to see an official platform is being given for such a controversial figure. It also highlighted that the BJP leader has abhorrent and dehumanizing views, and with his communal views being publicly available, the conference will achieve nothing but further division and right-wing radicalization on the German soil.

The signatories have requested participation of global citizens in boycotting Tejaswi Surya as panel speaker at the startup conference by signing up at the link (https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=nyxunP7dQEWVuZqHak1C6t_My-KlgC5Omd8agVLsYElUMFdDN1BVMUFPVDZEWVpDQTREMkNEU1A3Wi4u), concluding that:

We cannot allow such polarizing figures to find a safe haven in Europe. We want the European diaspora to respond by raising objection with the Indian Consulate for making him a guest speaker in the event. We will be sending this letter to the Indian consulate, Hamburg and also to human rights groups.
Ireland's government has been advised to introduce the highest level of Covid-19 restrictions across the country in a bid to halt the spread of the virus.

The National Public Health Emergency Team recommended that all 26 counties be elevated to Level 5 restrictions for the next four weeks, effectively taking them back into full lockdown.

The move is thought to have been prompted by a rise in coronavirus infections across five-day, week-long and 14-day averages, which has hit every area of the country and across all age groups.

As one source told the Irish Times: 'Everything is going in one direction'.

More than 1,000 new cases were reported at the weekend while the 14-day total of hospital admissions also jumped from 136 on Friday night to 154 on Saturday.

Nevertheless, the proposal is understood to have shocked ministers, since the majority of the country is under Level 2 restrictions, with no area above Level 3.

CASES: How the number of cases confirmed each day in Ireland has changed since the start of the pandemic

DEATHS: Fatalities haven't yet started to spiral in Ireland, even though cases have risen in the past month

Ireland's chief medical officer (CMO) Tony Holohan (pictured) chaired a meeting as the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise

At Level 2, indoor gatherings are allowed with a 'rule of six' in place, while restaurants and pubs are allowed to open with the same restrictions.

At Level 3 - currently in place in Dublin and Donegal - indoor gatherings are banned with visitors only allowed from one other household. Restaurants and pubs also remain open, with enhanced restrictions.

However, if the country were to jump to Level 5, then all gatherings would be banned except for weddings and funerals, with people told to stay inside except to exercise.

Pubs and restaurants would be closed except for takeaway, while all sporting events would also be cancelled - effectively meaning another nationwide lockdown.

Ministers are expected to meet with members of the NPHET today to discuss the proposals further, before making a decision.

Once source told the Irish Independent: 'This has surprised Government, given its societal and economic indications.'

The advice, sent to Government in a letter on Sunday night, would need to be approved by Cabinet.

It is expected that the three party leaders in Government will seek a meeting with the CMO on Monday to discuss the matter.

It comes as a total of 364 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in Ireland by NPHET.

There were no new deaths associated with the virus.

As of 8am on Sunday, 134 people with Covid-19 were in hospital and 21 people were in ICU beds.

Eamon Ryan (pictured) said he believed the rest of the country could avoid being placed in level three restrictions if the public adhered to the Government's measures

More than 600 new cases of the virus were confirmed on Saturday, the highest daily figure in more than five months.

The move coincides with the head of health protection at the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland warning that a circuit-breaker lockdown there was 'almost inevitable' if Covid-19 cases continue to increase.

Dr Gerry Waldron described the rise in the infection rate in the region as worrying.

Earlier, the leader of the Green Party said there had been no discussion in the Irish Government about a nationwide lockdown, rather it wanted to work on a county-by-county basis.

Instead he believed Dublin and Donegal could avoid moving to level four restrictions if people follow Covid-19 public health guidelines.

Eamon Ryan also said he believed the rest of the country could avoid being placed in level three restrictions if the public adhered to the Government's measures.

'What we're seeking to do here is not to eradicate the virus, I don't think that's going to be a viable option, but to stabilise it,' he told RTE's The Week In Politics.

'I think that there is real concern when you look at other counties - it is rising very fast. We need to do the simple things, reduce the number of people we meet, avoid social contact.

'If we all do that we can avoid going to level four, other counties can avoid going to level three and I hope that Dublin can get back to level two, and Donegal too.'

He added that he believed it was possible that the infection rate could be stabilised, but he admitted that everyone was 'fearful' when the daily numbers continue to rise.

Mr Ryan also said that if counties moved to level four restrictions, the schools would stay open.

'I think, no matter what, I think the Government is committed, that it is important,' he said.

He added: 'The international evidence is that it can be done safely and I think our schools have done a good job in terms of making it safe for our students.'

Acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said on Friday that the numbers reported over the past week represented a significant escalation in the profile of Covid-19 in Ireland.

People of all ages, in particular those over the age of 70 and those medically vulnerable, were advised to limit their social contacts to a small core group for short periods of time, while remaining socially distanced.
The executive act is to contribute to the development of the investment potential of Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has enacted regulations that ease the issue of a residence permit to Belarusian entrepreneurs and highly qualified specialists.

This is stipulated in presidential decree No. 420/2020 on measures to encourage entrepreneurs, highly qualified specialists who are citizens of the Republic of Belarus, which was posted on the presidential website.

Read alsoMinister Kuleba: Ukraine to line up with EU sanctions against Belarus

The executive act is to contribute to the development of the investment potential of Ukraine.

According to the decree, the government must extend the period of temporary stay of Belarusian citizens in Ukraine to 180 days per year. This applies to entrepreneurs, highly qualified specialists (in particular, IT and innovation specialists), and their family members.

The Cabinet of Ministers should also introduce a pilot project on simplified registration of residence permits for these categories of Belarusian citizens. At the same time, it is necessary to provide for the possibility of reducing the time frame for obtaining such documents to three days without the need for additional travel outside the Ukrainian territory.

Separately, the government should optimize the procedure for obtaining permits for the use of labor of foreigners and stateless persons for the employment of Belarusian citizens who are highly qualified IT specialists. To this end, it is proposed the period for granting such permission should be shortened to five days along with providing for the possibility of obtaining it through the so-called silence procedure.

The procedure for registering Belarusian IT specialists as individual entrepreneurs and "flat tax" payers should also be adjusted.

Ukraine must also recognize the documents issued by the Belarusian authorities, which are required for work in Ukraine.

The decree became effective on the day of its publication.

Recent developments in Belarus in brief
Xi pitches for closer ties with Bangladesh, calls for joint promotion of Belt Road Initiative

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pti-Madhuri Adnal

Beijing, Oct 4: Chinese President Xi Jinping said he stands ready with Bangladesh leaders to better align the two countries' strategies and jointly promote the construction of his multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to take the strategic partnership of the two countries to new heights.

Xi made the remarks in an exchange of congratulatory messages with his Bangladesh counterpart, Mohammad Abdul Hamid, on the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the bilateral diplomatic relationship on Sunday.

Chinese tycoon who called Xi Jinping a 'clown' sentenced to 18 years in jail

In his message, Xi hailed the steady and long-term friendship saying he is ready to work with Hamid to better align development strategies with Bangladesh, step up cooperation under the framework of the BRI and push forward the China-Bangladesh strategic, cooperative partnership to a new level, official media reported.

With over USD 26 billion Chinese investments and USD 38 billion dollars funding commitments, Bangladesh is one of the largest recipients of China's massive infrastructure project. China has also offered zero-tariff treatment to 97 per cent of Bangladesh's exports by adding 5,161 more items to the existing list of 3,095 duty-free products. The BRI seeks to build rail, maritime and road links from Asia to Europe and Africa in a revival of ancient Silk Road trading routes.

The issues related to BRI, earlier known as One Belt One Road (OBOR), has been a major bone of contention between India and China as one portion of the corridor passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Besides Pakistan, where China initiated over USD 60 billion as part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), China has stepped up its huge infrastructure investments in Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives rising concerns of its growing influence in India's immediate neighbourhood.

Defying US, Xi Jinping praises China, WHO for battling coronavirus

The BRI is President Xis top priority initiative, which aims firm up Chinas global influence. The initiative has, however, attracted allegations, especially from the US, of debt-diplomacy after Sri Lanka handed over its Hambantota Port to a state-run Chinese firm in 2017 for a 99 years' lease in a debt swap amounting to USD 1.2 billion. Malaysia has also deferred several projects under the BRI, citing cost revaluation. Xi, in his message to Hamid, also said the two countries had worked jointly to fight against COVID-19.

Earlier, China had sent medical team to Bangladesh to share its experience of handling coronavirus, which had emerged first in Wuhan in December last year. Bangladesh also is among over a dozen countries where the final phase of clinical trials of Chinese vaccine is being conducted.

In his message, Hamid said the Bangladesh-China relationship is developing rapidly and has covered cooperation in key areas, to which Dhaka attached great importance, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. He expressed his deep appreciation for China's continuous support for Bangladesh in its socio-economic development progress, adding that he believes the close and friendly relationship between the two countries will continue to deepen in the future.

Also on Sunday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang exchanged congratulatory messages with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Li said in his message that China is willing to deepen practical cooperation with Bangladesh in various fields and promote the steady and sustainable development of the China-Bangladesh strategic partnership of cooperation to better benefit the two countries and their people.

For her part, Hasina said the strategic partnership of cooperation between Bangladesh and China has been developed from the two countries' time-tested friendship and cooperation. The strengthened Bangladesh-China cooperation has unleashed enormous potential in maintaining peace, security and stability in the region and even around the world, Hasina said according to Xinhua News.




Haiti - UN : BINUH report, violence and gangs in Haiti





As part of Security Council resolution 2476 (2019), by which the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) was created, the Office must produce a report to the UN Secretary General every 120 days, on the situation in Haiti and on the implementation of the Office's mandate, as the UN Mission is completing its first year of existence.



Extract from the report (end of Sep 2020) :



"[...] The report at the level of community violence reduction indicates that linkages between gang violence and political developments continued to influence the levels of insecurity observed in Haiti. This was evident in recent months in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area (West Department), where deadly inter-gang clashes in Cite Soleil and Bel Air over control of populous areas that house major public markets and large polling stations displaced at least 298 households and fuelled a widespread sentiment of insecurity. These dynamics, which suggest that competition among gangs is growing in anticipation of elections, led to changes in the constellation of gangs in the metropolitan area, with the formation on 10 June of a new alliance, the G9 an fanmi (G9), initially comprising nine gangs from Cite Soleil, La Saline and lower Delmas, but which has since expanded to 15 gangs spanning several neighbourhoods.



The G9, which was reportedly formed at the instigation of former police officer Jimmy Barbecue Cherizier  who is suspected of being implicated in the emblematic cases of Grand Ravine (2017), La Saline (2018) and Bel-Air (2019)  is notorious because of the diversity of its membership, its influence over vast swaths of territory in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area and its narrative as a social movement fighting for better services and opportunities in poor neighbourhoods. Its creation raised concerns among political and civil society actors about the detrimental impact partisan gangs can have on State institutions.



The signing on 22 August by several gang leaders within G9 of a truce with rivals in Cite Soleil and reports in late August of tensions within the alliance gave rise to questions about its ability to maintain cohesion. Nonetheless, the consolidation of the G9 control of parts of the metropolitan zone appears to have affected major crime trends during the reporting period. Intentional homicides reported to the police decreased by 12 per cent between 1 June and 31 August, with 328 victims (including 24 women and 9 children) compared with 373 (including 9 women and 12 children) in the preceding three months. Just as in previous periods, 74 per cent of those cases were recorded in the West Department, where some 35 per cent of the population lives and gang violence is more prevalent. A closer look at statistics, however, reveals a sudden spike in June (171 reported intentional homicides, compared with 132 in May) that coincided with the formation of the G9 alliance and corresponds with the deadliest raids on the Port-au-Prince neighbourhood of Pont-Rouge and the commune of Cite Soleil. This was followed by a steep decline after July (with 77 homicides reported), once alliances were reconfigured. Conversely, abductions followed the opposite trend. After steadily declining since March to a monthly average of 3.5, abduction cases increased to 19 in July, as gangs reverted to lucrative activities following weeks of intense negotiations and clashes. In total, 32 individuals (including 9 women and 3 children) were abducted, compared with 25 victims (including 7 women and 7 children) in the three preceding months, a 28 per cent increase. This uptick in kidnappings appears, however, to have been contained by police operations conducted in the latter part of the reporting period, which led to the arrest of 53 abduction suspects and 51 additional gang members.



A noticeable increase in gang-related incidents was also observed in other parts of the country, particularly in Cap-Haitien (North Department) and Petite-Riviere-de-lArtibonite (Artibonite Department), where insecurity limits movement on several important thoroughfares. Just as in the capital, gang violence might increase once an electoral calendar is announced. Curbing the expansion of gangs thus remains a priority for the Haitian National Police, which launched another nationwide police operation on 7 August, and increased its presence in sensitive areas with the construction of new police stations in Anse-a-Veau (Nippes Department), Ganthier and Malpasse (West Department).



The National Commission for Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration continued to consolidate its position as the leading national institution on community violence reduction, despite persistent operational constraints.



Sexual and gender-based violence remained prevalent and continued to be underreported. The national health system reported 457 cases of rape (including that of 164 women, 235 children and 58 men) between 1 June and 31 August, compared with 541 between 1 March and 31 May. By comparison, 43 rapes were reported to the Haitian National Police between 1 June and 31 August, compared with 35 during the earlier period. While legal protections for women have improved in the updated Penal Code, with anti-discrimination provisions and the decriminalization of abortion, a comprehensive law on violence against women has yet to be adopted, and redress for victims remains inadequate. "



Telechargez le rapport complet du BINUH (PDF in English) : https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/S_2020_944_E.pdf



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Global investment firm Brookfield's proposal to launch public issue for raising over Rs 4,000 crore augurs well for the future of India's office market and will boost investment as well as demand-supply in this segment, according to realty experts.

Institutional as well as retail investors are likely to take positive view on the issue, driven by successful listing of the first two Investment Trusts (REITs) -- Embassy Office Parks and Mindspace Business Parks, they said.

last week filed draft document with market regulator Sebi to launch its issue and monetise commercial It plans to list the by end of this year.

This will be the third REITIPOto hit the market after Embassy Office Parks and Mindspace Business Parks REITs. In April last year, Embassy REIT raised Rs 4,750 crore, while Mindspace raised Rs 4,500 crore in August this year through their issues.

In response to a PTI query on impact of Brookfield's proposed REIT issue on commercial real estate, top consultants and players noted that this demonstrates the strength of the office market.

Anshuman Magazine, Chairman & CEO - India, South East Asia, Middle East & Africa, CBRE, said the REIT continues to be viewed as one of the favoured investment avenues given the comparatively resilient underlying cash flows.

"We are hopeful that investors will look at REITs as a stable income generator driven by strong occupancies in India's office market backed by lease commitments from corporate occupiers. This should also structurally drive office absorption and create opportunities across the commercial real estate market moving forward," he added.

Anarock Chairman Anuj Puri said the successful launch of India's second REIT (Mindspace) despite the ongoing pandemic has sent out positive signals and paved the way for others to follow suit.

"The major positive of the recent listing is that the geographical spread of the overall REIT portfolios has been widened. While Embassy REIT largely focused on southern markets and K Raheja towards the western market, the REIT has assets in the north and eastern region," he said.

JLL India CEO and Country Head Ramesh Nair said: "With the success of Embassy and Mindspace REITs, the interest from both institutional and retail players is expected to be very positive. REITs not only offer quarterly dividends, but also growth in capital values."



He said the only concerns that investors may have at this stage could be rental escalations and mark to market opportunities.

Mumbai-based Kalpataru Ltd Managing Director Parag Munot said: "It augurs well for Indian commercial real estate and will enthuse more developers to enter into premium commercial real estate development."



Nidhi Marwah, MD South Asia & GCC, The Executive Centre, said the industry has witnessed the encouraging performance of both Raheja REIT and Embassy REIT in the backdrop of a global pandemic and economic instability.

"Brookfield would be the third REIT to be listed in recent times. This will further embolden the industry, taking us one step closer to a post covid market," she said.

Hong Kong based-TEC provides premium serviced office to corporates.

Knight Frank India CMD Shishir Baijal said the Brookfield filing for REITs is a great indicator of the strong future that commercial real estate has in India.

"After the successful listing of Embassy and Mindspace REITs, this rides high on the long-term investor confidence. REITs will help raise capital and improve the fund flows into the sector as well as allow greater participation from retail investors in the asset class," he said.

Baijal expects more players to enter the REITs market to monetise their office assets.

Savills India CEO Anurag Mathur said: "The listing of two REITs and now the upcoming third one by Brookfield clearly demonstrates that the long-term hope on commercial office market remains strong and that investors have far greater faith in such organised investment tool as compared to investing in physical real estate."



He said it re-enforces REITs as a viable investment alternative and re-affirms the strength of the commercial office real estate.

Mathur said the past two performances have also instilled confidence among investors of REITs being a viable investment option.

"Most importantly, it has also opened up new avenues for retail investors to own a piece of real estate by shelling out a small amount which would not have been possible otherwise," he added.

Piyush Gupta, MD, Capital Markets & Investment Services at Colliers International India, said the commercial real estate segment continues to show strong interest from domestic and international investors.

"The REIT listings provide a great avenue for Grade A asset development as a defined exit route for all local players is being established," said Saurabh Shatdal, MD-Capital Markets, Cushman and Wakefield.

Tushar Mittal, managing director, Studiokon Ventures -- which is into designing of office interiors, said India is emerging as the most attractive and cost-efficient destination for MNCs.

"Given the talent pool and tech savvy generation, demand for Grade-A office is expected to increase, once we overcome the coronavirus pandemic. This shift in demand will work to the advantage of REIT and the commercial real estate ecosystem," Mittal said.

Shrinivas Rao, CEO-APAC, Vestian said the possible impact of COVID-19 on Brookfield's office portfolio will certainly make it an interesting REIT offering for the analysts to take a call on.

Net office space leasing stood at an all-time high of 45-50 million sq ft in 2019 but the absorption is expected to fall 30-50 per cent this year due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Real estate investment trust (REIT), a popular instrument globally, was introduced in India a few years ago aimed at attracting investment in the real estate sector by monetising rent-yielding assets.

It helps unlock the massive value of real estate assets and enable retail participation.

(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 Noida police on Sunday regretted the manhandling of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at DND Flyway while she was on her way to meet the Hathras gang-rape victims family in a standoff between the police and Congress workers. An inquiry into the matter has also been initiated.

Noida police profoundly regrets the incident @priyankagandhi while handling an unruly crowd at the DND. The DCP HQ has taken suo moto cognisance of it and ordered an inquiry to be conducted by a senior lady officer. We Noida police are committed to ensure safety and dignity of women," Noida Police tweeted.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was pushed and manhandled on Saturday while she came to the rescue of a party worker, who was being lathi charged by Uttar Pradesh police at the Delhi-Noida Direct (DND) Flyway when Priyanka, Rahul Gandhi and several Congress workers were trying to go to Hathras to meet the family of the victim.

The videos captured during the commotion shows Priyanka jumping a police barricade to shield a Congress worker as cops with lathis surround the man. Both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka later went on to meet the victims family at Hathras.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose can legally require counties to offer multiple drop boxes per county for completed absentee ballots, a panel of state appeals judges ruled on Friday.

The trio of judges on the Ohio 10th District Court of Appeals disagreed somewhat on the particulars -- but a majority said it was within LaRoses discretion to allow multiple drop boxes, while overturning a lower court decision from a Franklin County judge that said LaRose was legally required to do so.

Officials in large counties had asked LaRose to allow multiple drop boxes throughout the county to accommodate expected record levels of completed absentee ballots. LaRose, a Republican, had said it was a gray area, and decided to order county elections boards to only offer one drop box outside their office, even though he said he would support a law change allowing multiple drop boxes.

That prompted the Ohio Democratic Party to sue. After the Franklin County judge, siding with ODP, ruled LaRose was wrong and ordered him to allow multiple drop boxes, LaRose appealed. The Ohio Republican Party has opposed multiple drop boxes, as has President Donald Trumps campaign.

On balance, the judges in their Friday ruling agreed that LaRose could allow multiple drop boxes if he wanted, but only one said he should be legally required to.

Judges Julia L. Dorrian, a Democrat, and Judge Betsy Luper Schuster, a Republican, wrote Friday that LaRoses interpretation that only one drop box is allowed was unreasonable." But Luper Schuster said LaRose shouldnt be required to allow more than one, while Dorrian said he should be.

Judge Susan Brown, a Republican, meanwhile said LaRoses opinion wasnt unreasonable, but agreed with Dorrian and Luper Schuster that multiple drop boxes were allowed under state law.

Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper said the party is "pleased that the court agreed with our contention from the outset of this dispute that nothing in Ohio law prevents the addition of drop boxes throughout the county.

It is now time for LaRose to act on his public and private comments that he would love to see more drop boxes. Its the right thing to do, and there is time to allow counties to add drop boxes in the final weeks of the election, when they will be most helpful, just like they are being installed in states across the country."

Maggie Sheehan, a spokeswoman for LaRose said: We received and are reviewing the decision and are pleased with the courts ruling to reverse the injunction.

LaRose issued the single drop box order to county boards of elections in August, saying that offering more boxes could invite litigation. He previously had said the law was unclear on the issue, seeking an opinion from Attorney General Dave Yost before moving forward with issuing the order.

There is a similar lawsuit over drop boxes pending in federal court. U.S. District Judge Dan Polster previously said he would await the results of the state lawsuit before making a final decision. But, he told LaRose to work with elections officials in Cuyahoga County, who sought to offer ballot drop off locations at six libraries throughout the county, staffed by elections workers, as an alternative to LaRoses ban on multiple unstaffed drop boxes.

After Cuyahoga County announced plans to move forward with the ballot drop off locations at libraries, LaRose ordered them to stop until the legal process had played out. LaRose signed off on allowing Cuyahoga County to offer an additional ballot drop box location in a parking lot near the county elections office, but the voting-rights groups that brought the lawsuit are challenging why he didnt allow more.
Charleston, SC (29403)

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On Saturday, the collection was unveiled in the presence of 60 ambassadors and international media representatives, the Al Ahram online newspaper said in a report.

Cairo, Oct 4 (IANS) Egyptian authorities have unveiled a collection of 59 intact and sealed 26th Dynasty coffins, which were recently unearthed by an archaeological mission at the Saqqara Necropolis.

While 40 anthropoid painted coffins were placed in a large tent, the rest were on display inside tombs.

Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled El-Enaby said an Egyptian mission started re-excavating the site two months ago and succeeded to uncover a burial shaft 11 metres deep where there were more than 13 anthropoid intact and sealed coffins.

More excavations revealed two more shafts, 10 and 12 metres deep, filled with a large number of intact and sealed coffins.

The mission succeeded to unearth 59 coffins thus far.

All the unearthed coffins are in a very good conservation condition and still bear their original colours.

"My colleagues in the Supreme Council of Antiquities discovered burial shafts filled with wooden, sealed and intact coffins. I am really impressed that Covid-19 did not stop them from digging to unveil more mystery and secrets about our great civilisation," Al Ahram quoted El-Enany as saying.

He added the coffins will be transferred to the Grand Egyptian Museum.

Mostafa Waziri, the secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities said preliminary studies showed the coffins belong to 26th Dynasty priests, top officials, and elites.

There are mummies in the majority of the coffins.

A collection of 28 statuettes of 'Ptah-Soker', the main god of Saqqara Necropolis, were found along with a 35 cm tall bronze statuette of god Nefertum, inlaid with precious stones.

On its base is written the name of its owner, Priest Badi-Amun.

Collections of amulets and 'ushabti' figurine were also unearthed.

--IANS

ksk/
Actor Adrian Dunbar who plays Superintendent Ted Hastings is seen during Line of Duty filming off Beechmount Avenue in West Belfast. Photo by Peter Morrison

Actors Vicky McClure and Martin Compston during Line of Duty filming off Beechmount Avenue in West Belfast. Photo by Peter Morrison

The company behind Line of Duty is lining the pockets of people who shift their cars for filming.

Home owners in west Belfast were given 50 each to move their vehicles to allow shooting of the police thriller to take place last week.

Filming for the sixth series of the award-winning BBC programme, produced by World Productions, is currently under way across the city.

One local who wished to remain anonymous told Sunday Life they would have moved their car if asked but were more than happy to be compensated for the trouble.



Expand Close Actor Adrian Dunbar who plays Superintendent Ted Hastings is seen during Line of Duty filming off Beechmount Avenue in West Belfast. Photo by Peter Morrison / Facebook

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Whatsapp Actor Adrian Dunbar who plays Superintendent Ted Hastings is seen during Line of Duty filming off Beechmount Avenue in West Belfast. Photo by Peter Morrison

Vicky McClure, who plays Inspector Kate Fleming, and Adrian Dunbar, who appears as Superintendent Ted Hastings, were spotted filming on Beechmount Avenue and Beechmount Parade on Monday.

The shoot caused a bit of a stir when a video showing two armed men in balaclavas getting out of a black Land Rover was shared online. Police clarified the incident was part of filming.

Car chases were also shot in the Sailortown area of the city, with vehicles spotted speeding along Corporation Street.



A spokesperson for the BBC told Sunday Life: "The Line of Duty production team thanks the city's residents for their continued support and co-operation during filming."

The show's sixth series features a new case for AC-12, with the officers investigating DCI Joanne Davidson (No Country for Old Men star Kelly Macdonald), the senior investigating officer in an unsolved murder case.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Oct. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Santa Fe Gold Corporation (OTCBB: SFEG) is pleased to announce the appointment of Steve Antol, as Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary, which became effective on July 7, 2020.



Stephen J. Antol, age 77, previously served as the El Capitan Precious Metals, Inc. Chief Financial Officer from November 2004 to May 2007 and from April 2009 to March 2020. The Company is currently inactive.

Mr. Antol has been a consultant to Santa Fe Gold Corporation since mid-2005 when he was retained by prior management to assist in bringing the Company current in its accounting and financial reporting with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. He remained as a consultant to the company assisting in the financial quarterly and annual reports and the annual audits. Effective July 7, 2020, Mr. Antol was appointed chief financial officer for the Company.

Mr. Antol received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University in December 1968 and became a licensed Certified Public Accountant in mid-1970. He no longer practices as a licensed CPA. Mr. Antol also has four and a half years audit and tax experience with two major certified public accounting firms in Phoenix, Arizona.

In mid-1973 Mr. Antol left the public accounting sector and entered the business sector as controller for a multi-state retailer. From mid-1975 to mid-1987 he was employed by Giant Industries, Inc., an independent refiner and marketer of petroleum products, in such capacities as Corporate Controller and later as Corporate Treasurer. As the controller, he oversaw the company installing its first internal data processing system. The company expanded from revenue of $40 million to $325 million in revenue during his tenure. During this period of time the company also completed a $60 million refinery acquisition in New Mexico.

During the period mid-1987 to November 2004, Mr. Antol rendered services as a consultant chief financial officer for a number of small and medium-size businesses, both public and private companies requiring technical expertise on a limited and/or recurring basis. Also, during this period worked closely with a Phoenix CPA firm on a $10 million dollar IPO and 1990 to mid-1992 was hired as chief financial officer for a Phoenix high end furniture retail store that had to close during the economic downturn in 1992.

Mr. Antol replaced Frank Mueller as CFO. Mr. Mueller became the manager of mining operations for Santa Fe Gold.

About Santa Fe Gold

We are an exploration mining company engaged in the business of the acquisition and development of mines and mining properties as well as production from existing and developed mining and mineral properties.

Contact Corporate Communications



info@santafegoldcorp.com

Forward Looking Statements

This news release may contain Forward Looking Statements included within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements regarding our expected future financial position, results of operations, cash flows, financing plans, business strategy, products and services, competitive positions, growth opportunities, plans and objectives of management for future operations, including words such as "anticipate," "if," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "could," "should," "will," and other similar expressions are forward-looking statements and involve risks, uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control, which may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from anticipated results, performance, or achievements. We are under no obligation to (and expressly disclaim any such obligation to) update or alter our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.




American intel estimates of Chinese naval power believe the Chinese fleet is now larger than the United States fleet of 293 major warships. The U.S. Navy still has a considerable edge in tonnage, manpower, firepower and experience. China plans to close all those gaps by mid-century. China is doing this by building modern ships faster and in larger quantities than the U.S. is capable of. Moreover, the Chinese build them on time and apparently under budget. China also sends those ships to sea frequently in an effort to close the crew skill gap.

This massive and speedy fleet expansion began in the 1990s and by 2015 was obviously succeeding. What was remarkable about this was that China was creating a navy unlike any that China has ever had before. This is a high-seas, or blue water, fleet. In the past China only possessed a coastal force but that has changed. That was pretty obvious when the Chinese Navy released a new recruiting video in mid-2015. This one showed large new Chinese warships operating far from China. The crews were depicted as young, bright and dedicated. China needed to attract high-quality men (and some women) to make these ships work. That had proved difficult at first because China has no tradition of making a career in a navy that spends a lot of time far from home. In response the navy began spending a lot of money and effort to create an image of the navy as a modern and exciting place for smart young Chinese to be. This effort was not as successful as desired but it did bring in a lot of what the navy was looking for. This was unusual because it is well known that the Chinese military has always had a hard time attracting the smartest and most capable young Chinese to serve, especially for long periods.

China is having fewer problems building the ships it needs for this new fleet. This became evident in 2014 as China began building, launched or put into commission over sixty vessels. From that point on the plan was to continue building at that pace into the early 2020s. The 2014 naval building plans included several aircraft carriers, 26 destroyers, 52 frigates, 20 corvettes, 85 missile armed patrol boats, 56 amphibious vessels, 42 mine warfare ships and nearly 500 auxiliary craft of which ten percent are large seagoing ships. While a lot of these new ships are to replace older, Cold War era, Russia designs, all new construction is based on Western designs and built to operate long distances from China. Naval air power is also being expanded with additional helicopters, modern fighters, missile carrying bombers and long-range UAVs. China is also building more diesel-electric submarines and continuing to perfect (get to work properly) its nuclear powered subs.

By 2020 the Chinese fleet had (in active service) two aircraft carriers, 75 subs, including seven SSBNs (nuclear ballistic missile subs), eight SSNs (nuclear attack subs), 60 SSK (non-nuclear attack subs). There are 300 surface warships including 50 destroyers, 49 frigates, 71 corvettes, 109 missile boats, 94 small ASW (anti-submarine warfare) ships and 17 gunboats. There are 75 amphibious ships including (in order of size) two LHDs, eight LPDs, 32 LSTs and 33 LSMs. There are 287 support ships including 36 mine clearing vessels, 19 oilers (for refueling ships far from a base), 30 coastal oilers, 27 fleet supply ships (for resupply at sea), six troop transports and a lot of harbor, training and medical support ships as well as intelligence collection ships, hospital ships, submarine rescue ships. The Chinese navy has also made arrangements with the operators of over fifty civilian cargo ships and ferries to make their vessels quickly available in the event of a major emergency. That comes to 743 active ships with over sixty percent combat ships and the rest support vessels. That support force is the true mark of a major high-seas fleet.

China has left its Cold War era ship designs behind and is copying Western ships. So are the Russians, but not as competently as the Chinese. Nor can the Russians build dozens of new warships a year and have them operate reliably. American intel collecting aircraft, ships and satellites monitor sea trials for new Russian and Chinese ships and note that the Chinese are doing much better. Now the largest fleet in the world is Chinese and it is looking to be a far more dangerous adversary than the Soviet fleet ever was.

The Chinese ability to build new warships quickly is remarkable. This applies to their largest ships (carriers and carrier-like amphibious ships). This speed and quantity was first demonstrated with their new destroyers.

In late 2019 China launched its sixth Type 55 class destroyer. One is already in service with another five expected to follow in the next few years. These 12,000-ton warships are comparable to the late model American Arleigh Burke class and is in fact a bit larger and more heavily armed with similar weapons. The Type 55 is more similar in size to the failed American 15,000-ton Zumwalt class destroyer. The Zumwalt contained too many new technologies that proved too expensive and too unpredictable to put into service. The U.S. Navy kept spending more money on development in a futile effort to get the Zumwalt to work and the effort was canceled, with only three Zumwalts built and only at the end of 2020 were all fully operational.

The Type 55 is also similar to the American Ticonderoga class cruisers, which are 10,000-ton ships based on 1970s and 80s technology that paved the way for the Burkes. From 1980 to 1994 twenty-seven Ticonderogas were built and 22 are still in service. The Ticonderogas, like the Burkes, were based on the successful Spruance class destroyers. The success of the 31 Spruances, built between 1972 and 1983, led to the Burke class, which has been in production since 1988 with 67 in service, five under construction and orders for at least ten more planned. The latest version of the Burke is nearly as large as the Ticonderogas and in many ways more capable. This is apparently what the Chinese are trying to do with the Type 55. Despite using proven (by the Americans) technologies, the Chinese had some problems getting the Type 55s into service. That is not unusual and has become an accepted part of how the Chinese develop new warship designs.

The first Type 055 destroyer was launched in June 2017. This was not unexpected because evidence of such a ship (Internet photos of ship mockups for training and chatter about that) began showing up in early 2015. Back then it appeared that this new (Type 055) 12,000-ton cruiser class ship would have as many as 128 VLS (vertical launch system) tubes and much else besides. China claimed this ship would be the equivalent of a Burke class destroyer. The Type 055 would be, and now is, the largest surface combat ship China has ever built. The Type 55 turned out to have 112 American type VLS cells as well as an Aegis type radar system and four locally built gas-turbine engines. These engines provide 150,000 horsepower and a top speed of 55 kilometers an hour. There are also six generators producing 30 megawatts of power for future weapons like rail guns and lasers. Also carried are hangers for two helicopters.

Before 2015 the then new Type 52 destroyers were described as similar to the Burkes but in reality, the Type 052s were Burke Lite while the Type 55 is much closer to the Burkes in capabilities and, at least on paper, surpasses the American ships in some ways. It was believed that the first Type 055 would enter service in early 2018 and the sea trials would be closely watched by foreign navies. This is usually very revealing about what works and what doesnt. The Chinese have, so far, been quite persistent in fixing flaws discovered during sea trials and regular operations and that makes the new Chinese ship designs rather more frightening. It is not unusual for new Chinese ships to go through years, rather than weeks or months, of sea trials to keep looking for and fixing problems until the ship is ready. Sometimes it isnt and, in those cases, you see only one or two of those ships built as the designers start again. This approach can take a long time but it has worked for the Chinese.

In fact the development program for the Type 55 began in the 1980s as China obtained, by purchase or espionage, sufficient modern technologies to build a Western type destroyer. The initial model was the American Spruance and the first two Type 52s were mainly for testing those new technologies. Two Type 52s appeared in the 1990s and only two of these 4,800-ton ships were built because these were for technology development. There followed two 6,100-ton Type 52Bs in 2004. At the same time six 6,500-ton Type 52C also began entering service and these turned out to have the right combination of successful technologies. That led, in 2014 to the 7,500-ton Type 52D and at least 20 of these are under construction or in service.

By 2013 the first of the Chinese Type 52D destroyers was seen on sea trials in the East China Sea. This design appeared very similar to the American Aegis equipped destroyers (especially the Burke Class). Three versions of the Type 052 destroyer had, since 2001, advanced Chinese destroyer design considerably and China now has ships similar in capabilities to the Burke class destroyers. The first Burke entered service in 1991 and that ship became the new target for Chinese destroyer developers.

Burke design is the culmination of over half a century of World War II and Cold War destroyer experience. Even after the Burke was designed, in the 1980s the design evolved. The first Burkes were 8,300-ton ships, while the latest ones, laden with more gear and smaller crews, are 10,000-ton ships. This is what heavy cruisers weighed in World War II. With a top speed of nearly 50 kilometers an hour, Burkes have a main armament of 90 VLS tubes flush with the deck that can contain anti-aircraft, anti-ship, anti-missile, or cruise missiles. There is also a 127mm (5 inch) gun, two 20mm anti-missile autocannon, 6 torpedo tubes, and two helicopters. The Burkes were well thought out, sturdy, and they got the job done. They became irreplaceable, and thus this class of warships will last more than half a century. China likes the sound of that and is trying to match the Burkes and proceeding in that direction one destroyer design at a time.

Since 2003 Type 052B, 052C and 52D destroyers have entered service. These ships were a deliberate effort to develop something similar to the U.S. Burkes. The Type 52D was considered a success and that made it possible to move forward with the more ambitious Type 55. You can see the similarities. The Type 52D is armed with 64 American style (hot launch) VLS tubes for anti-aircraft (HQ-9), cruise, or anti-ship missiles. The Type 55 is a larger version of the Type 52D but with more advanced versions of the weapons and electronics carried by the 52D. The 52D was also the first Chinese destroyer to use Chinese made gas-turbine engines. Over the last three decades China had acquired much of this gas-turbine tech from American designs and from Ukrainian gas-turbine manufacturers. Many Chinese destroyers still use Ukrainian gas-turbine power plants.

The older Type 052B destroyers were general purpose ships with anti-ship/submarine/aircraft capabilities. Type 052C were the first to use cold launch VLS (Vertical Launch System) tubes.

Around the same time two 7,100-ton Type 051C destroyers appeared. About the same size and displacement as the 052Cs but did not use the Western VLS system. The 051Cs were the first ships with an Aegis type radar.

All these new destroyer designs were leading to something that could match the Burkes, which also underwent many changes as new batches were ordered and older Burkes were usually upgraded with newer equipment found in later ones. China will copy foreign ideas and technology and keep building new versions until they get it right. They are relentless and often ultimately successful. That is more impressive than just building a lot of warships.

China has expanded shipyard facilities to create facilities for mass producing major ships like carriers, destroyers and large amphibious vessels. One new yard appeared to be devoted to building aircraft carriers. Extensive infrastructure was erected around the new drydock and nearby kilometer long fitting out pier. This is something of a mass production operation with components of an aircraft carrier hull and pre-fabricated sections of the hull interior stored nearby to be lifted into place and attached to the hull and other sections. This is a technique widely used in commercial shipbuilding and for other Chinese warships, including the 12,000-ton Type 55 destroyers and 40,000 ton Type 075 LPH amphibious ship. The new carrier yard could be used for building smaller ships but it could also be used for turning out carriers quickly. Recently built Chinese carriers take less than two years to finish and launch. After that, it moves to the fitting out pier where another two or three years of work is needed before the carrier is ready for sea trials. The trials, including trips back to port or the shipyard for fixes and adjustments, can take a year or so. All this is more than twice as fast American yards.

China is not just building a lot of new ships quickly it is also sending them on unprecedented long voyages. This has been going on for a decade. For example, in late 2015 the Chinese Navy visited Finland for the first time. A Chinese destroyer, frigate and supply ship arrived as part of a six-month world cruise for these three ships and making official visits to countries along the way including seven stops in the Baltic Sea. This is all part of a new policy that has warships spending a lot more time at sea and sending some of them to a lot of places Chinese warships have never been before. As a result, since 2010 Chinese warships have been achieving a lot of firsts. For example, in 2013 Chinese warships were, for the first time, seen moving through the La Perouse Straits, which separates the Russian island of Sakhalin and the Japanese northernmost home island of Hokkaido. Chinese warships later, for the first time moved completely around the Japanese islands. In early 2014 Chinese warships were seen moving through the Sunda Strait (between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra) for the first time. Later in 2014, for the first time, a Chinese submarine passed through the Strait of Malacca and entered the Indian Ocean. That has happened several times since then, and one of the subs was nuclear powered. The Chinese subs showed up in Sri Lanka and as far west as the Persian Gulf. Apparently Chinese subs are going to visit the Indian Ocean on a regular basis from now on.

In 2013 Chinese warships visiting Chile and Argentina passed through the Strait of Magellan for the first time in history. At the same time a Chinese amphibious ship (a 19,000-ton LPD) with marines on board visited Syria. This was the first time a Chinese amphibious ship had visited the Mediterranean. China has three of these LPDs and another was recently launched. These LPDs have also been serving as part of the international anti-piracy task force off Somalia. Chinese warships were briefly seen off the African coast centuries ago, but in the last decade they have been their regularly operating off the Somali coast with the international anti-piracy patrol. Thats the first time Chinese warships have participated in this kind of long-term international effort.

There are so many naval firsts now because for most of Chinas history there was an attitude that there was really nothing useful beyond Chinese borders. Some ships were built for trade, but not on a large scale and never with a powerful navy to protect them. Then China began liberalizing and modernizing its economy in the 1980s, which led to lots of exports and even more imports of raw materials and items that China did not make. That justified a larger, sea going, navy. Chinas economic interests are now, for the first time, worldwide and so is its navy. As any naval historian can tell you, a navy becomes a serious force by keeping its ships at sea a lot. Thats how Britain won global naval dominance from the 18th through the early 20th century. That was how the United States took over that role by the mid-20th century and that is what may happen with China sometime in the 21st century.
Congress-led United Democratic Front in Kerala revoked its recent decision to keep off from public stirs against the state government considering the Covid-19 surge in the state.

Allegations from BJP camps of adjustment politics with the ruling CPM and resentment within the Congress for deciding to keep off from public stirs seem to have compelled the party to revoke the decision.

Congress leader M M Hassan, who was recently made the UDF convenor, announced on Sunday that protests against government by strictly following social distancing norms would be carried out. The first such protest will be on October 12 with five party workers staging a protest against the government at all constituencies across the state.

For latest updates on coronavirus outbreak, click here

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala announced the decision to keep off from public stirs last week close on the heels of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan accusing the opposition parties of triggering the Covid-19 spread by conducting stirs without following social distancing. Over 150 police personnel involved in dealing with violent protests and many activists also tested Covid positive.

But BJP state leadership had maintained that it would continue the stirs by following social distancing norms and also alleged that Congress and CPM were involved in adjustment politics in Kerala especially in view of their alliances at the national level. This triggered unrest with the Congress and senior leaders including Lok Sabha MP K Muraleedharan who openly flayed the decision to keep off from public stirs.
Near the end of a week in which he begged supporters to donate money to his campaign for a second time, embattled Senator Lindsey Graham took to the debate stage on Saturday to face his opponent in the race to represent South Carolina in the Senate.

Senator Graham is tied with Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison at 48 per cent each, according to the latest Quinnipiac University poll, in a race that has become unexpectedly competitive and could play a role in flipping control of the Senate.

Mr Harrison has seen a surge in donations since the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the incumbent Grahams u-turn on his previous pledge to not fill a Supreme Court vacancy in an election year.

Reportedly $9m was donated to the Democrat in the three days following Justice Ginsburgs death.

When the subject of the Court came up in the debate at Columbias Allen University, Mr Harrison said that listening to the senator flip-flop on the issue reminded him of playing Monopoly with his young son: He changes the rules every [chance] he gets.

Accusing the Senator of going back on his word on the issue to the American people and the people of South Carolina, Mr Harrison called it the greatest heresy you can do as a public servant is to betray the trust of the people.

Just be a man about it, he said, and stand up and say, You know what? I changed my mind. Im going to do something else. But dont go back and blame it on somebody else for a flip-flop that youre making yourself.

As the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Mr Graham is at the heart of efforts by the Trump administration to install Judge Amy Coney Barrett before election day, and certainly before inauguration day.

Senator Graham even referred to the appointment in a response about the coronavirus pandemic  a tactic he employed a number of times in what seemed to be a strategy of trying to scare the electorate away from Mr Harrison and the radical left.

At one point he ended a response about Covid-19 testing by warning that Democrats would introduce Medicare for All and pack the courts with liberal justices.

Mr Harrison retorted at one point: What we havent seen with Senator Graham and Senate Republicans is the same urgency to pass Covid relief like they are trying to ram through a Supreme Court nominee.

Earlier in the week on The Hannity Show , Senator Graham decried how the Democrats are going crazy raising money against the president, myself and directed viewers to his campaign site.

Urging donors to part with their cash, Mr Graham continued: "We're trying to get to the bottom of what happened with Russian collusion, and get Amy Barrett through Lindseygraham.com, help us all we need your help".

In the debate, he framed the tightness of the race and the money pouring into Mr Harrisons campaign as being about liberals hating my guts.

He added: The reason you are seeing the ads is they want to take me out.

Mr Graham has held the seat since 2003. In a response to a question about term limits for Congress, the incumbent senator responded: Ill leave that up to the voters. You can limit my term on November 3rd if you like.

The same Quinnipiac poll that had the Senate candidates tied put president Trump just one point ahead of Joe Biden at 48 per cent to 47 per cent.
The Pune police are on the lookout for five suspects while three others are in custody in the murder case of Shiv Sena youth wing leader Deepak Maratkar (36), who was stabbed to death in Budhwar peth.

The three people in police custody have been identified as Ashwini Kamble, Sunny Kolte, and Mahendra Saraf, according to the police.

Kamble and the deceased man had been involved in a feud since 2017 local elections when they were pitted against each other from their respective parties. Both of them lost the election that year.

Maratkar and Kamble had been at loggerheads ever since, according to the police.

There have been multiple cross complaints from both the sides, but all were non-cognisable cases. There have also been preventive actions against both of them, said Swapna Gore, deputy commissioner of police, Zone-1, Pune.

Saraf, who is a former Shiv Sena member, has had his own qualms with Maratkar since 1998, according to police.

Maratkar is the son of Vijay Maratkar, a two-time former corporator who recently passed away due to Covid-19.

Sunny Kolte is the partner of Kamble. He facilitated the union of mutual rivals of the deceased, Saraf and Kamble. He is also a suspect for arranging the hit. These three were the brains behind the planned attack, said senior police inspector Jagannath Kalaskar of Faraskhana police station.

A case under Sections 302 (murder), 201 (criminal conspiracy), and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of Arms Act has been registered at Faraskhana police station against eight people.
Caribbean

Caribbean leaders addressed virtually the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly for the first time.



Eight Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders, of 175 countries world-wide, spoke during last Mondays high-level meeting, marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations.



According to the UNs list of provisional speakers, the prime ministers of Barbados, the Bahamas, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Antigua and Barbuda spoke during Mondays High-Level Meeting.



Guyanas newly-installed President Mohamed Irfaan also delivered his maiden address to United Nations General Assembly, but he did so on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.



The UN General Assembly said its 75th Session, which began on Sept. 15, will be unlike any other in the organizations three quarters of a century of existence, due to the ongoing global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

This month, there will be no bumping into presidents or the occasional global celebrity in hectic and sometimes crushed corridors at UN Headquarters in New York, the UN said.



There will be no marveling at seemingly endless presidential motorcades on First Avenue (in New York) and no standing-room only moments in the gilded General Assembly Hall, as the organizations busiest time of the year is reimagined in the time of COVID-19, it added.



The UN said most leaders will not be appearing in person, and meetings will be conducted virtually.



But thats not to say that the wheels of global diplomacy and sustainable development will not be turning at the usual speed, it said.



The UN said the centerpiece of any new General Assembly is undoubtedly the General Debate.



Its a globally unique occasion at which presidents and heads of state (or sometimes their deputies or foreign ministers) take to the dais, and address a world audience on an issue of their choosing, it said. This year, because of the pandemic, world leaders will be staying away and have been invited to send in pre-recorded videos of their speeches which will be broadcast as live.



The UN said speeches are expected to be introduced by a New York-based representative of each state, who will be physically present.



However, any world leader has the right to turn up in person, to deliver his or her keynote address, an opportunity that at least one president seeking re-election this year, is reported to be mulling over, the UN said without identifying that president.



The UN said the decision to introduce pre-recorded videos to the High-Level General Debate, which takes place at the beginning of the 75th session of the General Assembly, was made by the UN body, using the novel silence procedure method.



Under this method, the UN said draft resolutions are circulated by the President of the General Assembly, which gives member states a deadline of at least 72 hours, to raise objections.



If there are no objections, the president circulates a letter, confirming that the resolution has been adopted, the UN said.



The United Nations was established in 1945 and has been marking its 75th anniversary with what the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called an extended peoples debate, which promises to be the largest and furthest-reaching global conversation ever on building the future we want.



The 75th session of the UN General Assembly opened last Tuesday with a moment of silence against the unprecedented backdrop of the COVID pandemic, as the new president told delegates that the coronavirus had driven home the value of multilateralism to address our collective challenges.



The context in which we are working, serves to remind us of the necessity of the multilateralism system, Volkan Bozkir told delegates sitting distanced apart in the gilded hall at New York headquarters.




President Donald Trump will stay at Walter Reed military hospital for an indefinite number of days, his doctor said on Saturday, undergoing a five-day antiviral drug regimen for COVID-19 that indicated his condition might be more serious than had been publicly disclosed. On Thursday, he received another therapy that is still in early phases of testing.

At a news conference on Saturday outside the medical center, Dr. Sean Conley, Trumps physician, painted a rosy picture of the presidents condition, saying he was doing well, fever-free and not in need of supplemental oxygen.

But immediately afterward, Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, contradicted that assessment and said Trumps vital signs in the last 48 hours were very concerning and that the next two days would be critical.

Medical experts who have been following the sketchy, conflicting details released by the White House and Walter Reed about the presidents condition were divided about the experimental treatments Trump, 74, has already received.

But they generally welcomed his close monitoring at the nations military medical complex, noting his risk factors  that hes an older man who is slightly obese  for developing a more serious form of the disease.

Transferring him to Walter Reed was the right thing, said Dr. Carlos del Rio, professor of medicine at Emory University in Atlanta. Because any of us who have seen patients with COVID, especially patients at his age, can say that one minute they seem fine and the next minute not.

The doctors at the news conference stressed the critical period of time  about 7 to 10 days after infection  when a patients condition can take a turn for the worse. Some people respond to an infection with an overly exuberant immune response that can worsen their illness and even prove fatal.

Infectious disease experts said it was hard to comment on Trumps condition or evaluate his treatment with the scant and contradictory information that had been released publicly, but some said they were worried.

This is a nightmare, said Dr. Jeremy Faust, an emergency medicine physician at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston. When we first learned about this disease, it was the patients who fit the presidents description who we were most worried about.

Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California in San Francisco, said he would be surprised if Trump were feeling better so quickly. What often happens, he said, is that a patient will be discharged from the hospital but a week later gets much worse and has to be readmitted.

What we call falling off a cliff is usually a week to 10 days into the course, he said.

The doctors at the news conference evaded questions about whether the president ever needed oxygen; would not say what his temperature or oxygenation levels had been in recent days; and offered up a confusing timeline for diagnosing his illness that conflicted with the 1 a.m. disclosure on Friday by Trump himself, about 36 hours before the news conference, that he had tested positive for the coronavirus.

Conley later issued a correction that concurred with the earlier White House statements.

It is a very weird situation, said Dr. Andre Kalil, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Nebraska. Is he being overtreated or undertreated? We dont know.

One of the therapies being given to Trump, a combination of monoclonal antibodies made by Regeneron, is in the earliest phase of testing, and there is only a recent news release from the company on its effectiveness. In one trial, the treatment is being given to recently exposed or infected people, especially those who may not be able to rouse a potent immune response on their own. By age and gender, Trump falls into the subgroup of people whose immune system may not be able to fend off the virus on its own.

Some experts are optimistic that the Regeneron drug works and support giving patients a therapy that directly attacks the virus. Monoclonal antibodies in general are pretty safe, experts said, and similar ones have been used to treat patients with HIV and Ebola.

Its a justified and minor risk, said John Moore, a virologist at Weill Cornell School of Medicine.

Other experts were skeptical.

In my mind these antibodies are experimental, said Kalil, a principal investigator for the federal study showing the other treatment, remdesivir, that is being given to Trump, sped recovery in hospitalized COVID patients.

I dont know how safe they are for the president, Kalil said. They should not be given outside of a clinical trial.

Remdesivir is the standard of care now for some COVID patients, so some participants in a Regeneron trial of hospitalized COVID patients are likely to have received both.

One salient piece of information is the oxygen levels in Trumps blood. Doctors said his level was 96% while walking around on Saturday morning. Normal pulse oximeter readings usually range from 95% to 100%. Values under 90% are considered low.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, chief of the division of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, said that although Trumps levels were not perfect, some older people with other medical conditions can have levels around 96% when they are walking around.

Oxygen levels are an important indicator of whether the disease is progressing to a severe phase.

Asked if Trump was receiving supplemental oxygen, Conley replied, He is not on oxygen right now, and, He has not needed any this morning, today, at all.

They were very adamant to tell you when he wasnt on oxygen, Walensky said. That implies he was on oxygen. Maybe he has severe enough symptoms to put him on oxygen, or maybe his oxygen levels dropped so much that they felt he needed oxygen. Or, she said, it could be that when they transported him, they just gave him a minimal amount of oxygen.

Its not helpful that he was evasive, she said, referring to Conley.

COVID-19 has two phases in those who become severely ill, said Dr. Robert Finberg, professor and chair of the department of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

First, the virus replicates, and then the immune system overreacts to the virus, creating a different sort of illness that can be hard to control. Chemicals released by white blood cells can result in severe inflammation of organs, especially the lungs and heart, a reaction that can be fatal.

Both monoclonal antibodies and remdesivir attack the virus, Finberg added, so it should be best to use them early on while the disease is still caused by the virus itself.

Trump took the first experimental therapy on Thursday  the Regeneron combination of two antibodies. Each of the antibodies is a powerful blocker of the virus in laboratory studies. Like all antibodies, these are proteins; one was isolated from a patient who recovered from COVID, and the other was made by Regeneron in a mouse with a human immune system.

Trump began taking the second drug, remdesivir, on Friday. It enters infected cells and blocks viral replication.

The Regeneron antibody treatment has not been approved, nor has it been given emergency approval use by the Food and Drug Administration, a designation that allows a company to sell a promising drug while it is still being tested. But patients can sometimes get experimental drugs from a company if a doctor requests them and the FDA and the company agrees. That is how Trump got the antibodies from Regeneron.

The company issued a news release last month citing preliminary data from a continuing study hinting that the drug might help people early on in the disease but also hinting that if it is not given early, before a patient develops antibodies, it is probably not worth giving, Walensky noted.

It is unclear how long Trump had been infected. The doctors would not disclose when he received his last negative test result; he attended a fundraiser on Thursday, although aides said he was showing some possible symptoms Wednesday and Thursday.

Gilead makes remdesivir, an antiviral drug that has an emergency approval from the FDA as a COVID therapy. The blood tests Conley mentioned are used to monitor remdesivir. Trump has had one infusion and will be getting a total of five, as is standard.

But what is not known is whether the combination of remdesivir and monoclonal antibodies is the best way to fight the virus.

That combination, said Dr. Michelle Prickett, a pulmonary and critical care specialist who has treated hundreds of COVID-19 patients at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, is uncharted territory.

Trumps doctor also indicated in a release that the president had been taking a combination of over-the-counter drugs: zinc, vitamin D and famotidine (or Pepcid)  a drug that blocks the production of stomach acid  as well as melatonin and aspirin.

Infectious disease experts looked askance.

Zinc, vitamin D and famotidine have been touted as helping fight the coronavirus, but the evidence is far from rigorous.

They are not helpful for COVID, Kalil said. And, he added, they could have interactions that make the disease worse.

There are drugs that could have harmful effects in COVID that are not harmful in other settings. I would suggest avoiding them.

Finberg agreed.

If it was me, I wouldnt take them, he said.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she hopes Donald Trumps battle with coronavirus will open his heart to the millions of families affected by the deadly disease across the US and inspire him to change course in his response to the pandemic.

Pelosi also urged the doctors treating the Trump to provide trustworthy information to the public about his battle, following a series of conflicting statements about the Commander-in-Chiefs condition.

Speaking Sunday on CBS Face the nation, the California Democrat reiterated that her prayers are with the president and the first lady, adding that she hopes it really will be a signal that we have to do better in preventing the spread of this virus.

So long as the president recovers, Pelosi said said the thing she's concerned about is what impact will it be on coming to the table with us and doing what we have to crush the virus, listen to science, have the public-private role that needs to be done to crush the virus.

I pray that in addition to his health that the president's heart will be opened to the millions of people who have been affected, hundreds of thousands of families who've suffered a death.

Scroll down for video

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she hopes Donald Trumps battle with coronavirus will open his heart to the millions of families affected by the deadly disease across the country and inspire him to change course in his response to the pandemic

Pelosi also urged the doctors treating the Trump to provide trustworthy information to the public about his battle, following a series of conflicting statements about the Commander-in-Chiefs condition (pictured right, the president's top doctor, Dr. Sean Conley)

Pelosi also urged Trumps doctors to be as transparent and as honest as possible when relaying information to the public about the presidents state of health and treatment, because maintaining trust is imperative.

We need to have trust that what theyre telling us about the presidents condition is real, Pelosi said.

She added shes worried that the information the doctors are currently relaying to the public has to be approved by the president. Thats not very scientific.

During a televised address Saturday, Trumps doctors offered a gleaming assessment of his conditions, saying he was doing very well and was in exceptionally good spirits.

However, within hours, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows painted a more somber picture, warning that the next two days will be 'critical.'

The president's vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning, and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care, Meadows told reporters. We're still not on a clear path to a full recovery.

Meadows later tried to retract his comments, telling Reuters: The president is doing very well. He is up and about and asking for documents to review.

Pelosis interview aired before the presidents medical team held another news conference at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Sunday, where hes still receiving treatment.

Pelosi says shes worried that the information the doctors are relaying to the public has to be approved by the president. Thats not very scientific.

The president's top doctor, Dr. Sean Conley, explained during the briefing that there was some confusion over Trump's condition because Chief of Staff Mark Meadow's comments were misrepresented.

'The Chief and I work side-by-side,' Conley said of Meadows. 'And I think his statement was misconstrued.'

'What he meant was that 24 hours ago, when he and I were checking on the president, that there was that momentary episode of a high fever. And that temporary drop in the saturation, which prompted us to act expediently to move him up here,' he said of the president's swift movement from the White House to Walter Reed on Friday.

'Fortunately that was a very transient, limited episode,' he continued in a briefing with some press outside the hospital center. 'A couple hours later he was back up, mild again. I'm not going to speculate what that limited episode was about so early in the course. But he's doing well.

Pressed about the conflicting information he and the White House released the day before, Navy Cmdr. Dr. Sean Conley acknowledged Sunday that he had tried to present a rosy description of the presidents condition. The doctor also said Trumps blood oxygen level dropped suddenly twice in recent days, but he has continued to improve since then.

No, @SpeakerPelosi tells @margbrennan when asked if she should quarantine, and iterates that she was tested recently.



She adds of #COVID19 testing capabilities on Capitol Hill: I think its better than whats at the White House. pic.twitter.com/VrB6goa08B  Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) October 4, 2020

As House Speaker, Pelosi is the second in line of presidential succession after Vice President Mike Pence. Both Pence and Pelosi tested negative for the virus this week, with Pelosi saying she plans to be testing regularly herein.

Pelosi added that though she, Pence, and Trump have access to excellent health care, minority communities and poor communities don't, and have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

Now [the virus has] even run free in the White House. Think of how it is in a poor neighborhood where the president is insisting that children actually go back to school in order to get the funding, she said on Face the Nation.

The Republicans in Congress and this president have been anti-science ... So if science says you should be testing, tracing, treating, mask-wearing, sanitation, separation and the rest, and you don't believe in science ... then you have more deaths, more spread of the virus ... They don't believe in science and they don't want to do anything about it, she added.

The president's doctors said Sunday that he could be discharged from Walter Reed as early as Monday as Trump's top physician detailed he was given a steroid and put on oxygen as a treatment.

Pelosi was also asked during her appearance on the show as to whether there should be a coronavirus testing regime for those who work on Capitol Hill, including members of Congress, staffers and other workers such as journalists, but she avoided the question.

Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would both be in charge over whether to either implement or block a testing regime.

They have prevented such a move thus far due to concerns about members of Congress getting preferential treatment compared to regular Americans.

Currently, only Capitol Hill workers with a medical reason to be tested  such as being exposed to someone who tested positive for the virus or having symptoms - are tested.

The president's doctors said Sunday that he could be discharged from Walter Reed as early as Monday as Trump's top physician detailed he was given a steroid and put on oxygen as a treatment.

'Our plan for today is to have him to eat and drink, be up out of bed as much as possible, to be mobile,' Dr. Brian Garibaldi, one of the doctor's on Trump's team, said. 'And if he continues to look and feel as well as he does today, our hope is that we can plan for a discharge as early as tomorrow to the White House where he can continue his treatment course.'

He also detailed that Trump would continue taking doses of Remdesivir, a broad-spectrum antiviral medication, and dexamethasone, a steroid, whether he remains at Walter Reed or is transferred to the White House.
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver.  2 Corinthians 9:7

Giving is not always easy, but God wants us to give and to do it happily. Why is God so concerned about how we feel when we hand over our resources?

What Does it Mean to Give Cheerfully?

An act done cheerfully is done with a happy heart. Usually, spending money isnt fun unless were buying chocolate or books, but sometimes we spend money for a purpose. We support worthy causes. We tithe to our churches. That feels good, right? Maybe you write a check, or perhaps you give food, clothes, time, or expertise.

Paul is telling believers at Corinth to give resources to the church; not with a bad temper but a genuine smile. Money, food, and other essentials were to be distributed by the church leadership where it was needed. Believers were told to do this to please God and serve each other. This act of generous obedience was supposed to feel good and bring joy.

Who Wrote This Encouragement for Generosity?

The Apostle Paul wrote 2 Corinthians. The Lord had graciously revealed himself in a special way, setting Paul on an anointed path. He possessed nothing except whatever he wore on his back and the sandals on his feet. People fed him and gave him somewhere to sleepor they didnt. He relied on the grace of God and the generosity of strangers.

Paul knew what luxury looked like from his time as a leading Pharisee; he also knew what it felt like to give up wealth and privilege. When he encouraged the church at Corinth (or any church for that matter) to do something, he had already set the example, both in deed and in heart.

Paul gave up every earthly thing to follow Christ, but he did so joyfully with his eye on a greater reward in heaven with Jesus. (Romans 5:13, Romans 8:18, Philippians 4:4)

The Context around 2 Corinthians

In 2 Corinthians, Paul wrote:

For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.  2 Cor. 1:5-7

He sets up the theme of sharing all things, whether emotional or physical. The church was created to share every burden and reward. Paul encouraged Christians to distribute everything they had amongst themselves so that no one went without physical, emotional, or spiritual support. Pauls letter followed the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. The purpose of this suffering, in Pauls words, was to learn to rely wholly on God who raises the dead. (1:5-9) God raised his Son from the dead; he can be trusted with their money.

Photo Credit: GettyImages/Fokusiert

5 Biblical Ideas for Cheerful Giving

Maybe you worship God but forget his power and trustworthiness. Or, perhaps the issue is plain greed and rebellion: you know what God wants from you and it feels like punishment.

Yet, because youre reading this, you must want to make a change. You want to learn how to give without grumbling.

Here are some ideas to help you open your wallet and your heart simultaneously.

1. Find out where the money goes. Talk to your pastor. Maybe youll feel better when you understand how much prayer has gone into the churchs financial decisions. Attend your annual general meeting (AGM) to learn more, and pay attention to regular reports about the impact of church spending within the body, in the local community, and globally.

2. Pray about giving. What does the Lord say to your heart personally about generosity vs. tight-fistedness? Consider keeping a journal in which you pray for wisdom and joy. Record the ways in which God answers these prayers. If your heart does not soften, ask yourself why and discuss the problem with a godly, trustworthy friend.

3. Remember what Jesus said. Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you. (Luke 6:38)

Pastor Joe McKeever writes, If youve received nothing, you are exempt from giving! in The 10 Best Reasons to Give Generously. As it happens, we have been given everything. Christ gave us eternal life. He gave us everything we need to live godly lives by his Spirit.

What dont we owe to him? Even the poor widow gave her tiny portion and Jesus approved her giving. He honored her for bringing her small gift, McKeever added. You will be honored by the Lord for giving what you can.

4. Imagine you are giving to Christ himself. When we give, the Lord takes it personally. We are handing it to Him, McKeever says. Tithes given to a responsible, Bible-believing church, are used for kingdom purposes; Christs purposes. They facilitate mission work domestically or abroad, or both.

Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.  Proverbs 19:17

Picture Jesus scarred hand outstretched, you putting your few dollars right into it. Suddenly, it seems like a really small thing to do in exchange for what he gave you. Isnt it amazing that he is willing to take so little in exchange for so much?

5. Realize that giving can be fun. McKeever says that giving money can be fun once you get the hang of it. You surprise yourself in the realization that giving money is far more fun than getting it. At first, youll be practicing and it wont feel good. Then one day something will change. You might witness the expression on someones face when he receives a kindness from you without knowing where it came from.

It might be the realization that your donation blessed someone to the point of joyful tears and even nudged that individual closer towards believing in Christ for salvation.

Wouldnt that be worth the expense?

Photo Credit: GettyImages/AaronAmat

4 Reasons Why God Loves Cheerful Giving

God isnt only testing our obedience. He has plans for our money, facilitated through wise administrators. We are invited to be part of those plans; and he wants us to give cheerfully for several reasons.

1. Loving Jesus. When we give cheerfully, we demonstrate that we love Jesus more than our money. Matthew 6:21 quotes Jesus saying wherever your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The honest answer to that question might send you to your knees in repentance, but thats a good thing. Ask God for more love, more faith, and he will help you to love your Messiah more than your money.

2. Releasing Bondage. When we give cheerfully, money doesnt have a hold over us. For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1) Does money mean too much to you? Christ is calling you to choose freedom in the Spirit.

3. Pleasing God. Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that it pleases God when we are faithful. In How Do I Become a More Cheerful Giver? Heather Adams writes, I need to believe that God's grace takes whatever I give and increases the blessing. A new level of joyful anticipation will result.

We need to expect God to multiply our gifts by making us more spiritually fruitful and increasing the usefulness of gifts in the way they are used. That takes faith because we dont always see the results directly.

4. Remaining Grateful. Giving to those less fortunate helps us to appreciate God's heart for the needy, and a desire for His people to join in the work according to Adams. If we cheerfully share what we have to alleviate financial pressure or support a cause that lines up with biblical principles, this should feel good. God wants our hearts to expand. This is a sign of fruitfulness: happy, cheerful generosity.

Our perspective changes and we realize that the earth is the Lords, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. (Psalm 24:1) Our money was never ours to begin with. As for neediness, God never wants us to forget that we need him even if we are relatively well off.

A Prayer to Give Cheerfully

Its not always easy to give, Lord. The more we have, the more we want, but it all belongs to you. Oh, Lord, help us to want to be generous: not merely because you command us to do so, but because it pleases us to obey you.

Father, enlarge our hearts; open our eyes to the needs of others; and show us how to be humble, to give without expectation of earthly reward, knowing that you will reward us in heaven.

Let me never forget that you have already rewarded me with your presence and have given the greatest and most sacrificial gift: your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Photo Credit: GettyImages/AndreyPopov

Candice Lucey is a freelance writer from British Columbia, Canada, where she lives with her family. Find out more about her here.

This article is part of our larger resource library of popular Bible verse phrases and quotes. We want to provide easy to read articles that answer your questions about the meaning, origin, and history of specific verses within Scripture's context. It is our hope that these will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of God's Word in relation to your life today.

"Be Still and Know that I Am God"

"Pray Without Ceasing"

"Fearfully and Wonderfully Made"

"All Things Work Together for Good"

"Do Not Fear"
Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi meet the family members of a 19-year-old Dalit woman who died after being allegedly raped two weeks ago, at Bulgadi village in Hathras.  PTI photo

After meeting the Hathras victim's family, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Saturday listed their demands which included a judicial inquiry through the Supreme Court and suspension of the district magistrate.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi met the family and declared that they will fight for ensuring justice to the Dalit woman who died after being allegedly gang-raped.

In a series of tweets, Priyanka Gandhi listed some of the demands and questions of the victim's family.

"Questions of Hathras victim's family -- 1. A judicial probe be conducted through the Supreme Court. 2. Hathras DM be suspended and not given a big post. Why our daughter's body was burnt using petrol without our permission.

"4. Why we are being repeatedly misled and threatened. 5. For humanity's sake, we brought 'chita se phool', but how do we believe that this dead body is that of our daughter?" Priyanka Gandhi tweeted in Hindi. In Hindu tradition bringing 'chita se phool' generally means collecting remains after cremation.

It is the right of this family to get answers to these questions and the UP government will have to give answers, the Congress general secretary in-charge UP said.

After meeting the victim's family, Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "I met the Hathras victim's family and understood their pain. I assured them that we are standing with them in this difficult time and will provide all help in getting justice for them."

"The UP government will not be able to act in an arbitrary way as the whole country is standing for ensuring justice to the daughter of the country," he said in the tweet in Hindi.

While heading to Hathras, high drama unfolded in the national capital. There was heavy police deployment on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border with barricades on Delhi-Noida Direct (DND) flyway and scores of policemen deployed.

As swarms of Congress workers and others jostled with each other amid loud honking, slogans and Congress flags fluttering in the air, the Gautam Buddh Nagar Police finally allowed five people, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, to go to Hathras.

Congress workers -- some who described what happened as "brutal repression" -- claimed police used batons to disperse the crowd.

A video also did the rounds on social media in which Priyanka Gandhi was seen coming to the rescue of party workers coming in between them and baton-armed police.

Several Congress leaders also slammed the UP government for showing disrespect to a woman and they tagged a photograph in which a policeman is purportedly seen grabbing Priyanka Gandhi's kurta.

There were also some posts on social media hitting out at the Congress over a video in which people were purportedly heard laughing in the car as Priyanka Gandhi drove a silver Innova with Rahul Gandhi by her side and some people on the back seat.

While several Congress MPs such as Shashi Tharoor, P L Punia, Partap Singh Bajwa, Deepender Hooda, as well as leaders like Jitin Prasada and Sushmita Dev reached the DND flyway, only a few proceeded beyond the border.

Earlier in the day, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged that the Yogi Adityanath government was threatening the family of the Hathras victim and asserted that such behaviour was not acceptable to the country.

She said the UP government is "morally corrupt".

"The victim did not get treatment, her complaint was not registered on time, her body was forcibly cremated, the family is in captivity, they are being suppressed -- now they are being threatened that they will have to undergo a narco test," she said in a tweet in Hindi.

"This behaviour is not acceptable to the country. Stop threatening the victim's family," she said.

On Thursday, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi along with several party leaders and workers were detained by the police and sent back to Delhi, after they tried to reach Hathras to meet the family of the Dalit woman.

In a tweet in Hindi in the morning using the hashtag 'Hathrashorror', Rahul Gandhi said the behaviour of the UP government and police with the woman and her family "is unacceptable to me. No Indian should accept this."

He asserted that "no power in the world can stop me from meeting this grieving family in Hathras and share their pain".

The 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped at a village in Hathras by four men on September 14. After her condition deteriorated, she was referred to the Delhi's Safdarjung hospital where she breathed her last on Tuesday.

She was cremated in the early hours of Wednesday, with her family alleging the local police forced them to conduct the last rites in the dead of the night.

Local police officers, however, had said the cremation was carried out "as per the wishes of the family".
The College of Cardinals can be considered one of the most exclusive clubs -- if not the most exclusive club -- in the world. The 200 men are curia officials, archbishops of major sees all over the globe and a few score of retired. There is an unwritten rule that they will not publicly criticize another cardinal, so observers have to read between the lines or perhaps just look at headlines to find out about some disagreements.

Back in April, New Yorks Cardinal Timothy Dolan spoke on a phone call with President Trump and an estimated 600 Catholics, among whom were bishops and Catholic school superintendents, according to The National Catholic Reporter.

Jamie Manson, the reporter, wrote that Dolan seems to like to boast about his relationship with Trump almost as much as Trump likes to boast about himself.

Trump claimed that his anti-abortion crusade has been at a level that no other president has seen before, according to everybody. He also hailed his own support for school choice and, specifically, for Catholic schools.

Dolan was attacked by many in the church for his indirect endorsement of Trump.

Last month, Newarks Cardinal Joseph Tobin spoke at a Boston College forum and said, I think that a person in good conscience could vote for Mr. Biden. In an NCR article, hes quoted: I, frankly, in my own way of thinking have a more difficult time with the other option, adding: I dont think that we can reduce (it), at least in the current panorama of issues, to how a candidate stands on a single issue. ... No political party represents fully the Catholic tradition.

He was attacked for what some viewed as an endorsement of Biden.

Two cardinals on either side of the Hudson reveal two sides of what Catholics are struggling with in the tumultuous presidential campaign. Catholics are considered a prized voting bloc as the largest religious denomination in the country.

In 2016, Hillary Clinton narrowly won the Catholic vote, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. Polls show that Biden will repeat that outcome, though with a greater margin.

Some perceive too many Catholic bishops as being in bed with the Republicans since Ronald Reagan was president and successfully peeled many blue-collar Democrats away to the GOP.

One of the fallacies, though, is seeing Catholics as cut from the same cloth. Not true.

There is a dichotomy in the church that lends itself to both major political parties. Many of the faithful like Trumps anti-abortion stands even though from the approach of a seamless garment, he is weak on pro-life matters across the spectrum from the womb to the tomb. Biden, on the other hand, a faithful Catholic who attends Mass regularly and carries his late son Beaus rosary beads with him all the time, is pro-choice, if not necessarily pro-abortion. But his stands on health care, the environment, womens rights and others are more fully pro-life.

Whats a Catholic to do?

The church equips its members to address political and social questions by helping them to develop a well-formed conscience, according to the U.S. Catholic Bishops 2020 Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, their updated quadrennial voting guide, which can be accessed at FaithfulCitizenship.org.

Its very strongly anti-abortion but it also treats many issues people face daily like health care, immigration and climate control. The bishops have issued many pastoral letters through the years, though their ideas rarely trickle down to the people in the pew.

On a whole, they square more with Bidens positions, which is what Tobin was hinting at.

Women religious tend to be on the more progressive side in the church and on these issues, as well.

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious based in Maryland has been advising their tens of thousands of members through a voters guide and other means found at lcwr.org/social-justice/pre-election-reflections.

On the national level, we are sending out weekly reflections on values of democracy as a way of preparing for the election, Sister Ann Marie Sanders, their communications director, said.

In reflecting on the matters Sisters or nuns are contemplating, Sanders shared: Whose voices are we including? Whose are missing from the table? Who else should be invited to the conversation?

A key concern, she said, is: What will help us center the human dignity of each person?

Tobin was also quoted in NCR as saying: Pope Francis, and like (his predecessor) Pope Benedict, places a great premium on the act of discernment, meaning that things are not immediately self-evident. He emphasized: I think that he would encourage people to make their political decisions in the light of their faith.

Catholics have a lot to digest.

Next week, we will look at major Christian denominations and the guidance given by other religious entities, as well.

The Rev. Alexander Santora is the pastor of Our Lady of Grace and St. Joseph, 400 Willow Ave., Hoboken, NJ 07030. Email: padrealex@yahoo.com; Twitter: @padrehoboken.

To learn more ...

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has information on "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship'' at FaithfulCitizenship.org.

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious offers a voters guide at lcwr.org/social-justice/pre-election-reflections.
The new batches of students of the six colleges under Gulf Medical University (GMU) owned and run by Thumbay Group, were welcomed into their healthcare professions through a white coat ceremony.

Organised by the University on October 1, 2020, the students received their first white coats as they participated in the time-honoured tradition, albeit a virtual one this year, in the wake of the global pandemic.

Dr Thumbay Moideen, Founder, President Board of Trustees, GMU was the chief guest of the ceremony. Prof Hossam Hamdy, the Chancellor of GMU presided. Also present at the ceremony organised at the University were Akbar Moideen Thumbay - Vice President of the Healthcare Division of Thumbay Group, as well as the Vice Chancellors and Deans of the University.

Welcoming the gathering, Prof Manda Venkatramana, Vice Chancellor Academics said that this year the new students numbered 510, representing 50 different nationalities. Those receiving their white coats were students in the first year of various programmes: Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences (BBMS), Associate Degree in Pre-Clinical Sciences (ADPCS), Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD), Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD), Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT), Bachelor of Science  Medical Laboratory Sciences (B.Sc. MLS), Bachelor of Science  Medical Imaging Sciences (B.Sc. MIS), Bachelor of Science - Anesthesia Technology (B.Sc. AT), Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management and Economics (B.Sc. HME).

Addressing the students, Prof Hamdy reminded them that they were making history as the class of 2020, starting their medical and health professions education in the midst of the catastrophic global viral pandemic, Covid-19.

Quoting the French philosopher Alain Badiou, he explained that Covid-19, as an event, had disrupted all aspects of our life, creating a new normal. The next few years at the University are not going to be easy for you. But is it easy to achieve something that is truly meaningful, he said, adding, There will be challenges, but there will also be rewards.

Prof Hamdy further reminded the students that the world around them was changing rapidly in terms of communication, travel, treating patients, use of technology etc. An important competency which will remain unchanged is the communication between human beings. The patients, the students, the healthcare providers and the medical educators are all humans. How to communicate, connect and interact and feel will play a key role in educating health professionals, he explained, adding that nurturing ethicality and trustworthiness would be part of their learning process at GMU.

Emphasising the importance of teamwork, Prof Hamdy said: Medical practice is no longer a case of a single doctor caring for his or her patients. You are part of a team, bringing in the expertise of a larger group of professionals, working within a healthcare system. Teamwork is the one of the important competency you have to acquire during your studies and beyond. At

GMU we have established, for the first time, the Centre for Interprofessional Education, Practice and research, the only one in the region.

He also elaborated on the cutting-edge technologies like 3D learning, Artificial Intelligence and the Distance Learning and Blended Learning methodologies, which are all part of the learning experience at GMU. We now have 27 accredited programmes imparted through the six colleges of GMU. Very soon, the University will have a PhD programme and residency programmes, he said.

Thanking Dr Thumbay Moideen the Founder for the vision, values, leadership, hard work and ethical values of GMU, Prof Hamdy stated that GMU now boasted unparalleled reputation in the region, attracting students from over 86 nationalities.

Selected representatives from the new batches of different programmes received their white coats from the chief guest as part of the ceremony, as their batch mates joined in virtually from different parts of the world, donning their white coats to take the first step in their journeys as healthcare professionals. -- Tradearabia News Service
The gurgling workings of the lower digestive tract may not be the first place you might think to look when hunting for a miracle cure for cognitive decline, but recent research suggests the bowel could be more linked to the brain than we might like to admit.

A new study suggests faecal transplants - the transfer of stool from a donor into the gastrointestinal tract of another person - could one day be used as a therapy to restore the mental capabilities of elderly people.

The technique is already recognised as a means of treating certain gastrointestinal infections and other conditions, with the introduction of the foreign faeces acting to repopulate the essential microbes in the gut.

But the new research indicates this process could also stimulate certain brain activity which affects learning and memory.

The team of researchers, from the University of East Anglia, the University of Florence and the Quadram Institute in Norwich found in a study on mice, faecal transplants from older mice to younger mice altered their gut microbiome, which in turn impacted their spatial learning and memory.

The team now hope that by reversing the process, medical science could one day see faecal transplantation being used to combat cognitive decline among the elderly.

Dr David Vauzour, from UEA's Norwich Medical School, said: Ageing is an inevitable process that starts immediately after birth and ultimately leads to physical health problems as well as a decline in psychological well-being and cognitive function.

Research has shown that the aging process may be linked with age-related changes in our gut microbiota.

Recently, the existence of two-way communication between the gut and the brain - known as the gut-brain axis - has emerged as an important player in shaping aspects of behaviour and cognitive function.

We wanted to see whether transferring gut microbes from older to younger mice could affect parts of the central nervous system associated with ageing.

The research team performed faecal transplants from older adult mice to younger adult mice and then assessed the young adults for markers such as anxiety, exploratory behaviour and memory.

After the transplantation, the team found significant differences in the young mices microbial profiles.

While the young adults showed no significant changes in markers of anxiety, explorative behaviour or locomotor activity, they did show impaired spatial learning and memory as measured in a maze test.

The scientists found these changes were paralleled by changes in the expression of proteins associated with synaptic plasticity and neuro transmission - both of which affect the nervous system, and there were also measurable alterations to cells in the hippocampus - the part of the brain - responsible for functions including learning and memory.

Dr Vauzour said: Our research shows that a faecal transplantation from an old donor to a young recipient causes an age-associated shift in the composition of gut microbiota.

The procedure had an impact on the expression of proteins involved in key functions of the hippocampus - an important part of the brain that has a vital role in a variety of functions including memory, learning but also in spatial navigation and emotional behaviour and mood.

In short, the young mice began to behave like older mice, in terms of their cognitive function.

Professor Claudio Nicoletti, from the University of Florence, Italy, said: While it remains to be seen whether transplantation from very young donors can restore cognitive function in aged recipients, the findings demonstrate that age-related shifts in the gut microbiome can alter components of the central nervous system.

This work highlights the importance of the gut-brain axis in ageing and provides a strong rationale to devise therapies aiming to restore a young-like microbiota to improve cognitive functions and quality of life in the elderly, he added.

Manipulating the microbiome is increasingly being seen as a way of improving or maintaining human health, and these results are an exciting indication of its potential for helping us age healthily, said Professor Arjan Narbad from the Quadram Institute.

We have established an FMT service on the Norwich Research Park to treat serious gut infections and now want to explore in humans its effectiveness in combating a number of age-related conditions, including cognitive decline.

The research is published in the journal Microbiome.
Minority investors have put Crown Resorts on notice they expect answers about James Packer's level of influence on the business along with improved legal compliance and possible board changes in light of evidence revealed at a public inquiry into the casino operator.

The NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Commission's inquiry into Crown has over the past fortnight examined what role the billionaire major shareholder and officers of his private company Consolidated Press Holdings (CPH) have had in running the ASX-listed Crown.

The Bergin inquiry has revealed the level of influence James Packer has over Crown's management. Credit:Joe Armao

That included how CPH executives could have contributed to Crown's failures in risk management and corporate governance that resulted in the arrest of 19 employees in China 2016; the forging of partnerships with organised crime-linked "junket" tour operators; and a deal to sell a fifth of Crown's shares to Melco Resorts which may have beached Crown's Sydney casino licence.

The billionaire Mr Packer, who owns 36 per cent of the shares in Crown, is scheduled to give evidence to the inquiry on Tuesday afternoon. The inquiry, overseen by former NSW supreme court judge Patricia Bergin, will recommend whether Crown should keep its NSW casino licence.
Chairman of the Forest Industries Association of Ghana Richard Nsenkyire says the Forest Plantation Development Fund Board has not lived to its responsibility to help plant more trees over the years.

He says the board has a mandate that could transform the countrys timber industry but it hasnt functioned as expected.

We have our own private plantations. And we know one of the functions of this fund is to allocate loans to plantation growers. We havent applied. I dont know which companies have applied. But all my members have not been able to access this fund. But we are the major contributors to this fund, Mr. Nsenkyire who is also Managing Director of Wood Processing Company Samartex explained.

Initially when the fund was set up, I thought it was a brilliant idea to make sure our resource base increases. Because eventually, for environmental purposes, most of these plantations cover most of our rivers. The headwaters for environmental purpose, our off reserves, they are all getting depleted. So, I thought that most of this funding could go into plantation and re-afforestation. But I havent seen something like this, he added.

Parliament passed the Forest Plantation Development Fund Act in 2000, allowing for the establishment of the board to provide financial assistance for the development of forest plantation. Its funded with levies on air-dried and unprocessed timber exported from the country, which NGO Nature and Development Foundation estimates has generated more than 65 million Ghana cedis for the board.

A report published by the NGO claims the Forest Plantation Development Fund (FPDF) Board has been non-transparent in its activities. The timber industry was not formally aware of disbursements from the fund There is limited access to the fund by its intended beneficiaries (forest plantation developers), as well as weak participation of stakeholders in the governance of the Fund, the NDF report said.

The timber companies have no clue what the fund is doing. No one knows who the beneficiaries of the fund are. No one understands how the fund is distributed. No one understands which areas have been planted. So, as stakeholders in the forestry industry, it is worrying that a fund established for the purpose of replenishing forests and establishing areas, both for climate change (fight) and for fibre, we cant seem to find any evidence of its work, Director of Nature and Development Foundation (NDF) Mustapha Seidu noted.

The board should be reconstituted. Civil society should be added to the board We think the buck stops with the minister. In fact, the chief director is a board secretary and he reports to the minister. General oversight lies with parliament. Parliament should take interested in what the board has been doing, he added.

He says if the board operates appropriately, it will help create more jobs for young people. Every government is interested in establishing plantations. Also, the manifestos are talking about forestry for job creation. They are thinking of plantations. One of the sources of funding for establishing plantations should be the board. If it is well managed, industry will be ready to contribute more, Mr. Seidu said.

Then destruction of natural resources because we are not able to get enough wood from the forest will reduce completely. In fact, a lot of the timber companies will now be dependent on plantations instead of the natural forests. We are talking about illegal logging. If we had enough plantation materials, that will reduce. In fact, if we need to conserve biodiversity, he concluded.

Mr. Nsenkyire agrees. We want much more accountability from this fund. And the whole fund has to be restructured. There has to be ministerial oversight. They have to engage we the stakeholders more. I want to see an audited account of this fund. Their operational account, they have to make it public Because a lot of us are living on the side. We dont know what is going on with this fund. They have to be much more transparent because it is the industry which is putting in this more, he said.

This has got much more to do with the government. But Parliament too can summon the minister of finance. I want to see them step in to make sure that they at least regulate the fund so it becomes much more public, Mr. Nsenkyire said.

But the Forest Plantation Development Fund has denied claims there is no evidence of its work since establishment. The first board we were able to give out loans and grants to small scale farmers. You know the monies are not enough, so you cannot give much. We also gave out grants in form of cutlasses, wellington boot, all over Ghana, Alberta Essuman who is administrator at the fund explained.

Board chairman of the fund Nana Osei Barimah says timber exporting companies are only trying to avoid paying the levies. What actually is happening is that they want to see to it that maybe their monies are not being used properly and so the government should cease taking the levies from them. But that is not the issue, he said. The monies that come into the fund is dwindling.

So, it is difficult to make an impact if the whole fund is getting less than 10 million a whole year. How can it make an impact? It means you cant even assist farmers to develop more hectares. So their concern is neither here nor the levies, Nana Barimah added.
Royals are often expected to live at least some parts of their lives in the public eye. Prince Harry, for example, grew up with two famous parents and attracted attention from a young age.

However, earlier this year, Harry and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, decided to step down from being senior royals to pursue a more private existence. Despite their claims of wanting privacy, a critic thinks they actually are hungry for attention based on their recent behavior.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | Karwai Tang/WireImage

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have often insisted on privacy for their family

Before stepping down from their positions in the royal family, Harry and Meghan have shown signs of wanting more privacy for their family.

For example, after Meghan gave birth to their son, Archie, in May 2019, the couple decided to not follow the royal tradition of introducing their baby to the public outside the hospital. Instead, they released a few images of Archie two days later. When it came time for Archie to have his christening, Harry and Meghan also opted for a very private event. They also decided to not reveal who Archies godparents are.

Many people also believe privacy was a reason behind Meghan and Harrys decision to distance themselves from the royal family. Indeed, the Sussexes have been mostly keeping a low profile ever since they moved to California in March.

Critic says Harry and Meghan are actually hungry for attention

Prince Harry and Meghan have officially gone Hollywood.



Here's what we know about their massive @Netflix deal https://t.co/TFbTK9YWDm  Los Angeles Times (@latimes) September 2, 2020

RELATED: People Think Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Have Poor Negotiation Tactics

However, not everyone believes Harry and Meghan actually want a lot of privacy like they claimed. Writer Maureen Callahan noted that the couples actions have shown themselves as anything but people who crave privacy.

Callahan wrote in an article for NY Post, Its only been ten months since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced they were leaving the British royal family in search of privacy  yet they have never been so much in our faces.

According to Callahan, their desire for privacy does not add up, especially because Meghan reportedly wants to run for president and the Sussexes are constantly filming videos to release to people.

Callahan also brought up the book Finding Freedom by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, which details Harry and Meghans life together. The couple has vehemently denied any involvement in the book, but many onlookers believe they cooperated with the author in one way or another.

Callahan said that Harry and Meghan often are peddling the line that they just want to be private philanthropists, but it seems they might actually want some life in the spotlight after all.

A royal expert claimed Harry and Meghan do not want a totally private life

RELATED: Prince Harry Wants to Make a Film Addressing Conspiracy Theories About Princess Diana, Report Claims

Meanwhile, royal expert Victoria Murphy once noted that the idea that Harry and Meghan want a totally private life is wrong. Rather, Murphy said the couple simply wants to have more control over their work.

They have stepped back not in search of a totally private life (as some erroneously claim they wanted) but for a different kind of public life. A public life where they can have more control over who gets access to them and what they spend their time on, Murphy wrote in an article for Town & Country in July.
Firefighters held the line or made progress on wildfires around the state this weekend, even as warm, dry and windy conditions in some areas presented challenges.

Low humidity helped the Beachie Creek fire in Marion County flare up in areas inside the perimeter Saturday afternoon, according to fire officials. Helicopters quickly dropped water on those spots, with a total of 100,000 gallons dropped Saturday.

Substantial numbers of people have been violating closures around the states largest wildfire, the Lionshead, which prompted fire officials to remind people on Sunday that it is dangerous to enter the area and they could be fined up to $5,000 and sentenced to up to six months in jail.

Illegally entering the fire closure area puts motorists at risk of accidents or injuries from falling trees or fire burning across a roadway, in addition to accidents involving engines, equipment or other fire-related vehicles, fire officials said in a news release. If firefighters have to tend to people who become injured, it takes them away from ongoing firefighting work.

A majority of people violating the closure have done so along Oregon 46 between Detroit and Breitenbush Hot Springs, where trees have fallen on the highway and more are at risk of falling, and on Forest Roads 2231, 2233 and 4693 where officials say the fire is still active.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Peter Gaynor also traveled to Oregon over the weekend to visit areas damaged by the wildfires and meet with the states congressional delegation, governor and other state officials, according to the governors office.

Heres what we know Sunday:

Lionshead fire:

Oregons largest wildfire has burned 204,385 acres as of Sunday morning and is 45% contained. Weather in the fire area is expected to be warm and windy today: a high of 70 degrees with wind gusts up to 23 mph, which is much higher than in recent days, according to fire officials. A Level 3 evacuation is still in place for Breitenbush Hot Springs and lower level orders to be ready to leave remain in place for areas including Detroit and Idanha.

Beachie Creek fire:

The second largest fire in the state stood at 193,282 acres and was 59% contained. There were

181 personnel working on it as of Sunday. Some areas on the east side of the fire remain under orders to be prepared to evacuate.

Holiday Farm fire:

The fire east of Springfield has burned 173,094 acres and is 75% contained, according to a report on the interagency wildfire site InciWeb. Parts of the fire grew more active over the weekend, which was expected given the forecast for warm, dry weather. There are no evacuation orders.

Riverside fire:

Oregons fourth largest wildfire has burned 138,085 acres in Clackamas County and is 54% contained. There are 445 personnel working on the fire, according to fire officials. There are no evacuations in effect on this Clackamas County wildfire.

Archie Creek fire:

This fire east of Roseburg has burned 131,542 acres and is 86% contained, according to a news release from multiple agencies and the incident management team working on it. There are currently 605 personnel assigned to the fire and residents in an area along Oregon 138 are still on notice that fire danger remains and they should be ready to evacuate.

Thielsen fire:

This fire, located five miles north of Crater Lake near Diamond Lake Resort, has burned 9,975 acres and is 71% contained. There are 192 people currently assigned to work on the fire and there is an order in place for people to be ready to evacuate in case conditions change.

-- Hillary Borrud: hborrud@oregonian.com; @hborrud

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Malone Mullin/CBC

Smoldering outrage a week after the mistrial of police officer Doug Snelgrove has advocates demanding change in Newfoundland and Labrador courtrooms.

Last Friday, after the second attempt at a trial ended without a verdict for Snelgrove  who's accused of sexually assaulting an intoxicated woman while he was on duty in 2014  protesters and women's rights activists began calling for a kinder justice system, one that factors the distress of complainants enduring trials into its decisions.

Those requests are currently being heard in Ottawa.

"In the wake of the #MeToo movement that we've seen over the past three or four years, people are really understanding the need to make the justice system more hospitable and open and welcoming and transparent for people who are survivors of sexual assault," said Arif Virani, MP for the Toronto riding of Parkdale.

Virani is one of the main advocates for legislation tabled in the House of Commons last week. Bill C-3, an Act to amend the Judge's Act, would explicitly require any judicial applicant to take specific training in sexual assault and consent.

Both of Snelgrove's trials so far have been thrown out due to errors made on the bench. Snelgrove was found not guilty in the first trial, but that result was dismissed on appeal because the trial judge had not instructed jurors to consider that Snelgrove may have induced consent through his position of authority as a constable.

In the latest trial, the judge should have dismissed the additional jurors through a lottery system. Instead, he dismissed the last two jurors to be sworn in.

As a result of those errors, advocates have questioned how much importance those in the legal system place on complainants and their wellbeing during a trial.

"The courtroom environment is not a hospitable environment, regardless of the type of case," Virani said in a phone interview.

"It is adversarial. It can be sometimes quite aggressive."

Story continues

Those traits are required for the exercise of truth-seeking, he said. But as a consequence, they may re-traumatize survivors and deter some from wanting to engage in court procedures.

"That doesn't necessarily make it an inviting place for people that come forward with complaints of any kind. If you throw sexual assault into the mix, something that is very indecent, very tragic, [and] already by definition victimizes the person ... it makes for, oftentimes, a very unpleasant experience."

Defense counsel Randy Piercey, in his closing argument for Snelgrove's re-trial, suggested the complainant had retained a civil litigation lawyer to go after the accused for financial gain, and tried to diminish her credibility by appealing to the jurors' "common sense," claiming people do not attain her testified level of drunkenness from five coolers.

Providing training for judges

While Bill C-3 emphasizes the rights of survivors, some of its contents already exist in Canada.

Federally-appointed judges  including those in the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador  can already access training on sexual assault, and are required to devote 10 days a year to sharpening their general education.

Each judge is responsible for their own training through the Canadian Judicial Council.

The council told CBC News that new judges have been required to take social context and sex assault training since 2004, and regularly receive refreshers in jury instructions to reduce errors.

Despite the ongoing education, judges still make mistakes, at which point either a trial must be thrown out or an appeal may be launched.

"The appeal process is the proper venue for addressing those errors of law," the spokesperson said.

Federally-appointed judges aren't generally removed from the bench for making mistakes when they apply the law. That would require a vote in both the Senate and the House of Commons.

They also need to preserve their independence and maintain the fundamental principle of justice: the right of the accused to a fair trial. That means, necessarily, following the rules of court proceedings to the letter.

Taking complaints seriously

Legal experts have told CBC that randomizing the jury is essential to that premise, and that the jury in Snelgrove's re-trial had been compromised by the error, leaving the justice little choice but to call a mistrial. It's not clear whether any additional sexual assault training could have altered the outcome.

Virani says Bill C-3 isn't meant to enforce a doctrine on justices or change the principles of law, but to show survivors that courts will take their complaints seriously.

"One of the biggest issues of sexual assault is that there's a vast amount of underreporting," Virani said.

"If we can improve both the appearance and the reality of that environment, and people understand that they will receive an objective and fair hearing from people that are fully conversant in the most recent status of the law  that can help to encourage people to come forward with what they believe is a valid claim."

Of every 1,000 sexual assaults in Canada each year, the vast majority of which are not reported to police, only six are prosecuted, according to data from a 2012 University of Ottawa study.

"If people aren't coming forward," Virani said, "then one, we don't know the nature of the problem, the true scope of the problem. And secondly, we're not actually providing justice and a remedy for people that deserve one."

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
How did a notorious killer who confessed to murdering about three dozen people while working for Mexican drug cartels wind up facing murder charges in Lawrence County, Alabama?

Thats a story thats told in a recent episode of a podcast, recounting the story of California contract killer Jose Manuel Martinez.

Martinez in 2014 pleaded guilty to killing Jose Ruiz in rural Lawrence County, Alabama. But before that, he confessed to killing about three dozen others. His confessions, which came during a 2013 interrogation with Lawrence County Chief Investigator Tim McWhorter, thrust Martinez into national headlines. After pleading guilty in Alabama for the Ruiz killing, Martinez also pleaded guilty to nine killings in California.

Martinez also has confessed to crimes in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Missouri, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Arkansas and Oklahoma.

On a recent episode of the How To! podcast, Jessica Garrison, BuzzFeed News senior editor of investigations and author of the book The Devils Harvest, reveals what she learned from recounting Martinezs story.

In an interview with Slate, Garrison recounts how Martinez, a brutal killer, allowed his granddaughters to put avocado on his face and give him a facial, and bought a cake to celebrate a child winning a school competition. Visiting Alabama in 2013, he volunteered to help someone with debt collection as way of learning more about his daughters boyfriend.

So (Martinez) gets in a car with the guy and he asks him, What do you think about the boyfriend? Garrison recounted. And the guy made a terrible mistake. What he said was, Oh, yeah, the boyfriends OK. But that blank hes with, I really dont like her. He was talking about Martinezs daughter. And so Jose Martinez killed him.

How was Martinez able to get away with it? Garrison said the answer shows not only the gaps in our criminal justice system, but a facet of the nations current obsession with true crime stories.

If you want to get away with murder, kill someone with no power because there just will not be that much pressure to bring you to justice, she said.

You can listen to the podcast here.
The following press statement issued by the Brandix Lanka Limited

Brandix has detected that an apparel worker in its manufacturing facility in Minuwangoda is COVID-19 positive. The rigorous protocol implemented across Brandix, and the immediate response and support received from the PHI and relevant health authorities of Sri Lanka enabled the early detection of the patient, ensuring her timely transfer to IDH for immediate treatment and mitigation of any further spread of the virus.

We continue to assist the relevant authorities, seeking their counsel and extending our utmost co-operation throughout the process. All necessary measures to ensure complete containment of the virus have been implemented with immediate effect, including the rigorous disinfection of the affected work site. The 45 other workers of the facility that had come into contact with the patient have been quarantined immediately with their families and will undergo PCR testing for further measure.

We are grateful to the relevant authorities for their speedy response and the continued support extended during this time. We will continue to practice our stringent measures in consultation with the health authorities, keeping the safety and well-being of our employees and their communities as our utmost priority.
This is where Wednesday's sensational testimony came into play  the anonymous Spanish witnesses claim their employer, David Morales, agreed to bug Assange on behalf of the CIA. Jennifer Robinson, the Australian human rights lawyer who has represented Assange since WikiLeaks rocked the US government by publishing its cache of military and diplomatic cables, herself gave evidence claiming a Trump associate offered a pardon to Assange. In return, Assange was to reveal the source of the Democratic National Convention emails that WikiLeaks published in 2016, to the benefit of Trump's campaign. He refused. At the heart of the case made at the Old Bailey courtroom in London is the long-debated question: is Assange a journalist? Setting the record straight As Robinson sees it, much of the testimony has been about "setting the historical record straight".

It is little known but it was not, in fact, WikiLeaks that first dumped the unredacted cables online but a leaker website that inspired WikiLeaks  Cryptome. Cryptome had detected the password for the files in the book published by The Guardian journalists Luke Harding and David Leigh and, on September 1, 2011, dumped the documents online without any redactions. "Since my publication on Cryptome.org of the unredacted diplomatic cables, no US law enforcement authority has notified me that this publication of the cables is illegal, consists or contributes to a crime in any way, nor have they asked for them to be removed," Cryptome's founder, John Young, told the court in a written statement. In contrast, the US Department of Justice has charged Assange with 17 offences under the Espionage Act and one of computer intrusion. "The only reason that material then became available online is because of the breach of security by The Guardian in publishing an encrypted password in a publicly available book  The Guardian does bear responsibility for that security breach," Robinson says.

Loading The Guardian editor at the time, Alan Rusbridger, says, "There was no impulsion on him [Assange] to publish all those files. "He could have rung up and said 'there's been a terrible mistake, this thing that you thought was live for only a few hours, it's still there and we've got to contain this.' "He didn't. His response was, 'Well, let's double down and throw it all out there.' So my view hasn't changed on that," Rusbridger said, pointing to the statement that The Guardian, and the other media partners, The New York Times, El Pais, Der Spiegel and Le Monde issued at the time condemning the dump of the documents. This perhaps explains why Rusbridger has not been summoned by Assange's legal team to the Old Bailey.

But it is a defence Rusbridger would give  he is adamant Assange should not be extradited and that he was behaving as a journalist when he urged former US soldier Chelsea Manning to continue supplying him with more classified documents, also helping her cover her electronic tracks. "That could look like source protection," Rusbridger says. But Rusbridger says hacking  which is central to the US's charges against Assange and its case that he crossed a line a journalist wouldn't  was not a legitimate method of obtaining information. "In general, no, you absolutely shouldn't hack and you shouldn't break the law." Rusbridger did ask how Assange had obtained the classified documents.

"He never went into much detail for reasons that I completely understood, he presented it of course, as a whistleblower case rather than a hacking case. It's a situation many editors have to face, that sometimes you are in possession of material of which you have to put aside the source's motives." Hacking and the lack of redactions are clearly Assange's biggest vulnerabilities, evidenced by the prosecution's relentless focus on the two elements. Under cross-examination, even media experts called by Assange's team have conceded that the documents should not have been dumped on the internet unredacted, given the risk they posed to the human intelligence sources, many of whom were identified in the cables as informing on their repressive governments. But it's a risk that Robinson says has not been borne out: "What's been clear is that the United States government has no evidence of any harm, that Julian had not recklessly put lives at risk." Where is the media?

When they're not berating the media and attacking journalists for failing to report on Assange with the full-throated devotion a cult member might display, Assange's disciples are bemoaning the fact there is so little coverage for them to critique at all. They have a point if the implications for media freedom are as extensive as touted. Only a few outlets, including this masthead, have maintained daily monitoring of the four-week extradition hearing. Some of the most detailed recaps have been provided by supportive bloggers, including Sydney-based former SBS presenter Mary Kostakidis. Kostakidis, who visited Assange in Belmarsh Prison last year, has stayed up every night to live-tweet the hearing she watches via videolink. "You have to wonder the extent to which we have forfeited our humanity and vigilance of our freedoms when there is so little media coverage of this historic trial," Kostakidis says.

Assange, a one-time chat-show host on Russian state-owned television network Russia Today and publisher of the DNC emails that US intelligence agencies have said were stolen by Russian hackers, has lost many friends since the near-universal praise he received for exposing the "Collateral Murder" video. It showed Iraqi civilians, including two Reuters journalists, being killed by laughing US aircrew during an air strike in 2007. It is as much a rejection of his methods as it is of the man himself. A frame from the "Collateral Murder" video published by WikiLeaks. Credit:Screengrab Rusbridger says, "They [the mainstream media] generally don't think of him as a journalist so they don't think that the way he is being treated has any implications for them. "They don't like him for good or bad reasons so they don't feel much sympathy for him."

John Shipton, Assange's 79-year-old father, says journalists should be alarmed by what the potential extradition of his son from Britain to the US could mean for any reporter. "They can be plucked and torn from their homes and taken to a dungeon," Shipton says. Rusbridger agrees. "Assange is an Australian citizen being arraigned in a second country  the UK  by a third country  the US  for [allegedly] breaching the official secrets laws of the US. "Now there are lots of journalists in Australia or America or Britain who might be writing about official secrets in Israel or India or Russia or China or Saudi Arabia and so, all the time, journalists are breaking the laws of other countries relating to national security. "So if journalists can't see that, that alone is a massive precedent, then I think they're not paying close enough attention."

Assange's team is still holding out hope for an intervention from the Australian, British or even a Biden US administration. But is that hope futile? Sajid Javid signed off on the extradition request as British home secretary and his successor, Priti Patel, hails from the populist Brexiteer, right-wing of the Conservative Party with more hawkish views on national security than her predecessor. Julian Assange's father John Shipton with Chinese contemporary artist and activist Ai Weiwei, outside the Old Bailey in London. Credit:AP Shipton is sceptical about what a Biden administration might deliver, given Assange's role in email leaks which impacted Hillary Clinton and benefited Trump and, arguably, Russia.

"These two parties, they're going at each other hammer and tongs. They just want power, so their considerations are entirely about how to get power in the United States and how to ruin their enemies  I don't think Julian is on their minds at the moment," he says. "Julian's matter is institutional momentum from [US Secretary of State] Mike Pompeo and the CIA who want to ruin Julian." But Robinson says the responsibility ultimately lies with Prime Minister Scott Morrison. "He is an Australian citizen, he deserves the support of his government and really, it is the Australian government who ought to be raising concerns about him and doing what they can to have him released and brought home to Australia," she says. The Prime Minister's office did not respond to requests for comment.

Assange hasn't stepped foot in Australia for years but his fiancee is trying to gain citizenship for their two children  Max, 18 months, and Gabriel, 3. Shipton sees his "child" returning to Melbourne. "Let's bring him home, he's one of us, he's done a good job. "I just want Julian to come and sit in one of those cafes in Lygon Street [Melbourne] and have a cup of coffee and watch the girls go by. That would be nice."
Health advocates at a virtually held nutrition conference on Friday agreed that the campaign towards ending Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in Nigeria more than ever before needs proper, accurate and balanced reporting of critical issues hampering progress.

The conference was organised by the International Society for Media in Public Health (ISMPH)  an organisation galvanising critical reporting of health-related issues especially those affecting children.

There are staggering health indices suggesting that the COVID-19 pandemic is threatening several health targets including ending the scourge of acute malnutrition.

For instance, PREMIUM TIMES reported how a lot of Nigerian women missed out on exclusive breastfeeding, especially due to misinformation about the nature of the disease and what needs to be done to avoid it.

During the lockdown, breastfeeding counselling programmes were suspended in hospitals, putting a strain on Nigerias target of using exclusive breastfeeding to tackle malnutrition in children under five.

It is hard to separate the truth from falsehood without proper medical counsel and hands-on media fact checks, as COVID-19 has brought with it a wave of rumours, mixed messages, and deliberate misinformation across Nigeria.

This is why a stronger sense of advocacy journalism is necessary. Achieving development outcomes call for a commitment to advocacy and an activist mindset by the media professionals, said Adebayor Fayoyin, a public health advocate.

This calls for media professionals who will use their platforms and skills to promote health and nutrition outcomes, Mr Fayoyin, a professor of mass communication at Caleb University in Lagos noted.

Budgetary cuts

The conference came on the back of advocacy against budgetary cuts of funds for nutrition.

Nutrition experts have been calling on the federal government to return the about N800 million budgetary allocation for Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), removed from the 2020 budget.

They attributed the continued grim statistics of malnutrition in Nigeria to the governments lack of a specific budget for nutrition and strategic plan of action.

SAM or extremely low weight-for-height, is estimated to affect about 2.5 million children under age five in Nigeria every year, contributing to as many as 400,000 deaths annually.

The development of SAM in infants under six months of age commonly reflects sub-optimal feeding practices, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

The latest cuts in the 2020 budget for RUTF builds on those of previous years mirrored in a 2018 report by the International Center for Investigative Reporting. Since 2017, the government has been slashing funds for this nutritional programme designed to save thousands of lives.

The World Bank had estimated that Nigeria would have to spend N301 billion annually to combat malnutrition effectively.

RUTF can effectively treat children with SAM at the community level with a 95 per cent cure rate, according to the UN childrens fund, UNICEF.

Role of Journalism

Brave, critical, and balanced reporting will generate conversations capable of putting the government under pressure to stop the budget cuts and release withheld funds, says Moji Makajuonla, the ISMPH executive director.

Good journalism backed with research can help in countering several false information spreading especially during this COVID-19 era.

In his presentation, the country director, Network for Health Equity and Development, Emanuel Sokpo, explained how increased awareness among media practitioners and civil societies can boost the knowledge and perception of malnutrition across the country.

The president, Association of Nigeria Health Journalists, Malam Hassan Zaggi, said the association is committed to supporting the SAM consortium to achieve its objective of reducing child malnutrition to the barest minimum in the country.

He noted that an ingenious investment model for nutrition that will be attractive to the private sector, which was put in place by the government, is yet to make any impact. He called for more reporting in that area.

Media organisations must commit to strengthening health and development coverage for the life cycle of the Sustainable Development Goals, and the national health development agenda, Mr Fayoyin, who spoke earlier, said.

Recommendations

After the conference, the following five recommendations were made:

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1. There is a need for a mix of financing mechanisms for nutrition. Country ownership and use of domestic resources for nutrition is necessary for sustained action and improved nutrition outcomes. Governments at the national and subnational levels should prioritize nutrition in their budgets by ensuring adequate appropriation, timely releases, and efficient utilization of funds. budgetary allocations while exploring innovative options of supplementing financing for nutrition.

2. Government should explore innovative options for financing nutrition. Innovative financing can be used to improve what is already existing, such as the Basic Health Care Provision Fund as well as national and state health insurance schemes. Other options that may be explored include: nutrition impact bonds, sin taxes on commodities such as alcohol and tobacco, voluntary contributions, and solidarity e.g. private sector contribution as part of their corporate social responsibility, financial transaction tax e.g. diaspora funds, airport tickets

3. The private sector should be encouraged to supplement and reinforce public investments in nutrition. The private sector can invest in infrastructure, nutrition commodities, training of health workers, food fortification and supply chains.

4. There is a need for extensive legislative oversight to ensure adequate appropriation for nutrition, equitable, efficient and judicious use of funds, accountability, and transparency.

5. Government should ensure a robust governance structure for nutrition which should include coherent policies, oversight and accountability mechanisms at all levels, improved intra and multisectoral collaboration, and feedback (citizens voice).
French, who is 47 and has dual American and Italian citizenship, traces her comfort with ambiguity to her nomadic upbringing. Born in Vermont, she grew up on several continents, as her family moved around for her fathers job as a developmental economist  to Florence, Italy; then Washington, D.C.; then Lilongwe, Malawi; then Rome.

Relocating so frequently made her a keen observer of cultural subtleties. Every couple of years you had to start over, trying to decode a new place, she said. Reordering yourself was part of my childhood. It shows up a lot in what I do. Shes lived in Dublin, where she went to Trinity College, since 1990.

French didnt start writing seriously until she was 30. For years, she worked as an actor, a career that felt natural for someone who was used to instability.

In 2002, when she was between jobs and found work on an archaeological dig near a forest, a dark thought lodged in her brain: She imagined what would happen if a group of children went into the woods to play, and only one came out. She jotted the idea down on a phone bill but didnt start writing until a year later.

It turned into her first novel, In the Woods, which featured Rob Ryan, a detective whose investigation into a girls murder takes him back to the same woods where, as a boy, he witnessed a crime so horrific that he blocked it from his memory.

When she submitted the manuscript to publishers, French was so broke that she struggled to pay her electricity bill. A publisher offered her an advance of around 15,000 (about $20,000) for world publication rights, but she held out and got a better offer, according to her agent, Darley Anderson, who sold the book to the British publisher Hodder & Stoughton for 10 times that initial offer in a two-book deal.

Im probably the only person who went into writing for the job security, French said. This felt so stable and so secure and so lovely.
After being flooded with complaints of a shortage of high-security registration plates (HSRPs) with automobile dealers despite vehicle owners being given appointments for its collection, the Delhi government on Sunday said it will fix accountability and streamline the process by roping in Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), a national body representing vehicle manufacturers.

We have received a lot of negative feedback from vehicle owners who claim they were given appointments but not given the high-security number plates by dealers when they landed up at their outlets. Clearly, there seems to be some lack of coordination between the OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] and dealers, which is resulting in the mismanagement, Delhi transport minister Kailash Gahlot said.

To resolve these issues, Gahlot said he has convened a high-level meeting on Tuesday, which is to be attended by automobile OEMs and HSRP manufacturers.

Members of SIAM will also attend the meeting, as the plan is to hand over the task of coordination between the OEMs and the dealers to the organisation. A system will be worked on where dealers will have to inform the vehicle owner through a text message or phone call in case the HSRP is not ready at the time the appointment has been fixed, the minister said.

Over the past one week, scores of vehicle owners in Delhi have faced a harrowing time in getting HSRPs affixed in their two-wheelers and cars. The problem persisted on Sunday as well with people complaining that even after a wait of over one hour at the dealers outlet, they had to return without the new number plates.

Dilkhush Nandi, an IT professional living in Kalindi Kunj, blamed HSRP manufacturer Rosmerta Safety Systems Private Limited for the mismanagement.

Rosmerta is making a fool of people. They are giving out appointment slots, but not handing over the number plates to the dealers. Even their helpline doesnt work. Accountability should be fixed and the defaulting company should be penalised, he said.

Another vehicle owner said the website for HSRP bookings was not accepting his cars registration number.

Mahesh Malhotra, a senior official with Rosmerta Safety Systems Private Limited, however, denied these allegations. There were some teething issues that people faced when the process started five days after the transport department issued the public notice on September 22. But it has been streamlined now. If there are any more complaints, we will look into them, but the problem should mostly be at the dealers end, he said.

My car has a high security number plate installed since I purchased it in 2017. So, I tried to book the sticker only option from the website using my current HSRP number plate. The website said these numbers did not exist, forcing me to book for a new plate again. This has been faced by other users as well. Either Rosmerta, or the transport authorities have not linked them to earn Rs 500 more per driver or the HSRPs issued previously were all fake, said a car owner who did not wish to be named.

Another vehicle owner, S Kapur, said those who own Chevrolet or Hindustan Motors (HM) vehicles have been left in the lurch, because there are no dealers to offer HSRPs to them, since the companies have wound up operations.

Chevrolet-make cars have been completely kept out of this system. Even the website does not give an option for these brands on the home page. Rosmertas helpline does not work and no dealer is willing to give me a HSRP, Kapur said.

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A tradie who suddenly collapsed and became paralysed after suffering a headache on a family holiday won't be able to immediately have desperately needed brain surgery.

Rob Turner, 37, complained of 'severe pain in his head' while on a car trip with his wife Gabrielle and children Estelle, Frankie and Otis in Karumba in North Queensland on Thursday.

The father-of-three got out of his car and collapsed in front of his family before becoming paralysed.

He was airlifted to intensive care in Townsville Hospital where the family received earth-shattering news.

Rob Turner (pictured with wife Gabrielle and children Estelle, Frankie and Otis) collapsed and was paralysed while on holiday with his family in Queensland

Doctors revealed Mr Turner had a rare bleed on the brain and discovered an Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) - which disrupts normal blood flow and oxygen circulation - located deep in his brain.

But Mr Turner's devastated wife said doctors can't immediately perform brain surgery because it has been deemed too risky.

Ms Turner told Yahoo that doctors are now working to prevent another brain bleed so he can undergo surgery in Brisbane in months.

Mr Turner will instead begin speech and occupational therapy.

He is also expected to undergo up to 18 months of rehab and recovery.

'The last few days have changed the future of our family,' Ms Turner said.

'One thing that is certain is that we will never take another day for granted. It is overwhelming to think Rob has been a ticking time bomb since he was born and we didn't even know.'

Mr Turner runs a small carpentry business in the Atherton Tablelands near Cairns and is a popular figure in his local community.

His family have relocated to Townsville to be by his side after the incident and are facing financial struggles now Mr Turner cannot work.

Mr Turner (pictured with daughters Estelle and Frankie) suffered a rare bleed on the brain and requires brain surgery with an indefinite amount of rehabilitation

Mr Turner won't be able to get brain surgery because it's considered too risky

The family have endured dramatic health struggles before, with eldest daughter Estelle having urgent open-heart surgery when she was just four-weeks-old.

A GoFundMe has been started to help the family pay for Mr Turner's medical bills and help with family costs.

'Rob is a fighter and his condition is slowly improving, but there is a long and uncertain road ahead,' an update from friend Caitlin Francis on the GoFundMe reads.

'It is not clear how long it will take for Rob to recover, or what this will look like.'

As of Sunday evening, more than $109,000 has been donated.

Mrs Turner said the community support the family had received had been incredible.

'Rob would be blown away if he knew how this has affected everyone,' she said.
(Newser)  Two college students are in the hospital after falling four stories from the rooftop deck of a building during a party in Philadelphia, reportedly while taking a selfie. One of the 19-year-old women is in critical condition, ABC News reports, while the other has leg and ankle injuries. The Temple University students were lying unconscious in the alleyway of an off-campus apartment building when they were taken to two different hospitals about 2am Saturday, per WTXF. Police, who are investigating, say they're not sure how the falls happened.

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The rooftop deck has a parapet wall and railings, per the management company, but a student who's been up there says he could see how an accident could happen. "If you're drinking and you run right into [the barrier], it's really easy to slip right off because it only comes to like a little halfway between your knee and hip." Last month, Temple suspended in-person classes because of the pandemic, but neighbors of the rowhouse said the parties have continued. One said students who party on the roofs "are still children at heart, and they have no fear." (One death reported to have happened during a selfie turned out to be more complicated.)
Weaken/remove encryption, and Facebook will instantly be branded Orwellian. Enforce encryption, and it becomes a lot harder to deal with bad actors on the platform. There are no winners here.

In case you are interested in technology policy, you might have heard rumours about Facebook trying to merge its services, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, for a few years now. The very idea of the move has proven to be controversial since its inception.

Earlier this week, Facebook allowed select users on Messenger and Instagram to message from one app to the other, and we got one of our first glimpses on what integration of Facebook platforms might look like.

As I hinted in the introduction, there is some historical context to this. The idea has been in the works for a few years now. The progress on this has also been chronicled well by Steven Levy in his book, Facebook: The Inside Story. It is an excellent read, but if you do not have the time, here is a short summary.

Facebook acquired Instagram and WhatsApp, promising the founders of both companies the freedom to build out the platforms the way they wanted. The arrangement worked fine for a few years, but then Facebook began to rein them in. Here is an excerpt from Levys book that explains how Zuckerberg thought about this:

Early on, Facebook was the main product and Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger were starting. It made sense to leave the founders alone and let them build their best products. That was incredibly successful, he says. And it made sense for the first five years. But now were at a point where all these products are big and important. I dont want to just build multiple versions of the same product. We should have a more coherent and integrated company strategy.

Once WhatsApp and Instagram (and Oculus) became sufficiently big, it was time to integrate these properties into the larger Facebook machine. A bunch of indications made the process feel more tangible, from the length of the bathroom doors in Facebook offices to the email IDs that employees from Instagram and WhatsApp used. It was no longer @instagram.com or @whatsapp.com; instead, they now read as @fb.com.

You could make the argument that integrating services has always been Facebooks plan from the very beginning. But the underlying assumption, more often than not, has been that Facebook has been doing this to avoid antitrust action. The idea is that currently, these apps exist as separate properties. If a regulator were to break them up, it would be a relatively straightforward process.

However, suppose these properties are integrated at the back-end, and the only thing differentiating them are the user interfaces. In that case, when a break-up order comes through, Facebook could lift the curtain and say that all of this is just one product. Breaking it up will mean be messy and might mean that all of it ceases to function. And if Facebook ceases to work, then apps from China will take over, and the US will lose their national champion.

I see some problems with that argument. Thats because a regulators incentives are not going to be aligned with Facebooks. Let me explain. The US Government, in the past, has broken up AT&T, one of the most complex telecom structures known to man at the time. Breaking up Facebook may end up looking like something similar. As far as the regulator is concerned, the breakup does not have to be neat. A messy antitrust action will serve the purpose effectively, even if it looks worse.

On a personal level, I have mixed feelings on the merging of Messenger and Instagram. On the one hand, that is one less app to have. In the middle of the pandemic, there are more platforms than you have things to say, including Teams, Slack, Email, Messenger, Instagram Direct, and WhatsApp. But at the same time, in case you used one service and not the other, now there may be an incentive for you to be on both.

This brings me to the second-order effect we should be more concerned about. Chris Cox, who recently returned to Facebook as Chief Product Officer, was tasked with the integration of the apps initially. Cox saw integration presenting somewhat of a lose-lose trade-off.

The integration at the time would be privacy-focused and besides being a technical challenge, would require encrypting the contents of all messages such that even Facebook could not read them. While that is a win for privacy, at the same time, it would make it harder for the company to fight hate speech and information disorder. Historically, the failure to curb the latter has led to problems resulting in disastrous consequences globally.

While Cox is back now, the trade-off never went away. Facebooks integration is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Weaken/remove encryption, and the company will be instantly branded Orwellian. Enforce encryption, and it becomes a lot harder to deal with bad actors on the platform. There are no winners here.

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No taxpayer will miss out on a financial helping hand in the federal government's recession-busting budget as Treasurer Josh Frydenberg hopes to encourage consumers to spend any financial windfall to prop up the economy.

Declaring people needed to have more money in their pockets "right now", the Treasurer on Sunday signalled the government's plan to bring forward its previously legislated tax cuts while also ensuring there is cash directed to those on low wages.

Tax cuts and direct handouts to low-income earners are expected in Tuesday's budget in a bid to boost economy-wide spending. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

The stage two and three tax cuts, that are currently due to start in mid-2022 and mid-2024, skew towards middle and high-income earners. A person on $40,000, just above the minimum wage, gains just $100 extra a year from the 2022 tax cuts and nothing from the later ones.

But someone earning $140,000 will be $2430 better off once the 2022 tax cuts begin and another $3410 in front once the 2024 tax cuts start operation.
A free app has been designed in the United Kingdom that allows people to record encounters with police and save the footage directly to the cloud to ensure they have evidence of any unwarranted interactions. According to the Guardian, the app has been designed by a black criminal lawyer named Michael Herford, who himself has faced unfair use of stop and search by police.

Read: Police: Texas Officer Fired For 'racially Insensitive Meme'

This comes at a time when the issue of police brutality against people of colour has garnered a lot of attention after the brutal killing of an African-American man George Floyd by a Caucasian police officer. The incident came into the limelight because a bystander was able to record video footage, which later became viral and sparked protests across the world.

Read: Lawyer: Case Of Black Inmate Set To Die Reveals Racial Bias

Herford said that when people see police approaching them they can press a button on their phone and start recording the encounter, the video footage of which will be uploaded to the cloud in real-time so that the evidence is preserved even if the phone is destroyed or confiscated. Herford said that this will provide people an opportunity to achieve justice in case they are unfairly targetted by the police.

Read: Report: Death Penalty Cases Show History Of Racial Disparity

Disparity between treatment of White & Black people

According to figures provided by the government of the United Kingdom, between April 2018 and March 2019, there were a total of 3,75,588 stops and searches in England and Wales. Most of these stops and searches were targetted towards the minority as data shows that there were only 4 stops and searches for every 1,000 White people, compared with 38 for every 1,000 Black people.

Read: Jofra Archer Racially Abused On Instagram By Troll, Shares Screenshot

(Image Credit: AP)
Imperial Valley News Center

Man Pleads Guilty to Paying Co-Conspirator to Illegally Dump Drums of Hazardous Waste

Columbus, Ohio - An Ohio man pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Ohio before U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr. to conspiring to illegally transport and dispose of hazardous waste at several area apartment complexes.

According to court documents, in October 2018, Khaled Ebrigit, 54, of Columbus, Ohio, paid and directed Martin Eldridge, 41, of Williamsport, Ohio, to dump drums of hazardous waste near dumpsters at several apartment complexes throughout Columbus.

Ebrigit knew the material was hazardous and did not have a permit to dispose of it.

In total, six 55-gallon drums and 64 10-gallon drums were dumped at six residential apartment complexes in Columbus. Many of the drums were labeled with brightly colored warning labels with symbols and written statements indicating flammable and irritating, and with a detailed listing of hazards and precautions including but not limited to [h]ighly flammable, [i]rritating to eyes, and [t]ake precautionary measures against static discharges. Many of the drums were leaking.

As a result of the dumping, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Franklin County Sheriffs Office, Columbus Fire Department and Columbus Division of Police responded to reports of illegal dumping and cleaned the various sites.

As part of his plea, Ebrigit agreed to pay at least $30,000 in restitution.

Specifically, Ebrigit pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiring to illegally transport hazardous material, transporting hazardous material and disposing of hazardous material.

Eldridge pleaded guilty in December 2019 to the same three crimes.

The U.S. EPA Criminal Enforcement Program, Ohio EPA, and Franklin County Sheriffs office investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Adam C. Cullman of the Environment and Natural Resources Divisions Environmental Crimes Section, Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Michael Marous of the Southern District of Ohio, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Robinson from Franklin County Prosecutor Ron OBriens office are representing the United States in this case.
Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad, who has been protesting against the alleged gang rape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit woman in Hathras, will meet the victims family in the Uttar Pradesh district on Sunday. Azad is expected to reach the village at around 12pm.

This comes a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the partys general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met the womans family.

Azad reached Delhi along with supporters of his Bhim Army on Thursday. Since then he has been leading the protest in natioanl capital and demands resignation of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath over handling of the case.

Also read | From Hathras gang-rape victims death to CBI probe recommendation: What we know so far

On Saturday, Azad cited right to live in the Constitution and sought gun license for the underprivileged sections of the country.

Our demand is that the 20 lakh Bahujans of the country be granted gun licenses immediately. The government should provide us a 50 % subsidy to purchase guns and pistols. We will defend ourselves, he said on Twitter.

A 19-year-old woman, was gang-raped by four upper-caste men in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh on September 14. The woman succumbed to her injuries on September 29, the local police cremated the body at 2.30am the next day. The family has claimed that the cremation was forceful and was done without their presence, while the administration has maintained that it was done with the consent of the family.

The hurriedly organised cremation has sparked allegations from the Opposition that the authorities were trying to suppress the evidence.
By ANI

NEW DELHI: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) National Spokesperson Sudhindra Bhadoria has raised questions over the recommendation for CBI investigation of Hathras incident by Uttar Pradesh government and demanded that CBI investigation of the case should be under the supervision of a Supreme Court Judge.

Speaking to ANI Sudhindra Bhadoria said that CBI enquiry was demanded into the incident by BSP supremo Mayawati but she wanted it under the supervision of the Supreme Court Judge.

"I think they should bring in the clause to appoint Supreme Court Judge so that the parents, the people and the society at large be assured that there will be a fair enquiry and the guilty will be punished with iron hands," Bhadoria said.

ALSO READ | Hathras case: UP CM Yogi Adityanath recommends CBI probe

"There is anger all across the country against the Hathras rape, subsequently leading to her death and even the body not being given to her parents for cremation. Therefore, people in this country are very angry with the Uttar Pradesh Government, more particularly with the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath," BSP National Spokesperson further added.

Uttar Pradesh Government has decided to hand over the probe into the Hathras case to the CBI. Announcing this move in a tweet, the office of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the Chief Minister has decided to hand over the entire investigation into the Hathras case to the CBI.

In a tweet from his personal handle, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the State government decided this so that all aspects related to the case are investigated thoroughly.
Scott Morrison proved he was at the top of the pecking order when it comes to DIY skills after assembling a chicken coop.

The Prime Minister's eggcellent efforts were showcased on Facebook after he spent the afternoon with a drill and screws in his backyard.

Jenny Morrison and her daughters Lily and Abbey ordered the coop online and tasked Australia's leader with putting it together on Saturday.

According to the PM's Facebook page the chickens will be named after former prime ministers' wives.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison (pictured) spent his Saturday at The Lodge, in Canberra, building a chicken coop for his wife Jenny and their two daughters, Lily and Abbey

The family plan to keep chickens and name them after former prime ministers' wives

'Theyre going to call it Lodge Ladies and name some of their chicks after former PMs wives who lived at The Lodge,' Morrison wrote alongside the post.

'Next step is to get some chickens.'

The post garnered more than 3,000 comments and 600 shares.

'I love seeing your personal side. Good job on the coop,' one user wrote.

'It all looks great Scott and I love the idea of the names for the chickens,' another added.

The social media post garnered thousands of comments with many praising the PM for his skills

'You're full of positive energy PM please keep this vibe up as Australia needs this right now more than ever,' a third user replied.

However not everyone was happy to see the post from the Prime Minister.

'Im sure everyone in lockdown, you know the ones you dont acknowledge, will be over the moon for you,' one Facebook user replied.

'Stop, stop using your family for self-promotion,' another added.
Around 8,000 COVID-19 patients discharged from LNJP hospital since March, highest in India

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Oct 04: Around 8,000 coronavirus patients have so far been discharged from the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital here after recovering from the infection, the highest in any government hospital across the country, according to officials.

As many as 331 women, who tested COVID-19 positive, have given birth in the hospital, also the highest in the country. Of these 149 were cesarean deliveries, they said.

According to the hospital's Medical Director Suresh Kumar, LNJP was declared a dedicated COVID-19 facility on March 17 and since then 11,415 patients were admitted there.

These included people who suspected they had the disease but their test reports came out negative, he said. "As many as 7,919 coronavirus patients have been discharged from the hospital after recovery. Besides, around 2,700 people who got admitted to the hospital with COVID-like symptoms were sent home after they tested negative," Kumar said.

Around 1,450 coronavirus patients have received dialysis at LNJP so far. Also, 59 COVID-19 patients have undergone successful surgeries related to orthopaedic problems, gallbladder stone, piles, liver and lung abscess at the hospital, Kumar said.

Govt target to receive, utilise 500 million coronavirus vaccine doses by July 2021: Harsh Vardhan

The total number of recoveries in the hospital since March include 420 children. Around 10 per cent of them were severe cases, according to Dr Urmila Jhamb a paediatrician at the hospital.

Most children show mild symptoms such as diarrhoea and vomiting. But those suffering from other diseases such as tuberculosis, cancer and kidney issues become severely ill if they contract coronavirus, she said.

The hospital authorities had last month set up a special COVID ward for children, the first-of-its-kind facility in the national capital, officials said.

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Story first published: Sunday, October 4, 2020, 17:09 [IST]
Campaigning for the first stage of the parliamentary elections will also kick off Monday

Egypt's National Elections Authority (NEA) is scheduled to release Monday a final list of candidates standing in legislative elections later this month.

NEA head Lasheen Ibrahim said final candidates who might opt to leave the race at the last moment can do so Tuesday and Wednesday. "On Thursday, 8 October, the final list of candidates will be published in two widely-circulated newspapers," said Ibrahim.

The final list of parliamentary candidates will be announced Monday after courts finish settling elections appeals. Semi-official figures show that Administrative Judicial Courts in 27 provincial governorates have received 158 election appeals since 28 September. Some candidates took their appeals to the Supreme Administrative Court in Cairo to receive final rulings on Sunday.

One of the appeals, filed by a lawyer, asked that NEA decree (52/2020) issued on 10 September inviting citizens to elect a new parliament in a two-stage poll between October and December violates Article 106 the Egyptian Constitution, which stipulates that procedures for electing a new House of Representatives shall be invoked only during the 60 days preceding the end of the tenure of the previous house.

"And as we all know that the tenure of the current house will end 9 January 2021, so election procedures should begin in November and not September," said the appeal, which was rejected by the Supreme Administrative Court on the grounds that it was not filed on time. "As a result, the election shall be held on time," said the court.

Another appeal, filed by head of the Reform and Development Party and former MP Mohamed Anwar Essmat El-Sadat, also asked that the elections be cancelled. The appeal was rejected by the Judicial Administrative Court, but Sadat decided to take it to the Supreme Administrative Court, hoping to get a final ruling in his favour.

Other appeals were filed by candidates who were rejected on various grounds, such as not performing military service or having dual nationality.

Some political coalitions that wanted to run for party list seats also lodged appeals. Tarek El-Mahdi, a former governor of Alexandria and founder of the so-called "Egyptian National Current," said his coalition's bid to run in the four party list districts was rejected by the NEA on flimsy grounds.

El-Madhi said he has high hopes that his appeal would be accepted and that his coalition would be allowed to join the election battle. "The election should be competitive and so it is important that several coalitions from different political grounds join the race," said El-Mahdi.

The NEA said in a statement that the Egyptian National Current bid was rejected because some of the coalition's candidates did not submit necessary financial statements.

The NEA's head said the authority will release the final list of parliamentary candidates once it receives final rulings issued by the Supreme Administrative Court. "We will receive the final rulings on Sunday, and so we will be able to announce the final list of parliamentary candidates on Monday, as scheduled," said Ibrahim.

Ibrahim announced 28 September that the papers of 4,006 individual candidates and eight coalition lists had been accepted and that, pending appeals, a final list will announced 5 October.

Meanwhile, campaigning for the first stage of the election will also kick off Monday. "Campaigning will begin once we announce the final list of candidates on Monday, and it will run until 18 October, or just three days before voting takes place on 21 October (for expatriate Egyptians) and 24 October (for Egyptians at home).

The first stage will include 14 governorates: Giza, Fayoum, Beni Suef, El-Minya, Assuit, New Valley, Sohag, Qena, Luxor, Aswan, Red Sea, Alexandria, Beheira and Matruh. The competition will be for 142 individual seats.

The first stage will also include two party list districts: Western Delta (42 seats), and North, Middle and South Upper Egypt (100 seats).

The NEA said an individual candidate can't spend more than LE500,000 on campaigning and in case of a re-run, the amount will be reduced to LE200,000.

It said a 100-seat party list can't spend more than LE10.6 million and in case of a run-off the amount will not exceed LE6.6 million. A 42-seat party list can spend LE7 million only, and in case of a run-off can spend LE2.8 million.

The NEA said campaign donations should come from Egyptians only and that a donation shall not exceed five percent of the maximum ceiling of spending on election campaigning.

The NEA added that candidates are not allowed to use slogans that discriminate on religious or racial grounds, or use public sector institutions or means of transport, or mosques or churches, to serve their electoral campaigns.

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By Lisa Boscola

Imagine a longer-than-anticipated workday that leads to a late dinner with a desire for an adult beverage. Pre-COVID, this was not only a common occurrence, but also legal with plenty of dining options. However, in Pennsylvania, it is no longer feasible to enjoy a quick late-night meal while sitting at your favorite bar. While we have taken great care to protect the citizens of the commonwealth during the pandemic, we also have been inconsistent with the implementation and guidance associated with risk mitigation policies, especially for the restaurant industry.

Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, noted in a recent article that public health interventions should be as least restrictive and as targeted as possible based on evidence. He said states should have a definitive time frame and identify the metrics used to put the restrictions in place and a process by which they are re-evaluated. This has been lacking in the policies surrounding restaurants and bars since Gov. Tom Wolf walked back the restaurant regulations initially allowed in the green phase.

The governors green phase regulations issued back in May provided for 50 percent capacity, bar service with appropriate spacing and no food purchase requirement. Based on this policy the Hotel Bethlehem, Zest and many other dining establishments invested significant dollars to meet the regulations in anticipation of our countys transition to green. Specifically, they installed plexiglass dividers to distance employees from customers and built wings to separate patrons into groups of two at their bars.

Most proprietors understand that congregating at the bar without masks puts both employees and customers at risk. However, prohibiting service at the bar only shrinks a restaurants already limited capacity by rendering one of their safest dining areas unusable.

The restaurant and lodging industry is critical to Pennsylvania. The industry employs more than 550,000 people and accounts for nearly $25 billion in sales (2018 data). Prior to the pandemic, the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association represented more than 26,000 locations including restaurants, hotels, breweries, wineries, distilleries and event centers. Every day that number is shrinking and every day it gets harder for those who are fighting to stay open to survive. The pandemic is the driving force behind the industrys woes, but our state policies further exacerbate the issue. Currently we have the third most restrictive policies in the country, which are being applied statewide regardless of COVIDs local impact.

While the governor recently announced an increase in capacity to 50 percent via a self-certification process, his latest mandate still maintains a requirement to order food with your adult beverage and compels establishments to stop serving alcohol by 11 p.m. These policies make it harder, not easier, to operate. Business owners look for some type of regulatory certainty and in the era of COVID a clearer understanding of when temporary restrictions will be re-evaluated and eventually removed.

The administration points to a study from the Centers Disease Control & Prevention as well as the rise in cases in the state for people between the ages of 19-24. They also point to a July study from Allegheny County regarding the number of people who tested positive and had visited a restaurant in the last 14 days. However, it never suggests a safe level at which restaurants could expand occupancy.

In a review of policies in other states, New York recognized early on that not all areas should be treated similarly. As early as June 11, areas outside New York City had indoor capacity of restaurants raised to no more than 50 percent of the maximum occupancy, exclusive of employees. There is no curfew and bar seating is included in the capacity permitted with appropriate social distancing and mask wearing. The onus is on the business owners to implement these policies by using the potential loss of license and immediate shutdown for those entities that violate the rules.

Why not take the same approach in Pennsylvania? How about raising the maximum capacity of a restaurant to 50 percent with no curfew? Allow bar service with appropriate distancing with a plan to expand incrementally  then see what happens over specific period?

Pennsylvanias current plan appears overly broad, not measured and not tailored to the local level. In fact, given our diversity it would be possible to implement policies strategically and locally, thereby limiting the ongoing damage COVID has had to this important industry. I supported House Bill 2513 because it provides restaurants with slightly more flexibility to operate during this pandemic. Providing small businesses with grants to survive the initial shutdown kept them open. Now it is a much different time, and we need to set policies that give them a fighting chance to not only survive, but thrive.

Lisa Boscola, D-Lehigh-Northampton, represents the 18th State Senate District. She lives in Bethlehem Township.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The lessons of the Holocaust are considered so important that they are required education at schools in 15 states, according to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Ohio does not mandate Holocaust education, but efforts are underway to assure that teachers have sufficient resources to teach that subject, according to Howie Beigelman, executive director of Ohio Jewish Communities, which represents the eight Jewish federations in the state.

In the Ohio legislature, theres in a real tendency on both sides of the aisle for local control, so the kind of mandate [requiring Holocaust education] that other states have, would be unusual for Ohio, Beigelman said.

However, in conversations with state legislators, he said, theyre interested in having more Holocaust resources, training and material available. Beigelman said the communities are more interested in strengthening Holocaust education than mandating it.

Sen. Michael A. Rulli has introduced legislation enhancing (but not mandating) Holocaust education in Ohio schools, he said. That would establish a 15-member Holocaust Memorial and Eduction Commission, and office. Their role would include:

- Inventory current statewide memorial and genocide education programs and propose programming to fill any gaps.

- Recognize Holocaust and genocide survivors and make their stories accessible for education purposes.

- Partner with public and private organizations that serve Holocaust and genocide survivors, veterans and (concentration camp) liberators.

- Seek opportunities to provide resources for schools to effectively teach about the Holocaust and genocide.

See more Holocaust coverage

The need for such education has been heightened by the decreasing number of Holocaust survivors and concentration camp liberators, Beigelman said.

Were going to miss that [eyewitness testimony]. So anything we can do to help teachers and students access the right information in a relevant way is whats really important at this point, he said.

At the federal level, a measure to expand the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museums national education program, called the Never Again Education Act was signed into law in May.

The need for that education was illustrated in a recent national survey conducted by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, showing that 63 percent of people in the U.S. born after 1961 did not know that 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust.

The survey also found that 66 percent of Ohio respondents supported mandatory Holocaust education in schools, and 81 percent said these lessons are important so that the Holocaust never happens again.

Sarah Weiss, executive director and CEO of the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center, a museum and education facility in Cincinnati, emphasized the need for Holocaust education when our country is teetering toward a state where antisemitism and hate-crime incidents are widely tolerated.

However, she noted that while the lack of Holocaust knowledge should be cause for concern, I believe wholeheartedly that young people want to learn from the past and create a better future.

She cited another recent national survey, Echoes and Reflections," of college students, most of whom had received some type of Holocaust education in high school.

The survey found that those students were more willing to challenge intolerant behavior in others, and showed higher critical-thinking skills and a greater sense of social responsibility and civic efficacy. Students also reported that the use of Holocaust survivor testimonies in that education had the most positive impact.

Weiss said that since the start of the pandemic, the center has transitioned its Holocaust Speaker Series to a Zoom format where local survivors and their families tell their personal stories every Wednesday.

Ninety-two percent of surveyed attendees said they feel a responsibility to stand up to hate and antisemitism after watching one of our programs, Weiss said. We know that sharing the lessons of the Holocaust can change hearts and minds  even those who are susceptible to fringe beliefs spread by white supremacist groups.

The educational effort should start with youths to counter misinformation they might have heard at home, said Hallie Duchon, executive director of the Kol Israel Foundation, a local group founded by Holocaust survivors. Her grandparents survived the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Its just desensitization. They learn it at home. Kids say things without realizing what theyre saying, she said. "Its all about educating them, if you can. Explain to them that what theyre saying is very hurtful.

The lessons of the Holocaust are hate and bigotry. That it can happen. We [the Foundation] talk very much about how it started through propaganda, and how it leads to genocide  not just within the Jewish community, but in many cultures, she added.

We need to be more tolerant of people. We need to stick up for each other, instead of watching people get abused.
Georgia has held a Security Council meeting on Saturday to discuss the conflict raging between its neighbours Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno Karabakh.

The situation has a serious negative impact on regional security and economic development, the statement issued after the meeting said.

Since the escalation of the conflict, the government of Georgia has temporarily suspended the issuing of permits for the transition of military cargo through its territory in the direction of both countries.

President Salome Zurabishvili urged the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk group to take all necessary measures to stop the violence and resume dialogue.

Georgia has offered to host a meeting of representatives of the conflicting sides in Tbilisi.

Armenia and Azerbaijan said heavy fighting continued in their conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, with Azerbaijan's president criticising international mediators who have tried for decades to resolve the dispute.

Both nations have been locked for decades in a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, where a separatist war was fought in the early 1990s until three years after the breakup of the Soviet Union.

The region in the Caucasus Mountains of about 4,400 square kilometers (1,700 square miles), roughly the size of the US state of Delaware, is 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the Armenian border.

It has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces and the Armenian military since the 1994 end of a full-scale separatist war that killed about 30,000 people and displaced an estimated 1 million.

This story has not been edited by www.republicworld.com and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.
The Lok Janshakti Party on Sunday walked out of the ruling National Democratic Alliance in Bihar ahead of the state assembly polls, as it attacked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and announced that it would fight Janata Dal-United candidates in the elections.

IMAGE: Lok Janshakti Party chief Chirag Paswan shows a victory sign after the party's Central Parliamentary Board meeting, in New Delhi on Sunday. Photograph: ANI Photo

While making its resentment with the JD-U president Kumar clear, the LJP also went to great lengths to highlight its strong ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party, asserting in a statement that it wants the saffron party to head the future government in the state and its MLAs will work towards this goal.

LJP president Chirag Paswan chaired the party's parliamentary board meeting in which a decision was taken to not fight the assembly election, which begins from October 28 in three phases, under Kumar's leadership of the NDA in the state.

The BJP, which heads the NDA, has already announced that the alliance will fight the polls under Kumar's leadership, and he will be chief minister again if people vote it back to power.

'Due to ideological differences with the JD-U, a member of the alliance at the national level and in the assembly polls, the Lok Janshakti Party has decided to fight the elections in Bihar separately from the alliance,' a party statement said.

"We will triumph," was the brief comment of Chirag Paswan as he sported a victory sign after the meeting.

However, the LJP is likely to continue as the member of the NDA at the Centre as of now, more so as its patron and the only member in the Modi government, Ram Vilas Paswan, has undergone a heart surgery in the national capital and will remain hospitalised for a few weeks.

The BJP's relations with the regional party have remained cordial, and the LJP has maintained that it will not contest against candidates of the saffron party.

The LJP also said that it has no 'bitterness' with the BJP and has often lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.

However, the LJP's decision has thrown open new possibilities in the Bihar polls as the party may end up damaging the JD-U's prospects at several seats.

The opposition alliance of the RJD, Congress and the Left may receive a boost with the development.

The LJP meeting also passed a resolution in favour of an alliance with the BJP, and said its MLAs will work to strengthen the hand of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The party said it was keen to execute the 'Bihar first Bihari first' vision documents it had prepared following interactions with lakhs of people from the state but an agreement on this could not be reached in the alliance.

'We have a strong alliance with the BJP in Lok Sabha,' it added.

The LJP has said that it will contest on 143 seats in the election to the 243-seat assembly.

The ties between the JD-U and the LJP had long been worsening over a number of issues.

The JD-U was also not keen to part with as many seats as the LJP believed was its due in the assembly polls, and Chirag Paswan's constant attack on the Nitish Kumar government in the state soured their ties.

The JD-U had refused to engage in any talks with the LJP, saying that Paswan's party's alliance was with the BJP and not with it.

Though the BJP was more accommodative of the LJP's concerns, sources in the regional party said, but the JD-U believed that it overestimated its strength.

The LJP primarily draws its vote bank in the state from a section of Dalits and also has several 'upper' caste leaders in its ranks who command influence in certain pockets.

Chirag Paswan had met BJP president J P Nadda a few times of late and also spoke to senior BJP leader and Home Minister Amit Shah over the alliance issues.

The Bihar assembly polls will be held in three phases on October 28, November 3 and November 7, and the counting of votes will take place on November 10.

The nomination process for the first phase, under which 71 of the total 243 seats will go to polls, began from October 1 and will end on October 8.

In 2015, the LJP had contested 42 seats and won two.

The JD-U was then part of the opposition alliance which decisively defeated the NDA.
New Delhi: Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt's actress wife Soni Razdan has shared a series of tweets on mental health while quoting Kangana Ranaut on her statements on actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case.

Soon after the AIIMS panel ruled out the murder angle in Sushant's death, Kangana tweeted, "Young and extraordinary individuals don't just wake up one fine day and kill themselves. Sushant said he was being bullied and outcast, he feared for his life, he said movie mafia banned him and harassed him, he was mentally affected by being falsely accused of rape."

Young and extraordinary individuals dont just wake up one fine day and kill themselves. Sushant said he was being bullied and outcast, he feared for his life, he said movie mafia banned him and harassed him, he was mentally affected by being falsely accused of rape #AIIMS  Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) October 3, 2020

After which, Soni Razdan said, "For those saying that 'people don't suddenly wake up one morning and kill themselves' ... No they don't. And that is the whole point. They suffer for many years and struggle long and hard before sometimes sadly just needing to opt for an out."

"Not from life. But from the suffering, they're enduring. Tragically that can involve suicide. Let's not demonise mental health. Let's please understand how important it is to address it as an illness. And don't be scared or ashamed to get treated. It can save your life," she added.

...Not from life. But from the suffering theyre enduring. Tragically that can involve suicide. Lets not demonise mental health. Lets please understand how important it is to address it as an illness. And dont be scared or ashamed to get treated. It can save your life.  Soni Razdan (@Soni_Razdan) October 3, 2020

On Saturday, the forensic department of the AIIMS in its report to the CBI "hinted" that the death of Sushant Singh Rajput was suicide and not murder.

Sushant was found dead on June 14 at his apartment in Mumbai's Bandra. His family members raised suspicion of him having been murdered. The CBI registered a case on August 6 on the notification of the Centre after the Bihar government recommended for a federal agency probe on the complaint of the late actor's father KK Singh.


Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 20:07:14|Editor: huaxia

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HANOI, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam reported no new cases of COVID-19 infection on Sunday, with its total confirmed cases standing at 1,096 with 35 deaths from the disease so far, according to its Ministry of Health.

As many as 1,020 patients have been given all-clear as of Sunday, said the ministry.

Meanwhile, nearly 16,500 people are being quarantined and monitored in the country, the ministry said.

Vietnam has gone through 32 straight days without any COVID-19 cases in the community, according to the ministry.

Central Vietnam's city of Da Nang, once a COVID-19 epicenter of the country, received its first domestic visitors on Sunday after having halted all tourism activities for over two months due to the epidemic, Vietnam News Agency reported. Enditem
If I were a more profligate hugger and if I thought Superior Court Judge Thomas Moukawsher were the sort of person who liked being hugged and if we were not in the middle of a deadly pandemic, I would hug Judge Thomas Moukawsher.

Moukawsher is presiding over a lawsuit that seeks relief from the state Department of Educations guidance requiring schools to enact face-mask requirements.

The plaintiffs are represented by two Republican lawmakers, Doug Dubitsky and Craig Fishbein, the latter of whom is putting together a banner year. Fishbein was censured and criticized in June for retweeting a racist meme and subsequently claimed he didnt know the extent of what is going on. That condition appears to be chronic.

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The plaintiffs had hoped to call two expert witnesses  an ophthalmologist and a psychiatrist. Moukawsher disqualified both of them, saying neither one met the standards.

Thank you! Thank you! We are in the middle of an epistemic crisis as well as a medical one. We live in a world where the president has claimed that ballots were found in a river or a riverbed or a creek or creeks, only to have his spokesperson downgrade those to a ditch.

Lost in the topography is what happened: three trays of mail were found in a ditch in Wisconsin. The mail included some ballots.

The whole notion of a commonly accepted body of facts is extinct. If you wanted proof, all you had to do was check your social media feeds on Friday morning, when news of President Donald Trumps COVID-19 diagnosis was immediately followed by speculation that it might be a scam to prop up his sagging campaign

OK, back to the trial.

Its worth taking a moment to consider those once and future experts.

Andrew Kaufman is a Syracuse-based psychiatrist with a medical license. A report on Kaufman by the McGill University Office for Science and Society found that he had repeatedly denied the existence of harmful viruses and specifically denied the existence of the viruses causing the common cold, polio, chicken pox, measles, HIV-AIDS and, now, COVID-19.

Kaufman repeated a lot of those things  including the idea that COVID-19 is a manufactured crisis created to increase reliance on the government  in front of Moukawsher during cross-examination.

Moukawsher ruled that Kaufman was too cuckoo to be an expert witness. Those were not his exact words. He pointed out that this is a matter of life and death and that a person who so firmly denies solid scientific consensus may extend his irrationality to the matters before the court.

In his ruling, Moukawsher wrote that disqualifying Kaufman was relatively easy. Fly away home, Dr. Cuckoo-bird.

Sidebar. Kaufman has cited, as a source of inspiration, another psychiatrist named Kelly Brogan, who holds similar views and has close ties to Gwyneth Paltrow and to Goop, Paltrows fountain of knowledge and products, including jade eggs that women were urged to place in their vaginas. (Gynecologists argued that this practice could harm women.)

Paltrow will someday have a lot to answer for, including the fact that the character she played in Contagion was a walking disease vector who brought the disease into the United States and helped it spread by cheating on her husband (Matt Damon) with a guy in another city.

Meanwhile, psychiatrists, heal thyselves.

OK, expert two was James Meehan Jr., an Oklahoma ophthalmologist who has written in his blog that mask requirements are nothing more than symbolism and a fear-based strategy to increase government control. He also wrote that taking certain supplements would be more effective than mask-wearing, and it came out in cross-examination that he gets to wet his beak if people order those supplements using a code from his blog.

Moukawsher reacted by holding up an eye chart.

Can you read the third line? he asked.

G.O. A.W.A.Y. Y.O.U. N.U.T. the witness read.

Actually, that did not happen, but it would have been really cool if it did.

Moukawsher pointed out that there are thousands and thousands of doctors with more relevant credentials than Meehans. Of course there are. The problem is that none of them traffic in the requisite crackpot views.

Its a small victory, but it felt big when I read about it Wednesday. It was the day after the Debate from Hell. I was feeling a little shaky. So much of what Trump said about the pandemic from the podium was neither true nor immediately fact-checked, but it was hard to concentrate on matters of fact when so much attention was justifiably focused on the comportment of the fuming rage monster as opposed to what he was claiming.

I woke up thinking, we cant have nice things anymore. Debates arent even nice things, and we cant have those either.

And then this man, this occasionally controversial jurist, stood up for the idea that stupid, dangerous fallacies marketed by unqualified people dont deserve an equal footing with science and truth.

That shouldnt be an especially radical or even noteworthy stance, but in this desperate hour, it is.

Colin McEnroes column appears every Sunday, his newsletter comes out every Thursday and you can hear his radio show every weekday on WNPR 90.5. Email him at colin@ctpublic.org. Sign up for his newsletter at http://bit.ly/colinmcenroe.
- Mzbel has said Afia Schwar borrowed money to pay the pride price of Lawrence Abrokwa, her former husband

- She said Afia did this because she knew no man would ever love or care for her

- The two women have reignited their feud again revealing dirty secrets about themselves

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Mzbel and Afia Schwar have started their social media fight again after some time. Afia Schwar had always said Mzbel slept with her boyfriends.

She, however, mentioned the names of the boyfriends recently claiming that Mzbel made herself a cheap woman to sleep with them.

In a fiery response, Mzbel has exposed why Afia Schwar borrowed money to pay the groom price of her former husband whom she divorced, Lawrence Abrokwa.

A collage of Afia Schwar and Mzbel. Photo credit: @mzbeldaily @afiaschwarzenegger

Source: Original

According to Mzbel, who was formerly Afia Schwars best friend, the latter knew that no man would ever love or care for her and so she took a loan from the bank to marry him.

In other words, Mzbel means that Afia Schwar was aware no man would ever want to marry her, therefore, she took the initiative to marry Abrokwa before it was too late for her.

Mzbel made the post on social media asking her fans if they would want her to reply to Afia Schwar claiming that she slept with her boyfriends. She added that her off days are tomorrow Monday and Tuesday, so, she will have more time to reply Afia.

The post has garnered massive reactions with many people advising her to let Afia go.

Alisa, for instance, said Ghanaians need peace and so Mzbel should let it go:

_alisa_askia_gh: Pls dont reply, we need peace in Ghana . One love.

Rosis asked if it was true that Mzbel slept with Afias boyfriends:

phanerosis13: Is it true that you 'chop' her boyfriend? Cos I was really surprised when I heard that.

Sugar said Mzbel should not waste her energy on Afia because no one takes her seriously:

forrealsugargh: Don't waste your energy on her she is a dead dog .....nobody takes her seriously.

Akosua was of the view that Mzbel needed to reply to clarify things because Afia was tarnishing her image:

_akosua_becklyn: U gotta reply n clarify things,shes tarnishing ur image.

Leakage was not happy about the whole thing:

leakage_gh: How I wish the media will stop giving u guys audience. Old women disturbing us with nonsense in this Ghana.

Gloria advised Mzbel not to give Afia attention:

gloriaowusuappiah27: If u reply it will go viral, she trended only two days and is gone , dont give her attention.

Eunice pleaded that because of Mzbels son, she should ignore Afia Schwar:

eunice.koomson.509994: Please because of nana kwame your sunshine don't reply wai.

Meanwhile, Afia Schwar has responded to Mzbel and dared her to say whatever she has about her.

Afia also said Mzbel begged her to sleep with Kofi Amoabeng in order to get some money to cater for her son.

"Life has been better for me since I exited the Shatta Movement Camp" Addi Self | #Yencomgh

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We may have had two female British Prime Ministers but one taboo remains to be broken in Westminster  the menopause.

While many women in the public eye have become increasingly vocal about their own experiences, those in the Commons and Lords have largely remained silent.

And perhaps no wonder, given that many would have been going through the change as they attempted to achieve the pinnacle of their careers in what is still a traditional and maledominated environment

But another kind of change is under way  at least in America, where former First Lady Michelle Obama recently shared her experiences of going through the menopause in the White House, and having a hot flush while on Marine One, the presidential helicopter, before an event with husband Barack.

Some of Britains leading female political figures shared their experiences of menopause. Pictured: Ann Widdecombe, 72, who served as a Tory MP for 23 years

It was like somebody put a furnace in my core and turned it on high, she told listeners of her podcast. And then everything started melting.

Explaining her motivation for talking about her experiences, she argued: What a womans body is taking her through is important information.

Its an important thing to talk about, because half of us are going through this, but were living like its not happening.

A sentiment which will resonate with many. Which is why, in these brave, honest and sometimes amusing accounts, some of Britains leading female political figures are sharing their own experiences of juggling life in Westminster with the hot flushes and hormonal surges of the menopause.

HOT FLUSHES DURING SELECT COMMITTEE MEETINGS

Nadine Dorries, 63, has been Conservative MP for Mid Bedfordshire since 2005 and Minister for Mental Health, Suicide Prevention and Patient Safety for a year. She is also an author whose ten books have sold two million copies. Widowed, she has three daughters.

Everyone who knows me will attest that Im very slow to anger. However, in the early years of my menopause, I would often be inexplicably gripped by intense rage.

Take the time in 2011 when I was asked in an interview for my thoughts on TV presenter Andrew Neil, who had been unusually personal about me. Instead of laughing it off, as I usually would, I bit back, branding him an orange, overweight, toupee-wearing has-been, a comment that was then widely reported.

Why did I say something so out of character, and which I now regret, about Neil, one of the most successful political journalists?

Nadine Dorries, 63, (pictured) who has been Conservative MP for Mid Bedfordshire since 2005, revealed she experienced intense rage in the early years of her menopause

Ive no idea, except that like so many midlife women, I was at the mercy of a torrent of hormonal changes as my oestrogen and progesterone levels fell off a cliff.

Just when we think weve done juggling everything life could throw at us  periods, pregnancy, breastfeeding, raising children  along comes the dreaded perimenopause.

All of a sudden, we cant sleep (I survived on five hours a night for years, which is why I began writing); everyday events make us furious; we grow moustaches overnight; and, without warning, break into sweats, just as if were trekking across the Sahara desert.

Most women, including those of us in Parliament, experience these symptoms. But just like when I was growing up in Liverpool and friends would whisper behind the backs of middle-aged mums, Shes on the turn, we still dont talk about it openly.

The hardest part was discovering I had a bald patch when I saw myself on News At Ten

I think, just as my three daughters talk openly about periods in front of men, female MPs have a responsibility to bust these myths and be more forceful about what it is that we experience. And yet, Ive tried to hide my symptoms countless times, in the hope no one would notice them.

Ive been on HRT for seven years, since I was 56, and will be until I die. But sometimes there are times when Ive forgotten to take the medication with me from my constituency home in Mid Bedfordshire to Westminster. Within a week, the hot sweats are back.

Once, sitting in an Education Select Committee meeting, I remember the embarrassment of feeling the sweat beads collecting on my top lip and in my eyebrows. I didnt have a tissue, so dabbed at my face with my fingers only for the sweat to collect again within seconds.

Many times during TV appearances, where Id be talking about the important government issues of the day, the make-up artist would be standing by to dust my perspiring face with powder to stop me glistening on camera.

Nadine (pictured) said her hair began falling out in the shower, but she didn't realise how noticeable the problem was until she saw herself on an ITV interview

There was one memorable time a couple of years ago, on ITVs Peston, when it was so bad I was practically sitting in a puddle of my own sweat.

Of course, the role of an MP is very public and the hardest part of the whole experience for me was discovering I had a bald patch when I saw myself on ITVs News at Ten seven years ago.

Hair loss is common during menopause. Id been aware of mine falling out in the shower, but it was only after an interview with Tom Bradby in my parliamentary office that I realised just how noticeable my problem was.

I almost dropped the tea tray I was carrying into my living room when the camera panned to the back of my head. I shouted: Oh my God, Im bald!  acutely aware millions of viewers would have seen it, too.

It was the most humiliating moment of my life. I only realised this was yet another symptom of the menopause when I went to see my GP, fearing I had alopecia.

Shortly afterwards, I mentioned it to a political journalist who, mortifyingly, said hed noticed I was going bald from his position on the press benches, and recommended a Harley Street clinic where I had vitamin injections into my scalp.

Nadine said women aren't looking for special dispensations, just an acknowledgment that going through the menopause is hard. Pictured: Health Secretary Matt Hancock with Nadine

These, together with eating a lot of red meat, despite having been vegetarian, helped with hair growth.

But it will never go back to its former thickness and Im still self-conscious about people seeing the back of my head, which is pretty unavoidable as a government minister, proud to be sitting on the front benches in the Commons. However, the myriad side-effects of the menopause are not something we women should feel ashamed of, and they certainly dont mean were any less up to our jobs than our male colleagues.

In fact, were actually twice as good as the men because were having to deal with all this as well as excel at work. And none of us is looking for special dispensations, just an acknowledgment that going through the menopause is hard.

Yes, there might be moments when were not functioning at our absolute best, but were entitled to some understanding.

BATTLING BRAIN FOG IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS

Born in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, Baroness Warsi, 49, is a Conservative member of the House of Lords. She is the former Chair of the Conservative Party and Minister without Portfolio, and was the first Muslim to serve as a Cabinet Minister. She has one daughter, Aamna, from her first marriage. She lives in Wakefield, Yorkshire, with her husband Iftikhar Azam, and his four children.

Baroness Warsi, 49, (pictured) who is a Conservative member of the House of Lords, said she had brain fog during a live debate in the House of Lords this July

It was during a live debate in the House of Lords this July that the frankly terrifying, but now familiar, brain fog got me in its grip.

A fellow Baroness had asked a question about payments to student nurses, which I had intended to ask. It would be my turn to ask a question next. But, try as I might, I could not collect my thoughts to think of a suitable alternative.

Its common in these debates for colleagues to have the same queries and concerns and, usually, if Ive already raised my hand to partake, I simply come up with a different line of enquiry.

I was Chair of the Conservative Party from 2010 to 2012, in the Cameron-Clegg Coalition Cabinet, as well as being a life peer. Prior to going into politics, I worked as a lawyer. So the ability to think on my feet has been a pre-requisite throughout my career.

TVs Robert Peston glanced in my direction and my mind went completely blank. All I could think was: Please do not come to me on this! - Baroness Warsi

I started by saying: Baroness Jolly has already asked the question I was going to ask so Im going to ask another question. But then I just couldnt follow it through with anything other than gibberish. My mind was blank, and what was most frustrating is that its an issue I know a lot about and still I sat there floundering, trying to find the words.

Ever since the perimenopause hit three years ago, when I was 46, Ive had periodic brain fog which descends without warning.

Hot on its heels comes panic, followed by a hot flush, followed by sweating, followed by questioning whether I really have the right skillset for my role.

For days after that debate, I subjected myself to so much critical self-talk: Oh, my God, what is wrong with me? Why cant I think in straight sentences? I need to do better.

Thankfully my fellow peers, watching over video conference (a system introduced during lockdown), were very understanding. No one said: What the hell happened to you there?

Baroness Warsi (pictured) revealed she openly discusses the menopause with her family, but has never spoken about it at work

That said, I dont know if it would have occurred to any of them that what I was experiencing was a recognised side-effect from a drop in hormones during perimenopause. After all, three-quarters of the House of Lords are men.

While I discuss it openly with my family  my husband and children, all in their 20s, are well-versed in the challenges it brings  Ive never talked about it at work. Sadly, few women feel able to do so as were worried that others might think it means were incapable of doing our jobs.

Yet, as more of us do open up about the impact of the so-called change, its clear a significant number of women suffer similarly in middle age. And, for those of us in public life, the symptoms can be especially embarrassing.

Last year I was a guest on the Peston show, which goes out live on ITV, when the dreaded brain fog suddenly took a hold.

I dont think any of them realised it was down to the menopause  three quarters of the House of Lords are men

I was part of a panel, a role Ive taken countless times, and dont recall what we were discussing. What I vividly do remember, however, is Robert Peston glancing in my direction and, as my mind went completely blank, all I could think was: Oh my God, please do not come to me on this!

Luckily, he posed the next question to someone else, giving me time to overcome the panic, and the hot flush it triggered, before it was my turn.

It somehow seems deeply unfair that, at a time of life when so many of us are patting ourselves on the back for having raised our families and climbed the career ladder, along comes menopause.

Most women who succeed in public life have fought archaic, sexist attitudes that were not physically and emotionally quite up to our jobs. Then suddenly, when were at the top of our game, we start having symptoms that give ammunition to those misogynists who have always wanted to see us struggle.

Baroness Warsi (pictured) argues it's time to give more thought to why a woman may be struggling with figures or facts during a TV appearance

Occasionally, we see other women MPs on TV struggling with figures or facts. Its time we gave more thought to what that might be about, rather than the usual cry of: Oh, shes not up to it.

It will continue to be difficult for all women in the workplace, not just those of us in Parliament, unless we can have honest conversations about the symptoms that exist around this time of our lives, without worrying about the consequences for our jobs.

Most of us do all we can to help ourselves  until recently, I always spoke without notes, but now I jot a few pointers down, just in case the fog descends. I rarely need them because, like many middle-aged women, I function well most of the time. Now, if I take part in ten televised debates and in one of them Im not quite up to scratch, I always tell myself: OK that was a bad day, its something that can happen when youre at this stage in your life.

What we need is for the rest of society to start giving us those same breaks.

MARGARET THATCHER WOULD BE BAFFLED - SHE JUST GOT ON WITH IT

Ann Widdecombe, 72, served as a Tory MP for 23 years, including as shadow home secretary, as well as a Brexit Party MEP. Single, she lives on Dartmoor, Devon.

When I became an MP in 1987, there were few females. We were at the tail end of the fight for equal rights and the last thing we would have done was give male colleagues the idea we were not up to our jobs due to hormones.

We early feminists were clear in our message: Its nonsense to suggest women wont be able to work effectively because they have periods, or the menopause, or give birth. We are just as capable of delivering as men.

Ann Widdecombe, 72, (pictured) said what her menopause was like is her business, admitting it never affected her work

We demanded parity with men. But todays female MPs want to turn that on its head and drag us back to the Fifites. Margaret Thatcher would be baffled. She got into Parliament on merit before the passing of the Equal Opportunities Act, as did many women of that era, and they prevailed by getting on with it.

What my menopause was like is my business  I never considered HRT, I let nature take its course  but it never affected my work. Did I sometimes take my jacket off due to a hot flush? Yes, but I was never preoccupied with it.

Nor did I ever seek colleagues sympathy. We had other things to discuss, such as defence and immigration. I cant point to any instances when I had symptoms. However, given I was a minister throughout the whole business, presumably it happened, but it was never sufficiently important for me to focus on.

I dont know if others noticed, nor do I care. If anyone thought Oh dear shes having a hot flush, so what? Things cant come to a standstill because of it.

People can have brain fog for many reasons including tiredness. I sympathise, but if youre going to say that because you have the menopause youre going to struggle to ask questions, then youve got to ask whether you should be doing the job, given the process generally lasts about five years.

When we were fighting for the privilege to represent our constituents, our message to them was clear: You neednt be afraid to vote for women, our biological differences are not going to stop us. And they never stopped trailblazers such as Margaret Thatcher, Shirley Williams or Barbara Castle. They just got on with it.

The only female MP I remember going on about womens biology and HRT was Teresa Gorman, also elected in 1987. Colleagues called her Teresa of the menopause.

She lobbied for women to be able to talk about this stuff, but would never have said she worried about TV interviews because her make-up might melt during a hot flush.

We Seventies feminists gained equality by operating like men. Now women are saying that, because of their biology, they have difficulty carrying out their duties. We asked for a level playing field, not for it to be tilted to our advantage. All we fought for is being betrayed.

STILL HOT! 42 Brilliantly Honest Menopause Stories, by Kaye Adams and Vicky Allan (Black & White Publishing) is out on October 15.
K Rathna By

Express News Service

MYSURU: A nationwide survey conducted across 18 cities in India claimed that 53 per cent people in Mysuru and Bengaluru don't wear masks due to breathing problems.

Wearing of masks was necessitated to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The survey by ApnaMask, an initiative by EkDesh only collected data from Bengaluru and Mysuru in Karnataka.

The survey report in two cities reveal that 94% of respondents wear a mask or cover their faces; 81% respondents believe face masks/face covers are mandatory as it prevents virus to transfer from an infected to a healthy person, while 53% dont wear masks due to breathing problems.

About 59% of the respondents prefer cloth masks as compared to N95, surgical mask, handkerchief, dupatta or scarves. 53% of respondents prefer wearing a mask all the time when theyre at the workplace. 54% of respondents wear a mask all the time when theyre in a market or a crowded area. 81% of respondents ensure their mouth and nose are covered when wearing a face mask and 68% respondents wash their face mask with soap and water to reuse it, instead of disposing of it.

As per the survey data, only 44% of Indians are wearing a mask even while awareness levels around masks is at 90% high. As the country is inching towards a complete unlock, wearing a mask properly, maintaining social distancing and hand hygiene remains the three essentials to prevent COVID-19.

In all, inconvenience and breathing problems are cited as reasons for non-compliance. There is a belief among people that social distancing is enough. Young people are the most prone to flout compliance  be it wearing masks or stepping out of home unnecessarily. Women in general are seen to be more compliant than men when it comes to following safe practices.

Compliance towards wearing a mask was seen to be highest among those in the age group of 36 years to 55 years. Only 28% of respondents wear a mask while receiving home deliveries.

When it comes to proper usage of masks, the survey revealed interesting findings: Only 50% respondents wear a mask during the entire duration, while they step out of the home. Around 30% of people, put on a mask only when someone is in close vicinity. Over 73% of respondents ensure their masks cover mouth and nose when stepping out. Users also believe that handkerchief and face shield offered the highest protection with regards to coverage of ears, mouth and nose.

N95 masks are more popular among higher-income group. Only around 21% of respondents go as far as using a face shield in addition to a mask.

According to Shekhar Kirani, founding member, ACT Grant and Partner of Accel Ventures said, Battling the pandemic needs a unified effort by authorities and citizens to help control the spread. There is global evidence that face masks help in the slow down of COVID-19 spread. In India, our survey findings have revealed that while there is a high level of awareness around wearing a mask, the compliance is very low or flawed".

The survey was conducted in partnership with Crownit, a leading research company.

Corona Soldiers Campaign

To encourage people to wear masks, ApnaMask launched a pan India campaign I am a Corona Solider aimed at recruiting Corona Soldiers who pledge to wear a mask every time they step out of their homes and also encourage others to do the same.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 17:21:48|Editor: huaxia

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YEREVAN/BAKU, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- The capital city of the Nagorno-Karabakh region Stepanakert was bombarded on Sunday morning, local media Armenpress reported.

The report said the Azerbaijani army "used the Polonez and Smerch multiple rocket launchers" during the attack.

The city had been repeatedly shelled ever since the outbreak of a new round of clashes on Sept. 27 along the contact line of the Nagorno-Karabakh region between Armenia and Azerbaijan, according to the report.

Azerbaijan's Ganja city was shelled by the Armenian side on Sunday, said Hikmat Hajiyev, a presidential aide of Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Saturday night that a number of villages in the Nagorno-Karabakh region had been liberated by the Azerbaijani army.

Battles are still going on along the contact line of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, according to both sides.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at loggerheads over the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh since 1988. Peace talks have been held since 1994 when a ceasefire was reached, but there have been occasional minor clashes. Enditem
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Linkedin Tri Indah Oktavianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, October 4, 2020 16:02 475 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c490117e 1 National COVID-19,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,Jokowi,health,public-health,economy,economic-recovery,coronavirus,pandemic,lockdown,PSBB Free

Lockdowns are unnecessary and can unduly harm the economy, President Joko Jokowi Widodo has said as the COVID-19 outbreak in Indonesia enters its eighth month.

In a video posted on the Presidential Secretariats official YouTube channel, Jokowi reiterated that public health was the governments number one priority, but added a caveat.

Prioritizing health doesnt necessarily mean sacrificing the economy, he said. Sacrificing the economy is the same as sacrificing the lives of tens of millions of people, which is not an option for us.

He said that his administration was constantly looking to find a balanced way to address the outbreak.

So, there is no need to act high and mighty about implementing lockdowns in provinces, regencies or cities because it will sacrifice the people's livelihoods. But we are still serious about preventing the outbreak from spreading further, he said.

Read also: Public health key to Indonesia's economic recovery, Jokowi says

He added that he believed more focused, micro-scale social restrictions were the most effective way to curb COVID-19 transmission.

We must make [the measures] more directed, more specific, sharper and more focused to address the COVID-19 problem without killing the economy and peoples livelihoods, he said.

Jokowis pandemic policy has drawn widespread criticism from health experts and epidemiologists for leaning more toward economic recovery rather than the health crisis itself.

According to the official government count, Indonesia has recorded 303,498 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 11,151 deaths as of Sunday.
Joe Biden, the former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee, widened his lead against President Donald Trump following Tuesday nights interruption-filled debate, according to a new poll.

Biden led by 8 points in a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll heading into the debate; just days after the pair took the stage in Cleveland Tuesday, the former Delaware senators lead expanded to 14 points, at 53% to 39%, NBC reported.

Bidens new lead in the poll is the largest recorded by NBC and the Wall Street Journal throughout the 2020 campaign. In a July poll, Biden held an 11-point lead. The Real Clear Politics average of several polls between September and Oct. 3 shows Biden with an 8.1% edge over the incumbent, whose 2016 victory came despite former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leading in several national polls before Election Day.

The latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, of 800 registered voters, was conducted over the two days following Tuesdays debate, in which Trump reportedly interrupted the former vice president and moderator Chris Wallace more than 120 times combined.

Nearly half of the respondents, 49%, believed Biden performed better in the contest. Just 24% said they believed Trump topped Biden.

The number of respondents favoring Bidens temperament to serve in the Oval Office more than doubled those preferring Trump, at 58% to 26%.

The poll was completed before Trump announced that he and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for COVID-19. He is now at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, taking Remdesivir and a steroid after at least two concerning dips in blood oxygen levels in recent days. Doctors said Sunday he is doing well overall, with no side effects to treatment, and they hoped to discharge him on Monday.

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Visakhapatnam, Oct 4 : In a counter-offensive against the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo and opposition leader Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the ruling YSRCP has dubbed him as the "big brother of corruption" in Andhra Pradesh along with his party leader Sabbam Hari.

Anakapalli MLA Gudivada Amarnath, on Sunday, made these allegations against the TDP leaders in the context of the recent demolition of a part of Hari's residence by the Visakhapatnam civic body authorities, for allegedly encroaching upon government land.

"In the heart of Visakhapatnam in Seethamdhara, more than 212 square yards of government land worth Rs 3 crore was in his (Hari) possession. Because of this, the local colony residents lodged a complaint," said Amarnath.

The YSRCP MLA claimed that Hari did not even accept the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) notices served to him over the alleged encroachment.

He also alleged that Hari did not even respond to notices.

"Hari thought that even if I encroach upon government land, nobody can hold me accountable. But the government did what it has to do," claimed Amarnath.

Following the demolition, the MLA assailed the reaction of Naidu, Nara Lokesh and district TDP leaders over the incident.

"You can encroach upon government land but when the government takes back its land you term it as revenge," Amarnath questioned the TDP leaders.

He said this behaviour exposes their ideology to people.

Amarnath said Naidu himself is occupying an illegal place on the banks of Krishna river.

"You talk as if you are honest people and try to project a clean image of yourself, as if you have not committed any illegalities," Amarnath claimed.

The Anakapalli leader alleged that TDP leaders have been making baseless allegations of land misappropriation by YSRCP leaders right from the time Visakhapatnam has been announced as the capital.

Hari had warned Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and his close aide Vijay Sai Reddy, holding them responsible for demolishing a part of his house on Saturday.

The Visakhapatnam civic body officials on Saturday demolished a part of Hari's home due to alleged encroachment of a park, drawing protests from the opposition party.
Hanoi is at its most graceful and poetic in autumn. It is often vividly colorful.

Autumn is a time when the scent of milk flowers lingers in air, chilled by the monsoon, and tinted yellow by mild sunshine and falling leaves.

Autumn, between September and November, brings mild weather. The sizzling summer is bid farewell by autumns light breezes, which bring a slight chill to every street and every corner. Autumn is a nostalgic time for anyone who has seen Hanoi. Ho Thi Sau, who lives in Europe, always wants to visit Hanoi whenever she returns to Vietnam.

Ive returned to Vietnam and Hanoi several times since 1996 but not always in autumn. Whenever Im in Hanoi during this season, I enjoy its autumn specialties to the fullest, said Sau.

The warmth of the autumn sunlight may make your heart skip a beat. The yellow light tints the old buildings, the streets, the trees.

Phan Huyen Thu, a sophomore at the Hanoi University of Science and Technology, said, The weather in Hanoi is pleasant in autumn. Its great to wander around Hoan Kiem Lake in downtown Hanoi and admire the stunning view. Hanoi is so attractive in autumn that tourists and I love to explore and take lots of photos.

Hanoi has special foods that are only made in the autumn. One autumn specialty is green sticky rice, called Com, and derivatives like Com sweet soup and Com cakes. Street vendors walk along the streets calling Who wants Com?, carrying poles on their shoulders loaded with young rice.

Com is made all over Hanoi, but Vong village in Cau Giay district has the best. Com is a humble yet delicious dish. Young rice is harvested and made into Com, which can be either eaten by itself or used as an ingredient in other dishes.

I love the fragrance of Com, a specialty of Hanoi only available in the autumn. This is the second time Ive been to Hanoi in autumn. Im really excited. Hanoi is really seductive and beautiful in autumn, said an anonymous Hanoian

Hanoi has a typical autumn fruit, persimmon, though its not native to Hanoi. Com and persimmon are often included in gift packages for elderly people or placed on an altar as an offering of respect and gratitude to ones ancestors. Hanoi also has draconto melons exclusively in the autumn.

Hanoi has several autumn flowers but nothing more typical than the milk flower. One tree of blossoming milk flowers can perfume a large area. Milk flowers are rampant along Nguyen Du, Le Duan, and Quan Thanh street.

Pham Quoc Hung, a native Hanoian, said, Hanoi is really attractive this time of the year, when the milk flowers blossom. Many streets are immersed in the bold, pungent fragrance of milk flowers, which is distinctively different. Milk flowers are part of everyones nostalgia about Hanoi.

Autumn is a treat for those who live in Hanoi and makes absent Hanoians miss their city desperately and makes visitors long to return.

VOV
Imperial Valley News Center

Proclamation on Child Health Day, 2020

Washington, DC - Children are one of lifes greatest blessings. They bring boundless joy to families and enrich our communities. On Child Health Day, we are reminded of our solemn obligation to love and protect these precious lives, and we recommit to helping Americas youth reach their full potential.

Our Nation is home to the greatest doctors and medical professionals in the world, and yet, the health of too many American children is compromised at the earliest stages of life. To end this tragedy, my Administration is taking action to empower doctors and families so that children thrive at every stage of development. To reduce the rate of infant death, we have invested more than $100 million in the Healthy Start initiative, which particularly targets minority communities. We have also updated and improved clinical guidelines that healthcare professionals use for prenatal checkups, leading to safer births and healthier babies. As President, and as a father and grandfather, I will continue to work to ensure that every American family has the ability to raise healthy children, regardless of their income, education, or racial or ethnic background.

It is also vitally important to safeguard the mental, spiritual, and physical health of our children as they grow up. To this end, the First Lady launched her BE BEST initiative in 2018, an effort that has promoted whole-of-person wellness for children since its inception. BE BEST encourages character development and respect for others and provides education, awareness, and coping skills to help youth navigate issues they may face, including online safety and opioid and drug misuse. The positive habits encouraged by the BE BEST program have and will continue to develop future leaders, strengthening our Nation and affecting positive change in communities throughout the United States.

This year, we also celebrate 10 years of success in the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program, which helps prevent child neglect and provides families with the tools they need to raise children who are physically, socially, and emotionally healthy. The First Lady and I recognize the importance of creating a healthy environment in which to raise a child, and my Administration will always support children in need.

In recent months, we have also seen the effects of the coronavirus on the health of our Nations children. While children are at a very low risk from the coronavirus itself, lockdowns and school closures pose significant risks to the health and wellbeing of our young people. My Administration recognizes that extended school closures cause students to fall behind academically and can have devastating effects on the long-term prospects for school-aged children. Many children, especially those from low-income and minority communities, rely on schools for resources that they do not have access to when schools are closed. Schools provide meals, counseling, physical activity, social interaction, and other experiences that play a crucial role in the development of our young people. For these reasons, lockdowns and school closures can often pose a greater risk to children than the coronavirus, and we must take action to both empower parents and students to take control of their education and equip teachers to best ensure the wellbeing of their students.

In recognition of the vital role schools play in the health of our Nations children, my Administration has taken aggressive action to help our schools open safely. The bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which I signed into law in March, designates $750 million  in addition to the $10.6 billion already appropriated  in funding to the Head Start and Early Head Start programs, which help prepare low-income children for kindergarten. Furthermore, we have provided school districts with $25 billion for personal protective equipment and other resources to lower the risk of the spread of coronavirus, and I have called on the Congress to provide an additional $105 billion toward this effort. We have also provided every State with revolutionary point-of-care tests that deliver results in under 15 minutes. In preparation for the imminent delivery of a safe, effective coronavirus vaccine, last month I also directed the Department of Health and Human Services to issue guidance under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act which allows Statelicensed pharmacy professionals to administer vaccines to individuals ages three and older. This action will greatly expand vaccine access, especially among children, and will expedite our ongoing recovery effort. As one Nation, we will continue our push to safely reopen while also protecting the most vulnerable among us.

Our Nations children are the hope and promise of our future. Parents, educators, clergy members, mentors, and community volunteers all influence and shape the lives of young people. On this Child Health Day, let us renew our commitment to the vital role we all share in raising, nurturing, protecting, empowering, and encouraging Americas youth so that they may enjoy healthy, happy, and fulfilled lives.

The Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 18, 1928, as amended (36 U.S.C. 105), has called for the designation of the first Monday in October as Child Health Day and has requested that the President issue a proclamation in observance of this day.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Monday, October 5, 2020, as Child Health Day. I call upon families, child health professionals, faith-based and community organizations, and governments to help ensure that Americas children stay safe and healthy.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this third day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.

DONALD J. TRUMP
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has cut short his Asia trip after Donald Trump and other senior officials tested positive for Covid-19.

The State Department confirmed he will still visit Tokyo on Sunday, where he will meet counterparts from Australia, India and Japan for security talks between the strategic Quad grouping, seen as a response to growing Chinese power.

However, he has cancelled plans to visit South Korea and Mongolia.

Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China.

Shi Yinhong, an international relations expert from Renmin University in Beijing, said Pompeos shortened trip to Asia would not change the anti-China new normal heralded by the Trump administration.

The big picture remains the same that the US is pushing the Quad as a new frontline to go against China, Shi said.

The US will actively form and enhance anti-China alliances with other countries in the region  Mongolia, for instance, may build closer ties with Japan and the US in the future, he said.

Analysts said Pompeo was likely to raise concerns about Chinas growing strategic influence abroad, as Trumps administration ramps up its criticism of Beijing  notably over its coronavirus pandemic response  ahead of the US election in November.

Pang Zhongying, a specialist in international relations at Ocean University of China, said: There are reasons for Pompeo to visit Japan despite Trumps infection, such as Japan has a new Prime Minister and the Quad meeting in Japan. Regardless of his itinerary change, Trumps major foreign policies will continue, and this include partnering more regional countries to counter Chinese influence.

Beijing has lashed out at Pompeo in particular for playing up his China threat theory around the world, as he sounds the alarm globally on issues such as the sustainability of Chinese investments and security of Chinese technology.

Yun Sun, a senior fellow at Washington-based Stimson Centre, said: Beijing sees US criticisms of China as motivated by ulterior motives, that its not about whether what China does is right or wrong, but about the US desire to undermine Chinas influence.

Story continues

While in Europe this past week, Pompeo was denied an audience with the Pope after his comments warning the Vatican that it endangers its moral authority by renewing an agreement with China.

In South America in mid-September, Pompeo spoke about keeping Brazils networks safe from Beijing. And in Jerusalem in late August, he spoke with Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the challenge that the Chinese Communist Party presents to the entire world.

Two years ago, the Holy See reached an agreement with the Chinese Communist Party, hoping to help China's Catholics. Yet the CCPs abuse of the faithful has only gotten worse. The Vatican endangers its moral authority, should it renew the deal. https://t.co/fl0TEnYxKS  Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) September 19, 2020

Sun said Beijing may react to Pompeos trips by sending senior officials on similar visits, including Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi. Wang is in talks to visit Japan in October after having travelled to Mongolia in September, and Yang flew to South Korea in August to pave the way for a trip by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In Japan, Pompeo will meet his foreign minister counterparts in the Quad for the first time since the pandemic broke out, with a likely focus on joint efforts to counter Beijing and its claims to most of the South China Sea.

Monika Chansoria, senior fellow at The Japan Institute of International Affairs in Tokyo, said this was reflected by Indias deployment of a warship into the South China Sea in August, in the midst of an ongoing crisis at the disputed China-India border since June.

Japans Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga reportedly has plans to visit Vietnam and Indonesia in October as his first overseas trips in his new role, indicating a focus on Southeast Asia and the South China Sea.

It could be the beginning of a far more robust approach undertaken throughout the Indo-Pacific by these countries, jointly along with their respective regional partners, Chansoria said. The post-Covid-19 world is increasingly going to see an overhauled reassessment of China with wider security implications.

Despite the cancellation of Pompeos visit to Mongolia, relations between Mongolia and China have been badly affected by Beijings language policies in Inner Mongolia.

The decision to replace to Mongolian language classes in key subjects with Mandarin has prompted a wave of protests in the Chinese region and extensive criticism in Mongolia.

The countrys former president Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj wrote to President Xi Jinping to protest against the move, saying it was a growing atrocity that seeks to dissolve and eliminate Mongolians as an independent ethnicity through their language.

Oyunsuren Damdinsuren, senior lecturer at the National University of Mongolia, said that while the US was considered to be Mongolias most important third neighbour after China and Russia, US foreign investment and foreign trade with the country was still negligible. If Pompeo had visited, it would have been an important sign of symbolic support for Mongolias democracy, she said.

More from South China Morning Post:

This article Mike Pompeo keeps up pressure on China despite cutting short Asia trip after Donald Trumps coronavirus positive first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020.
A second bill would establish jail terms of up to four years for those who used a computer to spread false and/or misrepresented information which causes alarm. Critics say the proposed Special Law on Cybercrimes could be used to target journalists or social media users writing anything unfavorable to the government.
Even if omicron peak nears, Long Beach cases and hospitalizations will still be up for weeks, official says
A group of consultant doctors have said they are gravely concerned about the proposals to allow terminally ill people end their own lives.

In a letter to the Irish Examiner, members of the Irish Palliative Medicine Consultants Association (IPMCA) have called on TDs to oppose the Dying With Dignity Bill which will be voted on in the Dail on Wednesday, saying no change in the law is required.

The doctors say they are gravely concerned by any proposal to legislate for assisted suicide and euthanasia in Ireland.

Based on our collective experience over many decades of providing specialist care to thousands of individuals in Ireland and their families each year, we have closely observed the experiences of people who have lived and are living with serious illness, the doctors argue.

The threats of the proposed bill to healthcare in Ireland, to the true meaning of the doctor-patient relationship and to the future of what we know compassionate and supportive specialist palliative care to be are many, they say.

We worry about the impact on people who already struggle to have their voices heard in our society  older adults, the disabled, those with mental illness and others.

"We fear that the most vulnerable are those who may be made to feel a burden to their families and come under pressure to end their lives prematurely, the doctors argue.

Our experiences tell us that many in our society dont really know what dying is like, or how rare it is that severe pain cannot be controlled.

"Most people do not know that the easing of physical, psychological or spiritual distress and addressing peoples fears, hopes, sadness and loss can transform the experiences of living, dying and bereavement for individual patients and their families.

We are convinced that as dying with dignity is already present within healthcare in Ireland, no change to our current laws is required.

Meanwhile, the Rural Group of Independent TDs will vote against the Dying with Dignity Bill on Wednesday in the Dail, Mattie McGrath has said.

'Totally opposed'

Speaking on Sunday, Mr McGrath cited the US state of Oregon where a survey found people felt compelled to examine assisted suicide because they felt they were a burden on their families.

The Rural Independent Group, to the man and woman, the six of us are totally opposed to this bill and we are against it.

"Ireland is not ready for this. Many countries have introduced this and none of the guidelines has been adhered to, the numbers have rocketed up, he said.

He complained that last week during a debate, neither he nor Carol Nolan, Peadar Tobin got any time to speak accusing left-wing independents of monopolising the speaking time.

Thats not a very good start, he said.

People Before Profit TD Gino Kenny, the proposer of the Dying with Dignity Bill, said he thinks the vote on Wednesday night will be very close.

He said the government parties should grant their TDs a free vote to allow his bill progress into pre-legislative scrutiny rather than accepting the governments amendment which would see a new special committee examine the issue.

Mr Kenny said this route would effectively bury his bill and it wouldnt see the light of day.

If it goes to pre-legislative scrutiny, the process would be based on his bill.
President Donald Trump disembarks from the Marine One helicopter. Joshua Roberts/Reuters

White House physician Sean Conley announced Sunday that President Trump was feeling better. Conley said he hoped the president could return to the White House by Monday.

But Trump's doctors have chosen to give him dexamethasone, a corticosteroid, after the president required supplemental oxygen on Friday and Saturday.

According to the World Health Organization, dexamethasone should only be given to patients with severe and critical COVID-19."

Steroids are given "to the sickest patients" to reduce a patient's risk of death when on a ventilator, one expert told Business Insider.

Learn more about the race for a coronavirus vaccine in our live event on October 5. Sign up here.

White House physicians told reporters that President Trump was feeling better on Sunday morning and that they hoped he could be discharged on Monday.

But Trump's doctor, Sean Conley, also said that the president had been treated Saturday with dexamethasone, a corticosteroid that, according to the World Health Organization, is only for patients with "severe and critical COVID-19."

Research suggests dexamethasone reduces risk of death in such patients, who require supplemental oxygen and ventilators to breathe. But the benefits of such a steroid come at a cost: they blunt the immune system's response, which means it takes longer for the body to clear the virus.

Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, a pulmonary physician at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, said he's seen steroids work well for critically ill people, but that they're by no means curative.

"You're giving them to the sickest patients," Galiatsatos told Business Insider. "And when I say they work well, it just keeps them from dying. It doesn't mean it got them off the ventilator faster."

Dexamethasone is for patients about to be put 'on a breathing machine'

While this latest addition to Trump's treatment plan may seem counter to the "upbeat attitude" Conley said Trump and his team were trying to maintain, the president's physician revealed startling new details about Trump's condition on Sunday that could explain why steroids are on the table.

Story continues

President Trump is shown working at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., on Oct. 3, 2020. Joyce N. Boghosian/The White House via AP

Trump needed supplemental oxygen at least once for an hour on Friday at the White House, and possibly again in the hospital Saturday.

Conley said Trump's blood oxygen levels momentarily dipped below 94% on Friday, and then to 93% on Saturday. Blood-oxygen readings can help flag serious cases even before a person has developed severe symptoms like shortness of breath. They can also signal to patients when it's time to go to the hospital, or to physicians when it's time to consider certain treatments like dexamethasone.

"If [Trump is] telling me he's much more short of breath where his work of breathing is bad and I'm looking at the pulse oximeter and his oxygen is low, I'm pulling the trigger for the steroid at that moment because I'm about to put him on a breathing machine," Galiatsatos said of how he might approach the situation.

Healthcare workers lift a patient from one bed to another as they move him into a less intensive unit from the Covid-19 Unit at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, Texas Thursday, July 2, 2020. MARK FELIX/AFP via Getty Images

Indeed, the National Institutes of Health stipulated that a 10-day course of the steroid is only recommended for patients who need a ventilator or extra oxygen, and specifically recommended against dexamethasone as a treatment for patients that don't need assistance breathing.

Even at 93%, Trump's blood oxygen levels don't meet the WHO's criterion for dexamethasone treatment: the organization defines "severe" COVID-19 patients as those with blood oxygen levels lower than 90%.

But according to Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, there's nothing abnormal about the president's treatment given what we know about his illness.

"Dexamethasone is what we use on anybody requiring supplemental oxygen," Adalja told Business Insider, adding: "It's standard even if it's a transient need for oxygen."

Steroids blunt the immune system's response to the virus

The steroid isn't the only drug Trump is getting.

He's taking remdesivir, an FDA-emergency authorized drug proven to speed patient recovery, and an experimental antibody cocktail from drug company Regeneron that's been shown to improve symptoms in non-hospitalized patients.

Adalja said there's nothing "particularly right or wrong" about Trump's doctors prescribing him that Regeneron cocktail, just that there's not enough evidence to show it's effective yet.

An ampule of Dexamethasone, a corticosteroid used as a treatment for COVID-19. Yves Herman/Reuters

Throwing a steroid into the mix may suppress the benefits of that antibody cocktail, which tries to mimic the body's natural immune system to fight off the virus. Steroids, in turn, are used to stop our immune system from reacting too aggressively. Sometimes, during the later stage of the COVID-19 illness, the immune system will start attacking the body instead of the virus, an event known as a "cytokine storm."

"If he gets steroids, whatever that antibody was is gone now," Galiatsatos said. "You're trying to just stop that chaos of an immune response."

Aria Bendix contributed reporting to this story.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Hong Kong: US statement strongly opposed

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today strongly deplored and opposed a statement by the US Department of State regarding the arrests made by Hong Kong Police on October 1.

The Hong Kong SAR Government said the arrests were lawful and necessary to maintain law and order in society and protect the life and property of Hong Kong residents.

It regretted that senior US officials have continued to adopt double standards in expressing irresponsible remarks on law enforcement actions in the city.

According to the Hong Kong Bill of Rights and the International Covenant on Civil & Political Rights, the freedoms of procession and assembly are not absolute and might be subject to restrictions as prescribed by law in the interests of public order and safety, and the interests of others, the Hong Kong SAR Government said in a statement.

If there is evidence that anyone has violated the law, they must face justice. No one can break the law without facing consequences.

As a law enforcement agency, Police will take action when they come across unlawful acts in strict accordance with the laws in force.

Police have always handled and will continue to handle all cases in a fair, just and impartial manner in accordance with the law.

The Hong Kong SAR Government also reiterated its firm commitment to the implementation of the one country, two systems principle in accordance with the Basic Law.

Since the return to the Motherland, the central government has unswervingly implemented one country, two systems to effectively maintain Hong Kongs prosperity and stability.

Hong Kong is consistently high on global rankings for the rule of law, the statement added.

It reminded the US that the Hong Kong SAR is an inalienable part of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), a local administrative region which enjoys a high degree of autonomy and comes directly under the Central Peoples Government.

Hong Kong affairs are internal matters of the PRC and foreign governments should stop scaremongering and interfering in the citys affairs.

This story has been published on: 2020-10-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
A MAN described as one of the most chronic heroin addicts in Limerick city, has been jailed over a crime spree during which he stole over 1,000 worth of goods to pay for his drug habit.

Daniel Ryan, 33, of St Munchins Street, St Marys Park, appeared before Limerick Circuit Court, having pleaded guilty to 10 counts of theft and two counts of burglary.

Prosecuting barrister Lily Buckley BL said the most significant financially was a burglary at a home on St Colmcille Street in St Marys Park on March 9, 2020. The accused entered the property after he climbed over the roof, and stole 1,030 worth of items, including two watches, two drills and various jewellery.

Ms Buckley said a peaked cap was found in the yard of the property, and DNA on it matched Mr Ryan.

There were a range thefts at Tesco, Circle K and Applegreen in Corbally between February 1 and February 22 this year.

Addressing Garda Neasa Ni Chearnaigh, barrister Brian McInerney BL, said the accused, who has 89 previous convictions, is known as one of the most chronic heroin addicts in the city and is known by virtually every garda.

He said when arrested, he was certified unfit for questioning, and that he grabbed the bottle of methadone [from the doctor] and swigged it back like a bottle of coke.

He later said this was to ease the suffering.

His existence is a pitiful existence, would you accept that? Mr McInerney put it to the garda. She said: I would accept that.

During the interviews, he said that he needed to pay for the habit and clear the debt, said Mr McInerney who added that when asked by gardai how much he spent on heroin a year, the accused said 80,000.

Its also fair to say that his family has washed his hands [of Daniel Ryan] and that they have reached the end of the road, the barrister said.

Judge Tom ODonnell said that due to his chronic addiction he is still involved in criminality. He imposed a three year prison sentence, backdating to March 19, 2020.
Bahrain's leading telecom services operator Batelco today (October 3) announced the successful activation of 5G coverage across the kingdom.

It is presently available in all the four governorates and starting from this month, it covers 95% of the nations population, making Batelco the first operator to have national 5G coverage and positioning it among the leading operators in the GCC.

In March 2019, Batelco had signed a partnership agreement with Ericsson to build a national 5G mobile network over a period of 2 years.

Ericsson has been the technology partner of choice for a number of leading telecom operators around the world, such as AT&T, O2, T-Mobile, Verizon, Vodafone UK and Vodafone Germany.

In June 2019, Batelco announced being the first operator in Bahrain and among the first in the region to deliver commercial 5G network services for its customers.

On the successful 5G activation, Batelco CEO Mikkel Vinter said: "Covering Bahrain with 5G is a key strategic goal for Batelco, both at the corporate and national level. Its is a technology that will change the telecom industry as we know it today and will open up endless possibilities in the digital space."

At Batelco, we align our strategic decisions with Bahrains vision for the telecom sector and the digital economy, and we are committed to be at the forefront of the digital transformation in Bahrain. We are investing in 5G today to serve our customers and the citizens of Bahrain with the latest technologies, and to lay the foundation for what 5G will bring for the next generation.
Tesco has been fined 167,000 for displaying out-of-date yoghurts and baguettes for sale at a store.

Trading Standards officers found yogurts more than two weeks past their sell-by at the Bracknell North Superstore in Bracknell, Berkshire.

There were also 30 baguettes that were three days too old and documents showed many food safety checks were carried out incorrectly.

Trading Standards officers found yogurts more than two weeks past their sell-by at the Bracknell North Superstore in Bracknell, Berkshire (pictured)

Bracknell Forest councillor John Harrison said that having food out for sale that is 'up to 15 days past its use-by date is completely unacceptable'.

Tesco apologised for the breach involving 'a very small number of products' in 2017 according to The Sun.

They said that long-life fresh items are checked every seven days.

The company added that they took 'immediate action' to remove the items and have 'robust procedures in place' to make sure products out for sale are within use-by dates.

A Tesco spokesperson said: 'We accept that in 2017 a very small number of products were found to be out of date at our Bracknell North Superstore.

'On discovery, we took immediate action to remove them. We have robust procedures in place to ensure that products on our shelves are within their use-by dates.

'This incident does not reflect the high standards we expect in Tesco stores.'

Mr Harrison, the member for Binfield-with-Warfield, said that the level of penalty shows how 'seriously the court takes matters of this nature'.

This comes as the store launched a traffic light system to tell customers whether or not they can enter the store to allow social distancing.

The company added that they took 'immediate action' to remove the items and have 'robust procedures in place' to make sure products out for sale are within use-by dates (file photo)

Supermarkets have had to control how many customers enter their store since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

Shops normally have queues and marshals outside telling customers when it is safe to enter.

Tesco has joined Aldi, which has already introduced a traffic light system, and Home Bargains, who are working on introducing them.
A Philadelphia tech company which provides the software currently used in COVID-19 vaccine trials has suffered a ransomware attack, the CEO has confirmed.

The global firm, eResearchTechnology, first came under attack two weeks ago, on September 20.

Employees discovered that they were locked out of their data by ransomware, The New York Times reported - an attack that holds victims' data hostage until they pay to unlock it.

ERT said clinical trial patients were never at risk, but customers said the attack forced trial researchers to track their patients with pen and paper.

Several of ERT's clients were hit - among them IQVIA, the contract research organization helping manage AstraZeneca's COVID vaccine trial, and Bristol Myers Squibb, the drugmaker leading a consortium of companies to develop a quick test for the virus.

ERT has its global headquarters in Philadelphia and has been under attack since Sept 20

ERT provides the software used by firms including AstraZeneca and Bristol Myers Squibb

Research into a vaccine is feared to be delayed following the ransomware attack

ERT has not said how many clinical trials were affected, but its software is used in drug trials across Europe, Asia and North America.

ERT's software was used in three-quarters of trials that led to drug approvals by the Food and Drug Administration last year, according to its website.

Drew Bustos, ERT's vice president of marketing, said the company took its systems offline on September 20 and asked cybersecurity experts to help, and notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Drew Bustos, ERT's vice president of marketing, said the attack had been 'contained' and the FBI notified

'Nobody feels great about these experiences, but this has been contained,' he said.

ERT begun bringing its systems back online on Friday, and planned to bring remaining systems online over the coming days.

He refused to say whether a ransom had been paid, or whether they had identified suspects.

IQVIA said it had been able to limit problems because it had backed up its data. Bristol Myers Squibb also said the impact of the attack had been limited but other ERT customers had to move their clinical trials to pen and paper.

In a statement, IQVIA said that the attack had 'had limited impact on our clinical trials operations'.

'We are not aware of any confidential data or patient information, related to our clinical trial activities, that have been removed, compromised or stolen,' the company said.

Some of the researchers working on vaccines have had to use a pen and paper during the issue

IQVIA was one of ERT's clients effected by the ransomware attack

At least 53 health care and system providers in the U.S. have been hit with ransomware in 2020

Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, two companies working on a coronavirus vaccine, said their coronavirus vaccine trials had not been affected.

'ERT is not a technology provider for or otherwise involved in Pfizer's Phase 1/2/3 Covid-19 vaccine clinical trials,' Amy Rose, a spokeswoman for Pfizer, said.

Ransomware attacks are an increasing threat, especially given the huge pressure on companies to come up with a safe COVID vaccine.

So far this year, a total of 53 health care providers and health care systems in the U.S. have been hit with ransomware, impacting care at up to 503 individual hospitals and medical clinics, according to cybersecurity firm Emisoft.

In Germany a ransomware attack resulted in the first known death from a cyberattack in recent weeks, after Russian hackers seized 30 servers at University Hospital Dusseldorf, crashing systems and forcing the hospital to turn away emergency patients.

As a result, the German authorities said, a woman in a life-threatening condition was sent to a hospital 20 miles away in Wuppertal and died from treatment delays.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 22:20:36|Editor: huaxia

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NEW DELHI, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- India's federal health minister Harsh Vardhan said on Sunday that the government plans to provide COVID-19 vaccines to around 250 million people in the country by July 2021.

According to the minister, the government would receive 400-500 million vaccine doses by July next year and it would ensure "equitable access."

"A high-level expert body is studying all aspects of the vaccine, including how to ensure equitable distribution. Lists of citizen groups that would require vaccine immediately are being made by the health ministry in association with the state government," the minister said while addressing the fourth edition of his weekly social media interaction programme namely Sunday Samvaad (Sunday conversation).

Vardhan said state governments have been advised to send details of "priority population groups," referring to which sections of the population will be first in line to receive the vaccine, by the end of October.

"Vaccine procurement is being done centrally and each consignment will be tracked in real-time. Priority will be given to frontline health care workers," he said. "The government is offering full support to Indian vaccine manufacturers."

The minister's remarks come at a time when three potential vaccines are being tested in India, including Covishield which was developed jointly by the University of Oxford and pharma giant AstraZeneca.

Covishield is in Phase 2 and Phase 3 human trials.

Indigenous vaccine developers Bharat Biotech are in Phase 2 trials with COVAXIN, while Zydus Cadila is waiting to receive approvals for Phase 3 clinical trials for its vaccine.

"Several vaccine trials are going on in India. At present, we can't predict which one will emerge as the most effective. But by the first quarter of 2021, we will definitely know the results," the minister said recently.

On Sunday the federal health ministry said the number of COVID-19 cases in the country has reached 6,549,373 including 101,782 deaths. Enditem
The government has been accused of sparing wealthy and Tory voting areas from local coronavirus lockdowns, while poorer areas of the country with comparatively lower infection rates face tougher restrictions.

Some constituencies in the so-called red wall that switched from Labour to the Tories at the last election have not faced curbs on movement despite recording an increase in cases sufficient to trigger restrictions in Labour-voting areas in the region.

The red-to-blue swing seats of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, with 73 cases of coronavirus per 100,000 population, and Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, with a rate of 112, are both free of additional measures, for example.

But Greater Manchester, home to a swathe of Labour seats, had an average rate of almost 24 per 100,000 when lockdown was introduced earlier in the summer.

According to an email published by The Sunday Times, Professor Dominic Harrison, director of public health for Blackburn with Darwen, wrote to ministers last week warning that more economically challenged boroughs [were] being placed into more restrictive control measures at an earlier point in their ... case rate trajectory.

He said that had the effect of exacerbating the economic inequality impacts of the virus...giving an economic double whammy to more challenged areas.

Professor Harrison was responding to figures that showed the government first imposed restrictions on Blackburn with Darwen - one of the poorest areas in the country - when their weekly Covid-19 rate passed 60 cases per 100,000.

Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Show all 10 1 /10 Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A man wearing a face mask crosses a road in Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Reuters Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A view of the empty entrance to the UniversitA Cattolica (Catholic University) in Milan, northern Italy, on 24 February, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Empty streets in Daegu, South Korea, on 23 February, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Empty streets in Daegu, South Korea, on 23 February 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A lone sanitation worker sits near the closed Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, on February 24, 2020. Reuters Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A view of a deserted street in Codogno, northern Italy, on February 23, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Italian police officers set a road block in Codogno, Northern Italy, on Monday, Feb. 24, 2020. AP Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A supermarket closed in Codogno, one the northern Italian towns placed under lockdown, on February 23, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A lone cyclist wearing sanitary masks pedals in the center of Codogno, Northern Italy. LaPresse via AP Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty An empty road at the entrance of the small Italian town of Codogno on February 23, 2020. AFP via Getty

Seats represented by the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, and the housing secretary, Robert Jenrick, have rates of infection of 73 and 84 respectively but have avoided lockdowns. Those figures compare with a national rate across England of 28.

Are you more likely to have social lockdowns earlier and for longer and at a lower confirmed case rate if you are a northern, less wealthy, non conservative voting #localgov area? Professor Harrison tweeted. Check the data...

Jim Shorrock, a former Labour mayor of Blackburn with Darwen, said the figures were confirmation of what some of us have thought for some time.

Labour said the data raised questions as to why those living in parts of the Midlands and the north were having to face restrictions when other parts of the country that have seen infections rise are not.

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: "Because there is no clear guidelines as to why an area goes into restrictions and how an area comes out of restrictions then there is a suspicion that there is political interference - I hope there isn't.

"But until the government publish clear guidelines, that suspicion will always linger."

People wear face coverings as they walk along socially distanced floor markings in Cardiff after the Welsh Government placed three more areas of Wales into local lockdown. (PA)

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson told The Independent the Covid-19 incidence rate was only one of a set of considerations regarding when it is appropriate to impose and release restrictions.

The spokesperson said: Decisions are made in close consultation with local leaders and public health experts, informed by the latest evidence from the JBC (Joint Biosecurity Centre) and NHS Test and Trace, PHE and the Chief Medical Officer for England.

While we recognise how much of an imposition these measures are, they are based on the latest scientific evidence in order to suppress the virus and protect us all while doing everything possible to support the economy.

We continue to work closely with local authorities and health protection teams and announced 7m funding to support them during this period of further restrictions.
NEW DELHI: US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo will attend the second meeting of the Quad" group of countries in Tokyo this week, the US State Department confirmed in a statement overnight Sunday following doubts over his travel after President Donald Trump tested positive for the coronavirus.

Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo will travel to Tokyo, Japan on October 4 to 6," the US statement said, adding Planned meetings with the Quad Foreign Ministers in Tokyo will focus on pressing issues of the Indo-Pacific region."

Secretary Pompeo expects to be traveling to Asia again in October and will work to reschedule visits on that trip, that is now just a few weeks off," it said referring to visits to South Korea and Mongolia that have now been deferred.

The schedule change comes as Trump is hospitalized in Washington after he tested covid-19 positive on Thursday.

"We're still planning on making the trips, but we're going to take a look at them," Pompeo had said when asked about any possible changes in his Asia itinerary on Friday. We'll see which one -- see which or some parts of those trips make sense and which may not, and we'll continue to on an hour-by-hour basis take a look at it," he had said.

The Tokyo meeting of the so-called Quad" group of countries  US, Japan, Australia and India  will be the second in the series after one hosted by Pompeo in Washington last year in September.

On the agenda of the Tokyo meet is a discussion of the post covid-19 international order and tensions in the Indo-Pacific region due to China. For India, the meeting comes amid heightened tensions with China on the border that looks to stretch into the winter months with tens of thousands of troops of both countries ranged against each other. China has also been flexing its military muscles in the seas-- holding five military exercises simultaneously along different parts of its coast and ratcheting up tensions in the region.

According to an Indian foreign ministry statement issued last week, besides the post-covid-19 international order and the need for a coordinated response to the various challenges emerging from the pandemic," the four ministers will also discuss regional issues and collectively affirm the importance of maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific." Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar will hold bilateral consultations with Australian foreign minister Marise Payne, Pompeo and his host Japanese Motegi Toshimitsu. Jaishankar may also call on the new Japanese prime minister Yoshihide Suga.

All four countries of the Quad have problems with China and view Beijings conduct with suspicion. Besides Indias ongoing military standoff with China in Ladakh, Australia has testy relations with China over the origins and spread of the covid-19 pandemic while Japan has concerns over Chinese intrusions near the Senkaku Islands. The US has been engaged in a war of words with China over the pandemic as well as on outstanding trade issues with Beijing.

India, Australia and Japan recently held talks on alternative supply chains to counter Chinas dominance against the backdrop of countries looking for alternatives to Beijing amid the pandemic. The three countries are discussing building a supply chain resilience initiative," and held their first meeting on the subject earlier this month.

Besides this, New Delhi has in recent months signed logistics support pacts with Australia and Japan. It has robust defence partnership with the US. Last month, in a first, a United States' long-range maritime patrol aircraft refuelled at Indias Andaman and Nicobar islands. The fully armed" P-8 Poseidon aircraft landed in Port Blair for logistics and refuelling support, a person familiar with the matter said on Saturday. India and the US have been providing their naval vessels with refuelling support since the two countries signed a logistics support pact in 2016. The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) provides India with similar access to US bases from Djibouti in Africa to Guam in the Pacific.

Last month, the US signed a framework pact for defence cooperation with the Maldives was seen as an effort to strengthen alliances in the Indo-Pacific to counter China. Indian foreign minister Jaishankar, at a seminar on India-Japan relations earlier this month, said New Delhi was looking to cooperate with Japan on projects in Bangladesh and Myanmar as part of their efforts to work together in third countries. The Indian foreign ministry has set up a new "Oceania" division to coordinate strategy in the Indo-Pacific region. The desk is headed by an additional secretary rank officer and two senior director level officers besides others.

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In the course of carrying out missionary assignments in Nigeria, I came in contact with wonderful people who love Jesus in a way that is surprising. Their love for Christ is so outstanding but they do not want to identify with Jesus in the open.

They do not attend church services, they are not after Jesus because of miracles, and they have not been taught how to sow seeds to prosper. They just love and admire Jesus for who He is.

Their actions motivated me to look at the scripture and I saw the likes of them in the persons of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea who were secret disciples of Jesus. I came to the conclusion that in every generation and nation, there are genuine lovers of Christ who may not be willing to identify with Him in the open for one reason or the other.

The very first time that I encountered them, I was coercive and did everything to ensure that they come to church meetings but they preferred to secretly visit me for prayers and counseling. When I remembered that Jesus did not compel Nicodemus to see Him in the daytime, I tolerated their secret visits. My decision to allow them relate with Jesus without coming to church fostered my relationship with them and helped me to disciple them covertly.

In a particular community, I met a secret admirer of Jesus who is the head of a village where no one has preached Christ nor heard about Him. We introduced Christ to him and he surrendered to His saving power but he sincerely told us that he cannot come to church for security reasons but would help us secretly mobilize his people for the Gospel crusade that we were planning.

He did mobilize them and gave us two plots of land to build a church after the crusade. For three good years he never identified with the church openly and then there arose persecution and I was declared wanted and he was instructed to either eject us out of the village or die. He confidently said to me, "I am ready to die for Jesus!" When they saw that he was resolute in his decision, they offered him a large sum of money but the poor village head rejected and opted to die for Jesus instead of ejecting us out of the village.

How many Christians who are parading themselves in churches every day will be willing to die for Jesus? How many of us will reject large sum of money for the sake of the Gospel? When Jesus was arrested, all His known disciples abandoned Him. Peter denied Him thrice before the cock crowed. It was Joseph of Arimathea who never identified with Christ publicly who had the courage to meet with Pilate and demanded the body of Christ for burial (John 19:38).

Sometimes, these secret admirers are bolder, more faithful and more committed than those of us who are church people. I have come to understand that many Christians are not genuine. They have ulterior motives for following Jesus and they belong to the category of what I call "John 6:26 church members". These are those who look for Jesus because they need bread. They do not want to be associated with His cross and the fellowship of His suffering.

Secret admirers of Christ can be found everywhere. In the Bible, Nicodemus defended Jesus before the Pharisees (John 7:50-51). In modern times, the chief imam in Plateau state, North Central Nigeria, saved the lives of about 300 Christians during an attack on the community.

In Afri-Mission and Evangelism Network, we have developed action plans under "Operation Nicodemus Platform" to follow-up with secret admirers of Christ. We counsel them secretly, disciple them if possible, and encourage them to establish house churches in their families with the Holy Spirit as their invisible pastor if it is not possible for a human pastor to operate. We do this relying on the Word of God that the anointing that they have received is well able to teach them (1 John 2:27).

It is important to note that some of these secret admirers of Christ cannot publicly identify with Jesus because of the dangers associated with Christianity in some regions. And some secret admirers in metropolitan cities just want to operate in isolation due to personal reasons. We need to apply caution while approaching them for discipleship because some of them are disgusted with churches and pastors due to frauds and abuses that are prevalent in many churches today.

We should not compel them to come to church meetings. Rather, they should be encouraged to continue in their secret relationships until they are convinced by the Holy Spirit to join any church of their choice. Otherwise, let the status quo be maintained while brotherly relationship is established between them and the church secretly.

Even among those who we think are enemies of Christ, some are secret admirers of Christ. Do we pretend that they are not Christians and treat them like outcasts or do we discover them, integrate them, and, if possible, disciple them secretly?
MONTREAL - Quebec provincial police say a 59-year-old man has been arrested in relation to an alleged double homicide that took place Saturday in Montreal.

The suspect, whose identity has not yet been made public, is expected to appear in court via phone later today to hear what charges he faces.

Police say 61-year-old Diane Leblanc and 57-year-old Sylvie Leblanc were fatally shot around 12:20 p.m. on Saturday in the citys east end.

Quebecs independent police watchdog says the suspect shot the women and then opened fire on Montreal police officers who arrived on the scene.

The Independent Investigations Bureau says the man was injured when police returned fire and was transported to hospital.

The Bureau, which investigates whenever citizens are injured or killed during a police operation, says six investigators are examining the case with the help of provincial police.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2020.

Read more about:
President Donald Trumps medical team acknowledged on Sunday that he had experienced concerning drops in his oxygen saturation levels in his battle with the coronavirus, while also saying that the president could be discharged from the hospital as early as tomorrow.

But the president himself made a surprise appearance outside of Walter Reed Medical Center on Sunday afternoon, waving to a crowd of cheering supporters  standing close to one another, many without masks  from his motorcade before returning to the presidential suite in the hospital.

The timing on a potential release from Walter Reed, where Trump has been since Friday, was a change from the more cautious assessment the presidents physician, Sean Conley, gave on Saturday, when he declined to put a hard date on a possible discharge.

During a briefing on Trumps health on Sunday morning, Conley confirmed the president had received supplemental oxygen while at the White House on Friday morning  a step frequently taken in more serious coronavirus cases. Conley on Saturday had avoided acknowledging Trumps need for supplemental oxygen before arriving at Walter Reed.

I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude that the team, the president, that his course of illness has had, Conley said when asked about his obfuscation. I didnt want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction. And in doing so, you know, it came off that we were trying to hide something, which wasnt necessarily true.

Separately, Conley also revealed that the president had been given dexamethasone, a decades-old steroid. The announcement concerned medical experts because the drug is typically recommended only for patients with severe or critical cases of Covid-19.

British scientists reported in June that dexamethasone, which quiets the immune system, reduced the risk of death for patients who required supplemental oxygen or ventilator assistance. While the drug can aid those severely ill patients, whose symptoms are often the result of an immune system in overdrive, it can also harm those who are not as sick by hampering the bodys ability to fight off the virus.

Story continues

The Sunday briefing was Conleys second since Trump was hospitalized on Friday, just hours after he announced that he had tested positive.

Dr. Sean Conley, physician to President Donald Trump, briefs reporters at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020.

His first briefing, held Saturday morning, kicked off a whiplash day of information that left White House aides bewildered and the public befuddled about the actual state of the presidents health.

Sundays briefing began with a clear attempt to lay out a more concrete timeline of Trumps illness, going back to the initial diagnosis Thursday night. Conley said Trump was doing well that night, but by Friday morning had a high fever and oxygen saturation levels that were transiently dipping below 94 percent, outside of normal range.

Conley said that given those two factors, he was concerned for possible rapid progression of the illness. He then decided to administer supplemental oxygen, even though the president was fairly adamant he didnt need it. Trump, he said, received oxygen for about an hour and improved quickly, moving about the White House residence hours later.

Despite this, he added, everyone agreed the best course of action was to go to Walter Reed.

The rundown provided official confirmation for the first time about episodes that were only rumored or discussed anonymously by White House officials throughout Saturday, muddling any understanding of Trumps true condition.

It began in the morning, when Conley and Trumps medical team came out to paint a rosy picture for reporters of Trumps status, proclaiming that he was doing very well.

But within minutes, the White House started undermining that message. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows gave reporters on the scene an anonymous quote saying that Trumps condition had been very concerning over the previous day and warning, The next 48 hours will be critical. (A video surfaced online showing Meadows asking to speak to a pool of reporters outside Walter Reed off the record, making clear who was quoted in a press pool report to a broader group of journalists as a source familiar with the presidents health.)

Soon, indications were piling up that Trump might have received supplemental oxygen while at the White House on Friday, even though Conley had said Trump had not been on supplemental oxygen the previous day.

Conley also created potential discrepancies in the timeline he laid out for Trumps Covid-19 diagnosis. He initially indicated that the president had first tested positive more than a full day before he stopped working and traveling maskless in tight quarters. Conley later clarified that he had meant to say day 3 instead of 72 hours, confirming that Trump was diagnosed on Thursday.

On Saturday night, Trump himself tried to set the record straight.

In a discursive, four-minute video released on Twitter, he contradicted Meadows and other officials who had framed his health status as worrisome before he left for the hospital. I just didnt want to stay in the White House, he said. I was given that alternative.

The White House then buttressed the video with two photos of the president sitting at his desk, reading and signing papers.

Journalists appeared to uncover that the video was deceptively edited to try to remove the presidents cough and noted that the images were taken just 10 minutes apart , suggesting they were staged photo ops rather than candid portraits of a president at work. Both revelations have gone viral.

After the presidents motorcade outing on Sunday afternoon, the White House Correspondents Association issued a statement that spoke to the opaque and contradictory nature of communications from the White House.

It is outrageous for the president to have left the hospital  even briefly  amid a health crisis without a protective pool present to ensure that the American people know where their president is and how he is doing, the statement said. Now more than ever, the American public deserves independent coverage of the president so they can be reliably informed about his health.

Before that brief trip, Trump notably hadnt appeared live since Thursday, not even to phone into friendly networks like Fox News for interviews. Instead, a president who enjoys the spotlight has minimized his tweets and relied on allies like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and other White House staff and campaign officials to deliver messages on his behalf.

Later Saturday evening, Meadows went on Fox News to say that Trump had improved that day, but again noted that he and Trumps doctor were very concerned on Friday about the presidents fever and oxygen saturation levels.

And then late Saturday night, the White House released another memo from Conley saying the president continues to do well, without a fever and not requiring supplemental oxygen. While not yet out of the woods, the team remains cautiously optimistic, the memo said.

Conley noted Trump had completed his second dose of the antiviral drug remdesivir, which has been shown to shorten recovery time in hospitalized coronavirus patients. Trump has also received an infusion of an experimental antibody drug produced by Regeneron, and is taking aspirin, zinc and vitamin D.

But when asked on Sunday what X-rays and CT scans showed, Conleys response was short on details: Some expected findings but nothing of any major clinical concern.

Like advisers who appeared across the political talk shows on Sunday morning, Trumps doctor also projected an image of a strong president who will defeat the virus.

I would just share that, like every patient, we perform lung spirometry on him, and hes maxing it out, Conley said with a smile. We told him, See what you can do, and its over 2,500 milliliters each time. Hes doing great.

Lung spirometry is a pulmonary test that measures lung function, including how much air can be inhaled and exhaled.

The White House communications director, Alyssa Farah, told Fox News on Sunday afternoon that Trump is the toughest guy Ive ever met.

This president is focused still on serving the people, even when hes getting treated for the virus himself, and I think thats extraordinary, she said.

Farah also downplayed any friction between the president and his chief of staff, casting Meadows comments on Saturday as a reflection of their close relationship.

Hes so close to this individual that when he sees him not feeling well, not his tough, strong self that we all know, that he wanted to make sure to convey that to the public, she said.

National security adviser Robert OBrien stressed on CBS that Trump was firmly in control, adding for good measure that the president was also firmly in command of the government.

Steve Cortes, a senior Trump campaign adviser, used a baseball analogy: Trump is on the disabled list right now, he said, but very, very shortly he will be throwing 95-mile-per-hour fastballs.

There was not one even iota of the president feeling sorry for himself, Cortes said on Fox, recalling a conversation between the president and senior campaign staff on Saturday. He is still governing actively as president of the United States, even from the hospital. We are fully confident that his recovery will be complete.

Cortes and Jason Miller, a senior Trump campaign adviser, tried to stabilize the uncertain narrative that has unfolded since Friday. Across several networks, they defended the precautions the White House and campaign have taken to keep people safe from coronavirus. Those protocols have come under scrutiny after several largely maskless Republican gatherings that flouted social-distancing and crowd-size guidelines were linked to the outbreak that ensnared Trump.

We believe that masks are very useful, Cortes said. The president has worn them on many occasions, including visiting the hospital where he is now a patient, [and] when he was visiting as commander in chief as a guest to visit soldiers there, he wore a mask. So we believe in masks. We also believe in some element of individual choice.

Yet Miller accused Joe Biden, Trumps Democratic rival for president, of wearing masks when he doesnt need to. Too often, hes used masks as a prop, Miller said.

In a sign that the administration was taking the threat more seriously, White House staff received an email on Sunday night instructing them not to show up for work if theyre exhibiting symptoms. Staff were told to go home and contact their doctor if they developed symptoms on site, and not to report to the the White House Medical Unit for questions about coronavirus testing.

Meanwhile, the viral outbreak among senior Republican figures and their aides has continued to expand.

Former Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, who helped Trump prep for the first presidential debate last week, was hospitalized on Saturday after testing positive. And early on Sunday it emerged that Trumps body man, Nicholas Luna, had tested positive.

White House officials have said they are bracing for more cases to crop up in the coming days.

Anita Kumar contributed to this report.

CORRECTION: Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article misstated the day when President Donald Trump made an appearance in his motorcade outside Walter Reed Medical Center.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 4) One local chief executive in Metro Manila said Sunday he is not keen on removing curfew hours, as he stressed the need for a gradual reopening of the economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking to CNN Philippines, Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian said he personally wants the curfew hours currently set from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. to stay, as threat of the coronavirus still remains.

Sa perspektibo ng Valenzuela pag tinanong ako, hindi ako sang-ayon na tanggalin yung curfew na yun kasi, again, we might be celebrating a bit too early, Gatchalian said in an interview with Newsroom Weekend, but noted that he cannot speak for the rest of his colleagues.

[Translation: From Valenzuelas perspective, if you ask me, I dont agree with removing the curfew, because, again, we might be celebrating a bit too early.]

We are for opening the economy, but we have to do it gradually, in phases. And part of the phase is to keep the curfew kasi baka biglang bumulusok na naman yung mga kaso pag binuksan natin nang biglaan (because the cases might rise again if we suddenly ease restrictions), he added.

Paranaque City Mayor and Metro Manila Council chairman Edwin Olivarez earlier said local officials are set to discuss the issue of curfew in their next meeting, as the capital region which remains under general community quarantine aims to slowly open up the crisis-hit economy.

Curfew hours in Metro Manila are currently unified, but delivery services are permitted to operate 24/7.

COVID-19 cases in the Philippines have meanwhile surpassed the 319,000 mark, with 2,674 new infections reported on Saturday.
The naming of Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman as head of the newly-formed alliance of opposition parties, which has pledged to unseat the Imran Khan government, has raised eyebrows in Pakistans political circles.

Science and technology minister Fawad Chaudhry called the JUI-F president an extremist Mullah after the hardline Islamist partys supremo was picked by Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Saturday as its leader.

Sad Day for Pakistan An extremist Mullah considered Close to terrorist groups of Afghanistan is selected to lead opposition movement against Government. Unlike India where extremists are in Govt, people of Pak never allowed extremists to lead or mainstream politics, Chaudhry tweeted.

Pakistani Muslim League (N) chief and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Balochistan National Party (BNP) chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal were among the attendees of a virtual meeting of PDM during which Rehman was elevated as head of the alliance aimed to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The PDM had announced at its All Parties Conference in September that it plans to launch its protest campaign from Quetta, Balochistan in October. The choice of Quetta may have to do with the popularity that Fazlur Rehmans party enjoys there. Analysts also say that the partys street power is immense.

In 2019, JUI supporters held a sit-in at Islamabad for several weeks which was called off after army intervention and assurances. The PDM also plans a similar sit-in if its demands are not met.
Samantha Morton attends the "I Am Kirsty" photocall during the BFI & Radio Times Television Festival 2019 at BFI Southbank on April 14, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)

Samantha Morton has publicly apologised for threatening a girl with a knife when she was a 14-year-old growing up in care.

The Harlots star spoke about her past struggles on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs where she opened up on the incident that saw her charged with attempted murder.

Morton said the older girl had bullied her at the care home they both lived in and on one occasion she came home from a rave to find a nine-year-old boy had been "pimped", believing the girl to be responsible.

Read more: Samantha Morton says working with Woody Allen changed her life

I snapped and said I was going to kill her. I didnt harm her, I didnt touch her, but I said those words. And I regret it and I am sorry, she disclosed.

Samantha Morton during Women in Film & TV Awards 2019 at Hilton Park Lane on December 06, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Joe Maher/Getty Images)

She subsequently spent three days confined in adult cells.

I was mortified. And Im sorry to her. We were all abused. She was a child herself. Nobody looked after us properly.

"We were rioting in that home because they were locking the fridges at night. We were not safe, the now 43-year-old shared.

Morton reiterated that she was "incredibly sorry" and that she had been "angry at the system".

The Walking Dead actor went to discuss her parents as she described her late mother as kind, subservient, vulnerable, funny, beautiful, before hitting out at the way her mental health issues were treated. Morton added her mother had a "very traumatic childhood".

Samantha Morton and Esme Creed-Miles attend the 21st British Independent Film Awards at Old Billingsgate on December 2, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)

She remarked that she has huge amount of love and respect for elements of her father's parenting but was critical of his temper and the "hidings" he gave.

Read more: Archie Lyndhursts girlfriend pays tribute following his death

Morton is parent to 20-year-old daughter Esme, also an actor, whom she shares with Charlie Creed-Miles and a daughter Edie, 12, and an eight-year-old son Theodore with filmmaker Harry Holm.

With additional reporting by PA.

Watch: Samantha Morton on why she doesnt regret working with Woody Allen
The outlook for the aviation industry has deteriorated again due to rising coronavirus infections and renewed travel restrictions, Airbus chief operating officer Michael Schoellhorn was quoted as saying on Saturday.

With air travel at a fraction of normal levels due to restrictions and travellers' fears related to the pandemic, airlines have slowed deliveries of new aircraft.

Airbus has said it needs to shed 15,000 posts worldwide.

In an interview with the Handelsblatt business daily, Schoellhorn said the situation in early autumn was worse than the company had expected in the summer, adding that the planned 15,000 job cuts would be the minimum.

As some Airbus factories were already underutilized before the pandemic, labour unions now fear that the management could decide to shut down entire locations.

At least for Germany, Schoellhorn ruled out such a move.

"In terms of substance, I do not see any German locations at risk at the moment," he said.

Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury said last month the planemaker would do its best to cut costs without resorting to compulsory redundancies, but it could not guarantee they won't happen.

In a letter to staff in September, Faury warned that Airbus may have to carry out compulsory layoffs after air travel failed to recover from the pandemic as quickly as anticipated.

(Reporting by Michael Nienaber, editing by Giles Elgood)

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.

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Saudi Arabia will reopen the Muslim holy places for the year-round umrah pilgrimage on Sunday with extensive health precautions, seven months after coronavirus disease (Covid-19) prompted its suspension.

The umrah usually attracts millions of Muslims from across the world each year.

It will be revived in three stages, with the initial phase seeing just 6,000 citizens and residents already within the kingdom allowed to take part each day.

In the first stage, the umrah will be performed meticulously and within a specified period of time, Hajj Minister Mohammad Benten told state television last week, according to news agency Agence-France-Presse.

Benten said pilgrims will be divided into groups to ensure social distancing within the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

Worshippers will on Sunday be able to perform the ritual of circling the sacred Kaaba -- a cubic structure inside the Grand Mosque towards which Muslims around the world pray -- along socially distanced paths.

On October 18, the number of pilgrims will be increased to 15,000 per day, with a maximum of 40,000 people allowed to perform prayers at the mosque.

Visitors from abroad will be permitted from November 1 when the capacity will be increased to 20,000 pilgrims, with 60,000 people allowed to enter the mosque.

The decision to resume the pilgrimage was in response to the aspirations of Muslims home and abroad to perform the ritual and visit the holy sites, the interior ministry had said last month.

The ministry added that the umrah would be allowed to return to full capacity once the threat of the coronavirus pandemic has subsided.

Until then, the health ministry will vet countries from which pilgrims are allowed to enter based on the health risks.

Those wishing to perform the umrah must apply through two mobile applications-- one to register they are free from the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and another from which they can obtain a permit.

(With inputs from agencies)
Thomas Jefferson Byrd, an actor who appeared in several Spike Lee movies, was killed in an apparent homicide early Saturday morning, according to the Atlanta Police Department. He was 70.

Tom was a brilliant actor whose roles belied the type of person he was," Craig Wyckoff, Byrd's former agent and friend, told TODAY. "He usually played pimps, murderers, bad guys, but in real life he was a gentle soul.

Thomas Jefferson Byrd death (Johnny Nunez / WireImage)

Police were dispatched to a residence at 1:45 a.m. Saturday morning after receiving a call about an injured person.

"Upon arrival, units located a male lying unresponsive at the location. Grady EMS responded to the scene and pronounced the male deceased from multiple gunshot wounds to the back. The victim was later identified as Thomas Byrd," the Atlanta Police Department said in a preliminary statement.

It's unclear what led to the shooting. Police said homicide detectives are working to determine what happened in the moments leading up to the shooting. Wyckoff told TODAY, Hed gone to a store last night. He was walking home. When he got home, someone shot him in the back three times.

Byrd and Lee were longtime collaborators. He appeared in several of the director's films, including Clockers, Get on the Bus, Bamboozled, Chi-Raq, Red Hook Summer, Girl 6 and Da Sweet Blood of Jesus.

Thomas Jefferson Byrd death (Getty Images)

He also had roles in Jamie Foxxs Ray Charles biopic Ray," "Brooklyn's Finest" and "Set It Off." He appeared numerous times on stage as well. In 2003, he received a Tony Award nomination for his performance in the Broadway revival of "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," appearing opposite Whoopi Goldberg. (A film adaption is coming to Netflix on Dec. 18, starring the late Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis.)

Lee paid tribute to Byrd in an Instagram post on Sunday, sharing a photo of the actor playing Errol Barnes in "Clockers."

Im so sad to announce the tragic murder of our beloved brother Thomas Jefferson Byrd last night in Atlanta, Georgia. Tom is my guy," Lee wrote. "Here below you see him as the frightening character Errol Barnes in CLOCKERS. Brother Byrd also did his thang in my joints  CHI-RAQ, SWEET BLOOD OF JESUS, RED HOOK SUMMER, BAMBOOZLED, HE GOT GAME, GET ON THE BUS, GIRL 6 and CLOCKERS. May we all wish condolences and blessings to his family. Rest in peace brother Byrd."

Story continues

TODAY has reached out to Lee's reps for additional comment.

Fans expressed shock and outrage and also shared their condolences and memories of Byrd.

"Errol Barnes rip... was afraid of seeing him after seeing clockers and growing up in gowanus where clockers was shot... good actor rip," one person wrote.

"You have got to be kidding me," another person added. "I can't RIP not one more time this year."
Kenzo Takada founded his fashion house in 1970 and took Paris by storm

Japan's most famous fashion designer Kenzo Takada, founder of the global Kenzo brand, died in the French capital on Sunday aged 81 after contracting coronavirus.

Tributes have poured in for Takada, the first Japanese designer to decamp to Paris and known especially for his signature floral prints.

"Today, his optimism, zest for life and generosity continue to be pillars of our Maison (House). He will be greatly missed and always remembered," the Kenzo fashion house he founded wrote on Twitter.

He "helped to write a new page in fashion, at the confluence of the East and the West", said Ralph Toledano of the Haute Couture Federation.

His death comes 50 years after he launched his first collection in Paris, which he adopted as his home. "Every wall, every sky and every passer-by helps me build my collections," he once said of the city.

He retired from fashion in 1999, six years after selling his brand to luxury conglomerate LVMH, and dedicated his time to one-off projects including a design collection at the start of this year.

- Dreamt of Paris -

Born in 1939 into a family of hoteliers, he chose to study art not catering, becoming a star pupil at Toyko's Bunka Gakuen college, where he carried off the top prize. He went on to work for Sanai, a major chain of fashion shops, but dreamt of Paris.

Takada presented his final summer collection in Paris in October 1999

The 1964 Olympic Games finally gave him his opportunity to come to Europe. The block of flats in which he was renting an apartment was to be demolished to make way for a stadium.

Like all the tenants, he was paid compensation and decided to blow the money on a one-way ticket on a cargo boat to Marseille.

Arriving in Paris in the winter of 1965, hardly speaking any French, the only job he could get was in a poodle parlour.

In 1970, however, he took the lease of premises in the Galerie Vivienne, then a rather down-at-heel shopping arcade. "With a few friends for three months we painted the walls with jungle scenes like Le Douanier Rousseau's Snake Charmer and baptised it Jungle Jap," he recalled later.

His first show using amateur models to save money was held there. One of only 20 people invited included the editor-in-chief of Elle magazine, who liked the collection so much she ran it on the front cover.

Takada was born into a family of hoteliers but chose to study art not catering

He became a name almost overnight, and went on to revitalise the knitwear industry with his contemporary interpretations.

By the early 1980s, when other Japanese designers were making their way in Paris, Takada was already well established on the French fashion scene.

His first men's collection was presented in 1983 and his first perfume, Kenzo Kenzo, in 1988.

From the early 1980s boutiques opened all over the world in New York, London, Milan, Toyko and Rome, followed later by Hong Kong, Munich, Venice, Bangkok and Singapore.

- Paris mourns a son -

Kenzo's romantic style, with its eclectic mix of colour, touches of exoticism, ethnic prints and folksy embroidery, suited the mood of the 1970s but adapted well to the sharper-looking 1980s and 1990s.

He drew inspiration from his travels as well as Japanese work clothes, such as his favourite military tunics and coats. Peruvian striped blanket throws, colourful shawls, oriental blouses, peasant smocks, printed velvet, were all part of his signature.

The designer arrived in Paris in the winter of 1965 hardly speaking any French but later adopted it as his home

It was a measure of his success that he was notoriously prey to copyists. British designer Jasper Conran, interviewed on the problem, said he knew of a company in South Africa specialising in ripping off Kenzo, seam for seam. "They make a fortune -- more than Kenzo I reckon -- but there's nothing he can do about it."

He guarded his privacy by building himself a house in the country in the very heart of Paris, only a few yards from the Bastille opera house, complete with authentic tea pavilion and a pool of carp.

"A designer with immense talent, he gave colour and light their rightful place in fashion," said Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo on Twitter. "Paris is today mourning one of its sons."
Here is a sampling of the weeks events and how to tune in (all times are Eastern). Note that events are subject to change after publication.

Monday

Hitch a ride to the small town of Valentines, Va., where, under other circumstances, the artist Kevin Beasley would have assembled with his family for their annual reunion in August. Instead, he has imagined the journey for the Casey Kaplan gallery in Manhattan with a series of sculptures that can be viewed online. Its centerpiece, The Road (2019), depicts a length of asphalt stretching into the sunset as two children play nearby and birds fly overhead  and made from raw Virginia cotton, dyed durags, chopped-up rubber tires and guinea fowl feathers.

When Through Oct. 24

Where caseykaplangallery.com
In ordinary times, the revelation that a supposed billionaire paid just $750 in income taxes in the first year of his presidency would dominate the news for a week and beyond. That New York Times story was superseded two days later by a presidents disrupting and interrupting what was widely characterized as the most chaotic and dispiriting debate in memory.

Then came the stunner: President Trumps tweet in the wee hours Friday that revealed that he and the first lady tested positive for the coronavirus, a novel disease that has claimed more than 200,000 American lives.

There could be no greater reminder that we are not living in ordinary times. This is 2020.

Its worth going back to the concerns about that Cleveland debate, which might be the only one in this presidential race, depending on Trumps health. If his recovery goes fast and well  lets all hope it does  the question returns to Wednesday and Thursdays discussion about whether whether the rules should be adjusted or whether the debates should be scrapped altogether as a waste of time.

The chorus to pull the plug rose instantly. Cancel the debates, shouted an Atlantic headline. There is no reason, not one, that Joe Biden should participate in another debate, tweeted MSNBC host Joe Scarborough. I have to say I dont think the country is going to be yearning for another one of these, said CNN analyst David Axelrod.

I agree with Axelrod that we dont need another one of these, in which Trump interrupted Bidens answers or questions 145 times during the 90-minute debate, according to a Fox News count.

The argument for canceling the remaining debates is that Trump simply cant be deterred from his alpha-dog act, no matter the rules and no matter the skill of the moderator.

This would be regrettable for American democracy. The debate was tough to watch, but it also was illustrative. In watching the unfiltered Trump, voters could see for themselves that the great weight of the office had no effect on the maturity level of the 45th president. He was still the petty, petulant, insult-tossing carnival barker on display in those 2016 Republican primary debates.

As for the moderator, Chris Wallace told the New York Times, I never dreamt that it would go off the tracks the way it did. Really? Wallace is a superb interviewer and no doubt the reason he was selected by the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates was an expectation that he had the experience and the chops to control the program. He jumped in too late and too tenuously.

The commission, which has been overseeing presidential debates since 1988, has been considering several rule changes to restore order to the set: from allowing the moderator to mute a rule-busting candidates microphone to replacing what became a free discussion period with opening and closing statements. Trump had suggested he would reject such changes for the second and third debates on Oct. 15 and 22.

It may be moot, with the presidents health in question. May he recover soon, and may they debate again.

Let Kamala handle it: Senate Democrats would be wise to turn the microphone over to Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., for all the questioning in the upcoming confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. One motivation would be political: to optimize airtime for the partys vice presidential nominee as Americans were voting. The other would be substantive: No one on the Judiciary Committee is better than the former prosecutor at asking questions that cut to the chase. It is so exhausting to watch hearings in which legislators drone on without ever getting to a question mark.

The caliber of a hearing tends to sharpen the moment Harris gets her turn. It was evident when she grilled then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions about Trump campaign contacts with Russia. Im not able to be rushed this fast, he replied. It makes me nervous. It was there when she asked Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh whether he could think of a law that gives the government the power to make decisions about the male body? He could not. It was on display when she asked Attorney General William Barr if anyone at the White House ever asked or suggested you open an investigation of anyone, yes or no, please, sir?

The reality is the Democrats do not have the votes to stop Barretts confirmation. But they at least should put relevant questions to a 48-year-old jurist who is about to enter the nations highest court for a lifetime appointment.

Give the mic to Kamala Harris.

John Diaz is The San Francisco Chronicles editorial page editor. Email: jdiaz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JohnDiazChron
MOSCOW, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for an immediate ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh on Sunday and said Moscow was ready to help seek a solution to the conflict via the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Lavrov also told his Armenian counterpart on Sunday that Russia was concerned about the rising tally of casualties from the war that broke out in late September, the Russian foreign ministry said on its website.

Azerbaijan said on Sunday that Armenian forces had fired rockets at its second city of Ganja, killing one civilian and wounding four, and threatened to retaliate by destroying military targets inside Armenia. (Reporting by Andrey Ostroukh; Editing by Giles Elgood)
For the very first time, a feature-length motion picture will be filmed in its entirety in the town of Clinton  and it is the brainchild of one of its residents.

Mark Zhutianli, the owner of Citispot Tea & Coffee, has written and is set to direct a film tentatively titled The Red Mill." The movie, which will be filmed at various locations in Clinton including the famous site for which it is named, centers on the friendship of three teenagers and their struggle to eliminate a ghost that haunts the Red Mill and threatens the safety of the town.

This movie expresses the spirit of the town of Clinton, Zhutianli said. Its about love, its about courage, and then we have the Haunted Mill as the (location of) the enemy in the story to create a conflict.

As roughly 40% of the movie takes place on the premises of the Red Mill Museum Village, Zhutianli originally intended to have the film coincide with this years Haunted Red Mill experience. But, because the ongoing coronavirus pandemic forced the event to be shifted to a virtual format, filming has been pushed back to next fall.

Zhutianli has already created multiple documentaries about the town of Clinton, including Living in Clinton, The Great Fire of Clinton and The Story of the Clinton Music Hall. But, this film marks the first he will seek to sell for distribution rather than upload online for free.

This objective has the support of Clinton Mayor Janice Kovach, an executive producer for the film. Kovach serves on both the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission and Hunterdon County Film Commission, co-founded and produced the 2017 and 2018 River Town Film Festival, and enjoys a number of studio contacts in Los Angeles and France.

This is something that the (Hunterdon County Film) Commission will promote," Kovach said. "Our goal is to showcase Hunterdon and obviously Clinton as an ideal film location, whether its for short term projects or long-term projects  whichever it may be. So the commission will definitely benefit from Marks work.

Kovachs primary involvement in the film will be to raise the level of who sees it and where it gets to"  a goal that she expressed her confidence in achieving.

Its a campy horror film, and you dont think much about them, but think of something like The Blair Witch Project  which I think cost less than $100,000 to make and has continued to see huge success  Id like to see something like that for Mark," Kovach said. "He really has a passion for this and this is his true love, to be a filmmaker. So anything I can do to help him with that, and promote my town at the same time, its a double win.

A GoFundMe page will be launched on Oct. 30 to raise funds for production costs of the film, Christine Groth, head of the films production team, confirmed.

Right now, all of those production costs are coming out of Marks pocket," Groth said. "You have to make sure, to make it really quality, that its the right lighting for each shot that youre doing, and that the sound equipment is correct so youre able to pick up what you want. And all those little things, especially lighting and sound, that go into making the movie pop ... are expensive.

Obviously the more you can spend, the better quality youre going to wind up getting because you could put it into pre- and post-production," Kovach echoed.

Despite this essential funding, the entire cast and crew of the movie  already comprised of more than a dozen New Jersey and New York residents  are working on a purely volunteer basis. Moreover, groups including the Clinton Fire Department, Clinton Police Department, the Clinton First Aid & Rescue Squad and the staff of the Red Mill Museum Village have also agreed to volunteer their time to the film.

In general, people are very enthusiastic about helping the community  theyre like that, Zhutianli said. In Clinton, theres so many people that have talent and are willing to use this talent to create something that weve never had done before. I hope people realize that, and when they realize that, I hope theyll actively get involved  like they always do.

Echoing Zhutianli, Groth said the production team will be continually seeking to grow its number of cast and crew members  a feasible goal to accomplish given Clintons community spirit.

It reminds me of a small town where my grandparents live in western Pennsylvania; you walk down the street on any day and you can be saying hello to multiple people that you know, Groth said. Its just that feeling, and everybody wants to be involved."

"They just feel an ownership to Clinton; they belong, and its theirs, she added.

Paul Muir, executive director of the Red Mill Museum Village, said the new film represents a great opportunity for both the museum and the town.

I think its a cool concept, and I think its a great way to celebrate Halloween and that small-town feel for Clinton, Muir said. And we appreciate working with Mark. Hes done a few documentaries and the Red Mill provided some of the research for him, and some of our staff and trustees have appeared in them, but this is his first fictional piece  and were looking forward to seeing what he does with it.

While production for the film is still a year away, the production team launched a social media blitz to promote the movie using the TheRedMill.WLB Facebook page and Marks2020Cinema Twitter and Instagram pages on Oct. 1. This blitz will reveal fragments of a teaser for the film through to the PumpkinFest on Oct. 30, on which day the full length of the teaser will be screened in front of CitiSpot Tea & Coffee.

Beyond these efforts, the production team will continue to promote the film at similar events in the town that doubles as the ideal location for this one-of-a-kind movie.

Its such a bucolic neighborhood, and its just the kind of place people want to go to and see," Groth said.

When you think of teenage campy horror, its usually around a small town, around a community. Almost all of them have that common theme. So Clinton was the perfect setting for that, and the Haunted Red Mill just adds to it, Kovach echoed.

Why Clinton? I am part of Clinton. Ive been around for over 20 years, Zhutianli said. "So this is home ... and I just feel attached.

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
The Biden campaign said Sunday that they are open to moving forward with the upcoming vice presidential and presidential debates despite President Donald Trump's positive COVID-19 diagnosis.

"Obviously, that's going to depend on a lot of factors here. First and foremost, President Trump's health, which we -- we send him the best, and we are -- we are hoping for a speedy and full recovery, as is everybody in this country," Kate Bedingfield, Joe Biden's deputy campaign manager, said on ABC's "This Week."

"So our hope is that the debate will go forward on the day that it's scheduled, but obviously we will be attune to any changes that need to be made," she added about the Oct. 15 presidential debate, which is within the 14-day window following the president's COVID-19 diagnosis.

Biden's running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Vice President Mike Pence are still set to face off on Wednesday in their only debate of the election. Despite Pence's proximity to the president, Bedingfield told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos that the campaign supports moving ahead with appropriate safety measures.

"We have every expectation that the Debate Commission take all necessary precautions to ensure that everybody who attends the debate is safe. Obviously that includes distancing, that includes a requirement on masks," Bedingfield said.

"We have every expectation that the Debate Commission take all necessary precautions to ensure that everybody who attends the debate is safe," Kate Bedingfield says, adding if "expectations are met," the Biden campaign looks forward to the VP debate. https://t.co/iJpXFwk0u6 pic.twitter.com/Qc49bSIWCe  This Week (@ThisWeekABC) October 4, 2020

According to sources familiar with the negotiations, Harris and Pence will be 12 feet apart on the debate stage in Salt Lake City Wednesday.

Story continues

"Provided that all of those expectations are met, yes, absolutely. We look forward to any opportunity for Sen. Harris and for Joe Biden to make their case directly to the American people," she added.

The president's coronavirus diagnosis came as the election season enters a critical final stretch, putting a significant strain on Trump's ability to campaign, and putting pressure on the Biden campaign to provide more information about the former vice president's COVID-19 tests.

On Saturday, the Biden campaign announced they will be releasing the results of every COVID-19 test he takes, positive or negative -- a significant increase in transparency to their previous testing guidance.

MORE: Biden tests negative for COVID-19 after Trump tests positive

"He'll be tested today and we'll make those results available. We are consistently testing," Bedingfield said, without providing specifics on how often the testing was taking place or how quickly results will be made public.

PHOTO: Biden deputy campaign manager and communication director Kate Bedingfield is interviewed on 'This Week,' August 23, 2020. (ABC )

Despite Trump's hospitalization, Biden is continuing to campaign across the country in the final 30 days of the campaign. The former vice president traveled to Michigan on Friday after testing negative twice for COVID-19, and is slated to travel to Florida and Arizona this week.

In an earlier interview on "This Week," Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller's suggested that Biden was using his mask as a prop and "hiding in his basement."

MORE: COVID-19 in DC: Who's tested positive and negative so far in Trump's orbit

"I think that tells you a lot of what you need to know about how the Trump campaign has treated this from the outset," she said in response.

"(Biden) believed strongly that the role of the president is to lead and to lead by example. And I think Americans are looking for that kind of reassurance we're obviously in an incredibly chaotic disruptive time in this country. Americans are looking for a leader, looking for somebody who will stand up and say, 'let's take care of each other. Let's move forward in our lives.'"

Pressed by @GStephanopoulos on lack of masks at Trump events, Jason Miller claimed Biden uses masks as a "prop." Biden camp's Kate Bedingfield: "That tells you a lot of what you need to know about how the Trump campaign has treated this from the outset." https://t.co/4iXtCJk1JI pic.twitter.com/g6BspssooK  This Week (@ThisWeekABC) October 4, 2020

While Biden is continuing to campaign, his campaign has tempered their message, announcing Friday that they were taking down negative advertisements -- a decision they said was made prior to the president being taken to Walter Reed Hospital.

Bedingfield did not say how long the campaign would hold off on using the negative ads.

"Look, we'll make that adjustment as we go. Obviously, Joe Biden is somebody who believes first and foremost in civility. He's somebody who believes we can treat each other with dignity and respect. And so, we made that decision when we heard the news about President Trump's health. We'll adjust that as we go," she said.

But Bedingfield brushed off the suggestions that Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis could help his campaign in the final weeks by earning sympathy votes.

"This is not about politics. This is, first and foremost, about the president's health. We are hopeful that he will make a full and swift recovery. We are all sending our best to him and to everybody in the first family," she said.

Biden campaign open to moving forward with debates originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
What the commentary attempts to distract us from is what will happen if the amendment is approved: Some of the wealthiest people in the state will be paying a higher rate of tax on profit or income of more than $250,000. Will they pay any tax on what they are allowed to deduct, such as business expenses or property taxes? After the standard exemptions, the wealthy effectively are subject to a lower tax rate than the flat rate most of us believe we all pay.
Their travels across the world have undoubtedly brought them closer together.

But Jack Whitehall, 32, has expressed frustration at his father Michael's constant jokes about the size of his manhood during their joint interview on The Sunday Project.

The British comedian claimed the 80-year-old was doing a 'great disservice' to him with his less than favourable remarks about his certain body part.

Scroll down for video

'Great disservice to me!' Jack Whitehall, 32, has expressed frustration at his father Michael's constant jokes about the size of his manhood during their joint interview on The Sunday Project

Discussing the fourth season of Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father, host Tommy Little asked: 'It's a family show for you guys, but were you surprised the amount of times your father brings up the size of your manhood?'

Jack responded: 'Yes, I am. I remain surprised, and it has become his favourite recurring joke, and there is no environment, no audience, that he will not try and talk about that in front of.

'He is doing me a great disservice, and it's all lies and fabrication and him having a dig.'

Michael bewilderingly replied: 'I think you're being very unfair. I'm just being honest!'

'It's all lies!' The British comedian claimed the 80-year-old was doing a 'great disservice' to him with his less than favourable remarks about his certain body part

Michael bewilderingly replied: 'I think you're being very unfair. I'm just being honest!'

Elsewhere, Michael, who has begrudgingly involved himself in numerous customs and traditions across the globe, revealed one part of Australian culture proved to be his final straw.

The British TV producer revealed that he refused to drink goon while filming Down Under for the upcoming fourth season of their show.

When quizzed by Tommy on why he refused to embrace one of Australian culture's 'crown jewels', Michael explained: 'Because I'm very interested in wine.

'Gross!' Elsewhere, Michael, who has begrudgingly involved himself in numerous customs and traditions across the globe, revealed one part of Australian culture proved to be his final straw

'I'm a bit of a wine buff. It's quite a call for me to actually drink Australian wine, but given I'm prepared to go that far, why would I drink it out of the bag or a goon bag? Absolutely gross, no, no, no!' he added.

An amused Tommy replied: 'I'm hoping they told you the beauty of the goon bag is that it serves two purposes.

'You can drink it, and when you're done, you can blow it up, and it doubles as a pillow!'

'I'm a wine buff': The British TV producer revealed that he refused to drink goon while filming Down Under for the upcoming fourth season of their show

Michael responded: 'I was not aware of that, no.'

Jack, who was also part of the interview, quipped in: 'I will teach him everything about the goon bag.'

When asked about their concluding thoughts on their time in Australia, Michael said: 'We had a terrific time. It's really nice for me to spend time with Jack. I'm very lucky.'

Michael said: 'I'm a bit of a wine buff. It's quite a call for me to actually drink Australian wine, but given I'm prepared to go that far, why would I drink it out of the bag or a goon bag? Absolutely gross, no, no, no!'

A shocked Jack replied: 'Wow, you managed to coax sentimentality out of my father!'

The fourth season of Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father was filmed before the coronavirus pandemic forced the world into lockdown.

He met his girlfriend, British model Roxy Horner, during his time in Australia.
There has been constant politics in Pakistan. Pakistans major opposition parties on Saturday named Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman as head of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), the newly-formed alliance, pointed to remove the Prime Minister Imran Khan. In a virtual meeting attended by leaders from major political parties, JUI-F chief was elected after several days of consultations, a leading daily reported. Pakistani Muslim League (N) supremo and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Balochistan National Party (BNP) chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal and Maulana Fazl, were among the attendees.

There remains uncertainty and chaos as US President gets admitted

Mohsin Dawar tweeted, Participated in PDMs meeting. Congratulations to Maulana Fazlur Rehman Sb for being elected president of PDM. We hope the forum will continue with its struggle against the hybrid regime and for the strengthening of democracy with the same clarity as during its inception at All Parties Conference (APC). The leaders of 11 Pakistani opposition parties, prominent among which were the PPP, PML-N, Awami National Party, and JUI, at the conclusion of the APC on September 20 announced the formation of a joint platform, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

Antibodies of coronavirus get developed in vaccine volunteers of Oxford

The PDM offers to launch a mass protest campaign including public gatherings, political rallies, no-confidence motions, en masse resignations from assemblies and, finally, a long march in January that will culminate in a sit-in in Islamabad until their demands are met. As opposition parties in Pakistan have formed a new united front with an aim of restoring genuine and undiluted democracy in the country, a European think tank said the opposition parties will need to stick together if they really intend to loosen the stranglehold that the military establishment has had over governance and indeed the economy.

US President gets confident about striking the perfect deal
ROME - Pope Francis says the coronavirus pandemic has proven that the magic theories of market capitalism have failed and that the world needs a new type of politics that promotes dialogue and solidarity and rejects war at all costs.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 4/10/2020 (475 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Pope Francis celebrates Mass in the crypt of the Basilica of St. Francis, in Assisi, Italy, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020. Pope Francis travelled to the homeland of his nature-loving namesake on Saturday to sign an encyclical laying out his vision of a post-COVID world built on solidarity, fraternity and care for the environment. In his first outing from Rome since the coronavirus lockdown, Francis celebrated Mass on Saturday in the crypt of the Basilica of St. Francis in the Umbrian hilltop town of Assisi. (Vatican Media via AP)

ROME - Pope Francis says the coronavirus pandemic has proven that the magic theories of market capitalism have failed and that the world needs a new type of politics that promotes dialogue and solidarity and rejects war at all costs.

Francis on Sunday laid out his vision for a post-COVID world by uniting the core elements of his social teachings into a new encyclical aimed at inspiring a revived sense of the human family. Fratelli Tutti (Brothers All) was released on the feast day of his namesake, the peace-loving St. Francis of Assisi.

The document draws its inspiration from the teachings of St. Francis and the popes previous preaching on the injustices of the global economy and its destruction of the planet and pairs them with his call for greater human solidarity to confront the dark clouds over a closed world."

In the encyclical, Francis rejected even the Catholic Churchs own doctrine justifying war as a means of legitimate defence, saying it had been too broadly applied over the centuries and was no longer viable.

It is very difficult nowadays to invoke the rational criteria elaborated in earlier centuries to speak of the possibility of a just war," Francis wrote in the most controversial new element of the encyclical.

Francis had started writing the encyclical, the third of his pontificate, before the coronavirus struck and its bleak diagnosis of a human family falling apart goes far beyond the problems posed by the outbreak. He said the pandemic, however, had confirmed his belief that current political and economic institutions must be reformed to address the legitimate needs of the people most harmed by the coronavirus.

Aside from the differing ways that various countries responded to the crisis, their inability to work together became quite evident, Francis wrote. Anyone who thinks that the only lesson to be learned was the need to improve what we were already doing, or to refine existing systems and regulations, is denying reality."

He cited the grave loss of millions of jobs as a result of the virus as evidence of the need for politicians to listen to popular movements, unions and marginalized groups and to craft more just social and economic policies.

Free copies of the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano with the front page about Pope Francis' encyclical "All Brothers" are distributed by volunteers to faithful at the end of the Angelus noon prayer in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020. Francis on Sunday laid out his vision for a post-COVID world by uniting the core elements of his social teachings into a new encyclical, Fratelli Tutti (Brothers All), which was released on the feast day of his namesake, the peace-loving St. Francis of Assisi. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

The fragility of world systems in the face of the pandemic has demonstrated that not everything can be resolved by market freedom, he wrote. It is imperative to have a proactive economic policy directed at promoting an economy that favours productive diversity and business creativity and makes it possible for jobs to be created, and not cut.

He denounced populist politics that seek to demonize and isolate, and called for a culture of encounter that promotes dialogue, solidarity and a sincere effort at working for the common good.

As an outgrowth of that, Francis rejected the concept of an absolute right to property for individuals, stressing instead the social purpose and common good that must come from sharing the Earths resources. He repeated his criticism of the perverse global economic system, which he said consistently keeps the poor on the margins while enriching the few  an argument he made most fully in his 2015 landmark environmental encyclical Laudato Sii" (Praised Be).

Francis also rejected trickle-down economic theory as he did in the first major mission statement of his papacy, the 2013 Evangelii Gaudium, (The Joy of the Gospel), saying it simply doesnt achieve what it claims.

Neo-liberalism simply reproduces itself by resorting to magic theories of spillover or trickle  without using the name  as the only solution to societal problems, he wrote. There is little appreciation of the fact that the alleged spillover does not resolve the inequality that gives rise to new forms of violence threatening the fabric of society.

Francis English-language biographer, Austen Ivereigh, said with its two key predecessors, the new encyclical amounts to the final part of a triptych of papal teachings and may well be the last of the pontificate.

There is little doubt that these three documents ... will be considered the teaching backbone of the Francis era, Ivereigh wrote in Commonweal magazine.

Francis made clear the text had wide circulation, printing the encyclical in the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano and distributing it free in St. Peter's Square on Sunday to mark the resumption of printed editions following a hiatus during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Much of the new encyclical repeats Francis well-known preaching about the need to welcome and value migrants and his rejection of the nationalistic, isolationist policies of many of todays political leaders.

He dedicated an entire chapter to the parable of the Good Samaritan, saying its lesson of charity, kindness and looking out for strangers was the basic decision we need to make in order to rebuild our wounded world.

That a theme so ancient is spoken with such urgency now is because Pope Francis fears a detachment from the view that we are all really responsible for all, all related to all, all entitled to a just share of what has been given for the good of all," said Anna Rowlands, professor of Catholic social thought at Britain's University of Durham, who was on hand to present the encyclical Sunday at the Vatican.

Francis enshrined in the encyclical his previous rejection of both the nuclear arms race and the death penalty, which he said was inadmissible in all cases.

Francis' call for greater human fraternity," particularly to promote peace, is derived from his 2019 joint appeal with the grand imam of Egypts Al-Azhar, the revered 1,000-year-old seat of Sunni Islam. Their Human Fraternity document established the relationship between Catholics and Muslims as brothers, with a common mission to promote peace.

The fact the he has now integrated that Catholic-Muslim document into an encyclical is significant, given Francis' conservative critics had already blasted the Human Fraternity" document as heretical, given it stated that God had willed the pluralism and diversity of religions."

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Vatican encyclicals are the most authoritative form of papal teaching and they traditionally take their titles from the first two words of the document. In this case, Fratelli Tutti is a quote from the Admonitions, the guidelines penned by St. Francis in the 13th century.

The title of the encyclical had sparked controversy in the English-speaking world, with critics noting that a straight translation of the word fratelli (brothers) excludes women. The Vatican has insisted that the plural form of the word fratelli is gender-inclusive.

Francis decision to sign the document in Assisi, where he travelled on Saturday, and release it on the saints feast day is yet further evidence of the outsized influence St. Francis has had on the papacy of the Jesuit pope.

Francis is the first pope to name himself after the mendicant friar, who renounced a wealthy, dissolute lifestyle to embrace a life of poverty and service to the poor.

___

Follow APs pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
Toronto Police have identified the victim of a shooting in Downsview Saturday morning as 36-year-old Gary Gallant.

Officers responded to a call for a triple shooting in an apartment building in the area of Keele Street and Sheppard Avenue West at around 5:15 a.m. Saturday.

When police arrived at the building at 18 Skipton Court they found three men with gunshot wounds.

Gallant was pronounced dead at the scene and the other two victims were taken to the hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries, according to police.

Police say a dark coloured SUV was seen leaving the area.

Investigators are asking any local residents, business owners, or anyone in the area to check security cameras for any footage that can help.

Police say Gallant is Torontos 57th homicide victim of the year.

With files from Zena Salem

Cheyenne Bholla is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Reach her via email: cbholla@thestar.ca
Chennai:

Tamil Nadu Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao on Monday accepted the resignation of Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, clearing the decks for V K Sasikala to take over the top post.



Panneerselvam had resigned yesterday citing personal reasons. His resignation came after AIADMK chief Sasikala was elected the Legislature Party Leader.



I hereby accept your resignation and the resignation of your Council of Ministers tendered vide your letter dated February 5, 2017, Rao told Panneerselvam.



In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister and released by the Raj Bhavan, Rao also asked Panneerselvam and his Cabinet to function until alternate arrangements are made.



In his resignation letter addressed to the Governor yesterday, he had said, Due to my personal reasons, Im tendering my resignation from the post of Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.



Kindly accept my resignation and relieve the Council of Ministers of Tamil Nadu appointed by me on December 6, 2016, he said.

Panneerselvam was appointed Chief Minister on the night of December 5 within hours of the death of his predecessor J Jayalalithaa.



Incidentally, he had proposed the name of Sasikala for the top post at the AIADMK MLAs meeting held in the party headquarters here yesterday.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 18:55:52|Editor: huaxia

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GHAZNI, Afghanistan, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- At least 11 militants have been confirmed dead as fighting planes struck a Taliban gathering in Andar district of the restive Ghazni province on Sunday, provincial government spokesman Wahidullah Jumazada said.

Acting on tip off the security forces' fighting planes targeted a gathering of Taliban in Sarfaraz village of Andar district Sunday, killing 11 insurgents and wounding another, the official told reporters.

A number of arms and ammunition of the insurgents were also destroyed during the aerial attacks, the official asserted.

Taliban militants who are active in parts of Ghazni province have yet to make comment. Enditem
A female police officer has been stabbed in the stomach after intervening during a suspected attempted robbery at a grocery store in London.

The officer was attempting to detain two men, armed with knives, as they carried out a raid on Pimlico Grocery, in Chapter Street, Westminster, south west London, at 3.42pm today.

Two officers, a male and a female, happened to spot the commotion caused by the ongoing robbery as the shopkeeper successfully pushed the armed men from the shop.

The officer was attempting to detain two males, armed with knives, as they carried out a raid on a Westminster shop, in Chapter Street, south west London

As the officers challenged the men the policewoman received a stab wound to the abdomen, despite her injury she continued to chase the suspects along Vauxhall Bridge Road.

The suspects were detained a short time later with the assistance of firearms officers.

The officer was taken to hospital. Her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

Police forensic officer dusts a door frame at Pimlico Grocery which is inside the police cordon

The police woman has been commended for her bravery during the incident

Chief Inspector Simon Brooker, Central West BCU, said: 'This shows precisely the kind of danger officers face every single day as they work to keep the public safe.

'For this officer to be stabbed on duty is unacceptable but, fortunately, she does not appear to be seriously injured.

'I applaud her bravery in responding to this call. This courage is typical of Met officers as they go about their duties.'

After being stabbed the female officer bravely continued to chase the suspects down Vauxhall Bridge Road

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: 'My thoughts and prayers are with this brave police officer who is receiving treatment in hospital after she was stabbed while on duty, intervening in a robbery, this afternoon.

'Every day our courageous police officers put themselves in harm's way to keep Londoners safe.

'I am sure all Londoners will join me in wishing her a speedy recovery.

'Attacks on our police are utterly unacceptable and perpetrators will feel the full force of the law.'

Westminster City Councillor Rachael Robathan, added: 'Shocked by news of a policewoman being stabbed in Chapter Street, Westminster. Relieved she appears not to be seriously injured but a vivid reminder of the dangers police officers face every day keeping us safe.'
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Global Automated Material Handling Equipment Market was valued US$ 29.57 Bn in 2017 and is estimated to reach US$60.11 Bn by 2026 at a CAGR of more than 9.27% during a forecast period.



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Request for Report Sample: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/10775





In terms of Product, Segment Robots is a major share in the Automated Material Handling Equipment Market. Robots are used in the manufacturing industry for a various purpose that is in assembly, machine loading, material removal, order picking, packaging, and waste handling. They help to reduce cost, improve quality, minimize waste, and save space in high-value in the manufacturing industry. Implementing robots significantly increases the efficiency and productivity of manufacturing and warehouse operating companies. Also, reduce labour cost, protect personnel or employees from injuries and deliver a high return on investment. Such advantages are increasing the demand for robots in manufacturing units and warehousing facilities.



The most use of unit load material handling systems in various industries is accredited to their cost-effectiveness and ability to handle several items concurrently which decreases the number of trips, a time required for loading and unloading, and cost of handling. Unit load material handling systems involve properly sized items ordered into a single unit that can be relocated easily. It is a quick and economical method to move a large number of items in a single run. These systems help reduce the damage and handling cost and it is more efficient.



Automated Material Handling Equipment is used for holding or buffering material over a certain period or when they are not being transported at that time storage segment plays a major role. The storage equipment consists of pallets, shelves, or racks on which materials may be stacked until they are transported. In Automated Material Handling Equipment for storage include warehouse floor space utilization, increased storage speed, efficient handling of heavy items and decreases a frequency of accidents at workplace.



These firms required to carry out their manufacturing and assembly operations efficiently by handling a varied variety of components carefully and keeping track of the same. The need for persistent availability of components and spare parts, just-in-time (JIT) delivery of materials and a decrease in the cost of unproductive labour are driving the growth of the market for the automotive industry.

A growing level of order customization and personalization is caused to increase demand for Automated Material Handling Equipment. Growing start-up companies offering robotic solutions for warehouse automation. The rising popularity of Automated Material Handling equipment among leading industries. Rising labour cost and safety concerns. High integration and switching costs. It requires skillful workforce for repair and maintenance.



The Asia Pacific holds the major share in the Global Automated Material Handling Equipment Market. The availability of unskilled labor and lesser production cost are some of the prime enablers which are the major reason for the growth of the manufacturing sector in the country. The increasing awareness related to warehouse automation, increased emphasis of the leading developing economies such as China and India on robotics and automation, and growing e-commerce industry are some of the prime factors contributing to the larger size of Asia Pacific in the Automated Material Handling Equipment Market.



The report includes detailed profiles of the prominent market players that are trending in the market. Toyota Industries, Jungheinrich, KION, Daifuku, Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Hanwha, John Bean Technologies, KUKA, BEUMER, Fives, KNAPP, Murata Machinery, SSI Schaefer, TGW, Viastore, among others.

Scope of the Global Automated Material Handling Equipment Market

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Global Automated Material Handling Equipment Market By Product:

Robots

ASRS

Conveyor and Sortation Systems

Cranes

AGV

Global Automated Material Handling Equipment Market By System Type:

Unit Load

Bulk Load

Global Automated Material Handling Equipment Market By Function:

Storage

Transportation

Assembly

Packaging

Distribution

Waste Handling

Global Automated Material Handling Equipment Market By Industry:

Automotive

Chemicals

Aviation

Semiconductor & Electronics

E-Commerce

Food & Beverages

Healthcare

Metals and Heavy Machinery

Other

Global Automated Material Handling Equipment Market By Region:

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

The Middle East and Africa

Key Player analyzed Report:

Dematic

Murata Machinery

SSI Schaefer

Vanderlande

Siemens AG

Bosch Rexroth

Swisslog Holding AG

SSI Schaefer AG

Toyota Industries Corporation

JBT Corporation

Bastian Solutions, Inc.

Daifuku

Hyster-Yale Material Handling

Jungheinrich

KION

Hanwha

John Bean Technologies

KUKA

BEUMER

Fives

KNAPP

TGW

Viastore

More Info of Impact Covid19@ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/covid-19-analysis/10775
Television actor Arjun Bijlani informed his fans and well-wishers that his wife, Neha Swami, has tested positive for Covid-19. He said that he and his family will quarantine themselves for the next two weeks. He also urged everyone who came in contact with them recently to get themselves tested.

Arjun wrote on Twitter, Hey guys my wife has tested positive for COVID 19. Me and my family are self quarantined for the next 14 days. Request anyone who has come in contact with us to pl get tested .. we are healthy and fine and I hope we continue to be so . Keep us in yours prayers.

Hey guys my wife has tested positive for COVID 19. Me and my family are self quarantined for the next 14 days. Request anyone who has come in contact with us to pl get tested .. we are healthy and fine and I hope we continue to be so . Keep us in yours prayers .  Arjun Bijlani (@Thearjunbijlani) October 4, 2020

In May, Arjuns building was sealed after a resident tested positive for Covid-19. At the time, he had told Hindustan Times that he was concerned about the safety of his family and had also talked about the challenges of quarantining as a dog owner.

Also read: Twinkle Khanna gets ready for a cook-off, shares proof of son Aarav being a superior chef. See pic

Arjun had said, I am more worried now because I have a five-year-old son at home. But, I am going to stay positive and pray that it doesnt affect my family. Quarantining with pets can be a little difficult and I have a dog too, who obviously needs to go for a walk daily, so its going to be a big task now.

Last month, Arjun told Hindustan Times in an interview that he had reservations about returning to work. However, he also talked about the need to get the economy up and running.

Whenever I start shooting, I might stay somewhere near the set and not come back home to my family on a daily basis. Were in a state of dilemma right now. We want to sit at home to avoid exposure to the virus, but at the same time we need to earn and work together to get the economy up and running, he said.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
- President Uhuru Kenyatta acknowledged that rampant corruption was a major setback in Kenya's push to become the investment destination of choice in Africa

- Uhuru assured the French business people that his administration was taking measures to defeat the vice

- Uhuru's remarks came amid allegations of massive plunder of donor funds wired to the Ministry of Health to help in the fight against COVID-19

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President Uhuru Kenyatta has encouraged French investors to choose Kenya as their preferred investment destination in Africa and assured them of the Kenyan government's support.

President Uhuru Kenyatta (c) during his tour in France. Photo: State House Kenya.

Source: Facebook

While lobbying for Kenya as fertile land for investment, Uhuru stated that the country was not only rich in natural resources beneath it but also boasted of exceptionally talented youth who will provide an excellent human resource for investors.

Investors shying away

The president, however, observed that section of investors may be shying away from investing in the country fearing that their money could be plundered.

He was nonetheless, quick to assure French investors that his administration was cracking the whip against the menace and that advanced structures were being laid to ensure plundering of public funds was not easy.

"I am not going to lie to you. Yes, corruption is still a problem but I want to guarantee you that we are fighting that problem.We are putting in place mechanisms that are going to ultimately ensure that it is much harder for people to engage in corrupt practices.

As a government, we will do everything that we can to facilitate you, to make it easy for you to do business in Kenya and in the region," said Uhuru.

Uhuru arrived in France on the evening of Tuesday, September 29. Photo: State House Kenya.

Source: Facebook

Bilateral deals

The head of state made the remarks in Paris on Friday, October 2, during the France-Kenya business forum hosted by MEDEF, the largest French business consortium in the world.

His statement on corruption came a day after he witnessed the signing of three multilateral funding deals which include a public-private partnership (PPP) for the construction of the Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit highway.

Others were agreements for the development of the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) commuter railway line and the 400KV Menengai-Rongai electricity transmission line.

Funding for the projects is valued at at least KSh 180 billion.

Uhuru addressed the France-Kenya business forum hosted by MEDEF. Photo: State House Kenya.

Source: Facebook

KEMSA and donor funds

Uhuru's remarks also came amid allegations of massive misappropriation of donor funds wired to the Ministry of Health to help in the fight against COVID-19.

A recent review by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu showed that at least KSh 2.3 billion went to the drains following questionable procurement of Personal protective Equipment (PPEs) by the Kenya Medical Supply Agency (KEMSA).

At the same time, the president acknowledged the growing number of French businesses setting up base in Nairobi saying the number had grown from less than 30 to over 100 in under ten years.

"I am very happy in the manner in which French companies have begun to aggressively get more and more involved in Kenya.

There was a time, not so long ago, less than ten years ago, when we had very few French companies wanting to or willing to be based in Nairobi or to do business in Kenya. Today, we have well over 100 and more coming," Uhuru said.

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Shad DeLacy, standing next to saxophonist Rogers Randale Jr., thought his hometown of Kenosha, Wis., would always be a part of his future, but his disillusionment has him considering leaving the U.S. (Tyrone Beason / Los Angeles Times)

All along the seven-mile road leading into Kenosha, no matter where you turn on the streets of its downtown business district, plywood scrawled with graffiti covers storefronts, bars and restaurants, community halls, government buildings. Even houses of worship.

Nothing has been left untouched by the outpouring of rage, despair and horror in the days after the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by police.

Yet the messages left by residents offer words of hope for a city that's still trying to heal after civil unrest erupted here, in nearby Milwaukee and across the country following the shooting.

The phrase "Kenosha Strong" reads like a mantra in spray paint on too many boarded-up buildings to count.

There are quotes from the Book of John: "Love one another just as I have loved you."

Each presidential election, outsiders home in on the importance of battleground states like Wisconsin in search of signs about the direction the country is headed in terms of its politics.

But the people of Kenosha seem to be having a more heartfelt conversation among themselves, one centered on the spiritual fortitude a society requires to survive one of its most turbulent periods in decades. It's also focused on how hard it is to keep to the social contract in such a fiercely divided nation.

They're trying to reassure one another that even here, where anger over Blake's shooting continues to simmer and where the smell of charred wood from burned buildings still stings the nose, the idea of community is not a thing of the past.

The heart of downtown Kenosha, on the shores of Lake Michigan south of Milwaukee, was eerily empty on a recent hot afternoon  mostly due to so many shops closed because of the protests and the COVID-19 pandemic.

A quote from Julia Jackson, shooting victim Jacob Blake's mother, adorns a mural promoting unity in Kenosha, Wis. (Tyrone Beason / Los Angeles Times)

A mural on the way into town stood out for its quote from Blake's mother, whose galvanizing words after his shooting starkly contrasted with President Trump's us-against-them rhetoric.

Story continues

"Examine your heart  heal our country," it reads. "Black Lives Matter. Peace in Kenosha and worldwide."

Many murals feature the city's signature red lighthouse. Even that landmark, meant to ward ships away from danger on a lake so big it looks like an ocean, has been co-opted to offer guidance to residents.

"The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it," one quote reads, borrowing from another passage in the Book of John.

The camera crews that once provided around-the-clock coverage  of demonstrations, fires set by vandals and the shooting by a vigilante of two men who were protesting racism  have mostly gone. Both Trump and his Democratic rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, arrived in town, promised to help residents rebuild and then left

At S.J. Crystal's, a menswear boutique on Kenosha's main business strip, store manager Shad DeLacy sat in an old-school barber's chair. His mind drifted far beyond the turmoil in his city and the upcoming election.

DeLacy, 43, said he's done waiting for politicians on the left and the right to follow through on their promises to end racial inequality and help small-business people like him and the shop's owner, Lewis Aceto, to thrive. The last time this independent voter cast a ballot in a presidential election was in 2008 for Barack Obama. He doesn't plan to vote in November.

Friends and loved ones keep telling him that participating in the election could help shift the trajectory of a nation that feels dangerously off course. He isn't convinced. "I don't think my vote will matter, regardless of who wins," DeLacy said.

On the plywood that covers the shop's windows, someone had painted a Beatles-inspired mural of the lighthouse and a yellow submarine along with the words: "All we are saying is give peace a chance."

Though DeLacy loves the idea of peace someday reigning across the land, at the moment he's ready to give up on America.

DeLacy grew up in Kenosha. He says he was 16 when Aceto gave him his first job. He moved away but returned in 2018 to help Aceto run the boutique, and he plans to take it over someday.

The store, which has been around for 124 years under different owners, was spared from vandalism.

An auto dealership several blocks away wasn't so lucky. It sits like a graveyard with about two dozen burned-out vehicles baking in the sun, displaying messages of their own.

"Kyle Rittenhouse  murderer," someone spray-painted on one of the cars, referring to the teen vigilante who's been charged with killing the protesters.

"What did our community do to deserve this," the lot's owners ask on a banner pinned to the outside of the scorched office.

On another car, someone painted a more loving message: a green heart.

For his part, DeLacy doesn't want his city of 100,000 to be a symbol of America's descent into chaos. But lately, he says, "it's hard to trust anyone."

He thought that Kenosha would be his future, that he'd join the ranks of entrepreneurs breathing new life into old industrial towns on the Great Lakes.

Now he intends to build up the shop, take over the business one day, train a new manager who can eventually run the daily operations  and then start packing.

"I'm trying to keep my head down and get through the next few years, and then I'm getting my Black ass out of the U.S.A.  I want to move to Belize," DeLacy said. "It's sad that that's my goal."

He wonders whether Americans are willing to live up to the principles of love, fellowship and mutual understanding displayed on so many surfaces in Kenosha.

Just then his boss, Aceto, walked in. They greeted each other like the best of friends, even though Aceto is a Trump supporter and DeLacy, who's not aligned with either party, can't stand the president.

Aceto, who is white, reminisced with DeLacy about when voting used to be "fun," a special occasion in the positive sense when people at opposite ends of the political spectrum could still be civil to one another.

Kim Schmidt has been struggling to keep the faith, too. She works at Cardinali's Bakery, a longtime business on the highway that leads into town.

Schmidt, 44, never thought she'd see the kind of unrest that took hold in Kenosha after the Blake shooting.

The bakery, like virtually every neighboring business, is boarded up, with the ubiquitous "Kenosha Strong" painted on the wood just below a vintage neon sign that advertises the "Golden Krust" of the shop's baked goods.

"There's tension, constantly, all the time," Schmidt said. "You feel like you can't even look a person in the eyes on the sidewalk because you don't know what's going to happen."

Inside the store, standing in front of a piece of plywood scrawled with the words "Love is the answer," Schmidt said she didn't vote for Trump in 2016 but is considering voting for him in November. She just doesn't know enough about Biden.

The president too often "says the wrong things," Schmidt said, but she's willing to believe that he's a decent enough person with a big enough heart to deserve a second chance.

Farther north in Milwaukee  one of the most segregated cities in the country, where Black residents make up 44% of the population of 600,000  people were less willing to give Trump the benefit of the doubt.

About 100 masked worshipers gathered under a white tent in the parking lot of Unity Gospel House of Prayer on the city's mostly Black north side as a dozen others watched at a safe distance from inside their cars.

Pastor Marlon Lock was on a roll, telling his flock about "wickedness in high places."

Lock didn't have to mention Trump by name.

Kimberly Lock of Milwaukee, a pastor and author, watches from her car as her husband delivers a sermon at an outdoor service. "I sense that if we have to deal with another term of the existing president  something is going to explode," she said. (Tyrone Beason / Los Angeles Times)

The approving nods and "Uh-huhs" in the mostly Black congregation showed they knew just who he was talking about.

They rocked gently to a live gospel band and raised their hands in prayer whenever Lock gave the word. The service took on the atmosphere of an old-time roadside revival down South.

Lock quoted from the Book of John and urged his audience to follow Jesus' example by looking out for others, by helping the sick and oppressed.

"What you see here is what we need more of in the city of Milwaukee and not just here but all over  we have got to learn how to get along," said Anthony Lee, a 40-year-old custodian who was still feeling uplifted after Lock's sermon.

Lee said he regrets that some demonstrations have led to vandalism in Black neighborhoods that were already hurting, as well as violence between opposing protesters. "What kind of example are we setting for our kids for the future  hatred? Why hate one another?"

Kimberly Lock, the pastors wife and a minister in her own right, watched from inside her SUV.

Lock, 45, said that shes not interested in declaring loyalty to one party but that she's voted for Democrats almost exclusively in the past.

She plans to vote for the Biden-Harris ticket in November.

Anything is better than what were experiencing now, because theres so much racial violence, I think having a lot to do with communication that has trickled from the top down," she said.

I sense that if we have to deal with another term of the existing president, then were going to reach a boiling point  its going to come to a head where something is going to explode.

Lock also never spoke Trump's name, but she offered him some spiritual advice.

My prayer would be that he not be selfish, that he considers others and that he thinks about the power that hes been given to make this country better  because its a delegated authority. Its not his.

A few days later, the nation's ability to withstand the tensions of the times was tested again when a grand jury in Louisville, Ky., declined to charge three police officers who had fatally shot Breonna Taylor, a Black woman whose name has become another rallying cry against police brutality.

A group of mostly of Black and white people in their 20s marched through Milwaukee that night, joined by a caravan of motorists honking their horns. Along the way, people stepped onto their porches and stoops to raise their fists in solidarity.

Protesters gather at a mural of Breonna Taylor in Milwaukee after a grand jury in Louisville, Ky., decided not to charge three police officers for her killing. (Tyrone Beason / Los Angeles Times)

The marchers arrived at a mural of Taylor with the words "Say her name" printed under her likeness. Huddled in the darkness, they lighted candles in memory of a woman they didn't know.

Some got down on their knees to pray and pour libations on the ground in Taylor's honor. Others shouted to their Black ancestors before bowing their heads in sorrow because in their view, the dream of justice had once again been deferred. One man nearly choked up as he pleaded to anyone within earshot not to give up on the prospect that the United States will someday treat its Black citizens with respect.

The ceremony was its own appeal to basic kindness and decency, a challenge to Americans to do what the graffiti artists of Kenosha, the worshippers at the church and those gathered on this night had all called for in their own ways: to look to their better angels and view mercy  especially toward those who've been left to beg for it, such as Black people  as the ultimate expression of love.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
She's a member of Hollywood royalty who's been in the spotlight since age four.

But Drew Barrymore wasn't afraid to discuss some of the darker periods of her very public life in an interview with The Sun over the weekend, in which she reflected on 'how lucky' she is.

Of her new gig as host of a daytime talk show, the 45-year-old Ever After star said, 'I dont know how I ended up here but I will never lose sight of how lucky I am.

New gig: Drew Barrymore wasn't afraid to discuss some of the darker periods of her very public life in an interview over the weekend, in which she reflected on 'how lucky' she is

'Being blacklisted at 12, I appreciate every job I have.'

The blacklisting Drew was referring to came as the wild-child star was addicted at an incredibly premature age to cocaine and marijuana.

'I know what its like to lose and work for things and be so lucky and have the opportunities I have and everything in between. I dont think theres much to hide at this point,' the actress and producer reflected.

'Being blacklisted at 12, I appreciate every job I have': The blacklisting Drew was referring to came as the wild-child star was addicted at a premature age to cocaine; seen in 1995

Drew launched to fame at the age of seven in 1982's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, followed two years later by Firestarter.

As she approached her teens, the spotlight proved troublesome for Drew, whose mother Jaid was a socialite who allowed her daughter to accompany her to venues such as New York's infamous Studio 54.

And by the ages of 12 to 14, the young actress quickly developed a reputation as a 'party girl' and 'damaged goods'.

Legendary: Drew launched to fame at the age of seven in 1982's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

She was even sent to a mental institution by her mother  an experience Drew recently talked about with Paris Hilton, who guested on her show recently.

Later, the starlet legally emancipated from her mother, and went about starting over in Hollywood.

Now, decades later, the successful star and mother is quick to acknowledge how fortunate she is.

'Im honored anyone will come on the show. Im not an assuming person. Ive been in this industry my whole life but Im just as excited to be around people of note as anyone would be.'

As she approached her teens: The spotlight proved troublesome for Drew, who quickly developed a reputation as a 'party girl' and 'damaged goods'; seen in 1992 at age 17
PARIS  Kenzo Takada, the iconic French-Japanese fashion designer famed for his jungle-infused designs and free-spirited aesthetic that channeled global travel, has died. He was 81.

The family said in a statement to French media Sunday that Takada died from complications from COVID-19 in a hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris. A public relations officer for Kenzos brand confirmed that Takada died, but didnt give a cause of death.

It is with immense sadness that KENZO has learned of the passing of our founder, the fashion house said in a statement. For half a century, Mr. Takada has been an emblematic personality in the fashion industry  always infusing creativity and color into the world.

Takadas death came at the tail end of Paris Fashion Week, whose nine-day calendar is undertaking an unusual fashion season for spring-summer 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. It was only days ago that the Kenzo fashion house unveiled its bee-themed collection here.

Though Takada had been retired from his house since 1999 to pursue a career in art, Kenzo remains one of the most respected fixtures of high Paris fashion. Since 1993, the Kenzo brand has been owned by the French luxury goods company LVMH.

His amazing energy, kindness, talent and smile were contagious, said Kenzo artistic director Felipe Oliveira Baptista, who unveiled the bee-themed collection to fashion editors Wednesday. His kindred spirit will live forever.

Kenzos styles used bold color, clashing prints and were inspired by travels all over the world.

Kenzo Takada has, from the 1970s, infused into fashion a tone of poetic lightness and sweet freedom which inspired many designers after him, said Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive of LVMH.

Takada was born on Feb. 27, 1939, in Himeji, in the Hyogo Prefecture in Japan to hoteliers, but after reading his sisters fashion magazines his love of fashion began.

Studying at the Bunka College of Fashion in Tokyo, Kenzo Takada had a brief stint working in Japan, before relocating to Paris in 1965, to work as a freelance designer.

In Paris, he took over a boutique in 1970 and crystallized his future ready-to-wear aesthetic inspired in its decoration by the jungle scenes of painter Henri Rousseau, which he merged with Asian styles. It became influential.

But it was lowly beginnings: Takadas first collection at the store called was made entirely out of cotton because he had little money. But the clothes spoke for themselves and a model of his was put on the cover of Elle magazine. A short time after, pioneering shoulder forms, large armholes, dungarees, smock tent dresses, innovative shoulder shapes, and his store was featured in US Vogue. Kenzo showed collections in New York and Tokyo in 1971.

Yves Saint Laurent was an important inspiration, in his work, Takada has said. Takada shared Saint Laurents penchant for theatrics. in 1978 and 1979, he showed in a circus tent, and it featured himself riding an elephant, and performers rode horses wearing see-through uniforms.

Takadas love of travel and use of ethnic influences were strong features in his three decades atop his house.

His contribution to style was significant. He championed a youthful aesthetic and unstructured form, and did away with zippers to liberate silhouettes. His signatures were of wider sleeves and arm holes, that harked to historic styles in his home continent of Asia.
Obamas Homeland Security Secretary is urging all those in the presidential line of succession to quarantine themselves because theyre in 'sensitive' positions, should anything happen to the president.

Jeh Johnson, 63, who served under former President Barack Obama from 2013 to 2017, spoke out on CNN and MSNBC on Friday, urging officials in power to take precautions as Donald Trump undergoes treatment for COVID-19.

On Friday evening Johnson spoke to CNN's Wolf Blitzer suggesting the top half of those in the presidential line of succession should quarantine now as a precaution.

'I think, respectfully, that those in the presidential line of succession, particularly the top half line of succession, should think very seriously about some form of quarantine for themselves while were in this period,' Johnson said.

Those people in the top half of the line of succession, in order, are Vice President Mike Pence, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, President pro tempore of the Senate Chuck Grassley, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, and Attorney General William Barr.

Obamas Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson urged all those in the presidential line of succession to quarantine themselves because theyre in 'sensitive' positions, should anything happen to the president, in an interview on CNN Friday night

Trump pictured giving a thumbs up as he walked to Marine One to be transported to the Walter Reed Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland for COVID-19 treatment Friday

Those people in the top half of the line of succession in order are Vice President Mike Pence, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, President pro tempore of the Senate Chuck Grassley. Pence and Pelosi have tested negative, Grassley reportedly has not gotten tested

'This should be a wake up call for all of Americans that were still in the clutches of this invisible virus. And we see the numbers going up in a numbers of states. Theres a lot more than we need to do. We should not let our guard down,' Johnson said.

'The most secure American in this country gets this virus. None of us are safe. And we know how to deal with this  a simple mask,' he added.

Vice President Mike Pence tested negative for COVID on Friday morning and is at the Naval Observatory where he lives.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tested negative for COVID-19 on Friday, her staff tweeted.

She got tested following a meeting with Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin earlier this week to discuss a potential stimulus bill, after he was exposed to the president. Mnuchin, who is tested daily, proved negative on Friday morning as well.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (left) said Friday that he tested negative for the coronavirus. The diplomat announced his negative result to reporters traveling with him to Dubrovnik, Croatia, the last stop on a short European tour. Mnuchin (right), who is tested daily, proved negative on Friday morning as well

Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who is currently in North Africa, tested negative on Monday and Wednesday and said he'd be tested again on Friday. Pictured Friday speaking at a press conference with Morcco's Foreign Affairs Minister in Rabat

Attorney General William Barr tested negative for COVID-19 on Friday morning

WHO HAS TRUMP BEEN IN CONTACT WITH AND WHO AMONG THEM IS INFECTED Hope Hicks, counselor to the president - POSITIVE Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump - NEGATIVE Barron Trump - NEGATIVE Tiffany Trump - NEGATIVE Eric Trump, Lara Trump - NEGATIVE Donald Trump Jr, Kimberly Guilfoyle - NEGATIVE Vice President Mike Pence - NEGATIVE Joe Biden and Jill Biden - NEGATIVE Dan Scavino, Social Media Director - NEGATIVE RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel - POSITIVE Mark Meadows, White House chief of staff - NEGATIVE Kayleigh McEnany, press secretary - NEGATIVE KellyAnne Conway, Trump's former advisor who attended Saturday's announcement of SCOTUS nominee - POSITIVE Amy Coney Barrett, Supreme Court nominee - NEGATIVE (She had the virus in the summer) Rev John Jenkins, President of Notre Dame who attended Saturday's announcement of SCOTUS nominee - POSITIVE Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina who attended Saturday's announcement of SCOTUS nominee - POSITIVE Mike Lee, Utah Republican senator who attended Saturday's announcement of SCOTUS nominee - POSITIVE Bill Stepien, campaign manager - POSITIVE Chris Christie, helped with debate prep - POSITIVE John McEntee, Director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office - UNKNOWN Rudy Giuliani, personal attorney. Giuliani had spent the weekend at the White House doing debate prep - UNKNOWN Mitch McConnell - UNKNOWN Lindsey Graham - UNKNOWN Robert Ford, CEO of Abbott Laboratories, who was at the White House on Monday - UNKNOWN Admiral Brett Geroir, assistant Health and Human Services secretary - UNKNOWN Alex Azar, HHS secretary - UNKNOWN Advertisement

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who is the third in line of succession to the presidency, reportedly has not gotten a coronavirus test, despite attending a Senate Judiciary meeting with Sen. Mike Lee of Utah on Thursday.

Lee tested positive on Friday.

'We are not aware of any exposure to anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19. Sen. Grassley will continue to follow guidance from the Senate's attending physician, the CDC and local health officials,' Grassleys office said in a statement.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday that he tested negative for the coronavirus. The diplomat announced his negative result to reporters traveling with him to Dubrovnik, Croatia, the last stop on a short European tour. He has not interacted with Trump since the Abraham Accords were signed in Washington on September 15.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who is currently in North Africa, tested negative on Monday and Wednesday and said he'd be tested again on Friday.

Attorney General William Barr tested negative for COVID-19 on Friday morning.

President Donald Trump tweeted around 1am Friday that he and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for COVID-19 after top aide Hope Hicks was diagnosed with the contagious virus.

Hicks had traveled closely with Trump this past week on the campaign trail.

Friday evening Trump was transported to the Walter Reed medical center in Bethesda, Maryland for treatment after reporting symptoms of a fever, cough, and congestion.

'This morning, the president is doing very well. The team and I are extremely happy with the progress the president has made. He's been fever free for 24 hours and we are cautiously optimistic,' Trump's personal physicial Sean Conley said Saturday morning in a press conference outside the hospital.

The vague health update sparked confusion regarding the timeline of Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis and treament.

At the Saturday morning press conference Dr. Conley said the president is '72 hours into the diagnosis', indicating Trump could have tested positive as early as Wednesday, before walking back on his comment hours later.

If he was 72 hours into his diagnosis, that would mean Trump was positive a day after the presidential debate with Joe Biden and positive during a Minnesota rally Wednesday and a fundraising event in New Jersey attended by 100 people Thursday.

Immediately after Dr. Conley's press conference a White House source said 'on background' that he misspoke, saying 'The doctor meant its day 3, not yet 72hrs. Diagnosis made Thursday night.'

Hours later White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany issued a written statement from Dr. Conley saying he incorrectly used the term 'seventy two hours' instead of 'day three' and 'forty eight hours' instead of 'day two' with regards to his diagnosis and treatment.

The news conference skirted around the issue of the presidents temperature, if he ever required oxygen and the approximate date of when he last tested negative for the virus, making it hard to build a concrete timeline.
Nobody voted for Boris Johnson as Tory Party leader or as Prime Minister because they thought he was a model of Victorian probity and restraint. Many probably supported him precisely because of the glint of mischief and rebellion against stuffy convention that can so often be seen in his eyes.

So the latest revelations, published today in The Mail on Sunday, about his complicated and sometimes chaotic private life are unlikely to shock his supporters. They took him for what he was and will continue to do so.

But there is a different threat to the Prime Minister. Our columnist Dan Hodges today describes a mood among some Tory MPs and Ministers who say they have given up waiting for the return of the real Boris. They do not dare to try to bring him down now, but they hope to exploit his difficulties to weaken him, in preparation for a future challenge.

Nobody voted for Boris Johnson (pictured) as Tory Party leader or as Prime Minister because they thought he was a model of Victorian probity and restraint

It is foolish and ridiculous for such people  most of them owing their seats and positions to Boris Johnson  to write him off because he has hit a difficult stage in his Premiership. This is simply the nature of the job. It is all-embracing, frantic, full of surprises, sleep-denying and insistent. Nobody survives it without crises.

It cannot be stated often enough that it was as recently as July last year that Mr Johnson crashed, like a human tank, through the blockages and barricades which were preventing Brexit, and which had reduced his predecessor, the inept and dithering Theresa May, to impotence.

It is only ten months since Mr Johnson neutralised Ukip and outflanked Nigel Farage to win a smashing victory over Jeremy Corbyns dangerous, bigoted Labour Party. In the course of doing so, he captured parliamentary seats for the Tory Party in places where they had never previously even thought they had a chance.

Who else could have done these things? Look at the talent pool of the Conservative Party and you will see plenty of reasonably attractive and persuasive men and women, but how many of them have the connection with the wider public, or the ability to engage with those who have traditionally not voted Tory, which the Prime Minister has?

It is only ten months since Mr Johnson (pictured) neutralised Ukip and outflanked Nigel Farage to win a smashing victory over Jeremy Corbyns dangerous, bigoted Labour Party

Boris Johnson simply transcends the normal rules, and in the months to come, as he steers the country out of the virus crisis, that talent will be more vital than ever.

The Mail on Sunday disagrees with much of his approach to the Covid-19 pandemic, though we have hopes that he is beginning to listen to a broader array of experts, which will be essential for progress to be made. But who can rival him in his ability to slice through such tangled knots as those which for months prevented any action on Brexit, and which Mrs May simply could not deal with?

And those who doubt that he still has the capacity for radical innovation should look at the bold proposals he has to bring new and truly conservative figures into the world of broadcasting. His suggested appointments at the BBC and Ofcom are imaginative and likely to be effective in changing the climate.

They are also part of a long game which the Tory Party must play if it is to stay in the saddle during these turbulent times. The best man to play that game is still Boris Johnson, and his party should not forget this, just because of a few passing problems.
Actors Kriti Sanon, Swara Bhasker and Pooja Bedi have slammed Surendra Singh, BJP MLA from the Bairia constituency in Uttar Pradeshs Ballia, who is facing flak for his remark that rapes can be stopped if parents inculcate good values in their daughters. The actors said that his mindset needs to change.

Teach daughters how to not get raped??? Can he hear himself talk? THIS is the MINDSET that needs to change! Its so messed up! Why cant they give some sanskaar to their sons???, Kriti wrote on Twitter.

Teach daughters how to not get raped??? Can he hear himself talk? THIS is the MINDSET that needs to change! Its so messed up! Why cant they give some sanskaar to their sons??? https://t.co/JXj9Tx6YOe  Kriti Sanon (@kritisanon) October 3, 2020

Swara shared an old video of Surendra Singhs comments on the Unnao rape and called him a rape defender. Yeh ghatiya aadmi purana paapi hai (This disgusting man is an old sinner). #rapedefender BJP MLA Surendra Singh, she wrote.

Pooja tweeted that the BJP needs to cleanse itself of patriarchal lunatics like Surendra Singh. These are the kind of MORONS & patriarchal lunatics that the @BJP4India has in its folds. Time for a colon cleansing for the ruling party.. dont u think? she wrote.

These are the kind of MORONS & patriarchal lunatics that the @BJP4India has in its folds.

Time for a colon cleansing for the ruling party.. dont u think? https://t.co/WyYWiMk0Wd  Pooja Bedi (@poojabeditweets) October 4, 2020

Also read: Twinkle Khanna gets ready for a cook-off, shares proof of son Aarav being a superior chef. See pic

On Saturday, Surendra Singh was asked during a press meet about the alarming number of rapes in Uttar Pradesh. The gang-rapes and death of two Dalit women in Uttar Pradeshs Hathras and Balrampur districts within a week have shaken the entire country.

I am a teacher. Even if the government stands with the sword, such incidents wouldnt stop. Such incidents will stop when parents give sanskaar to their daughters and inculcate (good) values in them, he said.

The way it is the duty of the government to give protection, likewise, it is the duty of the family and parents to inculcate sanskaar in their children. The parents should teach them polite behaviour. The combination of sanskaar and government can make the country beautiful. There is no other way out, he added.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
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US President Donald Trumps virus infection has excited many people into thinking that it must spell the end of his style of politics. Whether he lives or dies, right-wing populism surely has met its Waterloo.

The President for years has managed to dismiss all sorts of realities as "fake news". But "you cant spin a virus" as Barack Obamas former campaign manager, David Axelrod, has said.

The White House on the weekend released photos of Donald Trump in the Walter Reed Medical Centre. Credit:AP

The New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd wrote that after months of pretending that COVID-19 was going to magically disappear, "in a moment that feels biblical  it was undeniable that reality was crashing in on the former reality star".

Really? Is it necessarily true that he cant "spin" this to his advantage? Will he no longer be able to define reality according to his own agenda? Is it really the end of right-wing populism?
Billionaire Anil Agarwals Indian commodities conglomerate Vedanta Ltd. posted a 23.5% drop in quarterly profit as one of the worlds strictest lockdowns hit production and demand.

Group net income slumped to 10.33 billion rupees ($141 million) in the three months to June from 13.51 billion rupees a year earlier, the company said in a statement late Saturday. Sales fell 25.9% to 156.87 billion rupees.

Key Insights

Vedantas main businesses include zinc, aluminum and oil and gas, all of which have been hit by a slump in demand due to the coronavirus pandemic

Agarwals London-based Vedanta Resources Ltd. is in the process of taking Mumbai-listed Vedanta private by buying out minority shareholders to simplify his investments.

Vedanta Resources is in talks with banks for a further $600 million to finance the delisting after already securing $3.15 billion in loans and bonds, according to people familiar with the information.

Vedanta had net debt of 247.87 billion rupees at the end of June.

Vedantas Hindustan Zinc, also Asias most valuable zinc producer, reported a 23% drop in June-quarter profit on lower prices and production.

Indias economy posted its worst slump in the three months ended June as disruptions caused by the Covid-19 outbreak brought Asias third-largest economy to a halt. Economists expect growth to shrink in the year through March 2021, in the first such contraction in more than four decades.

Market Reaction

Shares of Vedanta rose 0.4% on Thursday to close at 137.45 rupees in Mumbai. The stock has slid 9.8% this year compared with a 6.2% fall in BSE benchmark index.

Analysts have 11 buy recommendations on the company, 4 holds and 0 sells, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

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Agra, Oct 4 : Winter is still a few weeks away but migratory birds have started flocking here, perhaps to join the wildlife week celebrations! A flock of flamingoes on Sunday arrived in Jodhpur Jhaal, a lake-cum-wetland site on the border of the Agra district. This is considered unusual, both because it is a bit early and also it is a new site that the migratory birds have chosen as their temporary habitat.

"The temperature is still pretty high and winter is still some weeks away but the birds from distant lands have already started their journey. This could be due to improvement in environmental conditions thanks to Covid-19 and partly due to better conservational efforts in recent years," bird specialist K.P. Singh told IANS.

Singh said two species of flamingoes have been seen along with other winged visitors. The Jodhpur Jhaal area is home to around 125 different species of birds.

These migratory birds usually descend on the famous Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur district or the Soor Sarovar bird sanctuary in Agra along the Yamuna.

This is the first time that migratory birds including flamingoes have been sighted in Jodhpur Jhaal area, said forest guards. This wetland is a mid-way between Bharatpur and Agra sanctuary.

Environmentalist Devashish Bhattacharya said: "Plenty of fresh water due to good rains, and rich feed have attracted the birds. The Soor Sarovar water is full of industrial effluents and toxic substances that flow down the Agra Canal which runs from Okhla through the industrial clusters of Faridabad, Ballabhgarh, Palwal, to Agra.

"All the garbage and waste was being dumped into the Agra Canal. The water is contaminated and is a threat to the aquatic life. This is the reason why the Keitham lake is not attracting migratory birds this year." K.P. Singh said the flamingoes migrate mostly from Gujarat and Maharashtra to the north, during the winter months.

Addressing volunteers of the Biodiversity Research and Development Society on the occasion of the World Animal Day as part of the wildlife week, Singh said: "There was a possibility of increase in the number and species of migratory birds this year as a result of better environmental conditions and sustained conservational efforts." The rural youths taken on a round were surprised to see a large number of aquatic birds like flamingoes, pintails, common coots, knob ducks, spoon-billed ducks, lesser whistling ducks, and the Northern shoveler.

Earlier local poachers hunted birds in the area but efforts to raise the awareness level had yielded good results.

Singh said that the wildlife is under threat from poachers. Until the locals are sensitised and without conservational efforts, wildlife would not succeed, he added.
The Miami Herald Editorial Board has a long tradition of trying to serve the best interests of the South Florida community. We work hard to offer informed opinions about local issues that affect our readers lives.

Now, were asking members of the community to join us. This week, we are introducing the first three members of the Editorial Boards Community Advisory Board. They are engaged, focused people who, through their individual endeavors, also are committed to making this community one that works better for everyone who calls it home or does business here. And when their three-month stint is up, we will be soliciting recommendations for the next three members.

The whole idea is to broaden the Editorial Boards perspective even further by adding the stories, skills and experiences of each advisory board member to the mix. The Advisory Board will bring multigenerational, multiethnic and distinctly local perspectives to our conversations. In addition, were expanding the Editorial Board with new hires as part of a broader effort to ensure that a wide range of viewpoints is represented.

Jeanne Albaugh, Tony Argiz and Felecia Hatcher will make up the inaugural Advisory Board, chosen by Herald editors for their distinct professional experiences, their personal backgrounds and their willingness to play a role. They have graciously volunteered to serve a three-month term, during which they will take part in the Editorial Boards internal meetings and its informational chats with community organizations, elected officials and others. Their first task, however, will be to participate in the candidate recommendation process, including candidate interviews.

They will attend the Editorial Boards online interviews with candidates in advance of the Nov. 3 elections and join the Boards discussions of each race. The interviews will be recorded and posted on the Heralds website. In the interest of fairness and transparency, Advisory Board members who have donated to a particular candidates campaign must recuse themselves.

Story continues

Heres more about the members of our first Community Advisory Board:

Albaugh

After a life-altering event, Jeanne Albaugh, 58, slowly declined into homelessness, living unsheltered for 10 years. In 2011, Albaugh, who has four sons, said that she made the decision to change her life. Early on, she said, she wanted to give back to people who, like her, experienced homelessness.

In 2016, she founded Showering Love, a non-profit that she said restores dignity, hope and health to people experiencing homelessness by providing showers and other supportive services. Showering Love is committed to fostering a community that is supportive, healthy and compassionate, Albaugh said.

I am honored to participate as a member of the Community Advisory Board. I look forward to working with the Board and to offering my perspective to create greater understanding across our community, Albaugh said. I hope to give a voice to those that often go unheard.

Argiz

Tony Argiz, as chairman and CEO of MBAF since 1997, has led it to become one of the top 40 accounting firms in the nation and the largest independent firm in Florida. Argiz also is a committed civic and community leader, chairing the Adrienne Arsht Center Foundation. He is past chair of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of Miami-Dade and Facts About Cuban Exiles (F.A.C.E.) and the Orange Bowl Committee.

Argiz, 67, said that education is a particular passion. He has chaired the Miami Dade College Foundation and been a board member of the Florida International University Foundation and led the Miami-Dade County School Boards bond issue campaign.

He is on the boards of Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart and Coconut Grove Cares and is deeply involved with its community center, The Barnyard.

Now more than ever, its important for the residents of Miami-Dade County to be well-informed about the candidates plans for the county on issues including the allocation of state and federal funding, helping the less fortunate, and the environment in order to make educated decisions on Nov. 3, Argiz said. I hope that through the work of the Community Advisory Board, we will encourage residents to feel confident in casting their votes because they have a clear picture of whats at stake and how it affects them.

Hatcher

Felecia Hatcher said she is on a mission to rid communities across the globe of innovation deserts. She works with community leaders and government officials to create inclusive and diverse tech/startup ecosystems, she said, that transform communities into magnetic forces for attracting talent, resources and opportunities to thrive within the innovation economy.

Hatcher, 37, is an author, speaker and co-founder of Tribe Cowork and Urban Innovation Lab, Code Fever and Black Tech Week. Her work is supported by, among others, the Knight Foundation and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and she was honored as a 2014 Obama White House Champion of Change for STEM Access and Diversity.

Its about advocacy, action and accountability, so that we can have true prosperity and leadership in our communities, Hatcher said. I believe Miami can embody that for everyone when we have leadership that aligns with those values.

Clearly, we have a strong lineup in these Community Advisory Board members and look forward to getting started.

Nancy Ancrum is the editorial page editor of the Miami Herald.
He is believed to have either left Australia on a fake passport or has been killed

The 35-year-old was being chased by investors for tens of millions of dollars

Amin Naaman hasnt been seen since he disappeared from Sydney's west

An entrepreneur who is on the run from the underworld has been declared a missing person amid fears he may have been killed.

Amin Naaman, an app developer, hasnt been seen since he disappeared from Sydney's west while being chased by investors for tens of millions of dollars.

Underworld figures turned on each other to recoup their investment money after Mr Naaman's business went bust.

Amin Naaman, an app developer, hasnt been seen since he disappeared from Sydney's west while being chased by investors for tens of millions of dollars

The ATO is also pursuing the 35-year-old for at least $7million, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Strike Force Raptor started investigating after shootings in southwest Sydney.

Authorities believe Mr Naaman either left Australia on a fake passport or has been murdered.

NSW Police have now officially declared him a missing person.

It's understood Mr Naaman was last seen at a pharmacy in Glenelg, Adelaide, last November.

Neither his wife Marta nor his other relatives have reported him missing.

A source said Mr Naamans family expected him to return to Sydney to visit his mother who is in hospital.
They shot to fame on the first ever series of Winter Love Island earlier this year.

And Demi Jones reunited with twins Jess and Eve Gale as they headed to brunch in London on Saturday.

Demi, 22, put on a busty display in a plunging olive green bodycon dress as she happily posed with the blonde twins, 19.

Glamour: Demi Jones reunited with twins Jess and Eve Gale as they headed to brunch in London on Saturday

The star drew the eye to her bronzed legs in a pair of strappy sandals and accessorised with a black leather bag.

Her flame-red tresses were styled in soft waves while a rich palette of make-up enhanced her pretty features.

Love Island finalist Jess wowed in a black bodycon dress with a strapless neckline while Eve displayed her abs and cleavage in a crop-top and white flared trousers.

Work it: Demi, 22, sizzled in a plunging olive green bodycon dress as she happily posed

Leggy: The star drew the eye to her bronzed legs in a pair of strappy sandals and accessorised with a black leather bag

Wow factor: Eve (left) and Jess showed off their toned curves as they posed up a storm

The auburn-haired beauty has been happily single since splitting with Luke Mabbott.

Back in June, the TV star broke her silence on her split from Luke, 25, four months after they finished in third place on the first-ever winter edition of Love Island.

In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, Demi confirmed the pair officially called it quits in May, a decision she claims was encouraged by the heating engineer, 25.

She admitted that while 'there's no bad blood' between the former couple, she doesn't believe they'll rekindle their romance in the future.

In January, the auburn beauty entered the Cape Town villa as a bombshell, initially embarking on a romance with Nas Majeed.

But once the hopefuls were put to the test with a trip to Casa Amor, Demi was left heartbroken when she discovered her love interest returned with Eva Zapico.
As a leader in online education for over two decades, Charter Oak knows the value of in-demand programs and the online delivery that busy, working professionals desire for advancing their careers.

Charter Oak State College Offers Health Care and Cyber Security Program Open Houses

Fall Term 2 Classes Start October 26; register through October 22

Charter Oak State College (https://www.CharterOak.edu ) announces virtual Open House events for popular online degree programs.

October 8, 2020 at 5PM, EST  Virtual Open House for Cyber Security and IT Technology programs and certificates. Register for event at https://www.CharterOak.edu/Cybersecurity

October 14, 2020 at 5PM, EST  Virtual Open House for Health Care Undergraduate and Graduate programs. Application fee waived for attendees. Register for event at https://www.CharterOak.edu/health-care

Charter Oak State College is well known for degree completion and honors qualified existing college credits, prior learning, military and professional certifications. The online College offers career-focused degrees and certificates in popular majors such as Cyber Security, Nursing, Health Information Management, Business Administration, Early Childhood Education, Health Care Administration, Public Safety Administration, Criminal Justice, Human Resources Management, Sociology, plus others.

Online classes begin October 26 for Fall term 2. Register by October 22.

Students may search programs, apply or register online 24 hours a day at https://www.CharterOak.edu or contact admissions@charteroak.edu, 860-515-3701 for assistance.

Charter Oaks Financial Aid Office is available to help. Contact sfa@charteroak.edu or

860-515-3703.

Founded in 1973, Charter Oak State College (https://www.CharterOak.edu) is Connecticuts public online college, offering associate and bachelors degrees in high-demand fields including Health Information Management, Nursing, Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education and Business Administration. The College offers masters degrees in Health Care Administration, Health Informatics and Organizational Effectiveness and Leadership. Charter Oak is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education and governed by Connecticuts Board of Regents for Higher Education. #
NEW HAVEN - "Stephanie is still living. She is breathing. She is a walking testimony," an emotional Sun Queen said to the crowd Saturday at the painting of the second Black Lives Matter mural in the city, this one on Temple Street in front of the iconic three churches on its Green.

Stephanie Washington, 23, who had been working on the mural with a friend, a daylong event that featured music, dancing and poetry, joined Queen at the microphone in the early afternoon, as the New Haven Black Lives Matter leader introduced her to the crowd.

Washington was shot on April 16, 2019, when Hamden Police Officer Devin Eaton and Yale Police Officer Terrance Pollock pulled over a car driven by Paul Witherspoon, in which she a passenger, on a report of an armed robbery in Hamden.

She was hit by a bullet that tore through her leg, fracturing her pelvis and spine. She had to undergo abdominal surgery and remained at Yale-New Haven Hospital for four days after the shooting, according to a state police report.
Locked-down students at a university have displayed messages on their halls of residence windows after more than 750 students have tested positive.

Northumbria University, in Newcastle, announced on Friday that it was aware of 770 students testing positive - 78 of whom are symptomatic.

The University and College Union (UCU) is pushing for urgent talks with the university as it prepares to ballot members on industrial action.

Locked-down students at a university have displayed messages on their halls of residence windows reading 'rona riddled' after more than 750 students have tested positive

Northumbria University, in Newcastle, announced on Friday that it was aware of 770 students testing positive (pictured, students post 'we have corona' in their window)

Students liken being stuck in their halls of residence to being in prison sticking signs reading 'HMP NC' to the window

The University and College Union said many of its 900 members at the university are demanding teaching moves online (pictured, 'Rona got us' stuck to the window)

UCU said many of its 900 members at the university are extremely concerned about the situation, and is demanding that teaching moves online.

Iain Owens, UCU regional officer, said the union has already begun preparations for industrial action which would involve members refusing to take part in all but online teaching.

Mr Owens said he will be writing to the senior management of the university on Monday morning asking for an urgent meeting.

He fears the necessary preparations for a ballot will render the process too slow to deal with a fast-moving situation.

He said: 'A lot of our members are scared. This is a massive outbreak in the student population. It's a massive outbreak for the city.

'Many students live in the community and people must be wondering about who's been in the local shops and everything else.

All England's top ten coronavirus hotspots are in the North, revealing its North-South divide. Newcastle, which contains the Northumbria University outbreak, is one on the list

Students affected at the university have been advised to self-isolate in line with national guidance and putting signs in their windows telling people to 'send food'

Northumberland, Newcastle, Gateshead, North and South Tyneside, Sunderland and Durham are all locked down

'It was predicted that, if you move 50,000 people into Newcastle from different parts of the country in the middle of a pandemic, there's going to be serious consequences.'

Mr Owens said the union could not encourage staff to break their employment contracts.

But he said some staff may take an individual decision to 'down tools' if they believe themselves to be in danger.

He said he also feared for staff at neighbouring Newcastle University where dozens of cases had already been reported despite students returning much later than at Northumbria.

Northumbria University clarified the number of students who have tested positive since they started to return to university for the start of term in mid-September.

Pupils put posters up in their windows, with one reading 'feel like pure s*** just want my 9k back' as they are locked down in their halls of residence

One of the UK's biggest university unions blamed Northumbria University for reopening the campus and causing the 'preventable' public health crisis (pictured, Northumbria University students posed for photos at windows as they posted signs reading 'send beer')

Those affected have been advised to self-isolate in line with national guidance.

The university said that the new self-reported cases on Friday totalled 78 - the lowest daily figure for five days which a spokesman described as 'encouraging'.

In response to the UCU's proposed action, a university spokesman said: 'The health, safety and wellbeing of our students and staff remains our highest priority.

'We will therefore continue to offer a mix of online remote learning with face-to-face teaching on campus for smaller groups under appropriate social distancing measures.'

The spokesman said that many staff continue to work from home where possible and the university had put in place a full range of safety measures across the campus.'
Dog the Bounty Hunter never doubted God after wifes death; talks spiritual warfare and new film

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Reality TV star Duane Chapman, who is better known as Dog the Bounty Hunter and stars in the upcoming Christian film Hunters Creed, opened up about his own grief journey and his belief in the power of words.

The new faith-based movie was partly inspired by the commonly asked question "Why does God allow bad things to happen?" The inspirational story, directed by Justin Jackola and written by Ken Miyamoto, is about keeping the faith even in the face of great personal loss.

After losing his wife, a man reunites with his church buddies to film the hunting show theyve always wanted to make together. Before long, he senses a dark presence in the woods eventually bringing him face to face with death  and his faith, the synopsis of Hunters Creed reads.

Chapman, who knows all too well about the tragedy of losing a spouse, plays himself in the film. Others featured are Wesley Truman Daniel (Second Samuel), Mickey OSullivan, Ann Sonneville, John Victor Allen, James Errico and LaDios Muhammad.

The Christian Post spoke with Chapman, who talked about his involvement in the film and the power of speaking life, and revealed that unlike the Hunters Creed lead actor, he never once doubted God.

Christian Post: You play yourself in the film. Did it feel like acting for you or was this just something that came naturally?

Chapman: Well, no, even if you play yourself, you have to act a little bit. If you've been through something that reminds you of the character you can associate to what you did, that helps a lot and of course I could do that.

I played myself; sometimes it's harder to play yourself, I think, than it would be if I played a guy across the street. But I've heard a lot of actors say that, "Oh, that reminded me of myself, this and that, or I knew someone that that happened to." So I think the first thing we do is have an association and then it's easier to act.

CP: The filmmaker told CP in a recent interview that you had emotional moments while on set filming. Can you share a little bit about that?

Chapman: A lot of it was about death and what all of us felt about losing a spouse and of course, I had just went through that. That brought tears because you're heartbroken. So they did it at a perfect timing, not that they did it and planned it like that but the producer was very smart to pick someone who had gone through that so that he had a successful show.

CP: I thought the theme of grief and having to deal with grief as a believer is something that a lot of people do wrestle. Did you ever have moments like the character in "Hunter's Creed," where you did doubt God after because you lose the love of your life, and you pray for healing, and you believe God and then feel disappointment?

Chapman: I never doubted, OK, I don't doubt God at all! To be surprised or to say, "Why is this happening to me? Why didn't this happen?" Yeah, that's a normal feeling. And then you go to Scripture, and you listen to the voice in your mind that's in your head that says, "This has happened for a reason." The Bible says you're not to know why this stuff happened. Don't worry, this happened for a reason. So that's what I fall back on. Rather than "oh, there's no God, He don't heal no one," stuff like that, because that's not true.

CP: In the film, you tell the lead actor before he loses his wife to "love all the time, keep close, keep working, laughing and praying." If you had advice for somebody who might be going through that really difficult stage, what would you say to them now?

Chapman: There is a during the sickness, if that's what it is, there's a before the passing and of course, there's after. A lot of people are not given a warning. You tell the loved one goodbye, go to the store, and they get killed in a car wreck. That is horrendous. I went through that with my little girl.

To have a warning, to realize that it's coming and then to have faith that it's really not going to come, but it does come. There's all different emotions that fit each one of those areas. So it's completely different emotion, completely different things to do, it all depends on how that happened. I had a couple of Jewish people, my good friends that told Beth, "At least you know when this is going to happen." I love them both. They thought that was encouraging. And she's like, "Gee, thanks."

It all depends on what type of death that you have to face. The Bible says the last enemy that shall be whipped is death. So it is definitely an enemy and it's the last one. I think God saves the worst for the last so that everybody can witness because everybody else would be dead, that's evil. But the last evil one that will be whipped as the spirit of death and God saves that to the very end so everybody's watching.

CP: In the film, you quote the scripture, "Life and death are in the power of the tongue." You're in a new season in your life. What are some of the things that you're speaking over this season?

Chapman: You have to absolutely watch what you say. The Bible says several times in the Bible, the hardest member of the body (men think it's something else) to control is the tongue. For men, it ain't that. So if you can control that tongue, you can't say, "Weeds be gone and they're gone." But if you have symptoms of a cold, and you say, "I do not feel good at all, I have really bad cold symptoms right now I'm fighting off." Instead of, "I have the worst cold I have ever had." That means a lot.

Even in the world without faith, the Bible says there are things that are a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. A form of godliness, so even motivational speakers, most of them Christian, they teach, "Say things, right!" Don't say, "Oh, I could go broke overnight." Say, "I'm sure that I'll be blessed with more money." So the tongue not only in the world, in the spiritual world, is the most important thing but also in the non-spiritual world, it's also there. Everyone recognizes that.

As you know, I have my new [girlfriend] Francy. She's a very devout Christian and believes like I do about speaking  her words, in her lips. It's really funny because I'm dating her and I wake up not feeling good. She'll go, "Hi, how are you feeling?" And I go, "Hold on, let me get the phone in the other ear." "Are you feeling alright?" And I'm like, "Yeah." "Do you have anything?" "No." So it's funny that when you have someone that's close to you, that you love, that believes the same way in the same tongue, it really works, it's really happening. A lot of happy things happen, a lot of devastation that could have been, you go to God and say, "Why in the heck [did this happen?]" You didn't stop and say, "In Jesus' name I bind that, I cover that with the blood."

The tongue is the most powerful, the most of all the members of the body. So we control that, we control the spirits around us. There's good and evil, all day long, I think God has like a chalkboard and on one side is Satan and his imps and the other side is God and His angels. It's like a huge computer where if we [speak] it's blocked, the devil can't do it ... So constantly, there is that spiritual warfare, the Bible calls it, going along between us. So again, I really watch what I say.

The following is an exclusive clip of the film:
CAIRO  Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has warned against attempts to destroy Egypt following recent rare anti-government protests.

Speaking at the Sept. 27 inauguration of an oil refining complex in the Mostorod region of the Qalyubia governorate, Sisi said there are individuals exploiting the poverty and financial difficulties that citizens are suffering to convince them that they are enduring unfair treatment, and to question the achievements of the state.

Sisi tried to convince Egyptians that chaos and instability resulting from demonstrations would impede development and prosperity in society. He blamed the pause in development projects on the January 25 Revolution, and said, There are projects that have stopped and collapsed as a result of the events of 2011 and the state of instability.

Sisis attempts to calm public opinion came after Egypt witnessed a wave of demonstrations as Egyptians took to the streets of several villages and cities starting Sept. 20 to demand better living conditions in response to a call launched Sept. 5 by the fugitive Mohamed Ali, a construction contractor residing in Spain.

The protests, which lasted for several days, came after government decisions to demolish buildings that violate construction requirements. They also protested against the prices of many services, including the subway and electricity.

Demonstrators tore down photos of Sisi to express their anger. In the city of Bani Mazar in Mina governorate in Upper Egypt, demonstrators took down a banner for Sisi hanging on the facade of a building and then proceeded to tear it up. Children in the village of Monshaat Al Amari in Luxor set an image of Sisi ablaze.

According to a joint statement issued Sept. 25 by three human rights organizations  Justice for Human Rights, the Salam International Organization for the Protection of Human Rights and El-Shehab for Human Rights  400 people were arrested during the demonstrations.

On Sept. 27, the Public Prosecutor ordered the release of 68 children arrested for their participation in the demonstrations after their parents pledged to prohibit them from attending such acts in the future.

In an attempt to calm public opinion, Sisi announced Sept. 27 during the opening of a refinery project in Mostorod a package of new decisions to support citizens.

This included pumping 1 billion Egyptian pounds ($63.4 million) annually for a period of five years to develop the Mostorod region and continuing to offer a grant to irregular workers until the end of the year. He also asked the government to swiftly complete the new construction requirements.

Dont you think that we will leave people without shelter. Residents of houses destroyed will be moved to decent places and compensated, Sisi said.

The protests prompted Al-Azhar to issue a statement Sept. 26 in which it attacked the demonstrators and called on the people to stand united behind their political leadership against any calls to disturb public order.

Al-Azhar said in its statement, Al-Azhar Al-Sharif has closely followed the destructive movements aimed at destabilizing and disturbing public order, which seek to undermine the security of our dear Egypt, spread chaos and disrupt the climate of development and investment.

It added, The various development projects that are being accomplished on the ground are a clear indication that Egypt is moving in the right direction, and this shall come to fruition in the near future, God willing, on all levels.

This statement raised many questions about Al-Azhars actual position on the demonstrations and whether it was placed under pressure to issue a statement in support of the state, especially considering that its relations with the regime are witnessing noticeable tension and fundamental differences on many issues.

Amr al-Shobaki, the deputy head of the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, told Al-Monitor that people in the know on Al-Azhars relationship with the state can see that Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb is not affiliated with anyone, does not take dictates from anyone and enjoys complete independence from state institutions.

We have never seen during the era of Ahmed Al-Tayeb that Al-Azhar changed its beliefs or ideas. If anything, it has entered into many battles with the state in defense of its ideas and approaches, Shobaki said.

He added, The latest spate came when parliament tried to pass several laws that would undermine the independence of Al-Azhar. Al-Azhar strongly refused these as its sheikh asked parliament Speaker Ali Abdel Aal to attend the plenary session before the final vote in a bid to explain the reasons behind Al-Azhar's objection thereto.

On Aug 23, Tayeb announced a strong rejection of a draft law to reorganize Dar al-Ifta, an Al-Azhar-affiliated institution responsible for issuing religious guidelines. He also demanded that he be able to attend parliamentary discussion on the proposal. The legislature subsequently withdrew the bill instead.

Shobaki said Al-Azhar is convinced that the achievements the country has witnessed during the past six years are proof that the state is moving in the right direction and that economic reforms were necessary to grease the economic wheels.

Shobaki said the demonstrations came in response to the regimes economic policies. For the first time since Sisi took office, people took to the streets in the countryside, in marginalized areas, in the outskirts of the governorates of the republic and in places affected by the [crackdown] on construction violations. This shows that these demonstrations are sincerely calling for better conditions and tangible reforms.

Shobaki added, Although the demonstrations were limited, they conveyed a message to the regime whereby change should be made, and the needs of these groups should be met.

Khaled Okasha, director general of the Egyptian Center for Thought and Strategic Studies, told Al-Monitor that the Muslim Brotherhood and those with foreign agendas are exploiting the needs of citizens and the difficult economic decisions taken by the government in order to create chaos and bring down the state.

He indicated that Egyptians know full well the size of the infrastructure development and achievements made, but they suffer from the repercussions of the states economic decisions such as the liberalization of the exchange rate, the reduction in energy subsidies and more recently the demolition of buildings that violated construction codes.

On Nov. 3, 2016, the Central Bank of Egypt announced the liberalization of the exchange rate and allowed supply and demand to determine the value of the Egyptian pound, which led to an increase in the prices of basic goods and services.

On Nov. 26, 2019, Sisi said during the inauguration of a number of national projects in Port Said governorate that over the previous four years, the government spent more than $200 billion on development sectors that include road networks, bridges and other infrastructure.
Marcus Daly remains a fascinating character in Butte and Anacondas history.

His life was a rags to riches story. The man literally went from an impoverished life in Balleyjamesduff, County Cavan, Ireland, to living the American dream, wealthy beyond measure.

I literally stumbled across this article, which was published in The Anaconda Standard on Nov. 3, 1895. It was a rare find and needed to be shared!

The author was Copper King Marcus Daly, who wrote about his life as a mining man and along the way, gave some personal insight on Butte and Anaconda, too.

But the main focus of the article was to dispel any and all rumors that he was making plans to pack his bags and leave Montana.

The copper magnate used his own newspaper, The Anaconda Standard, to get his point across. In 1928, The Anaconda Standard combined with the Butte Miner to become The Montana Standard. Hence, the headline (And Now a Word From One of Our Founders ... ) that runs across his story.

Looking through the 1895 newspapers of the Butte Inter Mountain, Butte Miner and The Anaconda Standard, as well as statewide papers like the Great Falls Tribune, some rumors were circulating about not only Daly, but about his business nemesis, Copper King W.A. Clark.

He (Clark) is probably willing to sell to the Anaconda company, reported the Tribune on July 19, 1895, but as he knows where to get his breakfast for a day or two he cannot be expected to make a present of his mines.

As of October 1895, Daly and his colleagues had sold a quarter interest of the Anaconda Mining Company to Kuhn, Loeb & Co., and the Exploration Company of London, which was how some of the rumors got started.

The shares, totaling 300,000, sold for $25 each. That made for a profitable nest egg of $7,500,000. If that same transaction was made today, that amount would be close to $234 million dollars.

Daly knew mining, but he also knew how to wheel a deal. While an editor may have a nose for news, it was clear this Irishman knew which mines would yield the most copper.

From the time he came to Butte, till the time he passed away, he was able to acquire more than 100 mines, including the Anaconda, the St. Lawrence, High Ore, Green Mountain, Pacific and the Neversweat.

Daly was a man of his word and stayed connected until his death on Nov. 12, 1900.

When news of his death reached Butte, Judge J.C. Sullivan said of Daly  he was Buttes friend; no other man ever did so much for the state of Montana as did Marcus Daly. The city owes the foundation of her prosperity to him.

Meanwhile, in Anaconda, R.M. Greig called Dalys death a sad blow to Anaconda and its people.

We all have good cause to bemoan the day that death took Marcus Daly from us, Greig said.

Nearly seven years after Dalys death, on Sept. 2, 1907, he would again be honored  with a statue in his likeness on North Main Street.

Hundreds of Butte residents turned out for the unveiling.

The Anaconda Standard reported that Main street was filled will a solid mass of humanity from Granite street up the hill to Woolman. Every inch of space in the vicinity of the monument was occupied, the balconies and windows of the houses were taxed to their utmost capacity, the steps of the government building were black with a dense throng, the roofs of houses were dotted with people and scores stood on the roof at the government building, gazing down below at the inspiring scene.

The statue would remain on Main Street until June 25, 1941. It now stands watch over Butte at the entrance to Montana Tech.

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Oloture, a Nigerian film inspired by a 2014 trafficking investigation by PREMIUM TIMES has received rave reviews.

The film is currently trending on NETFLIX in Nigeria, Morocco, Ukraine, France, Portugal and South Africa.

Other countries include Brazil, Oman, Switzerland, Qatar, Romania, Luxembourg, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Russia.

The film premiered on Netflix on Friday.

The PREMIUM TIMES article, which was titled Inside Nigerias Ruthless Human Trafficking Mafia, was written by investigative reporter, Tobore Ovuorie.

It was published on August 12, 2014.

Ms Ovuorie was motivated by years of research into the plight of trafficked women in the country, as well as the loss of a friend, to go undercover in a multi-billion dollar criminal enterprise.

She emerged, bruised and beaten but thankfully alive, after witnessing orgies, big-money deals in jute bags, police-supervised pickpocketing, beatings and even murder. The report was lauded by many.

The producers acknowledged PREMIUM TIMES and Ms Ovuorie in the end credit as having inspired the storyline for Oloture.

Storyline

Directed by Kenneth Gyang, Oloture follows the story of a journalist who goes undercover as a prostitute to expose human trafficking but she only finds a world of exploited women and ruthless violence.

The film, which shows how sex workers are recruited and exploited overseas, was written by Craig Freimond and Yinka Ogun.

It stars Sharon Ooja, Beverly Osu, Omowumi Dada, Segun Arinze, Omoni Oboli,Omawumi, Ada Ameh, Ikechukwu, Blossom Chukwujekwu and many others.

The film premiered on October 31, 2019, in Tunisia, before screening at Carthage Film Festival.

Inspiration

Speaking with this newspaper on Sunday, Mr Gyang confirmed that the film was inspired by our report.

He said, When I met with my colleague, Ishaya Bayo, about two weeks ago was the first time he told me about the PREMIUM TIMES report. I told him I havent heard and he asked if it was inspired by it, I said I have seen a lot of stories about trafficking but I havent read any elaborate story on it. I think at some point Kiki Mordi and one other person actually talked about it. But, when I watched it, I saw that it is actually credited to PREMIUM TIMES and the reporter. I am yet to read the article Ishaya sent to me.

The director also added that although they already had a good script, his personal experiences and encounters shaped the films artistic and dramatic aspects as well as the overall direction.

Asked how he got his actors to perfectly interpret the sex, rape and steamy scenes, Gyang said, I usually have notes and I wrote down how I wanted the film to look and I explained to them how I wanted the rape scene.

The rape scene that was written at first is very brutal and all of that but because I felt no politician would want to get himself inside any form of trouble and wouldnt want that kind of stress. That is how we actually arrived at shooting that scene. I live in Abuja and I know about all these orgies that these politicians actually organise. So, I understand what it is and you can actually hear stuff about what is going on when you go to those parties and or even from your friends.

Oloture premiered on October 31, 2019 in Tunisia, before screening at Carthage Film Festival.

Netflix acquired distribution rights to the film in September 2020.

Read the 2014 investigation by PREMIUM TIMES below.

SEE STORY HERE
Luke and Jasmin were accused of copying their winning kids' room from a magazine by judge Shaynna Blaze on Tuesday's episode of The Block.

And on Sunday's show, the couple were accused of cheating yet again, this time when it came to their bespoke timber island bench design for their kitchen.

Competing team Daniel and Jade noticed how eerily similar both benches looked, after Luke and Jasmin enlisted the help of a designer shortly after theirs arrived.

'I'll let the public decide': On Sunday's episode of The Block, Daniel and Jade (both pictured) looked devastated, as Luke and Jasmin appeared to COPY their bespoke timber island bench

After a builder for Luke and Jasmin revealed how their bench was a 'midnight effort', foreman Keith Schleiger asked if it was a case of just sheer coincidence or copying.

'Christian Cole (Daniel and Jade's island bench designer) came along and put this here... it's kind of weird how the next day something very similar happens one day later,' Keith said upon inspecting Luke and Jasmin's kitchen.

Daniel expressed his doubts in a piece to camera: 'I did think I revealed it (the bench) a little too early, but it did look a bit different to what we got told it was going to look like... but what can you do?'

Coincidence or copycats? Daniel and Jade, as well as foreman Keith Schleiger, noticed how eerily similar both benches looked, after Luke and Jasmin enlisted the help of a designer shortly after theirs arrived

Jasmin denied the cheating claims, insisting she was 'devastated' to find out Daniel and Jade also have a curved bench.

She even questioned whether it was, in fact, Daniel and Jade who had cheated.

A visibly gutted Daniel later said on camera: 'I'll let the public decide at home, because I don't know what happened on their footage at their house. If they've changed or altered it, the cameras will pick that up.'

Defiant: Jasmin (pictured with Luke) denied the cheating claims, insisting she was 'devastated' to find out Daniel and Jade also have a curved bench

Praise: Despite the accusations, the judges praised all five teams for designing kitchens that would inspire future trends. Shaynna Blaze loved Harry and Tash's 'insane' white marble island bench. Pictured: Harry and Tash

Footage did reveal however, that Jasmin and Luke had already sought out to install a curved timber island bench in their kitchen.

Despite the accusations, judges Shaynna Blaze, Darren Palmer and Neale Whitaker praised all five teams for designing kitchens that would inspire future trends.

Shaynna loved Harry and Tash's 'insane' white marble island bench, while Neale added that the entire space represented the 'perfect' kitchen for 2020.

He's a fan: Neale Whitaker (pictured with Shaynna) added that the entire space represented the 'perfect' kitchen for 2020

No faults here: Sarah and George's kitchen was also adored. Pictured: Sarah and George

In love: Darren Palmer literally hugged their island bench, branding the curve detail as 'next level stone masonry'

Sarah and George's kitchen was adored by the judges, with Darren literally hugging their island bench, branding the curve detail as 'next level stone masonry'.

Shaynna was also in awe of the cabinetry doors in the butler's pantry.

When it came to judging Daniel and Jade's finished curved timber island bench, Shaynna described it as 'beyond a work of art'.

Sleek: Shaynna was also in awe of the cabinetry doors (pictured) in the butler's pantry

The judges also commended the couple for designing a butler's pantry that acted like a 'whole other kitchen'.

Darren also praised Luke and Jasmin's joinery and detail in their curved timber island bench, while Neale took delight in their kitchen's 'elegant' colour palette.

Jimmy and Tam hit a high note with their kitchen, boasting a mint green colour palette with accents of charcoal and brass.

Like art: When it came to judging Daniel and Jade's finished curved timber island bench (pictured), Shaynna described it as 'beyond a work of art'

Judging: The judges also praised Luke and Jasmin's joinery and detail in their curved timber island bench. Their 'elegant' colour palette was also commended

The judges also found no fault in the butler's pantry, which was decked out with top notch appliances.

Daniel and Jade placed first with 29-and-a-half points after using their gnome as an advantage, followed by a tie in second on 29 points with Harry and Tash, and Jimmy and Tam.

Also tying in third place was Sarah and George, and Luke and Jasmin on 28 points.

The Block continues Monday at 7.30pm on Channel Nine

High note: Jimmy and Tam (both pictured) hit a high note with their kitchen
Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison speaks during the South Carolina U.S. Senate debate with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., at Allen University in Columbia, S.C., Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020. Joshua Boucher/The State via Associated Press

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham faced off with his Democratic challenger, Jaime Harrison, in their first debate on Saturday, amid record-shattering fundraising efforts from Democrats.

Harrison's podium was set 13 feet away from Graham's, and shielded with a plexiglass partition.

"Its not just about me, it's about the people in my life that I have to take care of, as well, my two boys, my wife, my grandma," Harrison said.

The incident comes after multiple Republican senators and others in President Donald Trump's inner circle tested positive for the coronavirus, though Graham has tested negative.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

In their first debate in a race that has shattered fundraising records and become among the more closely watched Senate contests of this cycle, US Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison drew multiple contrasts between their campaigns but also both portrayed themselves as willing to work across the aisle to achieve legislative progress.

The candidates spoke from podiums 13 feet apart. Harrison's podium was shielded on the side closest to Graham by a plexiglass partition, something the campaign said was used in accordance with federal recommendations that anyone in close contact with someone infected with COVID-19 should quarantine for 14 days.

Both candidates say they tested negative Friday, but Graham has recently met with other Senate Republicans  several of whom have tested positive for the coronavirus  as well as with Trump, currently hospitalized with COVID-19.

"You have nothing to be afraid of, when it comes to me," Graham said to Harrison, in his opening statement, a reference to the plexiglass.

Of his partition, Harrison said he was taking every precaution to keep himself and his loved ones safe.

"Its not just about me, it's about the people in my life that I have to take care of, as well, my two boys, my wife, my grandma," Harrison said.

Story continues

He added that he was taking the virus "seriously," particularly after his great-aunt died alone in a nursing home in July.

Graham and Harrison sparred over Republicans' efforts to confirm Trump's Supreme Court nominee before the election

In his pursuit of a fourth term, Graham  chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee  also argued the case for his chief congressional goal at the moment: the confirmation of President Donald Trump's latest Supreme Court nominee.

After Harrison  an associate Democratic National Committee chairman and former lobbyist  said Saturday night that he and his wife were still paying off their student loans, Graham snapped back that, given what he's seen of Harrison's income from released tax returns, "You're a multimillionaire, and you can't pay off your student loans?"

Harrison described himself as willing to work with Republicans on a variety of issues, describing when, as state Democratic chairman, he became close friends with his GOP counterpart. He also critiqued the longtime lawmaker's previous support of 12-year term limits and added, "I do believe the ultimate term limit is in the power of the people here in South Carolina."

In response, Graham promoted himself as a conservative unafraid to work with Democrats, mentioning issues like immigration, and telling voters, "You can limit my term on Nov. 3 if you'd like."

From his opening statement and throughout nearly every answer of the hourlong debate, Graham worked in his support for a conservative judiciary and particularly Amy Coney Barrett, whom he called a "buffer to liberalism" he hoped "won't be treated like Kavanaugh" in her upcoming confirmation hearings.

Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison, left, and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, right, R-S.C., face off in the South Carolina U.S. Senate debate at Allen University in Columbia, S.C., Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020. Joshua Boucher/The State via Associated Press

It was Graham's fiery 2018 defense of Brett Kavanaugh that helped cement his now-close relationship with Trump, as well as renew support with some who hadn't seen Graham as conservative enough to represent South Carolina. That moment, Graham said Saturday, also riled up liberals he now says are pouring $100 million into Harrison's campaign and groups supporting him, to try to oust Graham.

"Where the hell is all this money coming from?" Graham asked. "This is about liberals hating my guts when I stood up for Kavanaugh. This is about me helping President Trump."

Harrison, 44, castigated Graham, 65, for what he characterized as contradictory positions on whether it's appropriate to fill Supreme Court vacancies in a presidential election year.

"Senator, you said 'use my words against me,'" Harrison said, referencing Graham's 2018 comments on the subject. "Your promise was that no judicial nominee should be approved during the last year of an election. ... How good is your word?"

Graham, pointing several times to his support of two of President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominees, said Barrett "is going to be confirmed because the president has the constitutional authority to do it."

Graham and Republican leaders have faced questions over their response to the coronavirus

Sen. Lindsey Graham, right, R-S.C., and moderator Judi Gatson, elbow bump after the first debate between Graham and Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison, left, on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020, in Columbia, S.C. Associated Press/Meg Kinnard

The ongoing pandemic also played a role, both on stage and in debate structuring. No members of the public were allowed to attend the event at Allen University, a historically Black institution in Columbia. Media and campaign staff inside were spread out and required to complete questionnaires declaring no exposure to or symptoms of coronavirus.

After several senators announced testing positive for COVID-19, Republican leaders on Saturday announced a refrain from legislative work until Oct. 19 that leadership says won't derail Barrett's hearings, set to begin Oct. 12. With two committee members recently contracting the coronavirus, Graham said Friday that senators could attend virtually.

Asked later about the number of public officials recently contracting COVID, Graham reiterated a commitment to keep the economy and government working amid the pandemic and noting, "The virus is a problem that came out of China, not Trump Tower."

He also accused Trump critics of unfairly attacking the president for contracting a highly contagious virus.

"President Wilson got the Spanish Flu right after World War One. And we live in such unusual times  I doubt anyone attacked him," Graham said.

Officials with Harrison's campaign said they raised $340,000 during the debate and the hour that followed it. Graham's campaign said they "don't discuss those numbers." The two men are next scheduled to debate Oct. 9.

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People would say, Well, thats not what my Pidgin Bible says, Dave said. But thats all they had, and thats what they had learned and memorized. So, it took them a while to understand that their Bible in the Mbore language was more accurate. ... But not everybody was convinced of that, so it will take time, I suppose, just like us getting over the King James and moving beyond to the New American Standard or the NIV or something else.

Dave recognizes and appreciates how thankful the people are for the work he and others put into the Bible translation.

In a way, (I have) the satisfaction of doing something that I think could have timeless significance, Dave said. They have the New Testament in their own language, which they can read. I know the language will change, and people may get to where everybody speaks English or something like that, but still I feel like that was, well, that may be the biggest thing on my bucket list if you want to call it that, something where Ill look back and say, I did something right when I did that.

I feel that way about my teaching at the Bible college. Sometimes, the results of that are a little less tangible, but I still can look around and see all the guys that are preaching, and the girls in the world and think that I had some kind of influence in their life. But, maybe finishing the New Testament for a language group where theyve never had it before, that feels like a big deal.
VIROQUA, Wis.  Its been a good year for the half-acre of apple trees at Two Brothers Orchard near Viroqua, which is operated by John Armbruster with the help of his two sons.

Its excellent, the best crop weve had in years, both in terms of quality and quantity, said Ambruster, whose full-time job is teaching U.S. history at Westby Middle School in Westby.

Armbruster, who has been a school teacher for 28 years, also is a former La Crosse Tribune reporter. And he recently finished writing a book about the late Eugene P. Moran of Soldiers Grove, a World War II veteran who survived a four-mile fall in the tail section of a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber.

Armbruster and his wife, Carmen, who died in 2012 after battling cancer, planted the orchard in 2003 and had their first harvest a few years later. They named the business after their sons, Joe, who now is 19 and a freshman at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and Matthew, who is 21 and a senior at UW-Madison.

Armbruster sells the organic orchards Cortland, Honeycrisp and Liberty apples to the food co-op stores in Viroqua and La Crosse, and at the Viroqua Farmers Market on Saturdays. He also raises currants and raspberries, which he sells to the Viroqua Food Co-op and at the Viroqua Farmers Market. He uses some of his apples to make apple cider that he sells at the farmers market.

In a good year, we sell about 100 to 125 bushels of apples, Armbruster said. I would say a bushel has about 80 to 100 apples per bushel, depending on size and variety.

Both of his sons, and several area youths that he has hired, have been harvesting this years crop. I also have a spectacular and hard-working girlfriend who helps me on weekends, too, Armbruster said. This years harvest began in the second week of September and is nearly completed.

This years crop is larger than last years.

Last year was our worst ever because of bad weather, Armbruster said. In 2019, he said, We had a cold, rainy spring and a very poor bloom season. So we didnt have much fruit set.

But in the past year, Armbruster said, We had a mild winter. We had plentiful rains in May and June. And warm but not too-warm temperatures. We had a really good fruit set and good pollination this year.

The orchard is a small one, with about 175 apple trees. I used to have 190, close to 200, Armbruster said. But I have not been replacing the ones that have died, because Im downsizing now that the boys are older.

He and his late wife started the orchard partly because it was a way to get their sons involved in horticulture. But their sons dont plan to take over the orchard operation. I think its been a good experience for them, Armbruster said. But its not going to be a career choice for them.

Armbruster said he and Carmen also started the orchard because it would be side income. And I wanted a summer job that would keep me home during the months when he wasnt teaching. I had worked construction, and I had my own painting business for awhile, he said. I was gone so much during the school year when the boys were getting to toddler age. And I wanted to be home more in the summer.

Armbruster said he enjoys the peace at the orchard. And working at night to sort and package. I enjoy the serenity and the fresh air.

Armbruster, who is a native of Chili, Wis., near Marshfield, and Carmen moved to Westby in 1994 and moved to their acreage near Viroqua in 1999. He was a school teacher in the North Crawford School District, and Carmen had a job in La Crosse. This was the halfway point (between their two jobs), he said.

Armbruster has been teaching at Westby Middle School since 2014.

He received a bachelors degree in journalism from UW-Madison in 1989 and was a reporter for the La Crosse Tribune in 1989 and 1990. He received a bachelors degree in secondary social studies education from UW-Madison in 1993, and later received a masters degree in education from Viterbo University.

He has taught a variety of history and government to middle and high school students since 1993. And in 2005, he won a Disney Teaching Award for outstanding creativity and innovation.

Armbruster recently finished writing Tailspin, the tentative title of his book about Eugene P. Moran of Soldiers Grove, who died in 2014 at the age of 89. The book recounts Morans experience as a tail gunner on a B-17 Flying Fortress during a November 1943 bombing mission when the planes tail section was severely damaged and fell four miles into the top of a tree. He was severely injured and spent the next nearly 18 months as a prisoner of war.

Armbruster is looking for a publisher to publish the book, which also covers Moran dealing with post traumatic stress syndrome in the decades after the war. Besides being inside the bombers tail section as it fell four miles, Armbruster said, He had a horrible prisoner of war experience for a year-and-a-half. And he was involved in a death march at the end of the war as Allied forces advanced on German positions.

Armbruster was teaching in the North Crawford School District when he first met Moran through Morans daughter, who also was a teacher there. We became friends, Armbruster said of Moran. We got to know the family really well. And they approached me about writing a book. They knew about my journalism background. I turned the book down and told them You need to get a real writer for the book, Armbruster said. But Eugene said he wouldnt do (the book) unless I wrote it.

For more information about the book, Moran and Armbruster, visit www.johnmarmbruster.com or www.facebook.com/EugeneMoran.

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The Prince of Wales travelled to Kuwait on Sunday evening to offer his condolences following the death of the country's ruler, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah.

Prince Charles, 71, expressed sympathies on behalf of the Queen to the new Amir of the tiny oil-rich country, His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah.

The Queen also said she was 'saddened' to hear of his death on Wednesday, adding she deeply valued his friendship with the UK, and praising the late emir's humanitarian work.

The Prince of Wales travelled to Kuwait on Sunday evening to offer his condolences following the death of the country's ruler, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah. Pictured: Charles with Sheikh Sabah at Clarence House in 2016

The Queen wrote in the condolences, which were also shared on the royal family's official Twitter account: 'Your distinguished brother devoted his life to the service of the State of Kuwait and especially its relationship with its allies and friends.

'He will be long remembered by all who work for regional stability, understanding between nations and between faiths, and for the humanitarian cause.

'I have deeply valued his friendship towards the United Kingdom, and his memorable State Visit in November 2012.

'I offer Your Highness my sincere condolences. I offer also my sympathy to the people of Kuwait.

'May the long history of close companionship between our two families continue.'

Prince Charles has visited Kuwait seven times before, including a trip with the Princess of Wales in 1989, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Independence as the guest of the Amir in 2011, and most recently during his tour of the Middle East in 2015.

The Queen also said she was 'saddened' to hear of his death on Wednesday, adding she deeply valued his friendship with the UK, and praising the late emir's humanitarian work. Pictured: The monarch with The Amir in 2012

The Queen wrote in the condolences, which were also shared on the royal family's official Twitter account: 'Your distinguished brother devoted his life to the service of the State of Kuwait and especially its relationship with its allies and friends'

She added: 'I have deeply valued his friendship towards the United Kingdom, and his memorable State Visit in November 2012'

He also paid respects in the nation on January 17 2006, when the previous Amir died.

Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, 91, was taken to a US hospital in July, and Bayan Palace announced his death on Tuesday.

His coffin will be flown back to Kuwait from Rochester, Minnesota, home of the Mayo Clinic, where he had been receiving medical treatment after falling ill in July.

His funeral would typically draw tens of thousands of mourning Kuwaitis and scores of foreign leaders and dignitaries, but, because of the coronavirus pandemic, his burial will be a private family service instead.

As ruling emir, he faced falling oil prices, internal political disputes and the fallout from the 2011 Arab Spring, but he will be known for resolving regional disputes including the ongoing deadlock between Qatar and other Arab nations.

Prince Charles, 71, expressed sympathies on behalf of the Queen to the new Amir of the tiny oil-rich country, His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah (pictured taking the oath of office at the end of last month)

Prince Charles has visited Kuwait seven times before. Pictured: The Heir to the throne with the Duchess of Cornwall during a visit to the country in 2007

In 2012, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah enjoyed a state visit to the UK and was entertained by The Queen. Pictured: The monarch walks with the then Kuwaiti ruler at Windsor Castle

His younger half-brother, Crown Prince Nawaf, was sworn in as the new leader on Wednesday, after deputising for Amir since his hospitalisation.

At 83, Sheikh Nawaf is not expected to deviate from the diplomatic path charted by his half-brother, but his accession has sparked speculation about who will become the next crown prince in Kuwait, which is known for its lively elected parliament and relative independence in a region of Gulf Arab monarchies.

Sheikh Sabah was foreign minister for 38 years, establishing Kuwait as a force for peace and stability in the region.

He was also a strong advocate for the close friendship between the UK and Kuwait and between the Royal Family and the Kuwaiti ruling family.
According to information released by the Italian Newspaper lEspresso website on September 30, 2020, Egypt would have signed an order with Italy for the delivery of two FREMM frigates. In June 2020, Navy Recognition has released news to announce that Italy has approved the sale of two FREMM frigates to the Egyptian navy.

According to information released by the Italian Newspaper lEspresso website on September 30, 2020, Egypt would have signed an order with Italy for the delivery of two FREMM frigates. In June 2020, Navy Recognition has released news to announce that Italy has approved the sale of two FREMM frigates to the Egyptian navy.

Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link

Spartaco Schergat FREEM frigate of Italian navy. (Picture source Twitter account Aurelio Giansiracusa)

According to a report, the two frigates may be drawn from the Italian Navys procurement program  the vessels Spartaco Schergat and Emilio Bianchi, launched in January 2019 and January 2020, respectively  enabling Fincantieri to sell the vessels for an estimated cost of 1.2 billion. The FREMM vessels have been commissioned to Fincantieri by the Italian Navy within the framework of an Italo-French cooperation program under the coordination of OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Cooperation sur lArmement, the international organization for cooperation on arms).

The "Emilio Bianchi" vessel, like the other units, features a high degree of flexibility, capable of operating in all tactical situations. 144 meters long with a beam of 19.7 meters, the ship has a displacement at a full load of approximately 6,700 tones. The vessel has a maximum speed of over 27 knots and has a maximum accommodation capacity for a 200-person crew.

Spartaco Schergat is a general purpose-configured variant with a full-load displacement of 6,900 tons and 144 meters in length. It carries an OTO Melara gun, a 16-cell vertical launch system launching Aster 15 and Aster 30 missiles, a MU90 lightweight torpedo launching system (Torpedo Launching System) and the Teseo MK2/A anti-ship system, based on the Teseo missile. The ship also has a flight deck for embarking two helicopters.

The FREMM is a class of multi-purpose frigates designed by French company Naval Group and Fincantieri from Italy for the navies of France and Italy. The FREMM program consists of the construction of 18 ships: 8 for France, 10 for Italy. The first FREMM was delivered in 2012 and the objective of contractual delivery is 2022 for the whole 18 frigates.

The French FREMM frigates are being developed in two designs: Anti Submarine Warfare (ASM) and Anti Air Warfare (FREDA). Both of them deliver anti-surface weapons. The final crew number is 108 (helicopter detachment included), which is much lower than for similar contemporary ships. The crew reduction was reached thanks to the use of advanced technology solutions and a centralized combat system.

The Italian FREMM is also being developed in two designs: Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) and General Purpose (GP) with the possibility to perform a wide range of operational missions. The Italian versions also operate with a reduced crew thanks to Human Factors optimizations and a high level of automation. The final crew number of 145 is the result of having on board 2 helicopters (with two crews), a federated Combat Management System, and a higher level of maintainers embarked to ensure greater flexibility.
An 18-year-old man has been arrested after a woman, also aged 18, died at a student halls of residence in Newcastle, police have said.

Ambulance crews called the police after they were called to the Park View student village at Newcastle University early on Saturday morning.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Northumbria Police said: At 6.06am yesterday police received a report via the ambulance service of an unresponsive woman at an address on Richardson Road in Newcastle.

Emergency services attended where sadly the woman  aged 18  was pronounced dead at the scene.

Enquiries into the circumstances around her death are ongoing.

Her next of kin have been informed and are being supported by officers at this time.

An 18-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the incident and is currently on police bail while the investigation continues.

The investigation is at an early stage but this is not believed to be a Covid-19 related death.
Chief of Staff Mark Meadows spoke to reporters from the Associated Press and New York Times

President Donald Trump is reportedly upset with Chief of Staff Mark Meadows after Meadows spoke to the press about the presidents current condition.

Contradicting the White House physicians assessment of Trumps health, Meadows told reporters from the Associated Press and the New York Times that the president is not doing well.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows speaks to reporters about President Trumps positive coronavirus test outside the West Wing of the White House on October 2, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The Presidents vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. We are still not on a clear path to a full recovery, Meadows said to a pool of reporters.

Read More: Hot on the Hill: Rep. Congressman Mark Meadows accused of using Black HUD official Lynne Patton as prop to prove Trump isnt racist

Trump, who wants coverage of his health to be optimistic, is reportedly furious that Meadows would contradict his physician, according to CNN.

White House Officials had a carefully prepared statement about the presidents health on the weekend, but Meadowss statement created mixed messages, raising questions about which statement was more accurate.

CNN has confirmed that the White House is certain that Trump is dissatisfied with Meadowss statement, stating that it damaged the credibility of the current medical briefings on the Presidents bout with the coronavirus.

Of course Trump is mad at Meadows. He told the truth. Hell be fired soon. https://t.co/zS9k3NMB1D  Derek Powazek  (@fraying) October 4, 2020

Navy Cmdr. Dr. Sean Conley, Trumps physician, is blaming the media for the confusion.

Conley said that the contradictions occurred due to the time of when statement were made, and the media misconstrued Meadowss interpretation of what was going on.

Story continues

The chief and I work side by side, and I think his statement was misconstrued. What he meant was that 24 hours ago when he and I were checking on the President, that there was that momentary episode of a high fever and that temporary drop in the saturation, which prompted us to act expediently to move him up here, Conley said, referring to the Walter Reed Medical Center.

Fortunately, that was really a very transient limited episode, a couple hours later he was back up. Mild again. You know, we, Im not going to speculate what that limited episode was about so early in the course but hes doing well, he added.

Read More: Trump resisted being hospitalized for COVID as Election Day nears: report

[I wanted to] reflect the upbeat attitude of the team, Conley said. I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude that the team, the President, his course of illness has had. I didnt want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction, and in doing so it came off that were trying to hide something, which wasnt necessarily true, he said. The fact of the matter is hes doing very well.

I just want to tell you that Im starting to feel good, Trump said. You dont know over the next period of a few days, I guess thats the real test. So, well be seeing what happens over those next couple of days.

Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now!

The post Donald Trump upset with Meadows for COVID-19 comments appeared first on TheGrio.
It is especially important that members of the military, their families, our allies and our adversaries understand that the SecDef and DOD are focused on the mission and the challenges and are not distracted by the political churn, he said. Its a time for reassurance and it needs to come from the most senior DOD leaders  the SecDef and the chairman.
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By Associated Press

ROME: Pope Francis says the coronavirus pandemic has proven that the magic theories of market capitalism have failed and that the world needs a new type of politics that promotes dialogue and solidarity and rejects war at all costs.

Francis on Sunday laid out his vision for a post-COVID world by uniting the core elements of his social teachings into a new encyclical, Fratelli Tutti (Brothers All), which was released on the feast day of his namesake, the peace-loving St. Francis of Assisi.

The document draws its inspiration from the teachings of St. Francis and the popes previous preaching on the injustices of the global economy and its destruction of the planet and pairs them with his call for greater human solidarity to address today's problems.

In the encyclical, Francis rejected even the Catholic Churchs own doctrine justifying war as a means of legitimate defense, saying it had been too broadly applied over the centuries and was no longer viable.

It is very difficult nowadays to invoke the rational criteria elaborated in earlier centuries to speak of the possibility of a just war," Francis wrote in the most controversial new element of the encyclical.

Francis had started writing the encyclical, the third of his pontificate, before the coronavirus struck and upended everything from the global economy to everyday life. He said the pandemic, however, had confirmed his belief that current political and economic institutions must be reformed to address the legitimate needs of the people most harmed by the coronavirus

Aside from the differing ways that various countries responded to the crisis, their inability to work together became quite evident, Francis wrote. Anyone who thinks that the only lesson to be learned was the need to improve what we were already doing, or to refine existing systems and regulations, is denying reality."

He cited the grave loss of millions of jobs as a result of the virus as evidence of the need for politicians to listen to popular movements, unions and marginalized groups and to craft more just social and economic policies.

The fragility of world systems in the face of the pandemic has demonstrated that not everything can be resolved by market freedom, he wrote. It is imperative to have a proactive economic policy directed at promoting an economy that favours productive diversity and business creativity and makes it possible for jobs to be created, and not cut.

He denounced populist politics that seek to demonize and isolate, and called for a culture of encounter that promotes dialogue, solidarity and a sincere effort at working for the common good.

As an outgrowth of that, Francis repeated his criticism of the perverse global economic system, which he said consistently keeps the poor on the margins while enriching the few. Francis rejected the concept of an absolute right to property for individuals, stressing instead the social purpose and common good that must come from sharing the Earths resources.

Francis once again rejected trickle-down economic theory as he did in the first major mission statement of his papacy, the 2013 Evangelii Gaudium, (The Joy of the Gospel), saying it simply doesnt achieve what it claims.

Neo-liberalism simply reproduces itself by resorting to magic theories of spillover or trickle  without using the name  as the only solution to societal problems, he wrote. There is little appreciation of the fact that the alleged spillover does not resolve the inequality that gives rise to new forms of violence threatening the fabric of society.

Much of the new encyclical repeats Francis well-known preaching about the need to welcome and value migrants and his rejection of the nationalistic, isolationist policies of many of todays political leaders.

He dedicated an entire chapter to the parable of the Good Samaritan, saying its lesson of charity, kindness and looking out for strangers was the basic decision we need to make in order to rebuild our wounded world.

He enshrined in the encyclical his previous rejection of both the nuclear arms race and the death penalty, which he said was inadmissible in all cases.

All Christians and people of good will are today called to work not only for the abolition of the death penalty, legal or illegal, in all its forms, he said.

Francis' call for greater human fraternity," particularly to promote peace, is derived from his 2019 joint appeal with the grand imam of Egypts Al-Azhar, the revered 1,000-year-old seat of Sunni Islam. Their Human Fraternity document established the relationship between Catholics and Muslims as brothers, with a common mission to promote peace.

The fact the he has now integrated that Catholic-Muslim document into an encyclical is significant, given Francis' conservative critics had already blasted the Human Fraternity" document as heretical, given it stated that God had willed the pluralism and diversity of religions."

Vatican encyclicals are the most authoritative form of papal teaching and they traditionally take their titles from the first two words of the document. In this case, Fratelli Tutti is a quote from the Admonitions, the guidelines penned by St. Francis in the 13th century.

The title of the encyclical had sparked controversy in the English-speaking world, with critics noting that a straight translation of the word fratelli (brothers) excludes women. The Vatican has insisted that the plural form of the word fratelli is gender-inclusive.

Francis decision to sign the document in Assisi, where he travelled on Saturday, and release it on the saints feast day is yet further evidence of the outsized influence St. Francis has had on the papacy of the Jesuit pope.

Francis is the first pope to name himself after the mendicant friar, who renounced a wealthy, dissolute lifestyle to embrace a life of poverty and service to the poor.
US President Donald Trump has a troubled history with racial accountability. The Republican candidate for the November elections is no stranger to inappropriate statements  from calling Senator Elizabeth Warren Pocahontas" in a jibe at her Native American heritage to publicly doubting the eligibility" of many non-white political candidates, the most recent being Democratic vice presidential nominee and Senator Kamala Harris.

However, the President exceeded himself in the American eye when he referenced Proud Boys  a group linked with white supremacy and violence  in his Presidential debate with Democratic candidate Joe Biden on Tuesday.

Proud Boys, stand back and stand by. But Ill tell you what somebodys got to do something about Antifa and the left because this is not a right wing problem this is a left wing," said Trump in the debate, when asked to condemn white supremacists and right-wing militia.

The Proud Boys were fast to interpret Trumps comment as an endorsement. Minutes after the remark, Enrique Tarrio, the groups state chairman, began preparations to roll out T-shirts with Proud Boys Standing By printed on them.

The Proud Boys have already put this "standing by" t-shirt up for sale on their official merch website pic.twitter.com/dAN4EtuBJH Shayan Sardarizadeh (@Shayan86) September 30, 2020

After mounting pressure on the statement, Trump told Fox News on Thursday that he condemned the Ku Klux Klan, and all white supremacists, including the Proud Boys. He also clarified he did not know much about the group. However, what is the history of this organisation, and what does Trumps statement signal towards his actual endorsements? News18 explains.

Origination and Ideology

The Proud Boys came to life in 2016 through British-born Canadian writer Gavin McInnes, who was also one of the co-founders of Vice Media. The far-right, neo-fascist and and men-only organisation, with roots in the US and Canada, was classified as an extremist group with ties to white nationalism" by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2018. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) lists them as a hate group.

To join the group, one must recite - I am a proud Western chauvinist, I refuse to apologise for creating the modern world". Then, one must get punched by fellow members, get a tattoo, vow not to masturbate and get into a fight towards the cause".

The groups activities, online and offline, indicate its anti-semitic, Islamophobic, misogynist, anti-transgender, anti-immigrant and white supremacist ideology, experts have said. Proud Boys members have also been booked for violence at political rallies, a value McInnes has repeatedly espoused at various platforms.

McInnes has also defended colonialism, saying, We brought roads and infrastructure to India and they are still using them as toilets. Our criminals built nice roads in Australia but aboriginals keep using them as a bed. The next time someone b about colonisation, the correct response is Youre welcome."

While group leaders disassociate themselves from racism, at a popular alt-right and anti-semitic podcast The Daily Shoah, one of its hosts Brian Brathovd argued the groups western chauvinist label was just a front. Lets not bullshit. If the Proud Boys were pressed on the issue, I guarantee you that like 90% of them would tell you something along the lines of Hitler was right. Gas the Jews, he said.

Disruptive History

Here are some of the disruptive incidents Proud Boys has been associated with previously:

 Trump Rally in Berkeley, 2017: At a rally organised in Berkeley, one Kyle Chapman was filmed hitting a counter-protesters head with a wooden rod. Proud Boys organised a crowdfunding campaign to bail out Chapman after his arrest. Consequently Chapman founded the Fraternal Order of the Alt-Knights - which describes itself as the tactical defence arm of the Proud Boys.

Chapman has often made Islamophobic statements, including one where he commends an alleged incident of violence in a Muslim neighbourhood by a Ukranian group. Now Im not saying thats what we need to do, but Im telling you that spirit and the heart of these people is something to be commended. And the willingness to fight and die in defense of their civilization is a beautiful thing and we need to embrace that sort of spirit here in America," Chapman had said at the Unite American First Peace Rally in 2017, the SPLC reports.

 Halifax Indigenous Peoples Protest, 2017: In July 2017, five off-duty military members who identified themselves as the Proud Boys disrupted a protest by Indigenous people near the Edward Cornwallis statue in Halifax. Cornwallis, a governor of Nova Scotia, has been credited for founding Halifax. However, debate ensues on his actions against Natives, as he is also known for issuing a bounty on the scalps of Mikmaq people. You are recognising your heritage and so are we," said one of the members to the protesters. The group has also been opposed to removing the statues of Confederate officials, after the Black Lives Matter movement gained momentum in the US.

 Unite the Right Rally, 2017: The Unite the Right rally was a white supremacist and neo-Nazi rally held in Charlottesville in August 2017. While McInnes distanced himself from the rally, Proud Boys attended the same. Later, one of the men convicted in the assault of a man, named DeAndre Harris, at the rally, was found to be associated with the group as well as the Fraternal Order of the Alt-Knights.

 Portland Protests, 2020: One of the more recent examples of the groups problematic activities is when US police arrested a supporter of the group who was indicted earlier for pointing a firearm and firing a paintball gun at anti-racism protesters in Portland, Oregon. Alan Swinneys arrest came hours after Trumps statement.

Proud Boys member Alan Swinney, who pointed a firearm and fired a paintball gun at anti-racism protesters in Portland, was arrested https://t.co/NXOmifpq69 pic.twitter.com/V5KoyI8TLz Reuters (@Reuters) September 30, 2020

What Could Trumps Statement Signal?

After the Black Lives Matter movement enveloped the United States following the death of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody in June this year, Trump blamed far-left umbrella group Antifa for the violence that occurred at some of the protests.

However, his statement for Proud Boys is not just an echo of the Republican Presidents ideology, Kathleen Belew, an expert on white-power movement explained in the New York Times.

While Trump has publicly declined to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the November election, the President also regularly distrusts the process of mail-in ballots and has called for poll watchers", which Belew said, are clear invitations of intimidation".

According to her, Trumps endorsement seems to be a call to arms and preparedness to groups such as Proud Boys which endorse violence as their means to an end. It suggests that these groups, who are eager to do violence in any case, have the implicit approval of the state," she added.

The Roger Stone Connect

Roger Stone, a conservative political consultant who has also worked on the Trump campaign, sought out the Proud Boys for security in early 2018, before his appearance at the annual Republican Dorchester Conference in Salem. In November 2019, after the Mueller report and Special Counsel investigation, Stone was convicted on seven felony crimes, which included lying to investigators and witness tampering and lying to investigators. His 40-month sentence to Federal Prison was commuted by the US President in July.

In January, following his arrest on the orders of Robert Mueller, the Proud Boys came to support him at the federal courthouse in Florida. They held signs saying Roger did nothing wrong. He has also been seen with the group in videos, while even repeating their slogan. McInnes has even said that Stone was one of the three approved media figures" allowed to speak about Proud Boys.
To the Editor:

I have read David Brooks for years. He has, at times, expressed an optimism I did not share but I could see his point. But in How Faith Shapes My Politics (column, Sept. 25), his optimism is misplaced and dangerous.

Modern evangelicals and other religious extremists do not separate their faith from morality; to them, their morality is an expression of their allegiance to God and their ticket to salvation. They do not care a whit that their narrow Christian morality restricts other peoples freedoms and diminishes their value.

The current course of American culture, political policy and legal decisions is to allow Christian morality to rule our culture and elevate Christian morality as the supreme law of the land. Mr. Brooks should open his eyes.

Lary Simms

Las Vegas

To the Editor:

David Brookss faith transformation should have as much effect on people as the religious beliefs of others: none. Its personal. Yet how narrow is the belief that without a biblical metaphysic, morality withers? And how entitled must one be to believe that we have more to fear from political dogmatism than religious dogmatism?
Two people from Jacksonville suffered non-life-threatening injuries in a McDonough County crash early Sunday, police said.

Nathaniel Hoyle, 40, of Jacksonville was going north on U.S. 67 about 7:20 a.m. Sunday when he slowed because of a deer in the road, according to Illinois State Police. Carrie Powell, 32, of Macomb was also going north but did not slow down and hit the rear of Hoyles pickup truck, police said.

Hoyle and a passenger, Brandon Hoyle, 18, of Jacksonville, were taken to an area hospital.

Powell was also treated at an area hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, police said. She was cited on a charge of failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

 David C.L. Bauer
A Vietnam Airlines aircraft prepares to land at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by Shutterstock/By Huy Thoai.

Passenger traffic for Vietnamese carriers should rebound faster than in other Southeast Asian markets, thanks to the low Covid-19 incidence in the country, a report says.

The report by Fitch Ratings estimates that the average revenue passenger kilometers (RPK) of Vietnamese airlines this year will reach 55 percent of last years figure.

RPK is an airline industry metric that shows the number of kilometers traveled by paying passengers. The RPK of Vietnamese airlines was 77.9 billion last year, up more than 11 percent year-on-year, according to the General Statistics Office.

The ratio of 55 percent forecast for Vietnamese carriers this year is higher than the 35 percent estimated for most airlines in other ASEAN countries like Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia.

The report also forecasts that by 2021, Vietnamese carriers will record an average RPK of 90 percent of 2019, compared to 60 percent for the aforementioned ASEAN countries, showing that the former will stage faster recoveries from pandemic impacts.

Singapore Airlines might record the lowest comparative figures among ASEAN members at 30 percent and 50 percent of 2019 in 2020 and 2021, respectively, the report says.

In Asia, China could be the fastest recovering market, thanks to its success in containing the pandemic. Chinese carriers could reach 60 percent and 100 percent of 2019 levels in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

The corresponding ratio for carriers in India is pegged at 35 and 60 percent.

The report says these forecasts are based on the assumption that a vaccine or treatment will not become available at scale in 2021, but that progress is made in controlling the pandemic.

Vietnamese carriers resumed most their domestic routes and several international routes by the end of last month.

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines is operating nearly 200 domestic flights a day on average. It has also resumed flying to Japan and plans to reopen routes soon to mainland China, Taiwan, Laos and Cambodia.

Budget airline Vietjet is operating nearly 160 domestic flights a day and has also resumed flights to South Korea.

Bamboo Airways has resumed flights to Taiwan and South Korea and plans to open routes to Japan, Singapore and Australia later this year.
Detentions accompanied a new day of anti-government protests in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, on October 4. Police trucks with water cannons tried to disperse a march as people chanted "Shame!" at marching officers. The march reached Minsk's notorious Akrestsina prison, in which some of the people detained during recent protests have been held. This was the 57th day of protests in a row since the August 9 presidential election in which Alyaksandr Lukashenka claimed victory amid reported irregularities.
Imogen Anthony has revealed her battle with mental health issues - and urged others to seek help if they're suffering the way she has.

The model, 29, has joined forces with the charity NeuRa, which raises funds for research into mental health and brain disorders.

Imogen told The Daily Telegraph on Sunday: 'I've been through almost a lifetime of clinical depression, anxiety, self harm, body dysmorphia and so much more'.

Candid: Imogen Anthony (pictured) has revealed her battle with mental health issues - and urged others to seek help if they're suffering the way she has. The model, 29, has joined forces with the charity NeuRa, which is supporting people's mental well-being though COVID-19

She went on to reveal that campaigns like NeuRa are so important during the global pandemic, which has worsened the mental health of many sufferers, including Imogen herself.

'This year has been harder than most because of the current pandemic,' she said, adding, 'Don't be afraid to open the conversation. It may save a life. It saved mine'.

Imogen urged people 'not to be ashamed' to reach out to services like Lifeline if they're struggling.

Imogen told The Daily Telegraph on Sunday: 'I've been through almost a lifetime of clinical depression, anxiety, self harm, body dysmorphia and so much more'

Hard days: 'This year has been harder than most because of the current pandemic,' she said, adding, 'Don't be afraid to open the conversation. It may save a life. It saved mine'

Last year, the influencer shared an emotional Instagram post discussing her experiences with body dysmorphia, self-harm and overeating.

'I grew up with zero self confidence and was far from 'skinny',' Imogen began, while attaching modelling pictures from a Sydney runaway show in 2014.

'I either attempted to self harm - or I turned to the bakery and ate the s*** load of hot chips you got for $2 from the local shop. I was depressed,' she wrote.

Imogen said that she took up modelling in order to mask her anxieties.

Reach out: Imogen urged people 'not to be ashamed' to reach out to services like Lifeline if they're struggling

Pain: Last year, the influencer shared an emotional Instagram post discussing her experiences with body dysmorphia, self-harm and overeating, revealing that that she took up modelling in order to mask her anxieties

'I started to rebel. I signed myself out of school mid year 11... I took myself to Sydney where I lost a s*** load of weight at around 17.

'I didn't have anorexia (as still ate a lot, just less) I had a borderline body dysmorphia and saw something different to what everyone else saw. I hated myself for a while there.'

Imogen confessed: 'Why do you think I have so many tattoos on my arms? You can cover scars, but they will be there forever. Physically AND mentally.'

Sharing a runway modelling photo from 2014 she wrote: 'I had borderline body dysmorphia and saw something different to what everyone else saw. I hated myself for a while there'

Imogen confessed: 'Why do you think I have so many tattoos on my arms? You can cover scars, but they will be there forever. Physically AND mentally'

She then encouraged fans to think before they say anything to young people as 'words are so effective.'

Anyone needing support with eating disorders or body image issues is encouraged to contact: Butterfly National Helpline on 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE)

For urgent confidential support call the Lifeline 24-hour crisis support on: 13 11 14

Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800
Trevor Walford looking for work at his local train station. (SWNS)

An out of work hotel manager who went viral after handing out hundreds of CVs in railway stations has finally landed a new job.

Trevor Walford, 63, from Keighley, West Yorkshire, said he is "chuffed to bits" to be given a job as the new training development manager for a hospitality group called Churrasco.

Walford was made redundant in March and suffered "rejection after rejection" in his hunt for a new role.

The experience led him to put on a suit and personally hand out around 200 CVs at four railway stations near his in Leeds earlier this month.

Trevor lost his job back in March. (SWNS)

Following the stunt, Walford said he received a host of interview offers from across the country which eventually led him to his new job.

"I'm chuffed t' bits, as we say in Yorkshire, he said on Sunday.

"I certainly wasn't ready to be washed up just yet."

Read more: UK labour market showing signs of recovery as job opportunities increase

Churrasco CEO Rob Campbell was one of thousands who contacted Trevor.

He said: "Of course I empathised with Trevor's situation, but when we met him, his professionalism and wealth of knowledge across the industry is exactly what our operation needs."

Walford started his career as a trainee butler at Buckingham Palace before going on to have a highly-successful career working in hotels throughout the UK and Caribbean, including The Ritz Hotel in London.

He joined his last employer, a cruise line, in 2006 but as the coronavirus pandemic reached its peak, he received an email from the company saying he was out of a job.

Earlier this month, Walford explained how he took to the streets after sending out 700 job applications since March and only being offered one interview.

He said: "I got to the point where I thought, 'I can't just be sitting here in front of a computer anymore'.

"None of the applications were getting me anywhere so I decided to do something different to get myself out there.

"I think some people who saw me thought I was a bit mad but I got an amazing response from plenty of others."
Azerbaijan's second-largest city, Ganja, has been hit by heavy shelling Sunday

Azerbaijan said bombardments on three of its towns continued on Monday

Ethnic Armenians have accused Azerbaijan of dropping cluster bombs

Two sides have reported 244 deaths, including 42 civilians - thought to be higher

Armenian and Azerbaijani bombardments of major cities have raised fears that many more civilians than the 42 reported dead are being killed.

Separatist forces in Karabakh - an ethnic Armenian enclave that broke away from Azerbaijan in the 1990s - reported firefights along the frontline on Monday with the regional capital Stepanakert under heavy artillery fire.

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Azerbaijan's defence ministry said Armenian forces were shelling three of its towns, after hitting the country's second-largest city Ganja on Sunday.

Increasing artillery fire on urban areas has raised concerns of mass civilian casualties if the fierce fighting, which has already killed more than 240 people, continues to escalate.

An unexploded BM-30 Smerch rocket by the Mingachevir Hydro Power Station in Azerbaijan on Monday

Aftermath of recent shelling during the ongoing fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, in the disputed region's main city of Stepanakert on Sunday

Debris fills the streets of the ethnically-Armenian city of Stepanakert after shelling on Sunday

An unexploded BM-30 Smerch rocket by the Mingachevir Hydro Power Station on Monday

A shelled building burns in the separatist city of Stepanakert on Sunday night

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The clashes broke out on September 27, re-igniting a decades-old conflict between the ex-Soviet neighbours over Karabakh and threatening to draw in regional powers like Russia and Turkey.

Neither side has shown any sign of backing down, ignoring international calls for a ceasefire and a return to long-stalled negotiations on the region.

Stepanakert, a city of some 50,000 in the heart of the mountainous region, has been under steady artillery fire since Friday, with residents cramming in to underground shelters and many leaving.

The separatists' foreign ministry said Monday that shelling of Stepanakert had resumed at 6:30 am (0230 GMT), with four shells hitting the city.

It released video footage of repeated bursts of heavy shelling and of debris from seriously damaged blocks of flats, claiming Azerbaijan had used cluster munitions.

Azerbaijan said Armenian forces were shelling the towns of Beylagan, Barda, and Terter.

The two sides have reported 244 deaths since the fighting erupted, including 42 civilians, but the real total is expected to be much higher as both sides are claiming to have inflicted heavy military casualties.

A woman looks through a blown out window after the city of Stepanakert was bombarded on Sunday

A view shows aftermath of recent shelling during the ongoing fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, in the disputed region's main city of Stepanakert on October 4, 2020

A view shows aftermath of recent shelling during the ongoing fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, in the disputed region's main city of Stepanakert on October 4, 2020

Tanks which Azerbaijani army officials said were seized during the ongoing fighting with Armenia over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, in the town of Beylagan on October 5, 2020.

Buildings are seen in ruin and disrepair after recent shelling in Stepanakert, today

The International Committee of the Red Cross on Sunday condemned the reports of 'indiscriminate shelling and other alleged unlawful attacks using explosive weaponry in cities, towns and other populated areas'.

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Armenia and Azerbaijan have resisted international calls for a ceasefire and clashes have intensified in recent days, with both sides claiming victories on the front and saying they are inflicting heavy losses.

In a fiery address to the nation, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev set conditions for a halt to the fighting that would be near-impossible for Armenia to accept.

He said that Armenian forces 'must leave our territories, not in words but in deeds' and provide a timetable for a full withdrawal.

Yerevan must also recognise the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, apologise to the Azerbaijani people and admit that the region is not part of Armenia, Aliyev said.

An injured woman brought to hospital in Ganja, Azerbaijan, following shelling on the city

People shelter in the basement of the main church of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region's main city of Stepanakert

Families take cover from the shelling in a church in Stepanakert

President Ilham Aliyev said: 'Nagorno-Karabakh is our land. We have to go back there and we are doing it now.

'This is the end. We showed them who we are. We are chasing them like dogs.'

Why Armenia and Azerbaijan are fighting WHAT AND WHERE IS NAGORNO-KARABAKH? Karabakh is a region within Azerbaijan which has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces since a full-scale separatist war ended in 1994, after killing about 30,000 people and displacing an estimated one million. Nagorno-Karabakh is about 1,700 square miles in size, but Armenian forces also occupy other nearby territory. HOW DID THE CONFLICT START? Long-simmering tensions between Christian Armenians and mostly Muslim Azerbaijanis began boiling over as the Soviet Union frayed in its final years. Once the USSR collapsed in 1991 and the republics became independent nations, war broke out. A 1994 cease-fire left Armenian and Azerbaijani forces facing each other across a demilitarised zone, where clashes were frequently reported. WHAT'S HAPPENED SINCE? International mediation efforts have brought little visible progress. The conflict has been an economic blow to the Caucasus region because it has hampered trade and prompted Turkey to close its border with Armenia. Fighting periodically breaks out around Nagorno-Karabakh's borders, often deadly, notably in 2016 and this July. Since new fighting erupted on Sunday, dozens have been killed and wounded in apparent shelling by both sides. Each country blamed the other. WHATS THE BROADER IMPACT? In addition to causing local casualties and damage, the conflict in the small, hard-to-reach region is also of concern to major regional players. Russia is Armenias main economic partner and has a military base there, while Turkey has offered support to Azerbaijanis, fellow Muslims and ethnic brethren to Turks. Iran neighbors both Armenia and Azerbaijan and is calling for calm. Meanwhile, the United States, France and Russia are meant to be guarantors of the long-stalled peace process, under the auspices of the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Sirens were sounding and explosions were heard at regular intervals in Stepanakert, where residents were taking shelter including several families in the basement of the city's Holy Mother of God Cathedral.

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Armenia's foreign ministry said Stepanakert and other towns had been hit, accusing Azerbaijani forces of 'the deliberate targeting of the civilian population'.

There were reports of dead and wounded civilians in Stepanakert and the historic town of Shusha.

Azerbaijan said Ganja was under shell fire, including from areas outside of Karabakh in Armenian territory, with at least one civilian killed.

Karabakh's separatist forces said they had targeted and destroyed an airbase in Ganja, but Baku denied this as a 'provocation'.

Azerbaijan's ally Turkey accused Armenia of 'targeting civilians' in Ganja and reiterated support for its fellow Turkic and Muslim country as 'one nation, two states'.

Karabakh leader Arayik Harutyunyan warned that it would now consider 'military facilities in Azerbaijan's big cities' as legitimate targets.

'I call on the residents of these cities to immediately leave,' Harutyunyan said in a post on Facebook.

Azerbaijani officials claimed Sunday that Harutyunyan had been seriously wounded while in a bunker hit by bombing, but his office denied this.

Azerbaijan claims to have taken control of a string of settlements in recent days as well as a strategically important plateau.

Today Aliyev said his forces had retaken the town of Jabrayil, part of an area outside Karabakh seized by the separatists in the 1990s as a buffer zone, hailing it as an important victory. Armenia denied the claim.

Authorities in both countries have reported nearly 250 dead since the fighting began, including almost 40 civilians.

Armenian separatist forces have reported more than 200 dead - including 51 on Saturday - while Azerbaijan has not released any figures on its military casualties.

Azerbaijan said that two civilians had been killed in shelling today on the southern town of Beylagan, with residents seen picking through the rubble of destroyed homes.

'I was baking bread when I heard explosions, I opened the door and saw that bombs were falling right into the yard,' said one woman, showing journalists the blown-out windows and partially collapsed roof of her home.

In Armenia's majority-Christian capital Yerevan, residents gathered in churches for services Sunday to pray and light candles.

'I came to ask God for peace, for our country and our soldiers,' Aytsemik Melikyan told AFP outside the Saint Sarkis Church.

Russia, the United States and France - who co-chair a mediation group that has failed to bring about a political resolution to the conflict - have called for an immediate halt to the fighting.

A man sweeps a street after a shelling attack in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh, today

A man shows fragments of the projectile which he found at destroyed houses following a shelling in Terter, Azerbaijan, today

Thick black smoke rises from the aftermath of recent shelling in the disputed region's main city of Stepanakert

People help an injured man in a bomb shelter during shelling by Azerbaijan's artillery during a military conflict in Stepanakert

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed concern over 'the increase of casualties' among civilians in a call with his Armenian counterpart on Sunday.

Armenia has said it is 'ready to engage' with mediators but Azerbaijan - which considers Karabakh under Armenian occupation - says Armenian forces must fully withdraw before a ceasefire can be brokered.

Karabakh's declaration of independence from Azerbaijan during the collapse of the Soviet Union sparked a war in the early 1990s that claimed 30,000 lives.

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Talks to resolve the conflict have made little progress since a 1994 ceasefire agreement.
French-Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah, detained in Iran since June 2019, has been temporarily released from prison and is currently in Tehran with her family with an electronic bracelet, her lawyer said.

Adelkhah was sentenced on May 16 to five years in prison for "gathering and conspiring against national security".

France's President Emmanuel Macron said in early June that Adelkhah had been "arbitrarily arrested" and called her detainment "unacceptable".

He added that "justice demands that our compatriot be immediately released".

On Saturday, her lawyer Saeed Dehghan told AFP that Adelkhah "was released with an electronic bracelet" and that "she is now with her family" in Tehran.

"We have not yet been given a date for her return to prison, but we hope that this temporary release will become final," Dehghan added.

Her support committee said in a statement that Adelkhah, who had held a hunger strike between late December and February, was released Saturday "under health measures and as part of a medical leave".

"This does not change the root of the problem" that her sentence was based on the judgement of an "unfair trial", it said on Twitter.

A specialist in Shiite Islam and a research director at Sciences Po university in Paris, Adelkhah was arrested in June last year.

Hunger strike

Her trial started on March 3 with the last hearing held on April 19 at Tehran's Revolutionary Court.

She is a citizen of Iran and France, but Tehran does not recognise dual nationality.

Iran has slammed Paris' calls for Adelkhah's release as "interference" in the Islamic republic's internal affairs.

Adelkhah's French colleague and partner Roland Marchal, who was detained along with her, was released in March in an apparent prisoner swap.

Marchal was freed after France released Iranian engineer Jallal Rohollahnejad, who faced extradition to the United States over accusations he violated US sanctions against Iran.

Story continues

Adelkhah was severely weakened by her 49-day hunger strike carried out to protest against her condition in prison.

According to her lawyer, she had developed a "kidney disease".

After her hunger strike, Adelkhah's support committee raised concerns about a potential Covid-19 infection in Evin prison in northern Tehran, where she was being held.

Iran has been struggling to contain what is the Middle East's worst outbreaks of the novel coronavirus since reporting its first cases in February.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has so far killed at least 26,746 people in Iran and infected 468,119, according to official figures released on Saturday.

(AFP)
Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad visited the family of Hathras gang-rape victim on Sunday and demanded that Y security cover be provided to them.

I demand Y security for the family or Ill take them to my house, they arent safe here. We want an inquiry to be done under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge, he said.

Azads demand came a day after Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi visited the victims family and said that the state government should take responsibility for the familys safety.

If Y Plus category security cover can be provided to actor Kangana Ranaut, than why can it not be provided to the family of the victim?, he said, adding that if his demands are not met, he will gherao the Vidhan Sabha.

The 19-year-old Dalit woman was gang-raped and murdered by upper caste men in Uttar Pradeshs Hathras on September 14. Nationwide protests and demonstrations were organised by various Opposition parties after her death a fortnight later in New Delhis Safdarjang Hospital.

The Bhim Army chief led the protest in front of the Delhi hospital soon after the victims death and urged all Dalit community members to protest against the incident and demand that death penalty be given to the culprits. The government should not test our patience. We wont rest until the culprits are hanged, he said.

On Saturday, he said everyone had the right to live according to the Constitution and sought gun license for the underprivileged sections of the country.

Our demand is that the 20 lakh Bahujans of the country be granted gun licenses immediately. The government should provide us a 50 % subsidy to purchase guns and pistols. We will defend ourselves, he tweeted.
President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama prior to Obama's departure during the 2017 presidential inauguration at the US Capitol January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. Jack Gruber-Pool/Getty Images

Former President Barack Obama extended his best wishes to President Donald Trump after he and first lady Melania Trump were diagnosed with the coronavirus.

Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden told his supporters during a campaign rally in Michigan he was praying the Trumps "will make a quick and full recovery."

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee who faced off against Trump in the 2016 election, and former President Bill Clinton tweeted out messages of support for the Trumps Friday evening.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Several prominent lawmakers  including former Vice President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton  passed on best wishes to President Donald Trump after he and first lady Melania Trump were diagnosed with the coronavirus.

In a virtual fundraiser Friday afternoon with Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris and actor Michael B. Jordan, Obama said that despite the bitter political battles, he hoped the sitting president would recover.

"Although we are in the midst of a big political fight, and we take that very seriously, we also want to extend our best wishes to the President of the United States [and] the first lady," Obama said in his speech. "Michelle and I are hopeful that they and others that have been affected by COVID-19 around the country are getting the care that they need, that they are going to be on the path to a speedy recovery."

"And it's important, I think, for all of us to remember that even when we're in the midst of big political battles with issues that have a lot at stake, that we're all Americans and we're all human beings  and we want to make sure everybody is healthy," Obama continued. "Michelle and I want to make sure we acknowledge the president and first lady at this difficult time."

Story continues

On the campaign trail Friday, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden also gave his well-wishes, telling supporters during at a Michigan rally that he was praying the Trumps "will make a quick and full recovery."

"This cannot be a partisan moment. It must be an American moment," Biden said. "God bless you, and God protect the First Family and every family that is dealing with this virus. And may God protect our troops."

Biden's presidential campaign had also reportedly removed all negative election advertisements, promising to only display those with positive messages. Despite the conciliatory tone, the Trump campaign attacked Biden in a series of tweets Friday afternoon.

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee who faced off against Trump in the 2016 election, also tweeted out a message of support for the Trumps Friday evening.

"We wish the President and First Lady a speedy recovery, and hope for the safety of the White House staff, the Secret Service, and others putting their lives on the line," Clinton said. "This pandemic has affected so many. We must continue to protect ourselves, our families, and communities." Bill, her husband and former president, also posted a similar message to Twitter.

Trump announced early Friday that he and the first lady tested positive for the coronavirus, shortly after it became public that White House counselor Hope Hicks, a close adviser, tested positive earlier this week. Hicks, a member of Trump's inner circle, was with the president throughout his travels this week, including on an Air Force One flight to the first presidential debate against Biden Tuesday.

Friday afternoon, Trump was taken to the Walter Reed Medical Center in Maryland.

"Out of an abundance of caution, and at the recommendation of his physician and medical experts, the President will be working from the presidential offices at Walter Reed for the next few days," the White House said in a statement.

The White House added that he was not in serious condition, and chief of staff Mark Meadows said Trump was experiencing "mild symptoms" of COVID-19.

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SOUTHINGTON  A state trooper was suspended and is being investigated after he was arrested in Southington on Saturday, according to Connecticut State Police.

State police said Trooper First Class Christopher Russell is being charged with third-degree assault, risk of injury to a minor, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. They said the arrest was at about 10:30 Saturday night.
London: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ridiculed claims that he never fully recovered from coronavirus as "drivel" and "balderdash", while conceding some backbenchers aren't happy with his performance.

Johnson and his government have encountered political difficulty following a deadly outbreak in March and April, a subsequent recession and steadily building second wave of infections as the United Kingdom moves into winter.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson was hospitalised in early April but returned to work later that month. Credit:Getty Images

Some Tory MPs are disappointed with the Prime Minister's handling of the pandemic and privately believe he has not bounced back from his battle with COVID-19 earlier this year. Johnson spent three nights in intensive care at St Thomas' hospital in central London in April and later spoke of a 48-hour window where his illness "could have gone either way".

Asked by the BBC's Andrew Marr whether he had "long COVID"  the term for a person dealing with lingering health effects long after their initial symptoms passed  Johnson replied: "No, no, no. Not in my case.
Dhaka: Sinovac Biotech, the private Chinese pharmaceutical company that is planning to conduct mass trial of a coronavirus vaccine in Bangladesh, has sought the countrys Sheikh Hasina government to co-finance the initiative, officials said on Sunday. In a letter to the Bangladesh government on September 22, Beijing headquartered Sinovac Biotech said the phase 3 trials of the vaccine they are developing would be delayed until the Bangladesh government co-finances the testing initiative.

Bangladesh government gave the approval to Sinovac Biotech for the clinical trial of the vaccine in the country after examining all necessary research protocols, including effectiveness and safety issues. Under the agreement, Bangladesh would get one lakh vaccines for free and get priority to purchase adequate quantum of vaccines from the Chinese company.

They (Sinovac Biotech Ltd) sent a letter to Bangladesh government seeking co-financing for performing phase-3 human trial," Abdul Mannan, the health division secretary of Bangladesh, was quoted as saying in a report by the state-run BSS. Mannan said the government would convey its decision to Sinovac after consulting the matter with the relevant organisations and individuals as the Chinese company did not make the proposal when it obtained our acceptance to carry out the trial".

It may take some time to reach a concrete decision on co-funding the vaccine trial . . (but) Bangladesh government is sincerely thinking about the matter keeping in mind the issue of public benefits," Mannan said. Commenting on the matter, Dr Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam, the chief professor at Directorate General of Health Services, said Sinovacs new proposal came when Bangladesh exhausted all the required steps to launch the trial.

Bangladesh government, however, is still positive about carrying out final trial of coronavirus vaccine developed by the Chinese company as it emerged as a forerunner in the global race for developing a coronavirus vaccine, he said. The Chinese pharmaceutical company channelled their original proposal to Bangladesh through the Dhaka-based International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research and later obtained the final clearance for the trial from the health authorities on August 27.

However, officials familiar with the fresh development said they received Sinovacs proposal seeking the co-funding on September 22. Bangladesh continues to report a surge in the number of coronavirus cases, with the current infections number standing at 368,690. The total number of deaths due to the deadly virus stands at 5,348, local media reported.

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
Victoria recorded nine new coronavirus infections and no deaths overnight as Premier Daniel Andrews pleaded for residents to 'stay the course'.

The 14-day rolling average of COVID-19 infections dropped to 11.6 for metropolitan Melbourne on Monday, while regional Victoria rose from 0.2 to 0.3.

Mr Andrews implored residents to continue following the rules after large groups at beaches and parks flouted coronavirus restrictions in recent days.

'We are so, so close. Let's not any of us do anything that might undermine the very positive numbers,' he told reporters on Sunday.

Victoria reported nine new coronavirus infetions on Monday. Pictured: Police patrol at St Kilda Beach in Melbourne during hot weather on Saturday

Three women sunbathe in their COVIDSafe bubbles at St Kilda on Saturday

'Once we get them low, we can keep them low and we can open up again.

'If we don't do anything silly or anything selfish right now.'

Police patrolled St Kilda Beach after large groups gathered on Friday, raising concerns that such behaviour could trigger another outbreak.

Mr Andrews warned he could be forced to extend the 5km travel bubble for metropolitan Melbourne if residents continue to hit the beach.

'I can't put a timeline on it but those rules serve a really important purpose and they'll be in place for as long as that purpose is relevant and proportionate  the benefit is relevant and proportionate  to the challenge we face,' he said.

'There will be a time when that (5km rule) can come off, but exactly when that is  or it might be extended  when that is we can't be certain now.'

Premier Daniel Andrews pleaded for residents to 'stay the course'. Pictured: Police speak to residents in Melbourne on Saturday

'We are so, so close. Let's not any of us do anything that might undermine the very positive numbers,' Mr Andrews told reporters on Sunday

There have been 13 mystery cases in Melbourne between September 19 and October 2.

Melbourne needs a 14-day average of fewer than five cases as well as less than five mystery cases for restrictions to further ease on October 19.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton on Sunday said there were three new mystery cases in postcodes 3145, 3023 and 3019 and urged anyone in the areas with symptoms to get tested.

He said a single case of unknown origin might represent 10 or 15 true cases in the community.

'It's really a call to arms ... anyone in those postcodes should be aware that there's transmission in those postcodes,' he said.

Premier Daniel Andrews said he was 'as confident as you can be' that the state's 14-day average would drop to fewer than five daily cases in a fortnight.

'Regional Victoria is in a different place today than they were three or four weeks ago. And hopefully on 18 or 19 October, so just in a couple of weeks' time, metro Melbourne will be in a different place than they are right now,' he said.

The state's death toll sits at 806.
A heartbroken mother whose teenage son was crushed to death while lifting a 98 kilogram weight unsupervised is suing for damages.

Ben Shaw, 15, was training alone at the Pine Rivers PCYC gym north of Brisbane in September 2017 when the weight fell on his throat.

The promising rugby league star suffered critical injuries as he allegedly laid trapped under the heavy barbell for up to 30 minutes.

He died in hospital three days later after his family made the heartbreaking decision to turn off his life support.

They set a website as part of their ongoing mission to continue Ben's legacy of making a difference and making the world a better place.

His shattered mother Dalya is suing against the Queensland PCYC in the hope no other family goes through the same heartache.

Brisbane teen Ben Shaw was a promising rugby league star before his life was cut short

'I want to invoke change and prevent another family's lives from being turned upside down and going through what I have and continue to go through,' Ms Shaw told The Sunday Mail.

'What has happened is not OK and never will be OK, regardless of any legal outcomes.'

Work Health and Safety is already prosecuting Queensland PCYC in a case a magistrate has described as 'complex' and could take years to achieve an outcome.

Ms Shaw described her only child Ben as her best friend and was 'completely devastated' by his tragic death.

Dalya Shaw (pictured right) is suing Queensland PCYC over her son's tragic death

Ben was lifting weights at the Pine Rivers PCYC in 2017 when he was crushed to death

She has filed for more than $581,000 in damages and alleges in her District Court claim that Queensland PCYC breached its duty of care.

She also alleges a lot of procedures were either not in place or not followed, including the lack of supervision.

No defence has been filed and no hearing date has been set.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Queensland PCYC for comment.

Prior to his death, Ben had been competing in junior weightlifting competitions across the state and was a regular at the PCYC gym.

His family donated Ben's organs.

Dalya Shaw is suing to ensure what happened to Ben (pictured) never happens again

The family also set a website Forever Ben Shaw as part of their mission to continue Ben's legacy of making a difference and making the world a better place.

'He continually questioned things, always looking for a different, better and more efficient way of achieving the outcome he wanted . People trusted and confided in him and you always knew he had your back,' the website states.

'In just a few short years this special young man was able to play a very personal role in the lives of so many individuals he crossed paths with. His legacy will live on long into the future.'
Nigerias desire and pursuit of economic growth and sustainable development is best achieved through the adoption of merit as a national value, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

The Vice President made the remarks in a keynote address delivered at the Nigeria Leadership Initiative (NLI) webinar series themed: A National Conversation on Rebuilding our National Values System.

Meritocracy is crucial in an economically viable value system because it rewards talent and enterprise. And it is talent and enterprise that would drive sustainable growth, Mr Osinbajo affirmed.

Stressing the point about the importance of merit to sustainable growth, the vice president said, Economic growth rests upon the substructure of values. The basis of the entire credit system as we know it, is trust. Indeed, the word credit is derived from the Latin word credere to believe or to trust. For a credit facility to be extended to a person, trust is placed in the borrower and his or her willingness and ability to repay.

When we say that there is a credit crunch, we are referring to a lack of trust. This has significant implications for the economy. Banks cannot lend to people when fraud is widespread, and enterprise and industry cannot flourish without credit.

Explaining further, Mr Osinbajo said financial institutions may also be reluctant to lend because they cannot trust that the government will remain consistent with regulatory policies. For the same reason, investors may be discouraged from investing. When we speak of investor confidence, we are merely describing the level of trust investors are willing to place in an environment.

Citizens who do not trust that their taxes will be embezzled due to official corruption are unlikely to see any value in paying their taxes. If people stop trusting the media, they are more likely to fall prey to merchants of fake news which can have a destabilizing effect on a nation. Where everyone is self-seeking there can be no trust and without trust, it is impossible to sustain an open society. The significance of trust for the workings of the economy and society are far-reaching.

In a speech that clearly proposes that merit can also be worked into the implementation of the Federal Character Principles, the vice president submitted that stakeholders must focus their attention on merit as a crucial factor for societys economic survival, social justice and in having an economically viable value system.

According to him, Meritocracy is crucial as a value in and of itself. The moment that we depart from meritocracy, we cannot tie our value system to development in any meaningful way. Our public institutions must be equipped to provide opportunities, regardless of tribe, religion or gender, but the primary criterion must be merit.

The vice president noted that the nations value system must provide a causal connection with our economic development. In other words, we must be able to say that these sets of values conduce to economic development in a particular way. And it must also be one that is capable of showing us or the individual, that a happy society, a community of people that are prepared to live and work together, is possible on account of this value system.

While inequalities may be addressed by affirmative provisions such as Federal Character, the primary consideration should be merit, Mr Osinbajo noted.

Providing more insights, he said time and time again, we get arguments around the question as to whether the dominant principle in appointments to public institutions should be Federal Character. The dominant principle should be merit, Federal Character is essentially affirmative. What it seeks to do is to create a balance. But even if we are to create that balance, it should still be based on merit.

For example, if we say that a particular zone should produce a particular candidate for whatever position, that zone should be able to produce the best. What you find, repeatedly, is the situation where the choices are not based on merit, and everything goes around the question of trying to create a balance.

Situating the values system in the context of societys development aspirations, the vice president said: shaping our discussion on values as a fundament of development is also important because it helps to focus the individual and communal mind on survival especially economic survival which is dear to the heart of all.

He said the value system that we need is one that promotes national development, especially economic development and especially socio-economic development. And it must be capable of engendering unity and a shared vision. It must provide a causal connection with economic development. The end result is the creation of a happy society.

Continuing, he maintained that for purposes of national unity, for example, we must accept that unity and peace are important outcomes, but the condition predicate for both unity and peace is justice (both legal and social justice). So, in our context, justice includes the notions of fairness, equity, and equality.

Citing relevant portions of the Nigerian Constitution to explain the relevance of merit in a viable value system, the vice president said: in our context, justice includes the notions of fairness, equity, equality and it is significant that our Constitution is actually replete with references to these themes.

Our Constitution affirms that the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be a state based on the principles of democracy and social justice, and it also asserts that the State social order is founded on ideals of Freedom, Equality and Justice. So, it is obvious that the mandates of our public institutions must be to transparently ensure that there is fairness in the availability of opportunity to all regardless of tribe, religion or gender, or any other considerations.

Underscoring the importance of the rule of law to the subject matter, the vice president said the administration of justice, is at the heart of the beneficial value system. The uncompromising prosecution of criminal activity, the fair and just adjudication of civil disputes, are fundamental to any notion of a strong value system.

He noted that institutions that must deliver these values, must themselves be deliberately invested in, both in terms of material infrastructure and the quality of personnel. Where the institutions for the resolution of conflicts and disputes are trusted and judicial outcomes are preponderantly fair and predictable, unity and stability are more likely. And this is very important especially with respect to judicial institutions.

On his part, former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, emphasized the need to re-engineer the National Youth Service Corps scheme and reinvigorate the studies of History in schools, to reclaim lost values in the society.

He said the nations reward system should be linked to a renewed national value system, noting that Nigerians should be defined by established core values.

In the same vein, the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, pledged the support of the National Assembly in ensuring curriculum alignment to the value rebuilding processes and called for a re-engineering of family ethics to support the entire reconstruction process.

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Other speakers at the event include former Nigeria High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Christopher Kolade; Chairman of First Bank, Nigeria, Ibukun Awosika, among other notable Nigerians.

Laolu Akande

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity

Office of the Vice President
Cambodian navy personnel walk on a jetty at the Ream naval base during a government-organised media tour in July, 2019

Cambodia has razed a US-funded defence facility on its southern coast, the deputy prime minister confirmed Sunday, the latest move in the ongoing controversial expansion of a strategically crucial naval base being developed with Chinese aid.

The Wall Street Journal reported last year on a secret draft deal allowing China to dock warships at the Ream naval base near the kingdom's coastal city of Sihanoukville.

But Cambodia -- awash in recent years with Chinese investments -- has strenuously denied the report, although strongman premier Hun Sen has said aid from Beijing will fund the naval base's development.

Satellite images released by the Center for Strategic and International Studies this week showed a US-funded facility on Ream's naval base had been demolished, raising questions "about rumoured Chinese access", said the Washington-based think tank.

But Tea Banh, Cambodia's deputy prime minister and defence minister, dismissed concerns Sunday.

"We relocated the facility to a new spot. We cannot keep it anymore and the building is already old," he told AFP, confirming that it was knocked down last month.

The Tactical Headquarters of the National Committee for Maritime Security was inaugurated in 2012.

It will be "far better" in its new location, Tea Banh said, adding that Cambodia used "only a small assistance" from the US for the now-demolished building.

The new facility is currently under construction about 30 kilometres (18 miles) north of Ream.

The Ream base has generated scrutiny for its strategic location in the Gulf of Thailand, which would provide ready access to the fiercely contested South China Sea -- a key global shipping route.

Beijing claims the majority of the resource-rich sea, vying with six other countries.

Hun Sen has repeatedly insisted Cambodia's constitution forbids any foreign military base within its borders.

Analysts say the wily premier is deeply attuned to the potential for an anti-China backlash from the public -- especially in Sihanoukville, where businesses and casinos are largely now Chinese-owned.

One of the world's longest-serving leaders, Hun Sen has in recent years tilted away from the US due to Washington's criticism of his government's alleged abuses.

On Saturday night, he issued a public letter wishing US President Donald Trump a "speedy recovery" from the coronavirus.
Vice President Mike Pence and President Donald Trump attend the "Getting America's Children Safely Back to School" event in the State Room of the White House on Aug. 12, 2020. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)

Pence Tests Negative for COVID-19 for Third Time Since Trump Was Diagnosed

Vice President Mike Pence tested negative for the CCP virus (novel coronavirus), which President Donald Trump contracted last week, for a third time in recent days.

Pence is tested for COVID-19 on a daily basis, but his continued good health has become critically important as Trump remains hospitalized for treatment. He has taken up some of Trumps campaign duties and is next in line if Trumps condition worsens.

A spokesperson for Pence told The Associated Press that the vice president and second lady, Karen Pence, tested negative for the virus on Oct. 4.

Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller told Meet the Press that Pence wont change his schedule after Trump was hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Were in a campaign. We have a month to go. We see Joe Biden and Kamala Harris out there campaigning. Certainly theyre not asking for a remote debate, Miller said on Oct. 4.

Vice President Pence is following the debate, for the vice presidential candidates, on Wednesday. He will be hitting the trail  and hes going to have a very full, aggressive schedule as will the first family  [We have] no concerns at all.

In a memo released on Oct. 2, the White House stated, Under the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Vice President is not considered a close contact with any individuals who have tested positive for COVID, including President Donald J. Trump. Vice President Mike Pence does not need to quarantine.

The White House stated that Pence is in good health and is free to go about his normal activities.

Pence is slated to debate Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Oct. 7 in Utah.

White House physician Dr. Sean P. Conley on Oct. 4 said in an update that Trump has continued to improve and could return to the White House as early as tomorrow.

First Lady Melania Trump, Trump 2020 campaign manager Bill Stepien, Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel, White House adviser Hope Hicks, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), former White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have also tested positive for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Trump on Oct. 3 released a video, saying, Over the next period of a few days, I guess thats the real test, so well be seeing what happens over those next couple of days.
US President Donald Trump's blood oxygen level dropped twice in recent days and he was given supplemental oxygen, the White House physician said on Sunday, asserting that his "condition has improved" since then and he could be discharged from the hospital as early as Monday. Trump, 74, and his wife First Lady Melania Trump, 50, tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, a development that upended the Republican leader's election campaign just weeks before the presidential polls on November 3.

Trump was flown to Walter Reed Military Medical Centre in Bethesda, a Maryland suburb of Washington DC, on Friday. "Late Friday morning, when I returned to the bedside, the president had a high fever and his oxygen saturation was transiently dipping below 94 per cent," White House physician Dr Sean Conley told reporters outside the hospital on Sunday. After this the president was given supplemental oxygen for about an hour on Friday. He also experienced a drop in oxygen level on Saturday, but the doctors said he wasn't sure whether Trump was given supplemental oxygen a second time.

"I'd have to check with the nursing staff. I don't think that - if he did, it was very, very limitedAnd the only oxygen that I ordered, or that we provided, was that Friday morning, initially," he said. Conley said that there has been improvement and the president has no fever since Friday. He could be discharged from the hospital as early as Monday, he added. He said the president was given dexamethasone, a steroid, after his blood oxygen level dipped on Saturday.

According to a report in Washington Post, dexamethasone is typically reserved only for severely ill coronavirus patients and may even pose dangers for people with relatively mild cases.

Recent research showed the drug, dexamethasone, reduced the risk of death by about a third for patients on ventilators and by a fifth for those who receive supplemental oxygen, as Trump did. The drug has not been shown to help less sick patients and could have negative effects if administered too early because of the way it suppresses the immune system.

In a video posted late Saturday, Trump said he has started to "feel much better" and thanked the American people and global leaders for their support. "I came here. Wasn't feeling so well. I feel much better now. We're working hard to get me all the way back. I have to be back because we still have to Make America Great Again, Trump said in the video message from the military hospital in a suburb of Washington on Saturday.

President Trump is feeling very well, but will stay hospitalised, White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien said. on Sunday. Conley earlier said the president is "not yet out of the woods".

"While not yet out of the woods, the team remains cautiously optimistic, he said, adding that the plan for Sunday is to continue observation in between doses of Remdesivir, closely monitoring his clinical status while fully supporting his conduct of presidential duties. Conley, in a memorandum issued late Saturday night, said the president had received Regeron's antibody cocktail on October 2.

"President Trump continues to do well, having made substantial progress since diagnosis," Conley said, adding that the president completed his second dose of Remdesivir without complications. Conley said the president remains fever free and off supplemental oxygen with a saturation level between 96 and 98 per cent all day.

The president, he said, spent most of the afternoon conducting business, and has been up and moving about the medical suit without difficulty. In the video message, that lasted for a little over four minutes and was posted by Trump on Twitter, the president asserted that he has to come back to win the election and complete the job.

"We still have steps to go and we have to finish that job. And I'll be back. I think I'll be back soon. I look forward to finishing up the campaign the way it was started and the way we've been doing," he said. The president said he is fighting the virus and expressed hope to beat it.

We've been so proud of it. But this was something that happened and it's happened to millions of people all over the world and I'm fighting for them. Not just in the US, I'm fighting for them all over the world. We're going to beat this coronavirus or whatever you want to call it. And we're going to beat it soundly, Trump said. Trump said the therapeutics which he is taking are nothing less than miracles.

"People criticize me when I say that, but we have things happening that look like they're miracles coming down from God. So, I just want to tell you that I'm starting to feel good, he said. However, he said the next few days are going to be the real test.

So, we'll be seeing what happens over those next couple of days. I just want to be so thankful for all of the support I've seen, whether it's on television or reading about it. I, most of all appreciate, what's been said by the American people, by almost a bipartisan consensus of American people. It's a beautiful thing to see. I very much appreciate it. And I won't forget it promise you that, he said. The president also thanked the leaders of the world for their well-wishes. They know what we're going through. They know what as your leader, what I have to go through. But I had no choice because I just didn't want to stay in the White House, he said.

Trump also said he was given the alternative to be under lockdown in the White House, staying in his bedroom and not to go even to the Oval Office. Asserting that he can't do that, Trump said he had to be out front.

"This is America. This is the United States. This is the greatest country in the world. This is the most powerful country in the world. I can't be locked up in a room upstairs and totally safe and just say, Hey, whatever happens happens. I can't do that. We have to confront problems as a leader, you have to confront problems, he said. Trump further said the First Lady, who had also tested positive for coronavirus is doing well at the White House.
The repentant jihadist mentor Farid Benyettou, who radicalised the men behind the 2015 Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris, has asked the families of the victims for forgiveness" while appearing in court Saturday to testify in connection with the attacks.

The 39-year-old former preacher told the Special Assize Court that he shared responsibility" for the actions of brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi, who murdered 12 people at the offices of the satirical newspaper.

"I would like to go back, to make things right, but it is not possible Know that I am really sorry, he said as he testified at the trial of 14 suspected accomplices of the Charlie Hebdo attack as well as a subsequent attack on a Paris Jewish supermarket.

Benyettou spent four years in prison for running a cell called the Buttes-Chaumont network, which was dismantled in 2005. It sent a dozen youths to join al-Qaeda in Iraq. He has now publicly renounced extremism and works as a truck driver.

French media reports say Cherif  who was arrested and jailed before leaving for Iraq  was delivering pizzas and dreaming of becoming a rapper when his religious beliefs hardened after meeting Benyettou.

'Morally at fault'

I encouraged Cherif Kouachi in his path as a jihadist, I supported his departure for Iraq in 2004, Benyettou told the court. I am undoubtedly linked to his journey, even if I did not participate in what he did afterwards.

In a book published in 2017, Benyettou claimed he tried to reason with the Kouachi brothers before they carried out the massacre that saw tens of thousands take to the streets in the name of free speech.

Benyettou told the court that Cherif had become angry and adopted increasingly harder positions. For him, the only way to solve something was through violence.

In the aftermath of the attack on Charlie Hebdo, Benyettou presented himself to the intelligence services, saying he was ready to help the investigation. After his hearing, he was released.

Sincerity doubted

Journalists present in the courtroom said that survivors of the attack and the families of the victims questioned why Benyettou was unable to use his influence to temper the brothers' radical ideology.

The lawyers, too, seemed unconvinced, AFP reported. "You could be a false repentant who uses taqiya (concealment), said Catherine Szwarc, who represents one of the civil parties.

Benyettou's much-anticipated hearing in the Paris Special Assize Court had been initially set for 24 September, but was delayed after a Covid-19 case was reported in the home of one of the defendants.

'Separatism' warning

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday outlined plans for a law to fight the favouring of religious laws over France's secular values  or "Islamist separatism.

He said the plans would stem the growing influence of radical Islamists and prevent young people from becoming indoctrinated.

Speaking in Les Mureaux, north west of Paris where there is a large Muslim population, Macron warned Islamists, "the enemy of mainstream Muslims", were infiltrating numerous aspects of ordinary life
As the whole world is waiting for coronavirus vaccine, technology can play a pivotal and vital role in how the government vaccinates its population, tracks vaccines, monitors doses, and also manages to locate any adverse events, says Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, chairperson & MD, Biocon.

Speaking at the Business Today's India's Most Powerful Women 2020, Mazumdar Shaw further states that if India gets a coronavirus vaccine by early next year, there will be at least 4-5 inoculations approved in some form or the other (by 2021). She adds that if that is the case, then the government has to do "preparedness planning from now and decide how it distributes the vaccines, how it is going to collect the data, who is to be vaccinated and how to make sure that if a vaccine requires two doses then how it ensures that people who need the second dose will get that information in time."

Mazumdar Shaw goes on to say that this will be very difficult to do without technology and therefore "I believe that this is the time the government develops a robust vaccination plan on a technological platform".

Also Read: BT MPW 2020: Zoom COO Aparna Bawa elaborates on do's and don'ts of virtual meetings

Regarding the challenges the government can face if it is to do it, the Biocon MD and chairperson highlights that "we have over a billion people who need to be vaccinated for which a number of vaccines need to be deployed" and in order to ensure this the government needs to track the supply chain which requires cold chain management.

The trick, Mazumdar Shaw says, is to make sure that the government doesn't store vaccines for too long in areas where it doesn't have efficient supply chains. "So, can we have just in time low inventories in the rural heartland of this country? Can we make sure that we have already mapped out all the vaccination centres where they should be? In my view primary health centres, health and wellness centres, and all govt hospitals ought to be dedicated for vaccination deployment. Thus, when the vaccine does arrive, we also have to make sure that all these centres at least have some refrigeration capacity."

She expresses that the government needs to make sure that it maps the population-based vaccination demand across each of its health and wellness centres and district/community hospitals etc. Mazumdar Shaw adds that even pharmacies can be accredited to vaccinate people.

She points out that in order to have a comprehensive database Aadhaar can come to the government's rescue as this unique identification number is a feat that no other country in the world has managed at this scale.

Hence, Aadhaar can be leveraged intelligently as it gives the government a powerful way to vaccinate, track and assess who got which vaccine, how many people received the right dose, and if any of the vaccines manifest any adverse effects at a later stage, all of it can be tracked with the help of Aadhaar. Mazumdar Shaw further expresses that the 12-digit unique identification number can be used in both rural and urban areas. She also states that ASHA workers can also be used in a big way because they can "help with vaccine preparations, planning and deployment apart from the peoples' other healthcare needs."
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 17:47:59|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on Oct. 4, 2020 shows the view of the Nile River in Cairo, Egypt. The ongoing Nile River flooding poses no serious threat to Egypt despite the damage and casualties it caused to fellow downstream Nile basin country Sudan, said an Egyptian official. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

by Mahmoud Fouly, Abdel-Meguid Kamal

CAIRO, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing Nile River flooding poses no serious threat to Egypt despite the damage and casualties it caused to fellow downstream Nile basin country Sudan, said an Egyptian official.

"The flooding situation in Egypt is different and the society here will not be seriously affected as it happened in other Nile basin states," Mohamed al-Sebai, spokesman of the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, told Xinhua.

The ministry's monitoring and forecasting center said that the Nile flooding is rather useful to Egypt this year, since there is an opportunity to use quantities of the flood water to refresh and improve the quality of the Nile water as well as reduce its pollution and the amount of ammonia in Egypt's Nile delta Rosetta branch, the spokesman added.

The Nile River is the main source of fresh water in Egypt, providing the country with 55.5 billion cubic meters of water annually.

Sebai pointed out that the flooding will continue in Egypt until the end of October, in light of the continuous rainfalls in upstream Nile basin countries.

The ministry has recently announced that the Nile flooding this year is "high and likely to continue increasing," while the government assigned the ministry to set up an "emergency plan."

Egypt has 13 riparian provinces along the Nile River that would be first affected by the flooding, located between Aswan in the south and Damietta in the north.

The biggest issue about these provinces is their encroachments in the course of the Nile, whether through construction or plantation on adjacent lands, making them the most vulnerable.

The encroachments lead to bottlenecks in the course of the river, and thus the incoming amount of water cannot be absorbed.

However, the water ministry's spokesman told Xinhua that "any possible damage will be limited in the Nile islands and riparian lands of the river, which are considered an integral part of the river's course itself."

Experts expect the Nile water level in Egypt to rise by about 120 centimeters, overwhelming the lowlands including islands and riparian buildings and crops.

Abbas Sharaqi, a professor of water resources at Cairo University, emphasized that the current flooding is not the most violent in the history of Egypt compared with those occurred in 1999 and 2000.

"But the difference is that Nasser Lake, the reservoir of Egypt's Aswan High Dam, has been filled early this year during the current flooding," said the Egyptian professor, attributing the current rise of the Nile water level in Egypt to the increasing water flow coming from the Ethiopian high central plateau.

Although Egypt and Sudan are the two downstream Nile basin states, this year's flooding caused deadly damage in Sudan while Egypt is likely to pass it safely, mainly due to its giant High Dam that helps contain a large quantity of the flooding water.

"Sudan was exposed to a greater flooding that submerged some states due to the heavy rains there amid increasing water flow coming from upstream Ethiopia," Sharaqi told Xinhua.

He explained that the capabilities of Sudanese dams are limited that they cannot reserve large quantities of water.

The Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation has other ways to deal with such a flooding, as it can resort to using the Edfina Barrage on the Rosetta branch of the Nile, which releases excess water to the Mediterranean Sea, or other northern barrages in case of continuing water flow.

"The situation is under the control of the ministry, because it can increase or decrease the Nile water level, which is still at a safe level, or increase the amount of water discharged into the sea when necessary," said the Egyptian professor. Enditem
A month after it banned the installation of Durga idols of more than 6 feet and setting up a pandal over more than 10 sq feet area amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Madhya Pradesh government took a U-turn and lifted the restrictions on the celebrations.

The state government has also allowed Ramleela, burning of effigies of demon king Ravana, installation of bigger idols of Durga and huge pandals for visitors for Durga Puja and Dussehra while maintaining social distancing, a top official said.

In a meeting held in Bhopal on Saturday chaired by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the decision was taken to permit the stage of Ram Leela and burning of Ravanas effigy on Dussehra, but it will be mandatory for organisers as well as visitors to follow the protocols of Covid-19 including wearing masks and maintaining social distancing in all the events, MP public relation department commissioner Sudam Khade said,

The CM said that there will be no restriction on size of Durga idols during Durga Utsav and the pandals could be set up to the size of 1350 sq feet. However, the tableaux, Garba and procession will not be allowed, he said.

The CM also instructed that officials should prepare advance planning because Covid 19 infection may spread further during the upcoming festivals and in winter season, said the officer.

Earlier, on September 4, the state government had issued an order banning large pandals and the installation of huge idols. In the order, the government had not cleared its stand on the staging of Ramleela and burning of effigies of Ravana.

According to an officer, the government scrapped the order after a protest by the different saffron organisations supported by BJP MP from Bhopal Pragya Thakur and Congress MLA PC Sharma.

However, civil society members expressed their concern as the state has about 19,807 active Covid-19 cases 19 and numbers are increasing by the day.

They say the decision was taken in view of bypolls, which is scheduled to be held on November 3 on 28 assembly seats.

Civil society member and political analyst Lajja Shankar Hardeniya said, I have written a letter to the chief minister requesting a total ban on public celebration as being a leader he should lead the crowd not led by the crowd.

By allowing this, BJP tried to satisfy its vote bank for the upcoming bye-election. The state government is encouraging mass suicide. When authorities are failing to contain the spread in normal situations, how could we expect that they would keep a vigil on crowds in the Durga Utsav pandals and Dusshera ground? he added.

An environmentalist and civil society member from Gwalior, Sudhir Sapra said, In Gwalior, Chambal and Malwa region, the number of cases had increased due to political rallies. Now for the political gain and to make their vote bank happy, the state government is ready to put the life of people at stake. We are quite sure that the authorities wouldnt take action against participants and organisers because of upcoming assembly elections.

The opposition Congress welcomed the decision It is a matter of faith. It will end the financial constraints of idol makers, tent houses, flower decorators, crackers sellers and others who were facing tough times due to Covid 19, said PC Sharma, Congress MLA and former public relation minister.

Earlier, on Saturday, the Madhya Pradesh high court had directed the district magistrates in nine districts to register offences not only against political, government, state or social functionaries but also members of congregations under provisions of Disaster Management Act and Indian Penal Code (IPC) if they are found violating restrictions imposed under Covid-19 protocol while organizing social and political congregations.

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Rahul Gandhi started "Kheti Bachao Yatra" in Punjab on Sunday to protest against recently enacted agriculture sector reform laws. Rahul Gandhi addressed a public meeting to launch a signature campaign at Badhni Kalan, District Moga along with Punjab Chief Minister.

Former Congress chief and MP Rahul Gandhi started Kheti Bachao Yatra in Punjab on Sunday to protest against recently enacted agriculture sector reform laws. Initially, a three-day programme through rallies and roadshows using tractors has been planned.

CM Captain Amarinder Singh, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, partys state chief Sunil Jakhar took part in tractor yatra from Badhni Kalan to Jattpura as part of partys Kheti Bachao Yatra. During Kheti Bachao Yatra, Rahul said that he guarantees that the day Congress party comes to the power, they would scrap those three black laws and throw them in the waste paper basket.

Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh, in Moga, at Congress Kheti Bachao Yatra said that as long as the laws passed in the Parliament were not amended to make the MSP compulsory, there was no use of their promises.

Rahul Gandhi will address a public meeting and launch a signature campaign at Badhni Kalan, District Moga along with Punjab Chief Minister Captain (Retired) Amarinder Singh and other senior leaders of the State. Rahul Gandhi will then lead a Tractor Yatra from Badhni Kalan to Jatpura and will conclude the day by addressing a public meeting at Jatpura, Ludhiana.

Also read: Rahul, Priyanka meet Hathras victims family, Rahul assures support to family

Punjab: CM Captain Amarinder Singh, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, party's state chief Sunil Jakhar, & party leader Navjot Singh Sidhu in Chakar, Ludhiana, at the 'Kisan Bachao Rally'. pic.twitter.com/F3EChxSBkE  ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2020

I was in UP where a daughter was killed. No action taken against those who killed her. Family whose daughter was killed is locked up in their house. DM & CM threatened them. Such is the situation in India. Nothing happens to criminal but action taken against victim: Rahul Gandhi pic.twitter.com/gCRwVPdsbw  ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2020

If farmers are happy with these laws then why are they protesting across the nation? Why is every farmer in Punjab protesting?: Rahul Gandhi, in Moga at Congress' Kheti Bachao Yatra. #FarmBills https://t.co/0Z2ZsaKdXX  ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2020

Also read: Tejashwi Yadav to lead grand alliance for Bihar polls, gets 144 seats

The Congress has termed these laws as anti-farmer and the party has planned a month-long agitation across the country to reach out to the farming community. While some programmes were launched on September 24 they are scheduled to be concluded on November 14. The conclusion of the protest is planned through handing over a memorandum and signatures of over two crore farmers from across the country to President Ram Nath Kovind.

The Parliament has recently passed Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020. These have received the assent of President Ram Nath Kovid and have come into effect from September 27. (ANI)

Commenting on Congress leader Rahul Gandhis impending visit to Punjab on Sunday, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday said that the Congress party had mentioned farm laws in its manifesto and Gandhis visit is a drama.

Badal said during a press meet that Rahul Gandhi Ji was coming to Punjab on Sunday to perform a drama, it was the Congress party which initiated talks about these Farm Laws. He said that they had written in their manifesto that they will open private mandis and contract farming if they come to power.

Holding Congress partys 2019 Punjab assembly election manifesto in hand, he asked why Congress did not oppose the agriculture ordinance in Parliament. I want to ask you why you didnt fight in parliament against these farm bills (now laws). Why did your MPs in parliament walkout during bills discussion? Rahul Gandhi must answer my questions, he said.

Also read: US President Donald Trump says, will be back soon, next few days will be real test

They are trying to impose America's failed system on us. Capitalists are running this country. Benefits to farmers are labelled as 'subsidies' whereas relaxations worth lakhs of rupees given to the rich are called 'incentives': Navjot S Sidhu, on agriculture laws, in Moga, Punjab pic.twitter.com/Dw8oWbZwJI  ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2020
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, October 4, 2020 15:21 475 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4900392 1 National COVID-19,remdesivir,Luhut-Binsar-Pandjaitan,hospital,Indonesia,anies-baswedan,gilead-sciences Free

In an effort to provide better treatment for COVID-19 patients and help bring down the mortality rate from the pandemic, the government has begun securing a substantial amount of therapeutics that could work against the disease.

Data from the Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister show that the government has given the go-ahead to contractors to import COVID-19 therapeutics such as remdesivir, favipiravir, oseltamivir and lopinavir-ritonavir, all of which will be distributed directly to hospitals treating coronavirus patients.

The data show that by the end of 2020, the government expects to secure 670,000 vials of remdesivir from foreign sources, but expects the drug to be manufactured in the country starting in November.

Remdesivir has been the only therapeutic so far to have worked directly against the coronavirus. A five-day course of the antiviral drug sped recovery in moderately ill patients with pneumonia from COVID-19, drugmaker Gilead Sciences said in a statement.

The United States Food and Drug Administration has not given the go-ahead for remdesivir but gave Gilead emergency use authorization. The drug costs US$2,340 for a five-day course of treatment.

The government expects that by November, local drugs manufacturer PT Kimia Farma could produce 400,000 vials. In October, the government expects to secure 50,000 vials of remdesivir from PT Amarox Pharma Global, a subsidiary of India's leading generic pharmaceutical company Hetero. In September, Hetero brought in 10,000 vials.

Other than remdesivir, the government also expedited the delivery of influenza drugs oseltamivir and favipiravir, as well as antiretroviral drug lopinavir-ritonavir. For oseltamivir, the government has given authority to Kimia Farma and Amarox to procure more than 7 million capsules.

For favipiravir, the government ordered 3.7 million tablets from three companies, Beta Pharmacon, Kimia Farma and Daewoong Infion. Meanwhile, four pharmaceutical companies Amarox, Abbot, Sampharindo and Kimia Farma together will bring in 2,510,000 tablets of lopinovir-ritonavir.

Speaking in a coordination meeting with 10 governors of provinces under his supervision, Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said the country was entering a critical period in the fight against COVID-19, and the procurement of the drug would be crucial to bring down the mortality rate among coronavirus patients.

"We don't have to see people dying from lack of medicine," Luhut said in the meeting late last week.

Luhut also said that to cut red tape and speed up the delivery of the drugs to patients, the government would ship the therapeutics directly to hospitals treating COVID-19 patients.

Read also: What you need to know about Indonesia's vaccine development

Eight months after the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in the country, Indonesia continues to struggle in its effort to deal with the pandemic.

According to Health Ministry data, there were 4,007 new coronavirus infections and 83 more deaths on Saturday, bringing the total number of infections to 299,506 and fatalities to 11,055.

More than 34.71 million people have been reported to be infected by the coronavirus globally and 1,028,910 have died, according to a Reuters tally on Saturday.

Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.

Director general for public health at the Health Ministry, Abdul Kadir, said he would crack down on doctors who recommended the use of non-standard therapeutics for COVID-19 patients.

Abdul Kadir said the move was also taken to help the Health Care and Social Security Agency (BPJS) sort out claims made by hospitals treating coronavirus patients. (mtr)
Justin Bieber recently celebrated his second wedding anniversary with wife Hailey.

But some of the Grammy winner's 148million Instagram followers are still holding out hope that he'll get back together with ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez.

His loyal fans have recently begun speculating that his latest tattoo is a tribute to Selena, whom he dated off and on for nearly eight years, after spotting what appeared to be her initial.

Secret tribute: Justin Bieber's loyal fans have recently begun speculating that his latest tattoo is a tribute to Selena Gomez, whom he dated off and on for nearly eight years, after spotting what appeared to be her initial (pictured in December, 2009)

The 26-year-old previously revealed the brand new neck ink in early September, depicting a long-stemmed rose, which 'Jelena' fans say were a symbol of their love.

A fan account recently posted a closeup to Instagram, writing: 'HE ROSE HAS AN S IN IT!!!!!!! THERES A FREAKING S FOR SELENA!!!! I cant stop screaming'

Although it could easily just be the layers of the rose petals, the photo they pulled directly from Justin's Instagram certainly shows what appears to be a hidden 'S'.

The stan account has since doubled down on the theory, posting other clear photos of the tattoo and outlining the 'S'.

Rose for love: The 26-year-old previously revealed the brand new neck ink in early September, depicting a long-stemmed rose, which 'Jelena' fans say were a symbol of their love

Hidden initial: A fan account recently posted a closeup to Instagram, writing: 'HE ROSE HAS AN S IN IT!!!!!!! THERES A FREAKING S FOR SELENA!!!! I cant stop screaming'

Up for debate: Although it could easily just be the layers of the rose petals, the photo they pulled directly from Justin's Instagram certainly shows what appears to be a hidden 'S'

'This love has no end!' one follower wrote, as another chimed in: 'yes i see it too even if you dont zoom it'

Justin was in an on-again, off-again relationship with Selena, 28, from December, 2010 to March of 2018, months before announcing his engagement to Hailey, 23.

Selena also gave the Jelena fans something to hold them over back in January, when she dropped her long-overdue third studio album Rare, which features songs that are presumed to be about Justin.

She told NPR of her song Lose You To Love Me: 'I felt I didn't get a respectful closure, and I had accepted that, but I know I needed some way to just say a few things that I wish I had said.

'It's not a hateful song; it's a song that is saying  I had something beautiful and I would never deny that it wasn't that. It was very difficult and I'm happy it's over.'

Young love: Justin was in an on-again, off-again relationship with Selena, 28, from December, 2010 to March of 2018, months before announcing his engagement to Hailey, 23 (pictured in July, 2012)

Art imitating life: Selena also gave the Jelena fans something to hold them over back in January, when she dropped her long-overdue third studio album Rare, which features songs that are presumed to be about Justin

His muse: Justin also dedicated songs to her in the past, revealing to Ellen DeGeneres in 2015 that Selena inspired What Do You Mean?, Sorry and Mark My Words (pictured in November, 2011)

Back in touch: A source also told The Sun in August that Justin has recently been in touch with Selena (pictured in April, 2012)

Justin also dedicated songs to her in the past, revealing to Ellen DeGeneres in 2015 that Selena inspired What Do You Mean?, Sorry and Mark My Words.

He told the host: 'Theres a lot of stuff that reminds me of her. In relationships, you see something on TV and youre like remember when we used to watch this.'

A source also told The Sun in August that Justin has recently been in touch with Selena: 'Selena has kept her distance from Justin but he recently started contacting her again.

The insider added: 'He loves Hailey dearly but he does complain about her sometimes and Selena says it's sad... He feels she is a little too obsessed with religions sometimes. He basically feels like she has gone too far.'

Not all fans were convinced of the tattoo theory, as one offered another theory it's for Hailey: 'S for September the month they got married!! His gift to his wife!!'

It would make some sense, as Justin acquired the new ink in early September, around the time they began celebrating their anniversary.

Second opinion: Not all fans were convinced of the tattoo theory, as one offered another theory it's for Hailey: 'S for September the month they got married!! His gift to his wife!!' (pictured in January, 2020)

Happy anniversary! It would make some sense, as Justin acquired the new ink in early September, around the time they began celebrating their anniversary (pictured in September, 2020)

Wedding bells: The Yummy artist secretly tied the knot with Hailey, 23, back in September of 2018, before having a star-studded ceremony in South Carolina last September

Quick engagement: They originally dated briefly from December, 2015 to January, 2016, during one of his breaks from Selena, before reigniting their romance in June of 2018 at a Christian conference

The Yummy artist secretly tied the knot with Hailey, 23, back in September of 2018, before having a star-studded ceremony in South Carolina last September.

They originally dated briefly from December, 2015 to January, 2016, during one of his breaks from Selena, before reigniting their romance in June of 2018 at a Christian conference.

In addition to his rose ink, they got matching neck tattoos last year, his saying 'forever' and hers reading 'lover.'

Justin recently wrote on Instagram for their second anniversary: 'Hailey Bieber. I am so lucky to be YOUR husband! You teach me so much everyday and make me such a better man!

'I am committed for the rest of our lives to empower you to be the woman God has called you to be! My heart is to enable you to achieve all of your wildest dreams! I promise to always put you first, to lead with patience and kindness!! Happy anniversary my beautiful sweet girl'

New video: It comes after he dropped the video for his single Holy, which featured cameos from Chance the Rapper, Wilmer Valderrama and Ryan Destiny

For Hailey: The song appears to be about how his marriage to Hailey is comparable to his faith in God

It comes after he dropped the video for his single Holy, which featured cameos from Chance the Rapper, Wilmer Valderrama and Ryan Destiny.

He previous teased the song on Twitter, as he attempted to shed his often problematic image for something of a moral Christian nature: 'New era. New single. Its begins.'

The Canadian pop star plays a laid-off oil rig worker in the video, who ends up homeless along with his wife (Ryan), before being offered a warm plate by a passing soldier (Valderrama).

Although the message doesn't quite land visually, coming from someone who's never had to do manual labor a day in their life, the song appears to be more about how his marriage to Hailey is comparable to his faith in God.

He sings: 'Runnin' to the altar like a track star / Can't wait another second / 'Cause the way you hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me / Feels so holy'

Justin has since been keeping busy in the recording studio, while preparing to make his fourth appearance as musical guest next weekend on Saturday Night Live, along with host Issa Rae.
Armenian-backed forces in the breakaway enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh said they struck a military airport in Azerbaijans second-largest city on Sunday in a major escalation of fighting between the former Soviet republics.

Azeri President Ilham Aliyevs office said the missiles that hit Ganca came from neighboring Armenia, an allegation the Armenian Defense Ministry denied. The missile strike killed one civilian and injured four others in a densely populated area of the city and did not hit an air base, the Azeri government in Baku said.

Nagorno-Karabakh said it attacked the military airport in Ganca in retaliation for Azerbaijans bombing of Stepanakert, the enclaves biggest city. Arayik Harutyunyan, the disputed territorys president, warned that its forces are now targeting military sites in large cities of Azerbaijan.

Azeri Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov described the attack as an open provocation by Armenia that expands the theater of conflict.

Harutyunyan, the enclaves leader, was injured in a retaliatory precision strike on his bunker, Aliyevs foreign policy aide Hikmet Hajiyev said. The Nagorno-Karabakh leaders spokesman denied he suffered any injuries. It wasnt possible to confirm the information independently.

Azerbaijans Aliyev, backed by Turkey, has vowed to continue the military campaign until Armenian forces leave Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts that Azerbaijan lost in a war after the Soviet Unions collapse in 1991. The violence that began a week ago is more intense and widespread than at any time since Russia brokered a 1994 cease-fire to halt that war, which killed about 30,000 people and displaced more than a million.

The latest confrontation adds to tensions between Russia and Turkey over proxy conflicts in Syria and Libya. Russia has an army base in Armenia, and the two nations have a mutual-defense pact, though it doesnt cover Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia and Azerbaijan on Saturday set seemingly impossible terms for agreeing to cease-fire calls from the U.S., France and Russia.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday spoke to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and expressed concern about the clashes and increasing number of victims, a German government spokeswoman said in an emailed statement. Merkel stressed that all sides must immediately stop fighting and start negotiations, according to the statement.

Pashinyan called on the German government to take a clear stance, in an interview with Bild magazine. Asked if Berlin should publicly declare who started the current hostilities over Nagorno-Karabakh, he replied: Yes. And Germany should evaluate the involvement of terrorists and mercenaries recruited in Syria in this conflict in the region by Turkey.

Azeri forces captured eight villages in the northeast and southeast of Nagorno-Karabkh, after earlier taking control of seven other small localities, the defense ministry in Baku said.
India-Bangladesh navies hold joint drill

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Oct 04: The navies of India and Bangladesh held a mega military exercise in the Bay of Bengal on Saturday in sync with their growing operational coordination, officials said.

A variety of maritime drills and operations were conducted as part of the annual 'Bongosagar' exercise, they said.

India-Bangladesh navies to carry out Exercise Bongosagar

The first edition of the exercise was held in October last year. On Sunday, the two navies will begin a two-day coordinated patrol in Northern Bay of Bengal.

In the 'Bongosagar' exercise, the Indian Navy deployed anti-submarine warfare corvette Kiltan and guided-missile corvette Khukri.

The Bangladeshi navy was represented by guided-missile frigate Abu Bakr and guided-missile corvette Prottoy, the officials said.

"India and Bangladesh have a close, long-standing relationship, covering a wide spectrum of activities and interactions, which has strengthened over the years," an Indian Navy spokesperson said on Friday.

The Indian Navy has participated in a number of joint maritime exercises in the last few weeks including a three-day drill with Japanese navy from September 26-28.

Last month, Indian Navy also carried out a two-day mega exercise in the Indian Ocean Region with the Australian Navy that featured a range of complex naval manoeuvres, anti-aircraft drills and helicopter operations.

In July, the Indian Navy carried out a military exercise with a US Navy carrier strike group led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz off the coast of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The USS Nimitz is the world's largest warship.

India has significantly expanded its deployment in the Indian Ocean Region with a plethora of warships and submarines following its border row with China in eastern Ladakh, ostensibly to send across a message to Beijing.
BUENOS AIRES: Argentinas economy contracted a record 19.1% in the second quarter versus the same period a year earlier as the coronavirus pandemic crippled production and demand, though was slightly better than analyst forecasts.

The steep fall, deeper than a 16.3% drop during Argentinas major 2002 crisis, came as the South American country imposed a strict lockdown in mid-March to stem the virus. The country has over 640,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, and nearly 13,500 deaths.

Argentina, a major grains producer, has been in recession since 2018 and is just emerging from default on its sovereign debt, with investors again growing concerned about prospects for its economic recovery and dwindling foreign currency reserves.

The government imposed the lockdown on March 20, and while it has been eased it remains in place until at least Oct. 11, with Argentina still at its peak in terms of daily case numbers. The country recorded over 400 deaths in 24 hours on Monday.

The key is the lockdown, which restricted supply and was a blow to demand, which pummelled economic activity in the second quarter of 2020," said consultancy Ecolatina.

A Reuters poll of 14 local and foreign analysts ahead of the data had forecast a 19.9% average contraction for the April-June period and a median estimate of a 19.6% drop. The Q2 fall was deeper than neighbour Brazil, though better than hard-hit Peru.

The strong isolation restrictions imposed from the second half of March and that lasted until August had a significant economic cost for the entire country," said economist Natalia Motyl of consultancy Libertad y Progreso.

Motyl added that services, construction and manufacturing had been the hardest hit, while the important farm export sector had been less affected by the lockdown, that had taken a hit from global commodities prices.

Argentinas economy, which declined a revised 5.2% in the first quarter of the year, is estimated to contract around 12% this year, according to a central bank poll and government forecasts.

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Last year Lang Lang released Piano Book, an album of pieces that fostered his childhood passion for the piano: short Chopin works, folk songs, Chopsticks. A deluxe edition includes a reprint of the score for Beethovens Fur Elise, annotated with Mr. Langs handwritten suggestions for student pianists.

Above the opening measure, Mr. Lang writes, Dont just play, feel the notes softly come out from your fingers and heart. At the end, he has a final reminder: The main melody comes many times, must be played with different shapes, colors, characters.

These two comments suggest why  for all his playings uncanny virtuosity, wondrous control of shadings and sound and unbridled urgency  I and many others have long found Mr. Langs performances overindulgently expressive and marred by exaggerated interpretive touches.

What does it mean to feel the notes come from your heart? How do you do that? And if a melody in a short piece keeps returning, as in Fur Elise, why must it be played differently each time? That approach risks making the music seem mannered, even manipulated. The comment suggests that it doesnt occur to Mr. Lang that maintaining the essential contour, flow and character of a wistful melody like this one might actually enhance the expressive impact of the music. And for all the soft-spoken beauty of his performance, it comes across as fussy and affected.
A gangster-busting barrister whose 'LGOPNR' number plates were deemed offensive says he will give authorities a 'f***ing war they will not believe' if they try to cancel his registration.

Renowned Sydney lawyer Peter Lavac was informed in a letter from Transport NSW in August that he would have to hand back the plates on his canary yellow Lamborghini.

He successfully fought that letter in court as it had been written under the wrong legislation but has now received another letter - causing him to re-assemble his team of legal 'heavy hitters'.

High profile barrister Peter Lavac was ordered by Transport NSW to hand in his customised number plates (pictured), which read LGOPNR, after they were deemed too offensive because the letters stood for 'leg opener'

Arguing the original letter, Mr Lavac said that '99 out of 100 people' would have no clue that the plates referred to 'leg opener' which was thought up during a chat with mates as a 'tongue in cheek' nod to his reputation as a ladies man.

'How on earth can recreational sex between consenting adults ever be offensive or demeaning in any way, shape or form?' he previously said.

The new letter - citing the correct law instead of the one repealed years ago - gives him 18 days to return the plates or his registration will be cancelled.

Mr Lavac, a former Crown Prosecutor in Hong Kong where he helped put Triad gang members behind bars, has vowed to fight the 'bureaucratic bullies' on the basis of free-speech.

Tara McCarthy, the Transport NSW safety, environment and regulation deputy secretary, told news.com.au they remained intent on forcing Mr Lavac to hand back the plates - hence the second letter.

The colourful lawyer said he intends to ignore the letter and when his registration is cancelled he and his team will head back to court.

'And you know what? If they want to bat on, bring it on. We will give them a f***ing war they will not believe,' he said. 'That's my attitude. I love nothing more in life than a good fight.'

Mr Lavac (pictured) successfully argued Transport NSW used outdated legislation in their order and that the letters weren't offensive but the department is determined to get the plates back

'How many other little Aussie battlers who have similar bullying letters, have caved in and laid down and let (Transport NSW) walk all over them because they didn't have my resources or legal expertise to stand up to this and challenge them?' he said.

Mr Lavac is not one to back down from a challenge and has an impressive history of achievements both in and out of the courtroom.

In 1971 while a university student he saved a father and son from drowning while he was a lifeguard at Sydney's Queenscliff Beach.

Four years later in 1975 while working as a bouncer at Sydney Hilton's George Adams bar he disarmed a gunman by grabbing his wrist and then slamming him to the marble floor, knocking him unconscious.

The man, as it turns out had an extensive criminal history, with Mr Lavac saying he acted on 'instinct and adrenaline'.

Six years later he saved the life of a judge at Darlinghurst Court after tackling a prisoner who was being sentenced and jumped out of the dock and charged toward the man threatening to kill him.

He later moved to Hong Kong in 1986 and worked as a Crown Prosecutor where he was 'locking up Triad gang members' including kingpin Cheung Tze-keung who had a reputation for kidnapping the sons of tycoons for ransom.

Eventually he returned to Sydney where he spends his days 'trying to stay out of the courtroom' so he can focus on his other interests such as racing his Lambo and hitting the gym.

The playboy lifestyle, however, he claims to have left behind being happily married to his third wife.
Vietnam had no new COVID-19 cases to report on October 4 afternoon, marking the 32nd consecutive day without infections in the community, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

The country has to date confirmed 1,096 COVID-19 cases, including 691 local infections and the rest are imported, it further said.

Vietnamese citizens returning from Singapore are quarantined in Soc Trang province (Photo: VNA)



Among the patients undergoing treatment, one has tested negative for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 once, two twice and four thrice.

So far, 1,020 patients have been successfully treated and there are now no patients in critical conditions.

The death toll from the disease remained at 35, most of them elderly people with serious underlying conditions.

As many as 16,447 people who had close contacts with COVID-19 patients or entered Vietnam from pandemic-hit regions are being quarantined across the county, including 718 in hospitals, 11,212 in concentrated quarantine establishments, and 4,547 at home.

VNA
Scores of people held a caste-based meeting Sunday outside the house of a former BJP MLA Rajveer Pehalvan in Hathras where they defended the accused in the gangrape and death of a Dalit woman in Hathras, and demanded registration of an FIR against her family members.

The meeting was held a day after UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered a CBI probe into the incident. Heavy police force was deployed in the vicinity of the former BJP MLAs house, located around 8-9 kilometres from the victims village.

One of the organisers of the meeting and Pehalvans son Manveer Singh, however, denied that the gathering comprised members from the so-called upper castes and said they were from different sections of society.

We welcome the CBI inquiry ordered by the Uttar Pradesh chief minister. We have faith in the investigation, Singh told PTI.
After Nguveren Terseer survived an attack by suspected herdsmen on her village, the 27-year old widow and her two children moved into an internally displaced persons camp in Makurdi, the state capital.

Over 70 people, mostly male farmers, were killed in the attack on Logo in January 2018. Ms Terseers husband was one of the victims.

Logo is one of the communities in Benue State most affected by the herder-farmer conflict prevalent in Nigerias Middle Belt region. The usual suspects behind the attack were Fulani herdsmen from Nigerias semi-arid far north who seasonally migrate southwards in search of grass for their cattle. Their migration often takes them into violent conflict with farming communities such as Ms Terseers Logo, in the context of intense competition for rapidly declining resources as population expands.

The attacks have precipitated the displacement of thousands of people, such as Ms Terseer, who is now her decimated familys breadwinner.

She was lucky to escape the herdsmans bullet on the day that they killed her husband, she told PREMIUM TIMES.

We were on the farm when they came. They killed my husband. Asked how she escaped, she replied: They said they didnt want to kill a woman.

She now ekes out a living by selling local gin and cigarettes in a small shop in Wurukum area of the Benue State capital.

But the trauma of watching her husband shot multiple times and butchered, living without him and raising their two children alone is a big burden on the young widow.

Ms Terseers story is not unique and is the story of many others.

Three years before the attack that killed Ms Terseers husband, a similar one led to the death of Mseer Nyamves husband in a different part of Benue.

At her new farm in Logo, where she now lives, Ms Nyamve was tending her yams. The farm had shown prospects of a good yield, even though she had not applied fertiliser to it. It was a yam farm of about 80 rows of 65 heaps each.

At the farm, Ms Nyamve narrated how suspected armed herdsmen killed 17 persons during a raid on Chembe, a Benue community on the border with Nasarawa and Taraba states. The early morning attack on January 30, 2015, claimed the life of her husband.

We got wind that Fulani were coming to attack so we ran and took refuge in our farms. At dawn, while on the farm, we heard gunshots and began to run again. Unfortunately, my husband could not move fast because of problems with his legs. They shot him from behind twice before he was butchered. I stood there watching them.

When they shot him I collapsed and began to cry. Although they intermittently looked at me, they did not touch me.

The widow, who now farms with her seven children, added that even our crops were destroyed and nothing was left. We have started with little things to keep body and soul together.

Conflicts such as that of Benue affect vulnerable groups such as women and children who constitute the majority of the displaced population in Nigeria.

According to a United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) supplementary report in 2017, an increasing number of households in conflict-prone areas are being headed by women, children and older people.

Out of the 17,700 vulnerable households profiled by UNHCRs vulnerability screening (November 2016), 18 per cent (6,800 families) have unaccompanied or separated children, 14 per cent (5,400 households) have orphans due to the conflict; 15 per cent (4,900 families) have children hawking or begging; and three per cent (1,100 households) reported their children to be missing.

The stories of Ms Nyamve and Ms Terseer are just some of the heart-wrenching stories of Benue women who have been victims of such violence. Many of them cannot return to their original farms and have to look elsewhere for land to cultivate crops for livelihood.

How It Started

Several accounts traced the beginning of these attacks back to 2015. They recalled the land grazing and settlement disagreement between herders and farmers which escalated into large-scale attacks in January 2018.

On the first day of that January 2018, armed men had invaded two farming communities in Guma and Logo local government areas of Benue State. The locals were deep in their sleep, having had long merriment on New Year eve. The attack left no fewer than 73 persons dead and scores of others injured.

The New Year Day attack opened a floodgate of other attacks which have forced thousands into internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps across the North-central state.

At the peak of the attacks, the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) said it registered 483,699 IDPs, mostly women and children.

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But for the emergency camp education arranged by the state government and international bodies, children in the troubled areas have had no access to classrooms since 2018.

From 2009 to 2018, IDPs grew in Africa from 6.4 million to 17.7 million, according to the UNHCR. More than 2.5 million of them are in Nigeria.

The UNHCR, Doctors Without Borders, Red Cross and other humanitarian agencies have been in the camps collaborating with the state government.

If someone can help to train one of my children in school, I will be happy. I will also be happy if I have a house to sleep in, Yahuan Nyityo of Chembe told PREMIUM TIMES.

She sat under a mango tree in the thatched house her husband left her with.

None of her four kids has gone past high school. They are working hard to bring their fathers farm back to the state it was before he was killed. Since troops of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) in May cleared the area, Ms Nyityo and others in the community have returned to their farms.

Now, we have to start all over trying to raise the farm again, Ms Nyityo said. The family cultivates yam and groundnut, two of the dominant crops in the area.

Several women who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES said cattle grazing on farmlands usually triggered the confrontation because when the herdsmen are confronted, they would respond with violence.

However, Gaurus Gilolo, a member of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN), denied that the attacks were carried out by herdsmen. Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES, he said there was no Fulani in Guma and Logo local government areas in 2018. The government made a law in 2017 and Fulanis were chased away and over 26,000 cattle killed by the livestock guards.

Mr Gilolo said when the Fulani are attacked, nobody says anything about it because they are mostly in the bush and the media never cares to hear from them.

Plight of widows

Solomon Ukeyima, a reverend father in the Makurdi Catholic Diocese, said: nobody can sufficiently say anything about the plight of women widowed by the militant herdsmen.

Since 2011, Mr Ukeyima has been working with IDPs, beginning in Guma LGA when he was at the St. Francis Mission in Daudu. When he was transferred to the St. Augustines Parish, Demekpe, in the state capital, the cleric continued to mobilise support for the IDPs.

His was said to be one of the leading voices that called for the enactment of the Benue Anti-Open Grazing Law of 2017, a law herdsmen have since vehemently kicked against.

Apart from the emotional and psychological pains, they are left alone to train the children. They are vulnerable because of the absence of the man of the house. The way their husbands were butchered and their homes burnt have left them traumatised, he said.

Helen Teghtegh of Community Links and Human Empowerment Initiative (CLHEI) began a campaign against gender-based violence (GBV) in response to reports of sexual exploitation in IDP camps.

Every female in the camp is vulnerable and they mostly depend on the government, NGOs and kindhearted people, she said.

We had a case of a woman who was raped while other women were around. Probably a male figures absence aided the crime. The perpetrator was a security personnel with a gun but if a male was present, it probably would not be so. Widows are highly vulnerable and may face more harassment, she said.

The Baka Market IDPs camp is on the fringes of 72 Special Forces Battalion in Makurdi. The Executive Secretary of SEMA, Emmanuel Shio, spoke of the governments efforts to check the abuse of women and young girls in the camp.

Baka is a non-official camp, it is difficult to monitor the happenings in the camp on a daily basis except for food distribution. But SEMA is in partnership with domestic NGOs to monitor the cases of sexual harassment. We promise that no one accused of sexual harassment, be it staff or soldiers, will go free, the law will take its course, he said.

In the past, IDPs had hoped for resettlement in their original homes. The resurgence of armed attacks has however dashed these hopes and aspirations.

Mr Shio said, the idea was to keep them in camp for a short period of time but it is important to look at the cause of displacement and because the headers are still lurking around communities, it is difficult for the Benue State government to think of resettling them at the moment.

Violence has had far-reaching humanitarian and economic impact on Benue State and has created big security problems. This has been compounded by the presence of over 10,000 Cameroonian refugees in Kwande local government which the state government through SEMA and other domestic NGOs are supporting, according to Mr Shio.

A gender and social activist, Bashirah Balogun, said women in IDPs camps do not feel safe and are exploited for access to basic supplies. All the camps should be adequately protected, both the official and non-official camps and women should be considered on all mechanisms including leadership positions in the IDPs camps. This will help in curbing gender irregularities and exploitation.

The staff and managers of the IDPs camps should be checked from time to time because some of the staff and community members may be the perpetrators of sexual exploitation.

Everyone in the camp deserves psycho-social and social support, especially women who have seen gruesome murder of their spouses and children. Trauma hays a long term effect and cannot be undone without actual psychological interventions, the activist said.

She called for the empowerment of the women with skills that can sustain them and provide their basic needs.

Ene Obi of Action Aid suggested the government should send female security personnel to the camps. She also recommended that local governments should be responsible for IDPs camps in their areas and should be appropriately supported for the role.

Support for this report was provided by Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism with funding support from Free Press Unlimited.
Ryan Murphy will explore the story of notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in his next project.

Deadline reports that Netflix has greenlit Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, a limited series created by Murphy and his frequent collaborator Ian Brennan.

Oscar nominee Richard Jenkins (The Shape of Water) is being lined up to star as Dahmers father, while showrunners are currently looking for an actor to cast as Dahmer himself.

Named by the media as the Milwaukee Cannibal or the Milwaukee Monster, Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys between 1978 to 1991. Many of the killings involved necrophilia, cannibalism, and the preservation of body parts.

After being convicted of 16 murders, a 34-year-old Dahmer was beaten to death by another inmate in 1994.

A number of films and documentaries have been made about Dahmer, who has been portrayed by actors including Jeremy Renner, Ross Lynch and Carl Crew.

Monster will apparently be told predominantly from the perspective of Dahmers victims, as well as his neighbour Glenda Cleveland, who repeatedly tried to alert law officials about Dahmers erratic behaviour.

It will explore the police failings and lack of compassion that allowed Dahmer to continue his murder spree, until he was finally arrested in 1991.

Cleveland first contacted police in 1991 after her daughter and niece told her they had witnessed a teenage boy, Konerak Sinthasomphone, fleeing Dahmers apartment.

She later said in interviews that she believed her being black played a role in the police not taking her calls seriously.

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Murphys series will reportedly show at least 10 of the instances where Dahmer was almost caught, but ultimately let go.

Carl Franklin, who directed four episodes of Mindhunter last year, will direct the first episode.

Production is expected to begin in January next year.

Monster is the latest project to be announced as part of Murphys Netflix deal, following limited series including Hollywood, and his films The Boys in the Band, and the forthcoming movie, Prom.

Murphy is also behind the Netflix/ABC series Ratched, starring Sarah Paulson, and The Politician.

Read our review of Ratched here.
Kathie Lee Gifford leaves Today Show and releases powerful short film, 'The God Who Sees

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Daytime TV host Kathie Lee Gifford had her final day on NBC's "Today" show Friday, after 11 years of co-hosting. Before making her official exit, the Emmy Award winner released a short film, titled The God Who Sees, featuring Nicole C Mullen.

The "modern oratorio" was directed by Gifford and shot in Israel. Mullen, the star of the film and the voice of the song and narration sings and shares about multiple characters in the Bible who have had desert experiences but God saw them through.

"Can you identify with Hagar the single mother, Ruth the widow, David from shepherd boy to King ... but still struggling? Or how about Mary of Magdela whose mental illness was caused by demonic forces? Ever been afraid, uncertain, worried, on the run?" Mullen wrote in an Instagram post about some of the people she mentions in the song.

The title is based on one of God's biblical names  El Ro-ee  which translates to "The God Who Sees Me." Hagar gave God the name in Gen 16:13.

The song begins in the Old Testament and shows how God is faithful all the way through and ultimately shares the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

"God was giving us something special, Gifford testified in a behind-the-scenes promotion for the project.

The respected entertainer linked up with Mullens to create the song. After writing it out, it was recorded in one take at a studio in Nashville. Gifford believes God then told her to shoot the video as a short film in Israel.

"It needed the Holy Land. It needed to set this woman representing all the people in the desert experiences that they're having. Then I started seeing what she should be wearing, how she should have her hair, how the wind should take a scarf that she's carrying. I knew from going to Israel as often as I have where I wanted her on a ledge singing," she revealed.

Both Gifford and Mullen said her hope is that people are touched by the Holy Spirit when watching the film and feel "the power of His presence" that will "bring them to their knees."

The author of The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi, also would like for the film to encourage people to visit Israel too.

"Come to the Holy Land. Visit it. Go to the places where these things actually happened," Gifford emphasized.

Watch the full "The God Who Sees" film below:
ORLANDO, Fla.: At least a quarter of the 28,000 layoffs planned for Disneys parks division will come from Florida, according to a letter the company filed with state and local officials last week.

The letter said that at least 6,390 nonunion Disney employees in Florida will be laid off starting in early December. The number of Florida layoffs, though, could grow as the company negotiates terms with a coalition of unions that represents 43,000 employees at Walt Disney World.

Due to the continuing business impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made the very difficult decision to reduce our workforce," Jim Bowden, a Disney vice president of employee relations said in the letter.

Disney officials said last week that two-thirds of the planned layoffs involve part-time workers and they ranged from salaried employees to hourly workers.

Disneys parks closed last spring as the pandemic started spreading in the U.S. The Florida parks reopened this summer, but the California parks have yet to reopen as the company awaits guidance from the state of California.

In a letter to employees last week, Josh DAmaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experience and Product, said Californias unwillingness to lift restrictions that would allow Disneyland to reopen exacerbated the situation for the company.

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The market climbed sharply after two days of consolidation and closed more than 1.5 percent higher amid unlock 5.0 guidelines and US stimulus hope on Thursday.

The BSE Sensex surged 629.12 points or 1.65 percent to 38,697.05 amid buying across sectors, while the Nifty50 jumped 169.50 points or 1.51 percent to 11,417 and formed a bullish candle on the daily charts. For the week, the index gained 3.3 percent forming a Bullish Harami pattern on the weekly scale.

"We observe back to back unfilled opening upside gaps on September 28 and October 1, which is indicating positive bias for the market ahead. If Thursday's gap remains unfilled at 11,260 in the next 1-2 sessions, then the present upside bounce could continue for some more period," Nagaraj Shetti, Technical Research Analyst at HDFC Securities told Moneycontrol.

"Nifty is now moving towards the next overhead resistance around 11,500-11,550 (down sloping trend line, connected from the lower highs). This could be the last resort for bears to check the bulls in a negative pattern. A sustainable move above 11,620 could negate the bearish implication and that could pull the market towards 11,800 and higher in the near term," he said.

The broader markets underperformed benchmark indices, with the Nifty Midcap index rising 0.84 percent and Smallcap index up 0.66 percent.

We have collated 15 data points to help you spot profitable trades:

Note: The open interest (OI) and volume data of stocks given in this story are the aggregates of three- month data and not of the current month only.

Key support and resistance levels on the Nifty

According to pivot charts, the key support levels for the Nifty is placed at 11,366.47, followed by 11,315.93. If the index moves up, the key resistance levels to watch out for are 11,448.07 and 11,479.13.

Nifty Bank

The Bank Nifty spiked 794.20 points or 3.70 percent to 22,246 on October 1. The important pivot level, which will act as crucial support for the index, is placed at 21,842.2, followed by 21,438.4. On the upside, key resistance levels are placed at 22,471.8 and 22,697.6.

Call option data

Maximum Call open interest of 17.43 lakh contracts was seen at 12,000 strike, which will act as crucial resistance in the October series.

This is followed by 11,500 strike, which holds 16.57 lakh contracts, and 11,800 strike, which has accumulated 10.36 lakh contracts.

Call writing was seen at 11,400 strike, which added 2.3 lakh contracts, followed by 11,800, which added 1.55 lakh contracts, and 11,700 strike, which added 1.43 lakh contracts.

Call unwinding was seen at 11,300 strike, which shed 1.55 lakh contracts, followed by 11,500 strike, which shed 1.46 lakh contracts and 11,200 strike which shed 1.36 lakh contracts.

Put option data

Maximum Put open interest of 36.28 lakh contracts was seen at 10,500 strike, which will act as crucial support in the October series.

This is followed by 11,000 strike, which holds 22.96 lakh contracts, and 10,800 strike, which has accumulated 16.67 lakh contracts.

Put writing was seen at 11,400 strike, which added 2.97 lakh contracts, followed by 11,000 strike, which added 2.26 lakh contracts and 11,300 strike which added 1.53 lakh contracts.

Put unwinding was witnessed at 10,500 strike, which shed 1.59 lakh contracts, followed by 10,400 strike which shed 99,300 contracts and 10,800 strike which shed 91,875 contracts.

Stocks with a high delivery percentage

A high delivery percentage suggests that investors are showing interest in these stocks.

41 stocks saw long build-up

Based on the open interest future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which long build-up was seen.

14 stocks saw long unwinding

Based on the open interest future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which long unwinding was seen.

14 stocks saw short build-up

An increase in open interest, along with a decrease in price, mostly indicates a build-up of short positions. Based on the open interest future percentage, here are top 10 stocks in which short build-up was seen.

67 stocks witnessed short-covering

A decrease in open interest, along with an increase in price, mostly indicates a short-covering. Based on the open interest future percentage, here are top 10 stocks in which short-covering was seen.

Bulk deals

(For more bulk deals, click here)

Analysts/Board Meetings

Mahindra & Mahindra: Company's officials will interact with Mirae Asset Global Investments on October 5 and GIC of Singapore on October 7 via conference call.

Tata Chemicals: Company's officials will interact with FSSA Investment Managers (First State Stewart) on October 6 via conference call.

Tata Motors: Company's officials will meet Credit Suisse via video conference on October 6.

Mahindra EPC Irrigation: Company to consider September quarter earnings on October 23.

Sundaram-Clayton: Company to consider September quarter earnings on October 30.

Amara Raja Batteries: Company to consider September quarter earnings on October 27.

HFCL: Company to consider September quarter earnings on October 10.

Wipro: Company to consider September quarter earnings on October 13.

CARE Ratings: Company to consider September quarter earnings and dividend on November 3.

L&T Technology Services: Company to consider September quarter earnings and dividend on October 19.

Vivid Mercantile: Company on October 12 to consider allotment of bonus shares.

SM Gold: Company on October 12 to consider allotment of bonus shares.

Stocks in the news

Angel Broking: Company to list shares on October 5. Issue price is fixed at Rs 306 per share.

Reliance Industries: Mubadala Investment Company, GIC and TPG will invest Rs 13,597.5 crore into RIL's subsidiary Reliance Retail Ventures.

Tata Motors: Company sold 44,444 vehicles in September 2020 against 32,376 vehicles sold in September 2019, sales in Q2 increased 13% to 1,06,888 vehicles.

Route Mobile: Company completed the acquisition of primarily intellectual property (software) and associated identified customer contracts (business) of TeleDNA Communications, on a slump sale basis.

AGC Networks: Subsidiary Black Box Holdings has completed the acquisition of Fujisoft Technology LLC (Dubai) and Fujisoft Security Solutions LLC (Dubai).

ITI: Company signed contract with Ministry of Defense to implement Rs 7,796 crore ASCON Phase-IV project.

VST Tillers and Tractors: Company sold 2,246 power tillers in September 2020 against 1,292 tillers in September 2019. In same period, it sold 1,004 tractors against 669 tractors YoY.

Hero MotoCorp: Company sold 7,15,718 units in September 2020, up 16.9% compared to 6,12,204 units YoY.

Fund flow

FII and DII data

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) net bought shares worth Rs 1,632.25 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) net purchased shares worth Rs 259.46 crore in the Indian equity market on October 1, as per provisional data available on the NSE.

Stock under F&O ban on NSE

One stock - Vedanta - is under the F&O ban for October 5. Securities in the ban period under the F&O segment include companies in which the security has crossed 95 percent of the market-wide position limit.

: "Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd which publishes Moneycontrol."
PARIS  French authorities deployed about 1,000 firefighters, four military helicopters and troops to search for at least eight people who were missing after devastating floods hit a mountainous border region with Italy, where at least four people were killed.

Emergency workers in Italy recovered two corpses Sunday in northern Liguria that they feared may have been washed away as a result of the storms that killed two other people on Saturday.

Floods washed away houses and destroyed roads and bridges surrounding the city of Nice on the French Riviera after almost a years average rainfall fell in less than 12 hours. Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi said over 100 homes were destroyed or severely damaged.

Rescuers on Sunday were also providing emergency assistance, including food and water, to residents living in isolated villages.

The missing include two French firefighters whose vehicle was carried away by a torrent when a road collapsed south of the village of Saint-Martin-Vesubie. Authorities fear more victims as many families couldnt reach out to relatives due to cellphone service being down.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex, who flew over the area in a helicopter, expressed grave concern over the toll of the flooding.

About 10,500 homes were left without electricity on Sunday, French energy company Enedis said.

In Italy, the body of one person reported missing on Saturday  a French citizen of Italian origin  was found in the Roia River, the ANSA and LaPresse news agencies reported. The second one washed up closer to where the Roia empties into the Mediterranean along Italys border with France.

An Italian firefighter was killed on Saturday during a rescue operation in the mountainous northern region of Val dAosta. A search team also found a body in the Piedmont regions Vercelli province, where a man had been swept away by floodwaters.

Italian firefighters also rescued 25 people trapped on the French side of a high mountain pass due to the flooding.

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Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed to the story

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Follow all AP stories on extreme weather and climate change at https://apnews.com/hub/Climate.
New Zealand born film star Sam Neill is currently in England filming Jurassic World: Dominion amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Unable to return to his hometown, the 73-year-old veteran actor is required to remain isolated at his United Kingdom hotel until filming is complete.

Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Sam revealed as a safety precaution he, and his fellow castmates are tested for COVID-19 at least three times per week.

New Zealand born film Sam Neill, 73, (pictured) has revealed he is tested for COVID-19 at least three times per week while living in a 'hotel bubble' filming Jurassic World: Dominion

'We are in this kind of bubble where we are insulated from the world and as long as I don't turn on the news I am perfectly happy. Well ... there is maybe the odd glum day, let's put it that way,' he said.

Sam, who also appeared in the original Jurassic Park film in 1993, admitted while times may be tough, he appreciates having a job.

'It's a great privilege to be working at all at the moment because so many of my friends and colleagues are completely without work,' he added.

Safety first! Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Sam revealed as a safety precaution he, and his fellow castmates are tested for COVID-19 at least three times per week

Last month, Sam thrilled Jurassic Park fans as he shared a video with co-star Jeff Goldblum as they enjoyed a break from set singing I Remember You by Frank Ifield.

The actor and Thor: Ragnarok star, 67, were in great spirits as they sang to each other, with Jeff ad-libbing to complement Sam's cheery rendition of the song.

It comes weeks after Sam shared a picture of his character and wrote: 'Tomorrow I'm back in The Grant Hat and into the Whole Jurassic World. Terror knows no bounds!'

Exciting: Sam revealed that he was heading out on set for his first day filming in August as he shared a picture of his character

Getting into character: Sam also shared a picture of the fedora that was placed safely in his trailer, ready for him to wear for the day's shoot and looking exactly like his original attire

He followed it with a Tweet, that read: 'Hold onto your hats - gettin' my old one back on this week, and facing off dinosaurs once again!'

The actor then went on to remark that he thinks Jurassic World: Dominion is the 'best' film in the series so far: 'Best yet. Excited and terrified - these things will kill ya!'

Sam tagged stars Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt, as well as writer/director Colin Trevorrow, who was responsible for rebooting the dormant franchise in 2015.
News

Miami, Florida - Two United States citizens who were detained by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and recently transferred to the custody of the FBI have been charged with material support violations relating to their support for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.

John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, George Piro, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Miami Field Office, and the members of the South Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), made the announcement.

Emraan Ali, 53, a U.S. citizen born in Trinidad & Tobago, was charged in a complaint with providing and attempting to provide material support to ISIS. Jihad Ali, 19, a U.S. citizen born in New York, was charged in a complaint with conspiracy to provide material support to ISIS. Both defendants had their initial appearances today in federal court in the Southern District of Florida before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edwin G. Torres.

According to the criminal complaints, in March 2015, Emraan Ali traveled to Syria with his family, including his son, Jihad Ali, to join ISIS. Both Emraan Ali and Jihad Ali received military and religious training and served as fighters in support of the terrorist organization. In addition to serving as a fighter, Emraan Ali served in various other roles in support of ISIS. Emraan and Jihad Ali finally surrendered to the SDF near Baghuz in March 2019, during the last sustained ISIS battles to maintain territory in Syria.

Assistant Attorney General Demers and Ms. Fajardo Orshan commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and the JTTF. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rick Del Toro and Jonathan Kobrinski, with assistance from Trial Attorney Elisa Poteat of the National Security Divisions Counterterrorism Section.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Pompeo cancels visit to South Korea



U.S. President Donald Trump's COVID-19 infection is bad news not only for the U.S., but for the world. The health issues of leaders of superpowers can pose a security threat. In this sense, Trump's health problem  although potentially not serious  could increase uncertainties over political developments in the U.S. and negatively affect global financial markets.



We wish President Trump and first lady Melania Trump a quick recovery from the coronavirus. We also hope that he will soon get back to work after receiving treatment under quarantine. The longer he is absent from the White House, the greater uncertainties there will be over his leadership and the political timetable in the U.S.



Trump's aides and medical staff have expressed cautious optimism about his health. He was known to have mild symptoms of a cough, nasal congestion and fatigue. On Saturday, Trump, 74, said in a video from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that he was beginning to feel better and hoped to "be back soon." But still no one knows for sure that he will get better soon, considering his age and obesity.



Trump and his wife tested positive for the coronavirus Thursday, just one month before the Nov. 3 presidential election. The test result is apparently a setback to Trump's re-election bid. He has stopped his campaigning and canceled television debates with his rival, former Vice President Joe Biden of the Democratic Party.



Critics may argue that Trump's infection has come as no surprise because he has so far played down the risk of COVID-19, even refusing to wear face masks. Trump wrongly claimed the coronavirus was a hoax. Now we hope he will change his misguided perception about the pandemic and have a correct understanding of it.



President Moon Jae-in joined world leaders in sending a message to Trump and his wife, wishing them a swift recovery. Moon's message followed a similar one tweeted in April to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson who was hospitalized for the coronavirus. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un also did the same to offer his sympathy to the U.S. president. Kim apparently wants to maintain good personal ties with Trump although denuclearization talks have been deadlocked since the Hanoi summit in February 2019.



The Moon administration needs to take measures to minimize any possible fallout from the U.S. leader's health problems. Moon should have close consultations with the Trump administration to maintain the strong alliance with the U.S. to cope with military threats from North Korea.



On Saturday, the State Department announced the cancellation of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's plan to visit Seoul this week as part of his Asian visit including Japan and Mongolia. The move seemed closely related to Trump's infection. But it will not affect Seoul-Washington relations. The department said it would reschedule Pompeo's visit in several weeks.



The Moon government also should be prepared for any impact of Trump's health issue on the local financial market. There is so far little sign of instability globally, but we have to take timely and appropriate action if Trump goes through a prolonged treatment period or his condition worsens.




Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced in January 2020 that they would step down as senior members of the royal family. A few months later, the couple moved to Los Angeles to set up life as private citizens in the United States.

Although the couple has not cut ties with the royal family, and Harry is still in line for the throne, they no longer use their royal titles because of an agreement with Queen Elizabeth. It is not clear exactly why Harry and Meghan have been stripped of their titles, but a royal author claims Her Majesty does not trust them to use the titles properly.

(L-R) Queen Elizabeth, Meghan Markle, and Prince Harry | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are not allowed to use their HRH titles anymore

Harry and Meghan are officially called the Duke and Duchess of Sussextitles they can still use. However, after stepping down as senior royals, Queen Elizabeth asked them to drop the use of HRH (or His/Her Royal Highness).

This is a big deal because Queen Elizabeth does not allow just anyone to use HRH to style themselves. She granted Meghan the title after she married Harry in 2018, and Her Majesty continues to reserve the right to restrict its usage.

Something else Harry and Meghan have been barred from doing is using the brand Sussex Royal. This was the couples social media name, but their accounts containing this name have been inactive since the spring of 2020.

Additionally, Harry was also asked to relinquish his military titles, which he earned while serving in the British army from 2005 to 2015.

Queen Elizabeth reportedly does not trust Harry and Meghan to use the titles properly

Queen Elizabeth seemed to have understood that Harry and Meghan wanted to make their own money after their departure. However, royals are not supposed to make money off their titles and statuses, so she reportedly placed restrictions on them to be sure they could not use their ties to the monarchy to grow their bank account.

The Queen deliberated for several weeks, then ruled that Harry and Meghan could not use Sussex Royal as the brand name to market their merchandise and various activities in North America, author Robert Lacey wrote in the upcoming book Battle of Brothers, as reported by Express. It was reliably reported that Her Majesty remained well-disposed towards her grandson and granddaughter-in-law.

Lacey also said that another reason Queen Elizabeth did not want Harry and Meghan to keep their titles was because she simply did not trust them.

Lacey wrote, She wished them well in their new life in Canada  and her eighth great-grandchild as well, of course. But it was also said by those in the know that the couples erratic and impulsive behaviour for the past year had not inclined Queen Elizabeth II to entrust the Sussexes with the use of the word royal any time soon.

Some reports say Harry and Meghan could eventually relinquish all of their titles anyway since they want to work more in Hollywood, where titles are not as important as connections and experience.
A television jourmalist interviews the mother (2L) of the 19-year-old woman, who was allegedly gang-raped by four men, outside the family house at Bool Garhi village in Hathras in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. AP Photo

The horrific Hathras rape outrage raises some deeply disturbing questions. First and foremost, is the role of the UP government and police.

Why was the victims body taken away forcibly from her home and cremated against her familys will in the dead of night? The family wanted to perform the last rites in the morning and then cremate her. But her parents and brothers were locked in their house.

Quite apart from the legal propriety of cremating the body when another autopsy was clearly warranted, there is a shocking insensitivity to this episode. The family of the young Dalit girl was in trauma. They had just lost a daughter to one of the most brutal rape incidents seen in recent times.

To take away the dead body against the familys will, lock up family members, and forcibly carry out the cremation at 2:30 am, shows an unpardonable callousness to basic human emotions.

Why was the UP sarkar in such a tearing hurry? Quite clearly, there must be a reason. If it thought that with her cremation the matter may quickly die a natural death, the outcome was just the opposite.

Thanks to the media, most of them brave young women, the entire nation was sickened by the pitiless, cruel and high-handed behaviour of the police. The visuals of the mother wailing at not being able to even see the face of her dead daughter were appalling.

The UP government seemed to have only one priority, which was to claim that the girl was not gangraped. The state police cited the report of the Forensic Science Lab in Agra, which apparently said that no trace of semen was found.

Surely, the police would know that the absence of semen is no proof that rape did not take place. Moreover, as against the forensic report, there is the dying declaration of the girl herself where she says that she was raped. Is this not proof enough?

In the light of the victims confirmation of rape, why was the body not subjected to a fresh examination by a panel that would include a senior gynaecologist? Was this the reason why the body was cremated in such unseemly haste?

There is also the visual of the district magistrate of Hathras obviously trying to intimidate the victims family. The media will go away in a day or two, he can be heard telling the family; only the police will remain, so it would be better if you change your statement.

This raises the question of why the UP police want to whitewash this gruesome incident. Who is UP chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, trying to protect?

Is there a caste angle to this dastardly crime, which has something to do with the fact that the four accused who have been arrested are allegedly of the dominant Thakur caste, which is the same caste as the UP CM?

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), nearly 10 Dalit women are raped every day, with UP recording the largest number, 14.7 per cent of Indias total. No doubt, UP is the most populous state in the country, but the fact remains that even nationwide  again as per NCRB data  crimes against Dalits have increased by 47 per cent in the period between 2014 and 2018.

The rivalry between the BJP and the Congress has triggered a competitive rape politics where a rape in Rajasthan  a Congress ruled state  is being compared to the Hathras incident. This is deeply shameful. Both incidents were heinous and gruesome. But Yogi Adityanath, who dresses in saffron and calls himself a Yogi, must answer for the condemnable manner in which his administration and police acted in Hathras.

Even now the victims family is being barricaded by the police, their phones are being illegally tapped, and journalists or politicians of Opposition parties are not being allowed to meet them freely. Why?

The brutal Nirbhaya rape led to national outrage because it happened in the capital of the Republic. But the Nirbhaya of Hathras was not that fortunate. She was fatally assaulted on September 14, and  as per her own statement  raped, her neck broken and her tongue cut. But national media hardly took any real notice of this shocking incident, until her death on September 29.

On electronic media we were presented frenzied accounts of which actresses allegedly smoked hash, Rhea Chakrabortys bail application, and Kangana Ranauts verbal tantrums. If the media had paused from its breathless chase of Bollywood actresses and focused on this case, perhaps the victim would have got better medical attention, and her life could have been saved.

The minimum that should be done now is to immediately suspend the Hathras DM. The Superintendent of Police (SP) has been suspended. The accused should be tried through a fast-track court in a time bound manner, and if found guilty, hanged like the Nirbhaya perpetrators.

There is a demand that an investigation into the rape and murder should be entrusted to the CBI. But, a caged parrot may not be the solution.

What this case needs is a time bound inquiry by a Supreme Court designated judge, which must also fix responsibility for the highly suspect role played by the UP government and the police. It would be good if the UP CM is asked a few questions, not only by his political opponents, but in a judicial process.
WASHINGTON - The White House continued to provide limited and contradictory information about President Donald Trump's health on Sunday, saying he had begun a steroid treatment after twice suffering bouts of low oxygen but also contending that he was doing well and could soon be discharged from the hospital where he is being treated for the novel coronavirus.

Adding to the confusion about his status, Trump briefly left Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., to wave to supporters from a motorcade, after releasing a video on Twitter thanking people who had gathered outside the facility.

"We're getting great reports from the doctors," Trump said in the video before promising a "little surprise" to his supporters. "It's been a very interesting journey. I learned a lot about covid."

At a news conference earlier Sunday, Trump's medical team tried to clear up the muddled picture it had created the previous day when White House physician Sean Conley falsely suggested that Trump had not been given supplemental oxygen.

But Conley continued to avoid directly answering specific questions about Trump's health Sunday, even as he revealed that the president had been given dexamethasone, a steroid that is typically reserved for severely ill coronavirus patients needing oxygen. Conley admitted to withholding truthful information about Trump's plummeting blood-oxygen levels Friday, indicating that he did so to put a positive spin on the president's improving condition.

"I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude that the team, the president, that his course of illness, has had," Conley said Sunday, explaining why he told reporters Saturday that Trump had not been given oxygen Friday. "I didn't want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction. And in doing so, you know, it came off that we were trying to hide something, which wasn't necessarily true."

Conley also announced that Trump's oxygen levels had dropped again on Saturday. Asked whether Trump had been administered supplemental oxygen as a result, Conley said he did not know and would have to check with the nursing staff.

Washington Post photo by Matt McClain

The episode continued what has been a days-long torrent of falsehoods, obfuscation, evasion, misdirection and imprecision from those surrounding Trump as he faces the greatest threat to a president's health in decades. From the chief White House doctor to the president's chief of staff, the inability to provide clear, direct and consistent information about Trump's condition has been widespread since the coronavirus began rapidly circulating in the West Wing.

Trump, his doctors and White House aides sought to portray him as improving and largely unencumbered by the virus that has killed more than 209,000 Americans. White House aides emphasized that Trump was continuing to work while at Walter Reed, casting him as a triumphant warrior.

In the Twitter video, Trump said he has spent part of his time at Walter Reed visiting wounded warriors and first responders but did not provide details about how those patients were protected against him infecting them with the coronavirus. He also implied that he understood the virus better than medical experts after having contracted it.

"I learned it by really going to school - this is the real school. This isn't the let's-read-the-book school," he said. "And I get it, and I understand it."

The president donned a mask as he waved to a crowd of fans from inside a black SUV, clapping his hands and flashing a thumbs-up sign. He returned to Walter Reed after what White House spokesman Judd Deere described as a "short, last-minute motorcade ride to wave to his supporters."

Trump told advisers on Sunday that he was getting bored being in the hospital and was tiring of watching coverage of his hospitalization. The ride past supporters was so impromptu that officials in charge of assembling the White House press pool were not told.

The decision by Trump, who announced on Friday that he'd tested positive for the novel coronavirus, to defy public health guidelines and leave quarantine to greet his supporters confounded medical experts. Several agents from the Secret Service, which has already suffered from coronavirus outbreaks in recent weeks while protecting Trump, were also in the SUV with the president.

The car ride was designed to show strength, advisers said, and by the end of the day, campaign officials were touting Trump for doing more than Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden that day even while suffering from the virus.

Most staffers were not with Trump at Walter Reed on Sunday. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, whose comments about Trump's health on Saturday angered the president, and social media manager and senior adviser Dan Scavino were with the president for part of the day.

One doctor on Trump's medical team, Brian Garibaldi, said the president could be discharged from Walter Reed as soon as Monday if he continues to do well - comments that many medical experts found stunning given the publicly known risk factors.

Even as Conley asserted that Trump was "doing very well" and that his symptoms of cough, congestion and fatigue were "resolving and improving," several questions about his condition remained unanswered.

Conley declined to answer questions about the president's lungs, including whether there is scarring or whether he has pneumonia.

While Conley said for the first time that Trump had a high fever and required oxygen on Friday morning, he declined to describe how high his temperature was. On Friday morning, the White House was saying publicly that Trump had mild symptoms.

White House communications director Alyssa Farah defended the lack of forthrightness Sunday, telling Fox News that the positive spin was part of an effort to help improve Trump's health.

"It's a common medical practice that you want to convey confidence, and you want to raise the spirits of the person you're treating," she said.

Several of the president's advisers and allies said the White House's handling of the diagnosis, and the culture that caused it, leave much to be desired.

"I don't think the procedures around the president were providing him the protection he needed and deserved," said Scott Gottlieb, the former FDA commissioner under Trump. "The cavalier approach that put the president at risk extended into some of the policy choices that were made and how they approached covid as a matter of public policy."

Tom Bossert, Trump's former homeland security adviser, said the president and his team did not avoid large gatherings, maintain social distance, wear masks, isolate themselves or self-isolate after being in contact with people who had contracted the coronavirus.

"At this point, the president and senior people around him have violated all five core principles of the country's coronavirus strategy," he said. "I do not wish to be perceived as criticizing him while he is in this condition, but that needs to be pointed out. I am praying for his recovery."

It remains unclear when Trump last tested negative for the coronavirus, a question White House officials have declined to answer even as a growing number of people in the president's orbit have tested positive in recent days. Understanding the date of Trump's last negative test could help determine how long the president may have been contagious and how many people he may have put at risk by traveling frequently, eschewing masks and meeting with large crowds against the advice of public health guidelines.

Trump senior aide Hope Hicks tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday morning, long before Trump traveled on Air Force One that afternoon for a fundraiser in New Jersey, officials said. After returning, Trump took a rapid test, which came back positive, followed by another test. While awaiting those results, he appeared on Sean Hannity's Fox News television show and did not disclose the positive result of his rapid test. Later that night, the results of the more precise test also showed that he was positive, and the president disclosed his diagnosis in a tweet.

Since the announcement Friday, Trump has been treated with a range of drugs and experimental therapeutics, including the steroid dexamethasone, the antiviral drug remdesivir and a cocktail of monoclonal antibodies that has not yet been approved to fight the virus by the Food and Drug Administration.

Medical experts who have reviewed the president's treatment program said any attempt to allow Trump to return to the White House on Monday would raise questions of political influence on the medical process.

Surrogates for Joe Biden sought to contrast the Democratic presidential nominee's approach to the virus with that of the president.

"Joe Biden has led by example," Biden deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said in an interview with ABC News's "This Week." She added: "I think that that's what the American people are looking for."

Several White House officials said there was an anxious culture around Trump.

"There is no contact tracing. There is no information being shared with us," said one official involved in the coronavirus response. "They're saying internally to us, 'He's OK, he's OK,' but they are putting him on oxygen, and his vitals aren't good."

White House officials are still not required to wear masks, Deere said. Staff members of the National Security Council are now mandated to cover their faces, according to a directive from national security adviser Robert O'Brien.

Trump has told allies that he wants to come back to the White House on Monday, but there is some fear among his advisers that it is a political decision and that he could be forced to return to Walter Reed.

The White House has most of the medical functions that Walter Reed has, but it does not have the same equipment for advanced imagery and other critical care functions, officials said.

Additionally, the White House continues to deal with an ongoing coronavirus outbreak, with several staff members testing positive.

Nick Luna, Trump's personal assistant, has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a senior administration official. News of Luna's diagnosis was first reported Saturday night by Bloomberg News.

Meanwhile, at least two White House residence staffers contracted the virus some weeks ago and were sent home. Administration officials do not believe those staffers directly gave the virus to the president, given the amount of time since their cases.

While the White House decided to not to publicly announce those positive tests at the time, Farah told reporters Sunday that the White House would be more forthcoming going forward and would release information about the number of aides who have tested positive for the virus. Later Sunday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany indicated that such information would not be released, citing privacy considerations.

Several White House officials are waiting to learn whether they have been infected. Deere, who traveled with the president on Thursday, has worked from home, other officials said. Brian Jack, the political director who accompanied Trump to all of his events, has so far tested negative, the officials said.

Still, the White House does not plan to make any change to how the West Wing will operate to prevent further spread of the virus among the people who work there. Deere said there will be no changes to West Wing protocol - which now recommends but does not require masks.

Two White House aides asked a reporter on Sunday for information on what was happening in the building, including whether there were other positive cases.

"We aren't getting any sort of communication," said one of the officials, who is regularly around the president.

If Trump were to leave the hospital to return to such a setting, it would probably be a signal that he continues to put politics ahead of public health, some experts said.

Any patient with Trump's symptoms and treatment who wanted to be discharged from the hospital three days after their admission would probably need to sign out against doctors' orders because it would be so ill-advised, said William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University's medical school.

"Absolutely not," he said of the idea of sending Trump back to the White House on Monday. "I will bet dollars to doughnuts it's the president and his political aides who are talking about discharge, not his doctors."

For a coronavirus patient admitted Friday to be sent home Monday "would be remarkably atypical," said Robert Wachter, chairman of the University of California at San Francisco's department of medicine. "For someone sick enough to have required remdesivir and dexamethasone, I can't think of a situation in which a patient would be OK to leave on Day 3, even with the White House's medical capacity."

Medical consensus has emerged that patients with the virus are especially vulnerable for a window of time that lasts 7 to 10 days after their diagnosis. In Trump's case, Schaffner said, one reason to keep him hospitalized is the possibility that he might develop an adverse reaction to the medications he is receiving, including the experimental cocktail of monoclonal antibodies provided by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals under "compassionate use" provisions.

The coronavirus is known to cause some patients who seem relatively healthy to suddenly deteriorate because of either the virus itself or an excessive immune response that can cause damage to several organs of the body, including the heart, doctors said.

Wachter and other physicians said it sounds as if the president's lungs have been affected by the virus, based on his physicians' description Sunday that the president had had episodes of low oxygen Friday and Saturday morning for which he was given supplemental oxygen to bring the levels up. "It confirmed what we all thought as we read between and around the lines yesterday," Wachter said. "He has a moderately serious case of covid."

- - -

The Washington Post's Derek Hawkins contributed to this report.
Signs left by supporters of President Donald Trump at the entrance to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda - Cliff Owen

They had stationed themselves outside Walter Reed hospital all weekend in solidarity with Donald Trump, who is being treated for coronavirus at the facility, but they could never have expected what happened next.

The US president left his hospital bed to come and offer a personal thank you to the well wishers who had been stationed outside the facility for hours on end, waving 'Trump 2020' flags and holding signs praying for his recovery.

Mr Trump made the announcement of his "little surprise" visit in a short video posted on Twitter moments before the presidential motorcade drove by the hundreds of supporters gathered outside.

Dressed in an open shirt, suit and wearing a face mask, Mr Trump waved from the backseat window of his car and gave a thumbs up, throwing the crowd into a frenzy.

Some supporters ran alongside the motorcade to catch a second glimpse of the president - the secret service agents stationed nearby appeared a little uneasy, but Mr Trump appeared ecstatic at the level of enthusiasm.

Trump waves from the back of a car in a motorcade outside of Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda - AFP

But the medical community has complained that the outing broke his own government's public health guidelines requiring patients to isolate while they are in treatment and still shedding virus - and endangered his Secret Service protection.

Health experts took to the airwaves and social media to criticise the "stunt", which they said demonstrated that he had learned nothing at all.

"Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary Presidential 'drive-by' just now has to be quarantined for 14 days," said James Phillips, chief of disaster medicine at George Washington University.

"They might get sick. They may die. For political theatre. Commanded by Trump to put their lives at risk for theatre. This is insanity."

The surprise drive-by, that was an acknowledgement of his supporters, was also a sign that the president felt strong enough to leave the hospital bed he has occupied since Friday night.

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Among those outside was Jennifer Gilde, who had brought a camp chair along with her to Walter Reed hospital, so that she could stay outside overnight to show her support for the president.

Despite living just 40 minutes away, Ms Gilde has been here, perched in her camp chair, since Saturday afternoon to share her well wishes for Mr Trump, along with dozens of other supporters.

It was cold overnight, but we wanted to be here, she told The Daily Telegraph, adding that another friend has been sleeping here since Friday, when Mr Trump was first transported to the military hospital just outside of Washington DC.

I think its important to show our support - hes our president, Ms Gilde says. We really want to see him re-elected. This is a huge election for our nation so thats why Im here.

But Ms Gilde is not optimistic that Mr Trumps recent coronavirus diagnosis will sway voters one way or the other.

Everyone I talk to really has their mind made up, she said, so Im hearing more of people wishing harm on him on the other side instead of having sympathy - although they should. Thats basic human nature. I wouldnt want to see Biden [Mr Trumps Democratic opponent] get sick but it does seem like people have their mind made up.

Others felt certain that Mr Trumps illness would have an impact on his re-election campaign. Its going to give more compassion to the president, said Bill, a Maryland resident and Navy veteran. People have more sympathy because hes gone through what theyve gone through.

Supporters of US President Donald Trump hold signs and flags on October 4, 2020 outside of Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland - Alex Edelman

Another supporter, David Stone, held a handmade sign reading recovery zone, and said he was hoping the president would draw strength from their display of support as he watched on from his nearby hospital room.

A steady stream of cars have been honking their horns as they pass the dozen or so supporters who have congregated with large music speakers, Trump 2020 flags and handmade signs declaring their love for the president.

Mr Trump tweeted his thanks on Sunday evening:

I really appreciate all of the fans and supporters outside of the hospital. The fact is, they really love our Country and are seeing how we are MAKING IT GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 4, 2020

The group began gathering in earnest on Saturday night, when details about the seriousness of Mr Trumps condition first began to emerge.

One Maryland resident, who did not want to be named but said she emigrated from China 30 years ago, said she had come to the hospital to share her "positive energy" with the president.

"I feel very sad about it," she said. "Because he went to so many rallies and met so many people, he has a lot of risk and hes old, hes 74. I really from my heart feel sad about it. I really want him to get well soon, I put my little energy to boost [him]. I came here last night too, hes a nice guy, he works hard for the people and for the country. He even works for the world."

One senior Republican Party figure in the Maryland branch told The Daily Telegraph that a message went out urging local supporters to come to the hospital and show their backing for the president.

The figure, who asked not to be named, claimed that among the people who had gathered outside on Saturday night were Trump supporters from the states of Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, North Carolina and even Louisiana.

"It was amazing. People drove six, eight, ten hours to come see him," said the local party figure, who went down in person on Saturday to attend the gathering.

Supporters of US President Donald Trump hold signs and flags on October 4, 2020 outside of Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland - AFP

Some among the crowd appeared to blame China for Mr Trumps current condition - holding signs that read CCP virus and The CCP kill people - an apparent reference to the Chinese Communist Party. Mr Trump has repeatedly referred to Covid-19 as "the China virus" and attacked the country for allowing the outbreak to spread beyond its borders.

A group of supporters for Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate, could also be seen demonstrating across the street from the hospital on Saturday night. One held a placard reading: "Tell us the truth", alluding to reports that the White House has obfuscated over Mr Trump's condition. Another held a sign reading: "Truth over lives. Vote Biden."

The demonstrations were largely peaceful, although some minor altercations were reported between those dressed in Trump campaign gear and those holding Black Lives Matter signs.

We cant hear you, you might want to take your mask off, come on, one Trump supporter was heard shouting into a megaphone.

Police were also forced to clear demonstrators away from the area later on Saturday night to investigate a suspicious package discovered outside the medical facility. The package was later cleared and the crowd was allowed to return to the hospital gate.

Supporters of the president also gathered across the country to wish him a speedy recovery, with a pro-Trump rally held in Orange County, California, accompanied by a caravan of around 250 cars and a boat parade in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Saturday.

Meanwhile hundreds gathered outside Trump Tower in New York City on Sunday, with a convoy of about 100 cars stopping traffic on 5th Avenue as they honked their horns and chanted "four more years".
Joanna Hutchinson holds one finished origami triangle unit in her hand while outside her Philadelphia home on Sept. 26, 2020. The square pieces of paper are being packed and sent to participants who have signed up to spend hours folding origami pieces for her sculpture. Read more

Joanna Hutchinson knew 100,000 was a maddeningly large number. Thats why she started on the project.

But its something else to cut 100,000 squares of origami paper  folding them until her hands ache, packing them by the hundreds to mail to collaborators around the country, making multiple trips to the post office because the boxes wont fit in her car  to see the returned packages, filled with triangular units, pile up along a wall, a mounting presence in her Cobbs Creek home.

It had to be 100,000, though. Each folded shape is meant to represent a person lost to the coronavirus pandemic in the United States as of May, when headlines announcing that landmark hit Hutchinson like a gut-punch.

I was really deeply saddened by the news, and also angry with the mismanagement of the crisis, she said. I wanted to do something tangible to mourn and to honor these people.

So, she developed this community sculpture project, which shes calling 100,000 Folds. Each death will be counted in a red paper pyramid that will be fitted into looming, red sculptures that will stand 6 feet tall, human-scale vessels to contain an unthinkable loss.

But now, the number of lives lost has exceeded 200,000. Hutchinson is grappling with whether to expand the project accordingly. I dont want to lose sight of these people who have perished," she said.

Its one early indication of just how challenging it will be to memorialize the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic  though artists and activists around the country are already stepping up to try.

How does a pandemic get marked? Memorials are few and far between, said Paul Farber, the artistic director of Monument Lab and a research scholar at the Center for Public Art and Space at the University of Pennsylvania.

He noted that Philadelphia has half a dozen memorials related to World War I, but not one monument or even a single historical marker for the 1918 flu, which killed 12,000 Philadelphians. There are few sites memorializing earlier yellow fever epidemics that killed 4,000 or more. (Exceptions are a fading monument at Laurel Hill Cemetery, and a marker at the Lazaretto, a quarantine hospital where infected immigrants were detained until they recovered or died. ) And other than panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, theres no AIDS memorial here either.

One reason for this absence could be how epidemics, unlike wars, tend to fade away gradually. Just as important, Farber said, We know if you have more time, money, and power, you have more access to build longstanding monuments and memorials. Those most impacted by pandemics are predominantly those who dont have the resources to escape the city or to get the best care. Its a reminder that the memorials and monuments in our public spaces are not a mirror of our actual lived history. Theyre a slice of the story.

But he and others are thinking about how to respond this time, in a more equitable way.

Many early memorial efforts, like 100,000 Folds, have sought to address the sheer scale of the loss.

In Washington, a group called the COVID Memorial Project placed 20,000 small American flags on the National Mall in September, each flag representing 10 dead.

In Los Angeles, a gallerist invited the public to contribute to the Memorial Crane Project, adding an origami crane for each life lost, along with personal stories. It has collected more than 25,000 cranes so far.

Others have sought to highlight the humanity of that loss, putting faces and names to the numbers.

In Detroit, city officials in August backed the creation of a temporary memorial that placed 900 enlarged photographs around a park of those lost, inviting mourners to drive through and pay respects in a procession led by a hearse.

A group of New York City-area artists and academics created an online project, #NamingTheLost: A 24 Hour Covid Vigil, launched in May, after deaths exceeded 100,000, with a reading of names on a livestream. Since then, the organizers have been creating monthly pop-up memorials for the dead in New York City. In September, when the nations losses grew to 200,000, they shared a memorial toolkit, encouraging participants around the world to make their own grassroots memorials.

This question of how do we collectively honor and mourn in a time when were not even supposed to be near anybody else is a problem that felt really urgent, said Lyra Monteiro, an assistant professor of history at Rutgers University-Newark and one of the organizers. Ive felt really compelled by the enormity of the grieving that both is happening and isnt happening right now, and the relative invisibility of those losses.

Shes not sure what the next iteration of that project will be, but shed like to see something like the antimonumentos, or anti-monuments, activists have installed in Mexico City, like an enormous sculptural 43 in memory of 43 students who disappeared in 2014.

There is an opportunity for thinking about memorials as sites of protest, she said.

Here in Philadelphia, artists are still figuring out how to lift up those lost, while navigating a politically sensitive situation and health-care privacy rules that make accessing information a challenge.

Farber said he had a vision of calling in artists to chalk the names of Philadelphias more than 1,800 COVID dead up and down Broad Street, then abandoned the idea after recognizing that he had no way to obtain that list.

Philadelphia artist RA Friedman has completed more than two dozen portraits in a series that aims to show the faces of those lost to the virus but told The Inquirer that obtaining source images has been a laborious process.

But if Hutchinsons project is an indication, theres strong community interest in finding ways to grieve and remember together.

Shes already mailed out 86,000 pieces of paper to 191 participants in 30 states and three countries. On a recent evening, she hosted an online origami workshop for contributors who had questions or just wanted to fold together.

Her hands moved quickly across the screen, demonstrating the steps: nine folds to make one pyramid, or 900,000 folds altogether. Hutchinson, a part-time artist and full-time accountant, calculated that, folding an hour a day by herself, it would take four years to get it done.

Once the units are complete, she demonstrated, they can interlock to form concentric rows for the urnlike shapes shes envisioning. Shes not yet certain where or when shell exhibit this work.

Alyson Avery, a librarian from Southampton, Bucks County, who was participating in the workshop, said she liked the idea of contributing to a bold statement. Its soothing to make these  and repetitive, which is nice, given how stressful the day-to-day is.

Chris Gradel, of Rutledge, Delaware County, looked at her origami pieces with frustration. They all look a little different! she said.

But she said aesthetic considerations are secondary. This mostly is an act of collective mourning.

I share [Hutchinsons] anger about this," she said. "I also think about all the people who had family and friends who went through this, and really werent able to grieve or have normal funerals. Its meditative: There is no way, when you do this, you can not be thinking about why.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) plans to woo farmers and women voters in Bihar by reaching out to them with a long-list of policy interventions that have been announced in the past six years of the NDA government at the Centre , and the over three-year rule of the BJP-JD(U) alliance in the state.

The turn-out of women voters , at 60.48% and 59.58% in the 2015 assembly and 2019 Lok Sabha elections respectively, was more than that of men. Women are considered an important vote bank in Bihar; the party also wants to take no chances in pacifying farmers in the wake of the protests over the new farm laws. According to the state governments data 70% of the population is engaged in agricultural operations. The turn-out of male voters in the two elections were 53.32% and 57.33%.

According to BJP leaders familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity, the party plans to hold town halls targeted specifically at women and farmers in the run-up to the three-phase election starting October 28. These will be supplemented by more focused outreach efforts where the party will reach out to small groups of farmers -- keeping in mind the protocol for physical distancing during the campaign for the first major elections in the country behind held under the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The BJP is hoping to tap the female vote by emphasising the benefits of central schemes such as the Jan Dhan Yojana frills-free bank accounts; the Ujwala cooking gas cynlinder scheme; and the ongoing project for providing piped water supply to the households.

Though the party claims that the ongoing agitation against farm laws has no resonance on the ground in Bihar, it is taking preemptive steps to woo the farmers as the opposition is sure to rake the issue.

Farmers in Bihar are not complaining. The state already abolished the APMC system in 2006, which is in line with what the new farm legislation, which also speaks about, giving farmers the choice to sell outside the mandis, said a party functionary in Delhi.

However, a second functionary in the state said the feedback from the ground indicates that there has not been enough private investment as was promised during the abolition of the APMC system, which coupled with the economic slowdown accentuated by the global pandemic is expected to be a cause for concern.

Several critics of the farm laws have in fact held up Bihars poor acquisition of wheat under MSP -- according to the Food Corporation Of India data, only 0.05 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of wheat was procured from Bihar in 2020-21 against the revised target of 7 LMT -- as an indication of how the laws may actually hurt farmers.

As per data from the ministry of agriculture, about 5.638 million hectares of land in the state is sown . The total number of land holdings in Bihar are 10.43 million out of which 8.65 million are held by marginal farmers; only 7.81lakh units are larger than 2 hectares.

The state is the third largest producer of vegetables and fourth largest producer of fruits in the country and exports litchi, basmati rice and snow pea.

With an eye on the rural vote bank the central government recently announced a spate of projects in the state worth Rs 16,000 crore.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Smriti Kak Ramachandran Smriti covers an intersection of politics and governance. Having spent over a decade in journalism, she combines old fashioned leg work with modern story telling tools. ...view detail
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The Centre expects to receive 40-50 crore doses of a vaccine for COVID-19 by July 2021, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on October 4. The doses should be enough to cover 20-25 crore people when delivered.

The procurement and equitable delivery of the vaccines, including those by Indian vaccine manufacturers, will be given "full government support", the Health Minister said during his weekly public interaction on 'Sunday Samvad' platform.

The doses are being procured by the government and will be enough to inoculate about 25 crore of India's 130 crore population. Vardhan said priority will be given to frontline health-care workers.

A high-level expert group is going into all aspects of vaccines and the health ministry is currently preparing a format in which states will submit lists of priority population groups to receive a vaccine, the Union minister said.

Track this LIVE blog for all the latest updates on coronavirus pandemic

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 list of frontline health workers will include both government as well as private-sector doctors, nurses, paramedics, sanitary staff, ASHA workers, surveillance officers and many other occupational categories who are involved in tracing, testing and treatment of patients.

"The Centre is also working on plans for building capacities in human resources, training, supervision and others on a massive scale and roughly estimates to receive and utilise 400-500 million doses covering approximately 20-25 crore people by July 2021. All this is under various stages of finalisation," he said.

The minister had earlier said a COVID-19 vaccine is likely to be available by the first quarter of 2021.

Covishield, a vaccine candidate in Stages 2 and 3 of human trials, is being developed by the University of Oxford and pharma giant AstraZeneca. It is also being tested in India and will be manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), the largest manufacturer of vaccines in the world.

Read: Does Centre have Rs 80,000 crore for COVID-19 vaccine, asks Serum Institute's Adar Poonawalla

The drug is close to successful completion and may be ready for production in three months, according to reports. That would allow plenty of time for the government to procure the doses as it expects.

To a question regarding the phase-three clinical trial of Russia's 'Sputnik-V' vaccine in India, Vardhan clarified that the matter was still under consideration, and no decision has been taken yet.

For our complete coverage of the novel coronavirus, click here
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Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion at 1 PM. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.

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Hathras case: 5 Samajwadi Party members allowed to enter village

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IPL 2020: They need a leader who will lead from the front: Sreesanth suggests a new captain for KKR

Kolkata Knight Riders almost scripted another record-breaking chase in the ongoing season of Indian Premier League against Delhi Capitals on Saturday in Sharjah. The keyword, though, being almost. At one stage, KKR looked out of the competition, after going down six wickets and needing over 60 to win in 4 overs. But a late show from Eoin Morgan and Rahul Tripathi brought hopes back to KKR camp, and it seemed that the franchise might chase down 229 to create IPL record. Read more

Sushant Singh Rajputs sister Shweta says all eyes on CBI after AIIMS rejects murder theory, Ankita Lokhande supports

Actor Sushant Singh Rajputs sister, Shweta Singh Kirti has said that her attention is now focussed on the Central Bureau of Indias findings in the actors death case, after an AIIMS panel tasked with re-evaluating his post-mortem report concluded that he died by suicide. Many, including the lawyer representing Sushants father, had suggested that the actor could have been murdered. Read more

Renault Duster Turbo petrol drive review: Power in a refined package

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Survival of the safest, says this post by Mumbai Police. Seen it yet?

Masks have now become an essential part of everyones daily wardrobe. Authorities from across the nation often take to social media to urge people to don the protective gear while going out of the house. Mumbai Police is no different in that essence and is using their online presence to spread information about the importance of wearing masks - that too quite creatively. Read more

Next couple of days the real test: Trump shares video amid Covid treatment

US President Donald Trump said that he will be back soon to finish the presidential election campaign. In a video via his Twitter handle, Trump shared updates regarding his health. The US president is being treated for Covid-19 in a military hospital after contracting novel coronavirus. I feel much better now. We are working hard to get me all the way back. I have to be back because we still have to make America great again, Trump said. He added, Ill be back soon and I look forward to finishing up the campaign. Trump also said that the real test would be to witness what happens in the coming days. Over the next period of a few days I guess thats the real test, so we will see what happens over that next couple of days, Trump said. Watch the full video for more.
Judge Amy Coney Barrett with President Trump when he announced her nomination to the Supreme Court on Sept. 26, 2020. (Associated Press )

Many think that the appointment of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court will jeopardize the Affordable Care Act and abortion rights. But the reach of her antidemocratic judicial philosophy will go beyond those issues to put every federal law that conservatives oppose in danger.

Barrett, who has been on the federal bench for less than three years, is a conservative star because of her writings supporting the theory advocated by the late Justice Antonin Scalia known as textualism. This judicial philosophy is fundamentally at war with democracy. It would allow the court to rip apart laws that voters need and want.

Consider the litigation over Obamacare and its guarantee to protect people with preexisting conditions. There have been three challenges to that complex law. The first case, National Federation of Independent Business vs. Sebelius in 2012, upheld the constitutionality of most of the ACA, though seven justices voted to limit the laws provision to expand Medicaid. Barretts mentor, Scalia, voted in dissent to find the entire law unconstitutional.

Then in the 2015 case, King vs. Burwell, opponents of the ACA challenged it again, claiming that a drafting error in the 900-page statute was sufficient to strike it down. The text of the law used the phrase by the State, which the opponents argued did not allow for federally run health exchanges, a reading that made no sense given the context of the entire law.

Fortunately, the Supreme Court, by a 6-3 vote, rejected that argument and allowed the ACA to stand. Scalia, applying textual analysis, voted to dismantle the act essentially because of a scriveners error.

A third ACA case is now pending before the court, with oral arguments scheduled one week after the November election. It, too, challenges the constitutionality of the law, based on how you read the ACAs provisions.

Heres the problem with this reading law philosophy that Barrett has defended. On the surface, it sounds perfectly plausible  just read the text of the law. But thats not what Scalia/Barrett textualism does. Textualism is a power grab for judges. In practice, it allows judges to carve up the text, picking a word here or there to reach the results the interpreter prefers.

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The whole point of textualism is that Congresss views dont matter. Textualism deliberately blinds justices to the one source that could constrain their biases: official congressional materials such as committee reports or debates. As a result, you get congressional legislation rewritten by unelected judges.

Barrett is an extremely eloquent and zealous defender of Scalias legacy, as her writings show. Because I have debated her, and other judges, on this question, I know what she will say.

Barrett will say that her approach is more democratic, because she looks at the ordinary meaning of text. Senators voting on her nomination should not be lulled into agreement.

Ordinary people do not read 900-page healthcare statutes. And no ordinary person, or member of Congress, or linguist for that matter, thinks you can understand Moby-Dick by pulling out a word and throwing the rest in the ocean.

Barrett will argue that textualism is a better alternative to having judges pick and choose congressional materials to suit their wishes when looking for a statutes intent. Again, senators should push back. Textualist judges pick and choose the text. Worse, textualists even add text. Scalia famously wrote that the president has all executive power, but the Constitution does not say that.

Barrett will contend that textualism constrains judges and is more predictable than statutory interpretation. Yet last term, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. accused Justice Neil M. Gorsuchs majority opinion in Bostock vs. Clayton County, the case ruling that federal civil rights law protects gay and transgender employees from discrimination, of being like a pirate ship. Alito said it sails under a textualist flag, but actually uses statutory interpretation to reach Gorsuchs preferred result.

Finally, no one should think that theres anything traditional about Scalias textualism approach. William Blackstone, the 18th century jurist, told judges to look at the text and the reason for the law, the problem people wanted to solve. For most of our history, that is what judges did. They did not cut Congress out by refusing, as textualism requires, to look at direct evidence of Congress meaning.

Some conservatives agree that textualism is a judicial power grab. Judge Richard Posner, a leading conservative legal thinker, once called the theory autistic precisely because it refused to look at human purposes. In a critique of Scalias textualism, he described the method as incoherent and motivated to hobble legislation. As he wrote in How Judges Think, textualism is bad philosophy, bad psychology, and bad law.

In the past, Republican Sens. Orrin G. Hatch and Charles E. Grassley have said that they disagreed with Scalias blind to Congress approach. They recognized that textualism is allied with the courts growing contempt for Congress and legislative power. In Barretts confirmation hearings, the Senate needs to understand the consequences of this philosophy and resist its anodyne veneer.

Victoria Nourse is the Ralph Whitworth Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center, former special counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee and author of Misreading Law, Misreading Democracy.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-05 00:38:16|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- The British armed forces will be involved in distributing coronavirus vaccine as the country strives to curb a sharp rise in infections, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Sunday.

"A combination of the NHS (National Health Service) and the armed forces are involved in the logistics of making this happen, making the rollout happen," Hancock told the virtual annual Conservative Party conference.

"Because it's not just about developing the vaccine and then testing the vaccine, which is what's happening now, it's then a matter of rolling out the vaccine according to priority, according to clinical need," he said.

"We have set out the order in which people will get it, we have set that out in draft pending the final clinical data," he said, adding that a COVID-19 vaccine was the "great hope" to bring the pandemic under control.

Meanwhile, Hancock confirmed the NHS COVID-19 app, which is part of the British government's efforts to strengthen test and trace capability, had been downloaded 15 million times.

The nation was "working as hard as we can to get a vaccine as fast as is safely possible," he told the conference.

Earlier, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that Britain's coronavirus pandemic may be "bumpy through to Christmas".

"I've got to tell you in all candour it's going to continue to be bumpy through to Christmas, it may even be bumpy beyond," he said in an interview with the BBC's Andrew Marr Show program.

"This could be a very tough winter for all of us -- we've got to face that fact," Johnson said.

Still, Johnson said a "radically different" situation may appear by the spring next year.

More than a third of Britain's population is now under heightened restrictions, according to the BBC.

Another 12,872 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 480,017, according to official figures released Saturday.

The daily increase, which is nearly double Friday's 6,968 cases, is partly due to a technical issue which had resulted in a delay of reporting data over the past week, according to a government statement.

To bring life back to normal, countries, such as Britain, China, Russia and the United States, are racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines.

The British government's Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance has said that it is possible that some vaccine could be available in small amounts later this year, but it is more likely that a vaccine will be available early next year, although that is not guaranteed. Enditem
New Delhi:

Pakistani forces on Monday violated ceasefire along the International Border in the Samba Sector of Jammu and Kashmir. Indian forces have given a befitting reply, official sources said.

"At about 0845 hrs, small arm fire of few brust occurred in Samba Sector, official communication from Border Security forces said.

BSF officials further added that soon after there again was another round of ceasefire violation at 0935 hrs as small arm and 51 mm mortar fire started from Pak side. "Our troops also retaliated suitably," the communique added.

No loss or damage to life or property was reported. Further details are awaited.

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North Wales Critical Care nurse who lost grandmother to COVID-19 urges public to follow the guidelines to stop spread of virus

This article is old - Published: Sunday, Oct 4th, 2020

A Critical Care nurse who sadly lost her grandmother to COVID-19 is urging others to follow the guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus.

Leisa Jones, who works on Ysbyty Gwynedds Intensive Care Unit, has been working throughout the pandemic and has seen first-hand the impact the virus can have on patients and their families.

Sadly, Leisa lost her grandmother, Eleanor Jones, earlier this year after she contracted COVID-19, at the age of 91-years-old.

She said: Myself and my family were incredibly upset to have lost our Nain to COVID-19 but we would like to thank the staff at Penrhos Stanley for the care they provided during her time in the hospital.

She reached a fantastic age and lived her life to the full. However, it was very unfortunate she caught the virus and for it be the reason for her passing.

This was a reminder for me that its incredibly important to follow the guidelines by Welsh Government. There are vulnerable people in our society and we need to ensure we are doing all we can to prevent the spread of the virus to ensure we keep everyone safe.

As cases are rising and tighter measures introduced in four counties across North Wales, Leisa is preparing to care for more patients with the virus over the winter months.

She said: COVID-19 has not come without its challenges due to us not knowing the effects of the virus on our patients but personally I have found the experience rewarding and humbling.

For me the hardest part was not having relatives visit their loved ones. Many of our patients were going through the most difficult time of their lives and they were doing it without the support of their family, which is invaluable for our most unwell patients.

Leisa is now encouraging the public across North Wales to work together to help keep cases low across hospitals in North Wales.

I would like to thank the public for everything they have done so far. Their support has been invaluable, the generosity and support we have seen over the last six months has been incredible.

However, please remember the very real impact this virus is having on us all, both society as a whole and our healthcare system.

The best way to protect ourselves is to continue to wear masks or face coverings indoors, ensure we are social distancing from each other and washing our hands regularly is the best way to prevent the spread of the virus.

I would urge people to be mindful of the current regulations and guidelines which are in place to help us all. In particular, it is helping all the staff and the Intensive Care Units to be able to cope with the increasing demand over the past 6 months.

Together we will all get through this, please help protect the NHS we all care for and of course each other.
News

Washington, DC - Friday, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) decided it will review a case challenging Arizonas election integrity laws concerning ballot harvesting and out-of-precinct voting. The Attorney Generals Office (AGO) is asking the High Court to bring clarity to these matters after a misguided ruling by the Ninth Circuit struck the measures down.

We are pleased the Supreme Court will hear our case regarding Arizonas restrictions on ballot harvesting and out-of-precinct voting. There is no higher priority for public officials than to maintain the integrity of elections," said General Brnovich. "As we contend with a politically-polarized climate and battle a global pandemic, we must sustain the cornerstone of our government and ensure the will of the electorate is heard.

Arizona, like every other State, has adopted rules to promote the order and integrity of its elections. Since the 1970s, Arizona has required people to vote at their specific precinct. Additionally, in 2016, Arizona passed HB 2023 to restrict ballot harvesting, limiting who can collect and deliver a persons ballot to a family member, household member, or caregiver.

Prohibiting unlimited third-party ballot harvesting is a commonsense means of protecting the secret ballot and preventing undue influence, voter fraud, ballot tampering, and voter intimidation. The bipartisan Commission on Federal Election Reform, chaired by former-President Jimmy Carter and former-Secretary of State James Baker (Carter-Baker Commission) recognized the threat and recommended that States prohibit people from handling absentee ballots, except for family members, the post office, or election officials. The Carter-Baker Commission found, [a]bsentee ballots remain the largest source of potential voter fraud.

If SCOTUS does not overturn the misguided Ninth Circuit ruling, other election integrity laws across the country could be in jeopardy. Presently, approximately 20 states have ballot harvesting laws substantially similar to Arizona or impose various regulations on ballot harvesting. Additionally, a majority of states require ballots to be cast in the correct precinct.

Arizonas prohibition on ballot harvesting remains in place until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the case, likely in early 2021.

BACKGROUND:

In 2016, the DNC challenged Arizonas laws restricting ballot harvesting and out-of-precinct voting. A federal district court judge ruled in Arizona's favor and upheld the laws. The case was then appealed to a 3-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court, and that panel also upheld Arizona's laws. The DNC then appealed the case to a larger group of Ninth Circuit Court judges, who struck down the laws, a mere four days before the 2016 General Election. AG Brnovich immediately appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court and the very next day, the High Court overruled the Ninth Circuit, reinstating Arizonas ballot harvesting and out-of-precinct laws, pending a full hearing of the merits in the lower court.

Late in 2018, a federal district court judge once again upheld Arizonas laws after a 10-day trial. DNC attorneys appealed the case to a 3-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit, who again upheld Arizona's laws. DNC again appealed the case to a larger group of Ninth Circuit judges, and the court reversed itself in early 2020 and struck down the laws just as ballots for the Democratic Presidential Preference Election were beginning to be mailed out. AG Brnovich immediately filed for a stay of the decision, and the Ninth Circuit granted the request, leaving Arizona's restrictions on ballot harvesting and out-of-precinct voting presently intact.

In late April of this year, General Brnovich asked SCOTUS to rule on Arizonas laws being challenged.
A man was charged Sunday death of his passenger following a Houston police chase, according to authorities.

Jamie Calderon is accused of leading police on a chase that started and ended around Westheimer Road near Beltway 8, officials said. A passenger in his car was killed and two others were seriously injured when he crashed into another vehicle.
Motorists are being left standing out in the cold while their cars undergo MOT tests, it has emerged.

Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon confirmed that because of coronavirus rules, drivers were banned from waiting inside testing centres.

The DUP's Gordon Dunne raised the matter with the minister in a written Assembly question.

"To mitigate against the risk of spreading Covid-19 and to meet Public Health Agency guidelines in relation to social distancing, it has been necessary for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVA) to take steps to reduce the number of people in its test halls and reception areas," Mrs Mallon explained.

"Unfortunately, at this time, it is not possible for the DVA to accommodate customers in its buildings during the MOT test.

"I fully appreciate and accept this is far from an ideal situation.

"I would, however, stress that these temporary measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of customers and staff, which remains my priority.

"DVA officials are carefully exploring options to identify practical solutions to this issue.

"I am very conscious of the disruption and inconvenience being experienced by many of our customers at this time.

"I can assure you that the DVA is working to safely restore normal services as soon as possible."

North Down MLA Mr Dunne, who asked the minister about the matter after being approached by a number of his constituents, said the DVA should provide outside shelters at all of its testing centres.

"We are now approaching the autumn and winter period and currently the public are being left out in the cold," he said.

"Constituents told me they were being told to wait outside the main building while the MOT staff carry out the test on their vehicle.

"Obviously, this is not a problem if it is dry. However, if it is raining, it is rather unpleasant for those bringing their vehicles.

"While everyone appreciates and recognises the need for measures to be taken to control the spread of Covid-19, I am calling on the minister to take action to get some form of outdoor shelters provided across all the MOT centres in Northern Ireland for the public during their MOT test."

The lack of shelters is mentioned in reminder letters sent to motorists giving details of how to book tests.

The DVA is currently focusing on testing four-year-old private cars, four-year-old motorcycles and three-year-old light goods vehicles, heavy goods vehicles and trailers.

MOT tests were put on hold in January after flaws were identified in a number of the lifts used to examine cars.

The coronavirus health crisis further disrupted testing.

After an extensive review and risk assessment, centres reopened on July 20.

Practical driving tests, which were suspended on March 20 because of the pandemic, resumed at the beginning of last month.
Amid the protest by Congress over the farm reform laws, a startling revelation has come to light that will invalidate the party's opposition to the farm laws. Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, a Congress leader who has been staunchly protesting against the farm reform laws was part of a committee which studied the draft legislation, Union Minister Rao Saheb Danve said on Saturday.

He said the Captain Amarinder Singh led Punjab government was in favour of the bills. However, Congress has been vociferously opposing the new reform laws now.

Danve, Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food and Public Distribution, asserted that before tabling the three bills in Parliament, there were extensive consultations with all stakeholders adding that while there was some opposition to the bills for 'political purposes', the Punjab CM was in favour of the bills.

"These bills were not brought by the BJP alone. A committee of chief ministers, including Punjab CM Amarinder Singh, deliberated on them. The opposition parties had had their say on the bills," Danve said while addressing media.

He added that the Punjab government was in favour of the bills as farmers there were paying 8.5% tax while selling their produce in the state.

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 became law after being passed in both houses of Parliament followed by the presidential assent last week.

Amarinder Singh has been vehemently opposing the laws and held protests in Punjab against them. Congress after massive protests across the country in two last weeks has now started a three day march 'Kheti Bachao Yatra' starting from Sunday. The Yatra will start from Moga and protest march is said to culminate in Delhi via various districts of Punjab and Haryana, as per reports. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is also said to participate in the Yatra and address the protestors. Congress President Sonia Gandhi had also advised Congress-ruled states (Punjab, Chhatisgarh and Rajasthan) to explore ways to refuse the implementation of the new agriculture laws.

READ | 'Don't Fall Prey To Opposition's Politics On New Farm Laws': Javadekar Tells Goan Farmers

READ | Hue And Cry Over Farm Laws Raised By Professional Protesters: Jitendra Singh

Opposition vs Centre on Farm laws

While the opposition, especially Congress is hell-bent on portraying the farm laws as anti farmers by contending that the new laws will remove the concept of minimum support price (MSP) and will also abolish the APMC Mandis system, the Centre has repeatedly assured that the MSP mechanism will continue to exist in the new reform laws as well, however, the new laws will give the farmers freedom to sell their produce outside of the Mandis as against the earlier compulsion to sell only through Mandis, which led to corruption and less revenue to farmers. Moreover, farmers will also have the option to sell through Mandis if they wish too, the Centre has assured.

With the new laws, the farmers will also have the option to sell directly to private sector entities without being dependent on the middlemen and APMC regulators where the root of corruption lies, while the Congress said that the entry of private entities into farm sector will lead to the farmers being at the mercy of the corporates.

(With PTI inputs)

READ | Amarinder Launches Signature Campaign In Punjab Against Farm Laws

READ | Congress' Opposition To Farm Laws Exposes Its dual Character: Ramesh Pokhriyal
Imperial Valley News Center

Justice Department Settles Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Landlord

Cincinnati, Ohio - The Justice Department Wednesday announced that landlord John Klosterman and his wife, Susan Klosterman, will pay $177,500 to resolve a Fair Housing Act lawsuit alleging that John Klosterman sexually harassed female tenants since at least 2013 at residential properties the couple owned in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Under the settlement, which still must be approved by the court, the Klostermans will pay $167,125 in damages to former tenants who were harmed by John Klostermans harassment, $7,875 to another plaintiff in the lawsuit, and a $2,500 civil penalty to the United States. The consent order also bars the defendants from participating in the rental or management of residential properties in the future.

Sexual harassment of women in their homes is indecent, destructive, and illegal, said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Civil Rights Division. The Fair Housing Act protects the right of women and their families to live in peace and security and without the fear that deviant people will intimidate and bully them for sexual favors. This department will continue tirelessly to pursue landlords and others who abuse their authority by preying upon vulnerable women.

In this settlement, Klosterman acknowledges that the United States has evidence he sexually harassed tenants on multiple occasions, said U.S. Attorney David M. DeVillers for the Southern District of Ohio. Hes being held accountable under the Fair Housing Act and will pay more than $167,000 to victims of his heinous conduct.

The complaint, filed in 2018, alleged that John Klosterman sexually harassed female tenants at the rental properties since at least 2013. According to the complaint, he engaged in harassment that included, among other things, making unwelcome sexual advances and comments, sending unwanted sexual text messages and photos, engaging in unwanted sexual touching, offering to reduce rent and overlooking or excusing late or unpaid rent in exchange for sex, evicting or threatening to evict female tenants who objected to or refused sexual advances, and entering the homes of female tenants without their consent and otherwise monitoring their daily activities with cameras directed at their units.

The defendants acknowledged in the settlement that, if this case had gone to trial, the United States was prepared to introduce the following evidence: (a) sworn deposition testimony from John Klosterman acknowledging that, on multiple occasions, he engaged in inappropriate sexual communications with his female tenants and prospective tenants, made comments about the physical appearances of his female tenants and prospective tenants, sent pictures of a naked male statue to his female tenants, and offered to send to his female tenants, and requested that his female tenants send to him, sexual photographs; (b) sworn deposition testimony from John Klosterman admitting that he offered to pay an allowance to a female tenant in exchange for engaging in a sexual relationship with him; and (c) text messages and recordings of phone calls in which John Klosterman made sexual comments to female tenants and prospective female tenants.

The Justice Departments Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative is an effort to combat sexual harassment in housing led by the Civil Rights Division, in coordination with U.S. Attorneys Offices across the country. The Attorney General recently reaffirmed this commitment by directing the Justice Department to deploy all available enforcement tools against anyone who tries to capitalize on the COVID-19 crisis by sexually harassing people in need of housing. The goal of the departments initiative is to address sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers, or other people who have control over housing. As part of the initiative, the Justice Department developed a public service announcement and formed a joint task force with HUD to combat sexual harassment in housing. Since launching the Initiative in October 2017, the Department of Justice has filed 18 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing. Since January 2017, the Justice Department has filed or settled 23 cases alleging sexual harassment in housing and has recovered over $2.9 million for victims of such harassment.

The Justice Departments Civil Rights Division enforces the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex disability and familial status. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at http://www.justice.gov/crt. Individuals can report sexual harassment or other forms of housing discrimination by calling the Justice Departments Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743, e-mailing the Justice Department at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or submitting a report online. Individuals can also report such discrimination by contacting HUD at 1-800-669-9777 or filing a complaint online.
Kyrgyzstan closed its polls Sunday night after parliamentary elections which saw victories for two pro-government parties and losses for all opposition parties.

The country's central election commission announced preliminary results in which the Unity party (Birimdik) and the My homeland Kyrgyzstan party (Mekenim Kyrgyzstan) won around a quarter of votes each.

Two more parties - Kyrgyzstan and Butun Kyrgyzstan - were announced to have passed the 7 percent threshold to gain seats in the parliament.

Meanwhile, the country's main opposition parties were said to have failed to garner the necessary votes for seats.

The Central Election Commission said that around 55% of voters participated in the election.

(AP File Image)

This story has not been edited by www.republicworld.com and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.
Cyberattacks on the healthcare industry are causing more headaches. The New York Times reports that clinical trials slowed down after healthcare software provider eResearchTechnology suffered ransomware attacks starting two weeks ago. IQVIA (a research firm managing AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine work) and Bristol Myers Squibb (the leader of an alliance developing a fast COVID-19 test) were two of the largest targets.

Both IQVIA and Bristol Myers Squibb said the effect of the attack was limited, thanks in part to data backups, but other eResearchTechnology customers apparently had to track trial patients using paper. Its not clear if the malware affected any COVID-19 trials.

Its not certain whos behind the ransomware, and eResearchTechnology hasnt said if it paid the ransom to get its computers back.

Word of the incident comes just days after a suspected massive ransomware campaign against Universal Health Services hindered patient care. Weeks earlier, a German patient died when digital ransom demands forced a hospital to transfer a patient needing vital care. Ransomware appears to be striking deeper into healthcare systems, and its having a tangible effect on those systems at a time when theyre needed more than ever.
Bulandshahr : , Oct 4 (IANS) A Congress leader from Bulandshahr, Nizam Malik, who announced a reward of Rs 1 crore for anyone who brings the head of the accused in the Hathras incident, has been arrested and a case registered against him.

Malik was injured in the police lathi-charge at DND flyover when Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were briefly detained while they were on their way to meet the family of the Hathras victim.

In a related development, a panchayat of upper caste members, including Thakurs and Brahmins, held a Mahapanchayat at Baghna village, two kilometres from the Hathras victim's village Bulghari, on Saturday and said all the four accused in the case were innocent. They demanded a CBI probe into the case.

Another panchayat was held on Sunday morning where a large number of people claimed that the accused persons were being falsely implicated in the case and demanded a probe into the call detail records of the victim's family members.
Five welders from Yorkshire have been jailed for more than two months after failing to isolate upon arrival on the Isle of Man.

Island restrictions have been relaxed but anyone arriving must self isolate for 14 days in a bid to prevent a resurgence of cases.

A court heard how five men aged between 18 and 62 arrived on the island by ferry from Heysham, Lancs, on September 29.

Five men from Doncaster, including Robbie Rhodes (left) and Christopher Lafayette (right) were handed two week prison sentences for breaking coronavirus restrictions on the Isle of Man where they were due to carry out work on the Manx Electric Railway for Haigh Rail

Robbie Rhodes (pictured), Luke Kevin Fletcher, Jack Michael Anthony Smith, Michael Stewart Smith and Christopher Leroy Lafayette are expected to return to the UK today after their terms

The court heard they were due to be doing two days maintenance work on the Manx Electric Railway for Haigh Rail.

Instead of going straight from the port to their accommodation the group went to a Tesco store to buy alcohol, it was heard.

They were wearing masks but aroused suspicion after engaging in conversation with a local, who heard one say, 'I've just got off the boat.'

The incident was reported to a Tesco staff member and the men were arrested by police later that night.

All five defendants, from Doncaster, South Yorks., pleaded guilty to failing to comply with Covid-19 restrictions under the Emergency Powers Act.

Appearing before magistrates via video link, they were each handed 14 days behind bars.

The family of two of those jailed have hit out at the sentences and said the men would not have broken the law had the Covid restrictions not been 'mind-boggling'.

Helen Smith, 38, wife of Michael, 43, and mother to Jack, 18, told the Mirror: 'They've been treated like serious criminals when the sensible thing was to have a word in their ear.

The men visited this Tesco to buy lunch instead of going straight to their accommodation

'It makes me so angry to think they're in jail yet politicians break rules and get away with it.'

Those jailed are Luke Kevin Fletcher, 22, Jack Michael Anthony Smith, 18, Robbie Rhodes, 18, Michael Stewart Smith, 43, and Christopher Leroy Lafayette, 62.

Helen, a shop worker, said the men were all cuffed and taken to the police station.

Meanwhile Luke Fletcher's mother Lisa slammed the rules as too confusing.

She added: 'The rules are different from one place to the next. Even the politicians don't know them.

'But you'd never expect in a million years that going to Tesco to buy food would land you in jail.'

Sentencing them to 14 days jail, magistrate chairman Belinda Pilling said the men had 'closed their eyes' to the rules.

It comes in the week where Prime Minister Boris Johnson had to issue an apology for getting the local lockdown rules for those in the North East wrong while addressing the public.

Meanwhile his father, Stanley Johnson was pictured breaching the rules while out shopping without a mask.

The SNP's Margaret Ferrier is facing calls to resign after it was revealed the MP made a 400-mile train trip knowing she had tested positive for Covid-19.

Margaret Ferrier posted images on her social media showing her out and about in her Rutherglen and Hamilton West on Saturday - the day she was tested for Covid-19

Stanley Johnson, 79, who just months ago flew to his Greek villa despite the pandemic travel warnings, was spotted without a face mask as he went to pick up a newspaper in West London

Ms Ferrier has admitted travelling to Parliament and speaking in the Commons after developing coronavirus symptoms, and then taking a train back to Scotland after testing positive.

She also visited a gym, shops and a beauty salon on the day she became ill, but is resisting calls to quit despite mounting anger over her 'utterly indefensible' actions.

Lisa Fletcher added: 'It's one rule for them and another for us.'

The five workmen are expected to complete half of their 14 days sentence and will be returned to the mainland tomorrow.

It has been reported they will be escorted from the prison to the ferry and will be banned from returning to the Isle of Man.

The Manx courts have now sent 12 people to prison for breaking isolation rules.

Lockdown on the Isle of Man ended on June 15 and there are currently no social distancing rules.

Pubs, restaurants, cinemas and gyms are open as normal.
The naval power glider was on a routine training sortie which took off from the INS Garuda crashed around 7 AM.  DC photo

Two naval officers were killed when a glider aircraft of the Indian Navy crashed near the Thoppumpady Bridge near naval base in Kochi on Sunday morning. Two naval personnel on board Lt Rajeev Jha and sailor Sunil Kumar were dead. Though the officers were recovered from the crash site and shifted to INHS Sanjivani, they were declared brought dead.

The naval power glider was on a routine training sortie which took off from the INS Garuda crashed around 7 AM.

Lt Rajeev Jha, aged 39 is from Dehradun, Uttarakhand and sailor Sunil Kumar is hailing from Bhoj, Bihar.

An inquiry has been ordered by the Southern Naval Command into the incident.
By ANI

HATHRAS: After meeting the kin of the alleged gang-rape victim in Hathras on Sunday, Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad demanded the 'Y level security' for the family, along with a probe in the case under a retired Supreme Court judge.

Addressing media here with parents of Hathras victims, Azad said that if the family is not provided "Y level security" then he will take the victim's family to his house as they are not safe in here.

"I demand 'Y security' for the family or I will take them to my house, they are not safe here. If actor Kangna Ranaut can get a Y level security, why can't they? We also want an inquiry to be done under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge," he said.

ALSO READ | Scenario created to blame govt: BJP leader holds 'caste-based' meet at Hathras residence over rape case

Earlier today, the brother of the victim also demanded a probe by a retired Supreme Court judge in the case.

"We want an investigation to be held under a retired Supreme Court judge. We also want the Hathras District Magistrate to be suspended," said the brother.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister had on Saturday recommended a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the case.

The 19-year-old woman from Hathras died at Delhi's Safdarjung hospital on September 29. All the four accused in the incident have been arrested.
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP)  The fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces continued on Sunday over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, with Azerbaijan accusing Armenia of targeting the country's cities that are far beyond the conflict zone.

Hikmet Hajiyev, aide to the Azerbaijani president, said Sunday that Armenia targeted large cities Ganja and Mingachevir with missile strikes. Ganja, home to several hundred thousand residents and the country's second-largest city, is located roughly 100 kilometers (about 60 miles) away from Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakhs capital, and so is Mingachevir.

The clashes erupted on Sept. 27 and have killed dozens, marking the biggest escalation in the decades-old conflict over the region, which lies within Azerbaijan but is controlled by local ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia.

Hajiyev on Sunday tweeted a video depicting damaged buildings, and called it the result of Armenias massive missile attacks against dense residential areas in Ganja. It wasnt immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the video. Hajiyev said in another tweet that attacks on Ganja and other areas in Azerbaijan were launched from territory of Armenia.

Armenias Defense Ministry said that no fire of any kind is being opened from the territory of Armenia in Azerbaijans direction. Nagorno-Karabakhs leader, Arayik Harutyunyan, said on Facebook that he ordered rocket attacks to neutralize military objects in Ganja, but later told his forces to stop firing to avoid civilian casualties.

Azerbaijani officials denied that any military objects had been hit, but said the attack caused damage to civilian infrastructure. One civilian has been killed, and 32 others sustained injuries, authorities said.

Opening fire on the territory of Azerbaijan from the territory of Armenia is clearly provocative and expands the zone of hostilities, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov said in a statement Sunday.

Story continues

As the fighting resumed Sunday morning, Armenian officials accused Azerbaijan of carrying out strikes on Stepanakert and targeting the civilian population there. Nagorno-Karabakhs leader Harutyunyan said that in response, his forces would target military facilities permanently located in major cities of Azerbaijan.

In a statement issued later on Sunday, Azerbaijans Defense Ministry rejected accusations of targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Aliyevs aide, Hajiyev, tweeted Sunday evening that Armenian forces also hit Mingachevir, which hosts a water reservoir and key electricity plant, with a missile strike. He didn't give details about whether there was damage to the reservoir or the plant.

Nagorno-Karabakh officials have said nearly 200 servicemen on their side have died in the clashes so far. Eighteen civilians have been killed and more than 90 others wounded. Azerbaijani authorities havent given details on their military casualties, but said 24 civilians were killed and 111 others were wounded.

Azerbaijani President Ilkham Aliyev tweeted Sunday that the countrys troops liberated from occupation the city of Jabrayil and several surrounding villages. Nagorno-Karabakhs officials rejected the claim as untrue, saying the territorys army is controlling the situation in all directions.

Nagorno-Karabakh was a designated autonomous region within Azerbaijan during the Soviet era. It claimed independence from Azerbaijan in 1991, about three months before the Soviet Unions collapse. A full-scale war that broke out in 1992 killed an estimated 30,000 people.

By the time the war ended in 1994, Armenian forces not only held Nagorno-Karabakh itself but substantial areas outside the territorys formal borders, including Jabrayil, the town Azerbaijan claimed to have taken on Sunday.

The claim sparked hope among Azerbaijanis who fled Jabrayil in the 1990s and have since wanted to return to their hometown.

The news about liberation of Jabrayil is the happiest and the most desired news for me and my family, Zulfiya Amiraslanova, who said she and her family were forced to leave Jabrayil in 1993 and are now living in the capital Baku, told The Associated Press.

We have a comfortable life here, but me and my entire family, (my) relatives dream about returning to our hometown, 40-year-old Amiraslanova said.

This weeks fighting has prompted calls for a cease-fire from around the world. On Thursday, leaders of Russia, France and the United States  co-chairs of the so-called Minsk Group, which was set up by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in 1992 to resolve the conflict  issued a joint statement calling for an immediate cease-fire and resuming substantive negotiations ... under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.

Azerbaijani President Aliyev repeatedly said that Armenias withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh is the sole condition to end the fighting.

Armenian officials allege that Turkey is involved in the conflict and is sending fighters from Syria to the region. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said earlier this week that a cease-fire can be established only if Turkey is removed from the South Caucasus.

Ankara has denied sending arms or foreign fighters, while publicly siding with Azerbaijan in the dispute.

On Sunday, Turkeys Foreign Ministry condemned the attack on Ganja, saying it was proof of Armenias disregard for the law. Ankara accused Armenia of attacking civilian residential areas, and claimed that Armenia could commit crimes against humanity.

Armenia is the biggest barrier to peace and stability in the region, the ministry said.

In Istanbul, hundreds of Azeri Turks gathered to support Azerbaijan on Sunday, waving Turkish and Azerbaijani flags and singing their national anthems.

___

Associated Press writers Daria Litvinova in Moscow, Aven Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, and Zeynep Bilginsoy in Istanbul, contributed to this report.
Dallas, TX, Oct. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- If you have been accused of being involved in a pill mill conspiracy, you need the best criminal defense you can get. Pill mill allegations are extremely serious and can result in lengthy prison sentences for doctors, office managers, care givers, pharmacists, and others.



Having tried a pill mill case in federal court in the Northern District of Texas, I know that these cases can be very complicated. After all, they involve a doctors professional judgment about what a patient needs. Usually, they have to do with pain medication, such as hydrocodone or oxycodone. Pain management involves medical judgments about the patients symptoms. Judgment can be tricky, and it takes a skilled criminal defense lawyer to explain to a jury how something that may seem unusual can be explained by the judgment of a professional doctor.

Prosecutors in pill mill cases will typically use a wide variety of evidence, often including surveillance, medical records, pharmaceutical records, financial records, patient testimony, and expert testimony. In order to respond to all this evidence, a criminal defense lawyer must be able to organize it, understand how prosecutors will use it, understand how a jury will perceive it, and be able to counter it. As a highly experienced criminal trial lawyer who has tried a pill mill case, and as a former federal prosecutor in the Northern District of Texas, I am uniquely situated to do that.

Often, in pill mill cases, there is a lot for the defense to explain. The Government may put on evidence of conduct that looks bad on the surface, but is not bad at all once the jury understands the explanation. Medical judgment and the inner practices and procedures of a doctors office or a pharmacy come into play. Sometimes, an expert witness can provide that explanation. At other times, only the defendant can do so. That is why one of the most crucial decisions in a pill mill case is whether the defendant should testify.

A criminal defendant has the right not to testify under the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. However, a defendant always has the right to testify in their own defense. The final decision about whether to testify does not have to be made until after the Government finishes putting on its case. At that point, the lawyer must decide whether the Government has really proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt. If not, the defendants testimony would not be necessary and could create the risk that might actually help the Government if the defendant does poorly. If the Government has probably met its burden, then the question is whether the defendants testimony would help or hurt. Ultimately, the lawyers job is to make the best evaluation based on years of experience of trying cases and a detailed knowledge of the facts. Also, the best lawyers will have practiced cross examining their clients to help prepare them, and this helps a lawyer gauge how the defendant will perform on the witness stand. Will they seem believable and credible, or will they seem like they are covering up or lying? A skilled and experienced criminal defense lawyer will know. The choice about whether to testify, however, belongs only to the defendant. The lawyer cannot make the defendant testify or stop the defendant from testifying. The lawyer will try to help the defendant make the best possible decision, but the decision is the defendants.

If you or a loved one has been charged in a federal criminal pill mill conspiracy case in the Northern District of Texas, you should contact a skilled and experienced criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible. When your livelihood, your future, and your freedom are at stake, choosing the right lawyer may be one of the most important decisions you make in your life.

https://johnhelms.attorney Criminal Defense Lawyer

Phone: 214-974-3335

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Attachment
The government is weighing its legal options after losing the high-profile international tax arbitration case against as it looks to limit damages not just in this matter but also in case of a separate lawsuit with Cairn Energy goes against it.

Last month, an international arbitration court ruled that the Indian government seeking Rs 22,100 crore in taxes from telecom giant using retrospective legislation was in "breach of the guarantee of fair and equitable treatment" guaranteed under the bilateral investment protection pact between India and the Netherlands.

Finance Ministry sources said the government will decide on challenging the award before a court in Singapore - which was the seat of the arbitration, after taking legal opinion.



While the cost implication in the case is limited to having to pay Rs 85 crore to in legal cost, what is weighing on the government mind is a separate arbitration involving UK's Cairn Energy plc.

If a separate arbitration panel were to hold a demand for Rs 10,247 crore in taxes using the same retrospective legislation as illegal, the government will have to pay Cairn as much as USD 1.5 billion (Rs 11,000 crore).

This is the amount equivalent to the value of shares of Cairn that the government had sold to recover a part of the tax demand. It also includes the dividends and tax refund seized.

Sources said Vodafone International Holding (a Netherland company) had in February 2007 bought 100 per cent shares of Cayman Island-based company CGP Investments for USD 11.1 billion to indirectly get 67 per cent control of Hutchison Essar Ltd - an Indian company.

The Tax Department felt the deal was designed to avoid capital gain tax in India and so imposed a tax demand, which was rejected by the Supreme Court in 2012.

To stop abuse and plug theloophole of such indirect transfer of Indian assets, the government in 2012 amended the law to make such transfers taxable in India, they said adding Vodafone was slapped with a fresh demand which the firm contested through international arbitration.

The tax demand on Cairn Energy, they said, is different as it pertains to alleged capital gains the firm made on transfer of Indian assets to a new company and listing it on bourses.

Dheeraj Nair, Partner, J Sagar Associates, said the government "should challenge the (Vodafone) award since this award will have persuasive value in other treaty arbitrations which concern the retrospective tax measures".



ALSO READ: Why the govt would be justified in not accepting the Vodafone award

"Any party dissatisfied with the award has a right to challenge it, therefore such challenge is justified," he said.

Sonam Chandwani, Managing Partner at KS Legal & Associates, however, said "as the Permanent Court of Arbitration situated in The Hague had passed the award in favour of Vodafone, there lies no further authority for putting up appeal".

"The government can only go back to the Permanent Court of Arbitration on some technical point, but that will not serve any purpose," she said.

Since the Indian Arbitration Act obliges the government to implement a foreign tribunal award, Vodafone can ask for the same in case the award was challenged in Indian courts, she said.

"However, in the present scenario, since all the property, both tangible and non-tangible of Vodafone, lies outside India it will be difficult for the government to procure the same," she said.

She said in the case of Cairn Energy, India in order to procure the retrospective taxes has already expropriated all their investment.

"In circumstances such as when the Permanent Court of Arbitration gives a decree in favour of Cairn, the government of India still has the option to procure the desired retrospective taxes via grounds such that taxation is not covered under any bilateral investment protection treaty and as such cannot be arbitrated. It is challenging the jurisdiction of such panels to adjudicate on a tax matter," she said.

Nair said the government certainly has the option not to appeal in Vodafone but do so in the case of Cairn as each case is independent and brought under a different treaty, which gives different protections.

Cairn's claim is under the India-UK treaty whereas Vodafone's claim was under the India-Netherlands treaty.

While Nair said there would not be any additional negative impact on investor sentiment as they recognise that challenge proceedings are part of the norm, Chandwani said appealing against an international arbitration award will disincentivise the investors.

"Any investor will start contemplating on investing in such countries as any dispute arises the government of such countries might not comply with the international order, putting the investors to losses. It creates hindrance in the ease of doing business in such countries and thus discourage them to make any investments to indulge in any form of funding," she said.
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Last week, I walked past the burned-out, fenced-off remains of the Third Police Precinct in south Minneapolis. After the death of George Floyd four months ago, rioters looted and torched the precinct and much of the surrounding Lake Street area, a five-mile stretch thats home to many small, immigrant-owned businesses. The precinct remains vacant, even as the rest of the neighborhood struggles back to life. The trashed Target store across the street is being rebuilt; a large white tent houses a temporary grocery store; demolition crews pull down the charred remains of an old brick building.

Elias Usso, a 42-year-old Ethiopian immigrant and pharmacist, opened his Seward Pharmacy last September on a busy block five minutes west of the Third Precinct. Standing behind his counter, Usso tells me that the business was holding its own right up until he received a phone call from his alarm company on the evening of May 27. He logged into the security cameras and watched as looters took things like they work here.

Insurance covered much of the repair. A GoFundMe campaign also helped. Usso decided to re-open his pharmacy on September 1, but the citys turmoil has deterred customers and put his personal safety at risk. An analysis by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune found that, compared with the five-year average, robberies and property crimes are up 11% and serious assaults up 25% in Minneapolis. There have been 59 homicides in 2020, the most since 1998. The citys most diverse neighborhoods, including those bordering Lake Street, are experiencing almost half of the reported incidents. Powderhorn Park, home to Seward Pharmacy, Ussos home, and the corner where George Floyd was killed, has seen reported violent crime incidents surge almost 50% over the five-year average.

In communities like Lake Street, frustration over rising crime is turning to despair, with unpredictable political consequences. The aftermath of the Floyd killing has laid bare not just the depth of anger over decades of racial injustice in one of the nations most racially segregated and unequal metropolitan areas, but also the failures of progressive elected leaders to protect their citizens. Public confidence in government is collapsing on all sides, including among many of those who rely on it most. Some people are not trusting of some of the politicians, says Usso. They feel they can rely on the people rather than the government. And I guess I feel that way too.

Story continues

****

On Lake Street, Somali restaurants are located across from Hispanic-owned nail shops and just down the block from a decades-old Scandinavian general store. Throughout, Black businesses mingle with those founded by the citys newcomers. Chicago Avenue bisects one of the busiest stretches. Head south on it seven blocks and youll reach the berms and barricades blocking what one sign declares is the Free State of George Floyd. One block further south, stanchions and flowers protect the spot where Floyd was suffocated by Derek Chauvin, an officer from the Third Precinct whod received at least 17 civilian complaints against his conduct over the years.

For decades, the precinct has been known as a hub for some of the citys worst cops and behavior, but the problems werent confined there. The 2015 shooting of Jamar Clark, an unarmed Black man, sparked an 18-day protests outside of the citys deeply troubled Fourth Precinct. While some policing reforms happened  the department tightened its use-of-force policy  much remained undone. The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, an organization led by a lieutenant accused by the current chief of police of wearing a White Power badge on his motorcycle jacket, has long opposed efforts to investigate and discipline bad cops. Minnesotas legislature could overrule these objections with law, but rural and suburban legislators have stalled progress.

Perhaps the greatest impediment to reform is a deeply ingrained, city-wide vanity that allows residents and leaders alike to paper over civic failures through encomiums to the regions progressivism and civility. In 2017, the Department of Justice released a report praising Minneapolis for its peaceful, measured response to the Jamar Clark riots, noting that it prevented the violence and riots seen in other cities following officer-involved shootings. The states leading newspaper patted Minneapolis on the back, urging the city to improve communication, but said nothing about the underlying racial tensions that would destroy Lake Street businesses a mere three years later. Twin Cities activists never stopped advocating for police reform, but the citys leadership largely folded up the policymaking tent.

The consequences were tragic. In the days following the Floyd riots, as the city and the country wondered what Minneapolis would do, the City Council failed to propose an actionable plan for reform, because it didnt have one. Instead, after a week of violence, nine out of 12 city council members stood on a stage in Powderhorn Park, pledging to activists that they would begin the process of ending the Minneapolis Police Department despite the fact that we dont have all the answers about what a police-free future looks like.

The council cobbled together a ballot proposal to eliminate the city charters requirement to maintain the current structure of the police department. The citys Charter Commission wisely turned down the council. Among other objections, the commission noted that the ballot proposal was made in haste, especially during a crime surge. (Mayor Jacob Frey, Council President Lisa Bender, and two city council members I contacted for this article did not respond to interview requests.)

Deep attrition at the Minneapolis Police Department is compounding the crisis. Through the first quarter of 2020, more than 100 officers left the roughly 830-member Minneapolis Police Department, in addition to the 42 officers who, on average, leave every year due to age or illness. Disability claims related to post-traumatic stress following the Floyd riots account for many of the departures. Mayor Jacob Freys latest budget recommends a force of 771 officers in 2021, while acknowledging that the personnel cuts will negatively impact the operations of the department by causing a significant staffing shortage and lead to increased response times  which is already happening, according to city data. When I reached out to Minneapolis Police Chief Madeira Arradando for an interview on the topic, John Elder, a spokesperson, informed me that Arradando would be unavailable to comment because hes on furlough for budgetary reasons.

City residents have noticed the impact of reduced policing. Recent polling found that 50% of Black residents oppose cutting the size of the Minneapolis police. In response to public dismay at the rise in crime, even city council members who had pledged to reduce the size of the department are now asking the department to increase its presence and response times in troubled neighborhoods, including Powderhorn.

****For their part, the immigrant entrepreneurs on Lake Street are skeptical about the citys ability to restore order. In recent years, many have been unsettled by President Donald Trumps anti-immigrant rhetoric. The coronavirus and the riots have added to their anxieties. Abdishakur Elmi, a Somali immigrant who owns the Hamdi Restaurant at Lake Street and Chicago, tells me that before the riots, his restaurant remained open until midnight. The reduction of police presence has forced him  for safetys sake  to close at 9. Sitting in his empty dining room before lunch, he readily acknowledges that Covid has also hurt him. But then he points north, to a nearby Somali mall, and tells me that hes heard of at least seven carjackings near it in the last week. I dont see police, I dont see government agencies stopping crime. I dont see anything.

Its a similar response next door, in the Midtown Global Market, formerly a Sears store, which houses dozens of immigrant-owned restaurants. Hassan Zaidi, owner with his wife of the Moroccan Flavors restaurant, tells me his income has declined 70% in 2020. Covid-19 hurt; the riots just made it worse. Zaidi, like most of Lake Streets immigrant entrepreneurs, is careful about criticizing the authorities. After the riots, Midtown was secured by local residents and private security in the absence of police, until the National Guard showed up.

Still, like other entrepreneurs, hes not ready to abandon the business he dreamed of starting for 30 years. When the Floyd murder happened, we closed, he tells me as he awaits lunch business. Had to. But I figured out thats not the best thing to do. What are we going to do? Get a job? He shrugs. The community wants to support small businesses. When I asked him if the police were supportive, he glanced toward Lake Street. I don't see any police. What police?

Back at Seward Pharmacy, Elias Usso nods in the direction of the Third Precinct. Since the precincts destruction, the cops stationed there have been operating from a building several miles away, likely contributing to response delays. The city council recently signed off on a proposal to temporarily relocate it back into the neighborhood, but then reversed itself in the face of activist opposition.

Its not there, Usso says, then pauses. Listen, as a minority, as an immigrant, youre concerned. What happened to George Floyd, it could happen to any Black person. Right? Were struggling, you know, between police brutality and as a business owner, is my business safe? In between this, we got squeezed. We want fair treatment, and we want safety.

How to maneuver out of that squeeze is the question that nags at Usso and other residents of Minneapolis. He points out the window at a group of men loitering on the street. Before the riots, he told me, that same group would congregate in front of his shop. Homeless, some of them may have some addiction, or mental health [issues]. For a business owner, its a problem. I want grandma to feel comfortable to come and get her prescription from me.

It occurred to Usso that he could ask the police to force the men to disperse. And then if something happened, is this business going to exist after that? That goes through your mind. You dont want any wrong things to happen at all, the police to react unnecessarily. Rather than involve law enforcement, he invited over a security person, someone who wanted to help him out, to talk to the group. These days, the loiterers hang out across the street, in front of the YWCA.

Its a small brush stroke in the bigger, still evolving picture of what Minneapolis is going to become in the wake of the Floyd riots. A city government that signs onto activist slogans rather than doing hard policy work will simply become less relevant as residents and entrepreneurs demand seriousness and safety. In time, that leadership vacuum may trigger a law-and-order backlash that could empower the Minneapolis Police Department and make it even more difficult to push through common-sense policing reforms. In fact, some city residents quietly wonder if the police department is deliberately slow-walking law enforcement to produce such a result.

One troubling possibility is that a growing leadership vacuum, spurred by declining confidence in traditional institutions, could lead to even more chaos, as residents go beyond Ussos gentle efforts to bring order to his own neighborhood and engage in outright vigilantism. Some residents of Minneapolis (and one Council member) have organized armed citizen patrols as replacements for the police. Its not hard to imagine such efforts spinning out of control.

Another outcome is possible, however. Quality police reform proposals have yielded promising results in other places, including neighboring St. Paul, where youth centers, housing assistance, community-oriented policing and the widespread deployment of social workers are embraced as means to assist the police, not replace them. With a little luck, hard work and imagination, it might also bring to power a new generation of leaders who understand that community safety and justice dont have to be at odds. They go together.

Elias Usso tells me that hes a resident of Powderhorn, first, then a businessman, and hes here to stay. When I ask why, he answers simply: I believe in the neighborhood, and gives a nod out the window to the busy traffic on Lake Street.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Adam Minter is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is the author of Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade and "Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale."

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion

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President Donal Trump wants the COVID-19 stimulus package to be passed already as he said the U.S. wants and needs stimulus.

In a tweet message, Trump pressured the Congress to pass a second COVID-19 stimulus package, urging them to work together and get it done.

The president posted the message on his social media account while receiving treatment for a COVID-19 infection at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

President Trump was transferred at the military hospital from the White House at the recommendation of his doctor, Dr. Sean Conley, who had consulted with specialists from Walter Reed and Johns Hopkins University.

The House Democrats and White House negotiators continue to be at an impasse in passing a second COVID-19 stimulus package to help Americans whose lives are impacted by an economy that is decimated by the pandemic.

As of Thursday, October 1, 40,000 airline workers have started to receive notices of getting furlough or their jobs being cut down as the $25 billion grants which was part of the Payroll Support Program (PSP) of the CARES Act approved last March run out on September 30.

For several days, airlines and unions have been urging the Congress for an extension but no deal was reached until the September 30 deadline.

The Democratic-held House left for the month Friday, October 2, with no bipartisan deal reached.

They did pass a $2.2 second COVID-19 stimulus package dubbed as the Heroes Act 2.0, but the Republican-held Senate said that they would never approved of it.

The White House negotiators, instead, counter-offered with a $1.6 trillion package.

There is still a spark of hope though as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are continuing with their talks unlike last August that the negotiation really got stalled.

As soon as Pelosi and Mnuchin can draw a deal, the House is willing to return to pass a second COVID-19 stimulus package.

In a letter that Pelosi had written to her caucus on Friday, she said that she hoped both sides could strike a deal despite disagreeing in key areas. She added that they will continue to work and move quickly to get a deal for a second COVID-19 stimulus package.

The Senate, however, will not be able to convene until October 19 as three GOP senators have contracted the COVID-19, senators Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Mike Lee of Utah and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin.

The pressure from President Trump could, however, have an impact on the impasse as this might make the Republican-Senate more amenable to a COVID-19 stimulus package.

Pelosi said that President Trump's COVID-19 infection somehow changes the dynamic of her talks with Mnuchin because the Republicans will now see that the virus is really vicious and spares no one.

While both sides agree on a a one-time stimulus check, they disagree on the amount of an additional unemployment benefit.

Check these out:

Trump's Doctors Hold Press Conference To Give A Brief On President's COVID-19 Fight

Pelosi Wants to Stall Furloughs of 40,000 Airlines Workers, Assures Additional Aid

Second Stimulus Checks Possible by October 12 at the earliest if Bipartisan Deal Reached by October 5
Developing a coronavirus vaccine might just be the tip of the iceberg. From thereon starts logistical complexities. The government is now considering a plan that will allow important businesses, especially large ones, to strike a deal with coronavirus vaccine manufacturers. Most of India's vaccines would be funded by the state and would cost around Rs 50,000 crore. Experts also believe that not everyone would be able to get a shot of the vaccine in 2021.

The Centre is deliberating allowing companies to secure vaccine doses directly and early on to ensure that there is no disruption of key economic activities, stated a report in Hindustan Times. The proposal would have to be cleared by the Prime Minister's Office.

A special window would be available for the companies, the daily said. It is yet to be decided on which companies would be eligible to buy directly from vaccine makers but petroleum, steel, pharma, cement and coal companies are likely to be on the list. When developed, companies would be able to procure the COVID-19 vaccine for its employees, which would otherwise be administered to health workers, patients with co-morbidities and the aged population initially.

This deliberation comes as India is already struggling to bring back the economy on track after the Q1 GDP contracted by 23.9 per cent. Meanwhile, the government has been unlocking the country in phases and in keeping in mind the increasing coronavirus cases. While most activities have resumed, many industries are working in low capacity.

The government is already in touch with states, vaccine makers and other stakeholders for a distribution and administration plan of COVID-19 vaccines.

The University of Oxford-AstraZeneca's vaccine candidate, manufactured by Serum Institute of India is in its third phase of trials in India. Zydus Cadila and Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine candidates are also under clinical trial.

Also read: Coronavirus vaccine: Oxford trials run smoothly in India, no adverse side-effects reported so far

Also read: How soon can we expect coronavirus vaccine? Crucial data expected by October-end
Most Americans believe President Donald Trump could have avoided Covid-19 infection if he had handled the pandemic better, and there is no indication yet of an outpouring of support for him, according to a new poll by Reuters/Ipsos released on Sunday.

The poll also showed that Trumps Democratic presidential challenger Joe Biden had expanded his lead over him by 10 points. Biden widened his lead by 14 points in a Wall Street Journal/NBC poll also. That poll was released on Sunday but conducted in the days between the first presidential debate and Trumps hospitalisation. While three-fourths of the respondents said in the poll that the debate made no difference, 25% said they were more likely to vote for Biden now.

In the Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted on Friday and Saturday, 51% of registered voters supported Biden, and 41% backed Trump.

The poll showed that 65% respondents, 9 in 10 Democrats and 5 in 10 Republicans, held Trump responsible for getting infected. According to them, if President Trump had taken coronavirus more seriously, he probably would not have been infected.

In the WSJ and NBCs poll, Biden leads the president 53% to 39%, which is the highest support the former vice-president has enjoyed in polls conducted by them in months. It also showed the presidents support slip under 40% for the first time, and that negative views of him had increased.

The poll found the debate moved the needle on Trump more than any other single significant factor such as his impeachment by the House of Representatives and acquittal by the Senate.

Biden leads Trump up by 8.1 points in the RealClearPolitics average of national polls and by 7.9 points in the FiveThirtyEight weighted average of polls.
Several top deputies of Texas' attorney general have reported to law enforcement that their boss engaged in crimes including bribery and abuse of office, according to an internal letter.

In a single-page letter to the director of human resources in the attorney general's office, the seven senior lawyers wrote that they reported Republican Ken Paxton to 'the appropriate law enforcement authority' for potentially breaking the law 'in his official capacity as the current Attorney General of Texas.'

'We have a good faith belief that the attorney general is violating federal and/or state law including prohibitions related to improper influence, abuse of office, bribery and other potential criminal offenses,' the Thursday letter states.

It was first reported jointly by the Austin American-Statesman and KVUE-TV and subsequently obtained by The Associated Press.

The lawsuit comes at a crucial time for Paxton who will lead state attorneys general when they and the DOJ are expected to sue Google this week for alleged antitrust abuses.

The suit - the biggest against an alleged corporate monopoly in decades - will accuse Google of having a stranglehold on the online search market, and will include its contracts with Apple and other smartphone manufacturers to make it the default search engine.

The letter does not offer specifics but nonetheless stands as a remarkable accusation of criminal wrongdoing against the state's top law enforcement officer by his own staff, including some longtime supporters of his conservative Christian politics.

It is likely to deepen legal trouble for Paxton, who has spent nearly his entire five years in office under felony indictment for securities fraud, although the case has stalled for years over legal challenges.

State Attorney General Ken Paxton, pictured in June. Several top deputies of Texas' attorney general have accused him of crimes including bribery and abuse of office in an internal letter saying they've reported the actions to law enforcement

Several top deputies of Texas attorney general have reported to law enforcement that their boss engaged in crimes including bribery and abuse of office, according to this internal letter

Philip Hilder, Paxtons defense attorney in the securities case, declined to comment on the new allegations Sunday. Paxton pleaded not guilty in that case but it is not clear whether the new accusations are related.

In a statement to the American-Statesman Paxton's office said: 'The complaint filed against Attorney General Paxton was done to impede an ongoing investigation into criminal wrongdoing by public officials including employees of this office. Making false claims is a very serious matter and we plan to investigate this to the fullest extent of the law.'

The investigation referenced in the statement was unclear. A spokeswoman for the attorney general did not immediately respond to an email and phone call Sunday.

The letter was signed by the deputy attorneys general for policy, administration, civil litigation, criminal investigations and legal counsel - James Blake Brickman, Lacey Mase, Darren McCarty, Mark Penley and Ryan Vassar - as well as Paxtons first assistant, Jeff Mateer, and Mateer's deputy, Ryan Bangert.

None of them responded to messages seeking comment Saturday or Sunday.

Jeff Mateer resigned from Paxton's office Friday to rejoin a prominent conservative nonprofit law firm in the Dallas-area, according to the Dallas Morning News

'These allegations raise serious concerns,' Gov. Greg Abbott, also a Republican, said in a Sunday statement. He declined to comment further 'until the results of any investigation are complete.'

Mateer resigned from Paxton's office Friday to rejoin a prominent conservative nonprofit law firm in the Dallas-area, according to the Dallas Morning News. The First Liberty Institute did not immediately respond to an inquiry about him Sunday.

Paxton had previously touted Mateer as 'a principled leader  a man of character  who has done an outstanding job for the State of Texas'.

Texas Governor. Greg Abbott on Sunday said the allegations against Paxton 'raise serious concerns'.

Paxton, a Republican who is in his second term, has raised his national profile as a conservative crusader under President Donald Trump, including leading a lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act that goes before the Supreme Court this fall and leading Lawyers for Trump, a group supporting the president's reelection.

The FBI and the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Texas did not immediately respond to requests for comment Sunday.
Eradicating the coronavirus is not a viable option according to Green Party leader and Minister for Climate Action, Communication Networks and Transport Eamon Ryan.

Speaking on RTEs The Week in Politics programme, he said that the spread of the virus should be stabilised instead of eradicated, as this is not a viable option.

What we're seeking to do is not to eradicate the virus, I dont think that's a viable option but to stabilise it and I think, yes, there's real concern when you look at other counties [case numbers are] rising very fast, he explained.

Read More

The Minister said that he hopes Level 4 restrictions can be avoided in the capital and in Donegal, both of which are currently at Level 3.

I hope we can avoid that, I think were going to have to do everything to avoid that.

I think the numbers in Dublin have continued to rise not in fast as rate as they were, I believe the measures that were all put in place in the likes of Donegal and Dublin would actually see that stabilising.

He emphasised that the governments priority is to keep the schools open at Level 4.

I think that no matter what, the government is very much committed that that is very much important.

Were not seeing huge incidence increasing because of the schools going back, the international evidence shows that it can be done safely.

The health damage that would be done if we werent able to have our children going to school would outweigh the benefits of closing them.

So I think no, we would keep our schools open, he added.
Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar broke his silence over the widespread unrest about and within the film industry in a video message addressed to fans of Bollywood. He has, with folded hands, requested fans to give them a chance to rectify grave issues like drugs and narcotics that have come to the fore after actor Sushant Singh Rajput's unfortunate demise in June this year. In the address, Akshay Kumar also requested the media for sensitivity towards artists as he claimed that negative news has the power to destroy their hard-earned reputation and careers.

Here's what he said:

"Today, with a heavy heart I'm talking to you. I've been wanting to talk to you for a few days now but I didn't know what to say as there's so much negativity all around us. We're called stars.. but you have made Bollywood with your love. We're not only about the industry. We've also made India's culture and values known to every corner of the world through our films. Every time the public sentiment was brought up, our cinema has tried to showcase every sentiment. Now that there are feelings of anger, we will take that as our command.

After SSR's death, many such issues have come to the fore that have pained us as much as it has to you. These matters have forced us to introspect into our lives.. to look into many aspects of the film industry that need attention now. Like narcotics and drugs. I cannot cross my heart and lie to you and say that it doesn't exist. It exists just like in every other industry and profession. But that does not mean that every person in the industry is involved in it.

Drugs are a legal matter and the investigation by premier agencies will surely bring justice. I know that the film fraternity will co-operate with the law and support them completely. But I request you to not look at the entire film industry like an evil and dishonourable place. Please don't do that.

I have personally believed in the power of the media. If our media does not raise its voice at the right time, many people do not get justice. I request the media to continue its endeavours, but with a little sensitivity, because one negative news can potentially destroy the reputation of artists who have worked hard for years to earn it."

Have a look:

Read | Akshay Kumar wraps up the shooting for 'Bell Bottom', says 'its time to head back'

Read | Akshay Kumar shares new poster of 'Bell Bottom', fans call it 'blockbuster in waiting'

Akshay Kumar is the first A-lister personality from Bollywood, after Kangana, to have spoken about the Sushant Singh Rajput case. His appeal to fans comes after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) cracked a deep-rooted drug nexus in Bollywood as well as the television industry. In their investigation of the drugs angle in Sushant Singh Rajput's mysterious death, NCB brought forth names of big stars and questioned A-listers like Deepika Padukone, Shraddha Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan and Rakul Preet Singh as they uncovered evidence of their involvement in drug consumption, supply or procurement.

Sushant case update

The premier investigation agencies, CBI, NCB and ED, are expected to begin the second leg of their investigation of the late actor's death this week. CBI is likely to proceed further with the AIIMS forensics report as corroborative 'opinion' and not 'conclusive findings'. It has also been informed that the CBI director will decide on the addition of charges under Section 302 (murder) in Sushant Singh Rajput's case.

Read | Akshay Kumar releases 'Bell Bottom' first poster, film to be released on April 2 next year

Read | Akshay Kumar shares pic with Twinkle, Aarav & 'Bell Bottom' crew, wraps Glasgow schedule
(Newser)  Saturday Night Live went political with a parody of this weeks presidential debate and a jab at President Trump from host Chris Rock. The series opened its 46th season with Alec Baldwin returning to play Trump, while Jim Carrey made his feature debut as Biden. In the sketch, the AP reports Baldwins Trump commandeered the debate in the same fashion as on Tuesday, trying to trip up Biden by interrupting and insulting him. Meanwhile, Carreys Biden tried to maintain his anger by breathing into a paper brown bag and talking to himself. "Look man, I'm a nice guy, but you give anymore guff tonight, I'll rip your face off like a mad chimp," Carrey yelled. At another point he said, "Don't do it Joe. That's exactly what he wants. Don't let your inner Whitey Bulger come out."

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Writing for USA Today, Kelly Lawler wasn't hugely impressed. "Although there were vague head nods to President Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis ... it felt like the sketch was written earlier in the week, which is about 200 years in 2020 time. It was already stale. " Still, the New York Times notes "it was perhaps the most anticipated Saturday Night Live season premiere in almost 20 years"the show last broadcast live on March 7and perhaps its most challenging since the Sept. 29, 2001, season opener following the 9/11 attacks. Saturday night's show was hosted by Chris Rock and featured a live audience that included about two dozen masked first responders. Rock joked about how the coronavirus pandemic has ruined much of 2020. The actor-comedian also sarcastically showed empathy toward Trump being hospitalized after his virus diagnosis. "President Trump is in the hospital from COVID, and I just want to say that my heart goes out to COVID," he said.

(Read more Saturday Night Live stories.)
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Linkedin Humeyra Pamuk (Reuters) Washington, United States  Sun, October 4, 2020 09:21 476 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c48f4498 2 World Donald-Trump,Mike-Pompeo,State-Secretariat,visit Free

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will depart for Japan on Sunday but will not go to Mongolia and South Korea as originally planned, the State Department said on Saturday, after President Donald Trump was diagnosed and hospitalized due to the coronavirus.

Initially, Pompeo planned to visit all three countries between Oct. 4 and Oct 8. He is still set to leave for Tokyo on Sunday but will be returning to Washington on Oct. 6 after consultations with his Japanese counterparts and attending a wider meeting with foreign ministers of India and Australia.

Trump announced his illness in the early hours of Friday and was flown from the White House to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center near Washington. In a video from the hospital on Saturday, he said he felt 'much better' but the next few days will be 'the real test' of his treatment for COVID-19.

In a speech delivered virtually earlier to the Florida Family Policy Council, Pompeo said he was in good health but that he canceled his in-person appearance at the event "out of an abundance of caution." He said he still planned to go to Asia.

"You should know that Im feeling fine, Im doing great. Ive been tested twice in two days. Im as healthy as Ive been. And I intend still - I have a trip that Im planning to take to Asia tomorrow," he said.

In a statement, the State Department said Pompeo was expecting to travel to Asia again in October and will work to reschedule the visits in his original itinerary.

Pompeo's visit to East Asia, his first to the region in over a year, comes at a time when US ties with Beijing are at their worst in decades. Apart from Trump, the coronavirus has infected his wife Melania and several Republican senators, as well as millions of other Americans.
Police have said Arlene Donnelly, who went missing from her home in Dunmurry on September 27, has been found "safe and well".

The public has been thanked for their assistance in finding the 36-year-old.

It follows a search after Ms Donnelly's family were unable to make contact with her.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala - Lucas Jackson/REUTERS

Ending the US-China trade war will be nothing compared to the experience of her mother being kidnapped, according to one of the frontrunners to lead the World Trade Organization.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, 66, said the reforms she spearheaded as Nigerian finance minister led to her octogenarian mother Kamene Okonjo being abducted from her home for five days in 2012, but equipped her to replace Roberto Azevedo as director-general of the ailing trade body.

The second of three rounds of confessionals  individual meetings with the permanent representatives of each of the WTOs 164 members  ends tomorrow, after which the pool of five candidates will be reduced to two.

Also in the running is Britains Liam Fox, the former international trade secretary, who surprised trade officials that had not expected him to progress beyond the first round; Amina Mohamed, the Kenyan culture secretary; Yoo Myung-hee, the South Korean trade minister; and Mohammad al-Tuwaijri, a Saudi Arabian minister who advises the royal court on economics.

The last candidate standing will inherit an organisation whose appellate body  its supreme court  has been paralysed since last December, leaving the rules-based international system under threat and commerce itself choked by trade wars and the pandemic.

But in an exclusive interview with The Daily Telegraph, Dr Okonjo-Iweala claimed to be uncowed.

Would you be more scared if your mother was kidnapped and held to ransom with a demand that you resign your job publicly on television  or else you would not see her alive  or if you said to the US and China, you have to bridge your differences? she said. Its going to be a tough task but you cant compare it with what Ive had to go through.

Members preferences remain secret until the selection process is completed on Nov 7, after the US presidential election.

The system has drawn criticism for taking place behind closed doors in Geneva, but Dr Okonjo-Iweala stopped short of pledging to make it more transparent, suggesting only that it should be faster, quicker and more efficient.

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Okonjo-Iweala - YURI GRIPAS/Reuters

Asked what distinguished her from her main rival to win  Dr Mohamed, another high-flying African woman who is the bookies favourite  Dr Okonjo-Iweala claimed she was the only candidate working at the intersection of public health and trade, given her current role as chairman of the board at Gavi, the vaccine alliance backed by the Bill Gates Foundation.

The WTO has to be part of the solution to the Covid-19 pandemic, she said. The WTO has rules on how, in a public health emergency, you can invoke the possibility for countries to license products and produce them to make them more affordable and accessible.

South Africa invoked it during the HIV crisis when people were dying because they couldnt get access to HIV drugs.

She pledged to massively step up the monitoring effort of countries imposing export restrictions on medical goods and medicines.

What is needed now is not more of the same but a reformer who can actually change things, she said.

If you dont do this, the WTO will go into irrelevance.
Amid a sharp rise in noise complaints following the opening of Brisbane Airport's new runway in July, one exasperated resident has taken to documenting the decibels from aircraft passing over his Balmoral home.

After receiving limited relief from new flight routes over the bay, angry residents are inundating Airservices Australia with their complaints.

Balmoral resident Dr Sean Foley measured the noise from 117 flights directly over his home in August. Credit:Tony Moore

In November, before Brisbane's new runway opened and COVID-19 virtually shut down the airport, there were 38 noise complaints about Brisbane Airport. In August, after the new runway opened, that had soared to 311.

Balmoral resident and human ecologist Sean Foley logged the decibels of 117 flights over his house in August.
Following an increase in cases of police brutality, harassment and extortion of civilians in Nigeria, with Lagos being a hotspot, the Lagos State Police Command has released numbers for Lagos residents to lodge their complaints.

The police said this is part of its efforts to curb the excesses of the police in the state.

This is a reaction to the mass outcry against the Nigerian police and its Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) for their alleged brutality, extortion and harassment against Nigerians.

The outcry against SARS, a dreaded and highly controversial unit of the Nigerian police force, resurfaced on social media on Saturday following reports of their brutality and harassment of citizens.

Through the #EndSARS and #SarsAlert hashtags, Nigerians have called on the government to disband this unit, as it is claimed to have caused many deaths and injuries in the country.

Ogun SARS kidnap and locked me up for 3days insisting I pay 300k because I was carrying Laptop for my DJ work , they tagged me a yahoo boy , Very painful I had to bail myself with half of the money #EndSARS #WarOnSARS Bloody sets of armed robbers !!!@segalink, a Twitter user, DJ Sino wrote about his experience.

Disclosing the efforts being taken by the Lagos command, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, police spokesperson in the state said further steps are being taken to curb police harassment and extortion.

Also reacting, the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said appropriate actions will be taken.

The safety of our residents is my number one duty as the CSO of Lagos. So, reading reports of seemingly unlawful exploitation by the people charged to protect is very worrying & needs to be addressed immediately. Be assured that appropriate actions will be taken, & speedily too, Mr Sanwo-Olu tweeted.

In its statement on Sunday, the police spokesperson said the commissioner for police has zero tolerance for unethical and inhuman conduct in the police and has ordered prompt action to check the excesses of officers in the state.

He thereby, ordered all checkmating units in the command including provost, X-Squad, CP Monitoring Team and Public Complaint Bureau (PCB), to wake up to their duties and arrest any policeman who deviates from the normal ethics and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of the Nigeria Police within Lagos State.

The Commissioner of Police, also urges members of the public to always take the pains of identifying such policemen who harass, brutalise and extort them, as Lagos State hosts many police formations aside from the Lagos State Command; such identification is sine-qua-non to immediate investigation and disciplinary actions against the erring personnel, the statement reads.

Mr Adejobi, a superintendent of police said the phone numbers belong to the Public Complaint Bureau of the command and are in addition to the already released phone numbers.

The phone numbers are 09057597931 (WhatsApp), 09010512350 (OC PCB), 09010512348, and 09090003792.

The general public can engage the hotlines to lodge complaints against police harassment, brutality and extortion, he said.
By AFP

PARIS: Japan's most famous fashion designer Kenzo Takada, founder of the global Kenzo brand, died in Paris on Sunday aged 81 after contracting COVID-19, his spokesman said. Takada, the first Japanese designer to decamp to Paris and known especially for his signature floral prints, died in the American Hospital of Paris, the spokesman said in a statement.

His death comes 50 years after he launched his first collection in the French capital which he adopted as his home. "Every wall, every sky and every passer-by helps me build my collections," he once said of the city.

He retired from fashion in 1999, six years after selling his eponymous fashion brand to luxury conglomerate LVMH, and dedicated his time to one-off projects, including a design collection at the start of this year.

Dreamed of Paris

Born in 1939 into a family of hoteliers, he chose to study art not catering, becoming a star pupil at Toyko's Bunka Gakuen college, where he carried off the top prize. He went on to work for Sanai, a major chain of fashion shops, but dreamed of Paris.

The 1964 Olympic Games finally gave him his opportunity to come to Europe. The block of flats in which he was renting an apartment was to be demolished to make way for a stadium. Like all the tenants, he was paid compensation and decided to blow the money on a one-way ticket on a cargo boat to Marseille.

Arriving in Paris in the winter of 1965, hardly speaking any French, the only job he could get was in a poodle parlour.

However, in 1970 he took the lease of premises in the Galerie Vivienne, then a rather down-at-heel shopping arcade. "With a few friends for three months we painted the walls with jungle scenes like Le Douanier Rousseau's Snake Charmer and baptised it Jungle Jap," he recalled later.

His first show using amateur models to save money was held there. One of the only 20 people invited included the editor-in-chief of Elle magazine who liked the collection so much she ran it on the front cover.

He became a name almost overnight. For financial reasons his first collection was made in cotton, often quilted, a look which young fashion leaders took to instantly. But his real impact was with his revolutionary and totally contemporary knitwear, which revitalised the industry.

In 1976 he established his studio and boutique in the Place des Victoires. By the time the likes of Rei Kawakuba of Commes des Garcons and Yohji Yamamoto arrived from Japan in the early 1980s, Takada was already well-established on the French fashion scene.

His first men's collection was presented in 1983 and his first perfume, Kenzo Kenzo, in 1988. From the early 1980s boutiques opened all over the world in New York, London, Milan, Toyko and Rome, followed later by Hong Kong, Munich, Venice, Bangkok and Singapore.

Romantic style

Kenzo's romantic style, with its eclectic mix of colour, touches of exoticism, ethnic prints and folksy embroidery, suited the mood of the 1970s but adapted well to the sharper-looking 1980s and 1990s.

For inspiration, he drew on his travels as well as Japanese work clothes, such as his favourite military tunics and coats. Peruvian striped blanket throws, colourful shawls, oriental blouses, peasant smocks, printed velvet, were all part of his signature.

It was a measure of his success that he was notoriously prey to copyists. British designer Jasper Conran, interviewed on the problem, said he knew of a company in South Africa specialising in ripping off Kenzo, seam for seam. "They make a fortune -- more than Kenzo I reckon -- but there's nothing he can do about it."

He was made chevalier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1986 by France in recognition of his career. He tried his hand at film-making with "Reve apres Reve" in 1980 and designed costumes for a Stockhausen opera.

Apart from travel, his other obsession was gambling. He guarded his privacy by building himself a house in the country in the very heart of Paris, only a few yards from the Bastille opera house, complete with authentic tea pavilion and a pool of carp.
As Carlos Aybar stood inside the Miami immigration office last Friday, holding up his right hand and reciting the words of the citizenship oath through a face mask, the Dominican native felt a big wave of relief.

That day Aybar was taking part in one of the last naturalization ceremonies to be held before Floridas voter registration deadline on Monday. That meant that Aybar, a Miami-area resident since 2010, will be able to cast a ballot in Novembers presidential election.

The first thing Im going to do when I get out of here is register to vote, Aybar told the Herald as he walked out of the ceremony room, naturalization certificate and miniature American flag in hand.

Fatoumata Zinsou participates in a naturalization ceremony for people becoming American citizens at the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services District Office in Miami, Florida on Friday, October 2, 2020.

Earlier this spring, USCIS offices across the country remained shuttered for two and a half months to curb the spread of the virus, triggering a suspension of all in-person services.

Among those affected by the temporary office closures was Aybar. Back in April, his scheduled citizenship interview, the penultimate step in the citizenship process, was postponed until further notice.

I spent about four, five months not hearing back, not knowing when it was going to happen, said Aybar. I had no doubt I was going to be sworn in eventually, but for the purposes of the election I was very worried that I wasnt going to be able to register.

Ultimately, Aybar received a September slot to complete the interview, which paved the way for his participation in the naturalization ceremony on Friday.

I think getting the right to vote is the most important part of naturalization, and this is a really pivotal election thats coming up, he said. So I am very happy and thankful that I was able to do it just in time for voter registration. The deadline is on Monday and we got naturalized Friday. Its such a relief.

Aybar plans to register to vote online, and then vote in the election early, and in person.

If I had gotten naturalized just a few days later, I still would have been really happy, but I wouldnt have been able to vote in an election for two more years, he added. Instead, Ill be able to exercise my right to vote immediately.

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ELECTION IS ON THE MINDS OF NEW CITIZENS

In a departure from pre-pandemic naturalization protocol, Fridays oath ceremonies were more intimate, socially-distanced affairs, with only around 20 people in attendance at each ceremony, all of whom had to wear masks. To keep the gatherings under 15 minutes, officers dispensed with the welcome videos typically shown in the past, and there was no congratulatory message from the president.

But just like before, the proceedings stressed the importance of civic engagement.

Federal Judge Beth Bloom of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida leads a naturalization ceremony at the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services District Office in Miami, Florida on Friday, October 2, 2020.

It was a message that found a receptive audience.

I cant wait to vote, said Francesca Pedde, an immigrant from Italy, after her ceremony. I feel like as an American citizen, I will finally be able to express my opinion. Im really looking forward to it  And October Fifth is the [voter registration] deadline, so this is amazing timing for us. Its perfect.

Olga Kicherman shared that excitement. The Moldovan immigrant first moved to South Florida six years ago.

This is a big step for me  I feel such joy and pride to be an American citizen, and Im so happy Ill be able to register to vote, she said. Even though the pandemic kind of slowed everything down, Im very excited that it didnt stand in the way for me to become a citizen, and a voter. I did it. Barely!

For Yoandrys Alfar, being able to vote in the upcoming election means getting to choose for the first time what I really want, and not what was imposed on me in my country.

The Cuban immigrants first ever vote in a U.S. presidential contest will go to President Donald Trump, whom he says he trusts more than his challenger, Democratic candidate Joe Biden.

Jackeline Eugenia Reyes Santana participates in a naturalization ceremony for people becoming American citizens at the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services District Office in Miami, Florida on Friday, October 2, 2020.

I know many people cant stomach the presidents personality, she said. But I have first-hand experience with communism and with dictatorship, and thats really marked me.

Biden supporters at Fridays ceremonies were also influenced by the politics of the countries they come from. That includes Pedde, the Italian native.

Bidens politics agree more with my personal views, especially when it comes to immigration and healthcare. Those are very important things for me, she said. Im from Italy. We have free healthcare over there and its a really different system. Its something we should get closer to.

Though Aybar also identified healthcare and immigration, as well as education and civil rights, as important issues influencing his vote, he said the main reason he will be supporting the former vice-president is the need to heal a divided country.

We need to unify, he said. And clearly the president is not doing a great job of unifying the country. We need change, and thats why Ill be casting my vote for Biden.

Given Florida races tend to be decided by razor-thin margins, new citizens in the Sunshine State could be more influential in the upcoming election than new citizens anywhere else.

Olga Modnik participates in a naturalization ceremony for people becoming American citizens at the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services District Office in Miami, Florida on Friday, October 2, 2020.

REGISTERING TO VOTE RIGHT AWAY

Pre-pandemic, representatives of local election departments were usually present at the end of naturalization ceremonies to register newly minted citizens as soon as they took their oath. In Miami-Dade, the countys Elections Department used to collect an average of 40 voter registration applications per oath ceremony.

Since election officials are no longer on hand  due to the public health guidelines currently in place at immigration offices  new citizens must now be more proactive to get their voter registration applications turned in.

On Friday, Neira and Jofran Duran, a pair of siblings from Venezuela, were determined to become eligible voters immediately after getting naturalized.

Once their oath ceremony wrapped up, the Durans posed for photos with their naturalization certificates, then got in their car and drove straight from the immigration office, near Miami Shores, to the Miami-Dade County Elections Department, in Doral. There, they filled out and submitted their voter registration forms, with three days to spare before the states registration deadline.

We want to participate in the democracy of the place we call home, Jofran Duran said.
IARU Region 1 Virtual General Conference

The South African Radio League report: If the COVID pandemic had never taken place, three SARL delegates would be flying to Novi Sad in Serbia for the Region 1 General Conference.

But the pandemic did happen and therefore the IARU Region 1 Virtual General Conference will take place from Sunday 11th to Friday 16th October 2020 using the GoToMeeting platform.



On Sunday 4th October, all delegates will receive guidance to use the virtual platform and on Tuesday 6th October at 18:00 CAT, the C2 Credentials meeting will take place. This meeting will look at the list of Member Societies registered and if their Region 1 ubscriptions have been paid by 1st October 2020.



The Opening Plenary of the 2020 Conference takes place at 09:00 CAT on Sunday 11th October. The Conference work will be done in streams -

C2 Budget; Committee 3 -Administration; Committee 4 - the Permanent HF Committee; Committee 5 - the Permanent VHF, UHF and Microwave Committee; Committee 7 - the Permanent EMC Committee; the Spectrum and Regulatory Committee/Political Relations Committee and the Youth Working Group.

The Papers for the Conference are available on https://r1papers.wordpress.com/.

The SARL has submitted two Papers.



On each day from Sunday to Wednesday, three streams will meet at 09:00, 13:00 and 16:30 CAT per Conference timetable. On Thursday 16th October, C3 will meet at 09:00, whereafter the Region 1 Secretary will prepare the Papers for the Final Plenary and provide each Member Society with copies. The Final Plenary will start at 09:00 SAT on Friday 16th October, with the second session at 13:00 and if needed a third session at 16:30.



The SARL Team attending the Conference is Head of Delegation, Nico van Rensburg, ZS6QL with Dennis Green, ZS4BS; Rassie Erasmus, ZS1YT; Nick Dreyer, ZS1N; Brian Jacobs, ZS6YZ; Phillip van Tonder, ZS6PVT; Hans van den Groenendaal, ZS6AKV; Anton Janovsky, ZR6AIC; Dave Higgs, ZS2DH; Guy Eales, ZS6GUY and Koos Fick, ZR6KF.
A new tetchiness is in the air as Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews awaits a federal budget that will offer him billions of dollars for major projects as long as he moves fast to build them.

Andrews looked peevish and dismissive over the weekend when he was asked about a comment Treasurer Josh Frydenberg made suggesting Victorian should "get on with it" and approve more work.

Daniel Andrews tried to send the message he would deal only with Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Credit:Simon Schluter

"Really, I think the Federal Treasurer perhaps needs to be a little bit better briefed and he might start by speaking to his boss," Andrews said.

The Premier was trying to pull rank. Andrews sent the message he would deal only with Prime Minister Scott Morrison, man to man.
TDP President and former CM N Chandrababu Naidu called up and extended his full support to TDP Official Spokesperson Kommareddy Pattabhi whose car was vandalised at his residence on Sunday.

TDP President and former CM N Chandrababu Naidu and party General Secretary Nara Lokesh called up and extended their full support to TDP Official Spokesperson Kommareddy Pattabhi whose car was vandalised at his residence on Sunday. Mr. Naidu told the TDP leader to have the courage and confront the timid attacks by the rival party leaders boldly. He said that the party would stand by its leaders in such crisis situations and the struggle against the unwanted elements in society would continue.

On his part, Mr Lokesh said that looking at the continuing attacks, people were getting a feeling that there would be no end to suppression under the jungle rule of the YSRCP in the State. All dissenting voices against the Governments atrocities were coming under attack. Mr Lokesh pointed out how a series of attacks were going on without any regard for the democratic foundations of the country. Yesterday, some portion of the house of TDP leader Sabbam Hari was demolished in Visakhapatnam without giving him any notice.

Today, miscreants damaged the car to target Kommareddy Pattabhi. All these were happening out of sheer political vendetta against the Opposition leaders for exposing the Governments anarchic and atrocious policies. Mr. Pattabhi accused the ruling YCP activists of masterminding the attack. He demanded a fair probe into the incident by taking evidence from the CCTV cameras in the surroundings. His house was located adjacent to the residence of a High Court judge. But, still, the miscreants were bold enough to carry out their vandal attack without any fear of the law.

Also Read: Hathras Politics: Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar meets victims family

TDP former Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao, former MLAs Bonda Umamaheswara Rao and Bode Prasad, Politburo Member Varla Ramaiah and other leaders condemned the attack on Pattabhi. They asserted that the cowardly attacks of the ruling party leaders would not terrify the TDP. The Opposition leaders would further raise their dissenting voices till the atrocious regime of Jagan Reddy comes to an end.

Also Read: Government to cover 20-25 crore people by July 2021: Harsh Vardhan on Covid-19 vaccine
Top seed and 2018 champion Simona Halep was sent crashing out of Roland Garros on Sunday when Polish teenager Iga Swiatek stormed to a shock 6-1, 6-2 victory to reach the quarter-finals.

Swiatek, just 19 and ranked 54 in the world, will take on either Dutch fifth seed Kiki Bertens or Italian qualifier Martina Trevisan for a place in the semi-finals.

"I am surprised I could do this," admitted Swiatek after ending the 17-match winning streak of Halep who was the overwhelming favourite in the absence of 2019 champion Ashleigh Barty and US Open winner Naomi Osaka and the injury-enforced withdrawal of Serena Williams.

"I felt like I played a great match," added Swiatek who will be playing in her first quarter-finals at the majors.

It was a stunning turnaround for the Pole who won just one game against Halep at the same stage in Paris last year, getting swept off court in just 45 minutes.

"Last year I wasn't experienced enough, it was my first match in a big stadium so I was a little stressed.

"But I have made a lot of progress since then, playing girls like Simona, Naomi and Caroline Wozniacki. Now I can handle the pressure."

Swiatek swept through the opening set in just 23 minutes, firing 17 winners to Halep's four.

The teenager tightened her grip, breaking in the first game of the second set with Halep having to fight off four break points in the third game to stay afloat.

Swiatek's assault continued against a player who arrived in Paris with claycourt titles in Prague and Rome.

Halep, 29, saved five more break points in the fifth game but a weary forehand drifted wide and her Polish opponent was 4-1 up with the cushion of a double break.

She took victory on a second match point, ending the tie in 68 minutes on the back of 30 winners and not having allowed Wimbledon champion Halep a single break point.
Last week, Michigan had its highest number of new coronavirus cases since April.

Ten counties now have a positivity rate of more than 5% on COVID-19 diagnostic tests.
Nicola Sturgeon is facing demands to join a bid to oust Margaret Ferrier after he 800-mile round trip to Parliament while suffering coronavirus symptoms.

The MP has yet to resign from the Commons despite being stripped of the SNP whip and Ms Sturgeon publicly calling for her to go.

Scotland Yard confirmed it was looking into Ms Ferrier's admission that she travelled 400 miles from Glasgow to London while awaiting the results of a test, and then took the train back after being told it was positive.

Ms Ferrier could face a 4,000 fine for a first-time offence of 'recklessly' coming into contact with others when she should have been self-isolating under a law that came into force on the day of her positive test.

The Scottish First Minister is now under pressure to sign up to a recall petition that could force Ms Ferrier out of her 82,000 a year job.

Nicola Sturgeon (left) is facing pressure to back a recall petition to oust Margaret Ferrier (pictured right) from the Commons

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said today that he is 'surprised, amazed and shocked' that Ms Ferrier has not yet resigned.

He told Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday her actions were 'irresponsible and dangerous'.

Meanwhile, Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard has said Ms Sturgeon must support a recall petition to remove Ms Ferrier, which could be triggered if she is suspended from the Commons for two weeks.

Under parliamentary rules, the MP would face a by-election if at least 10 per cent of her 81,000 constituents signed.

Ms Ferrier travelled by train to London from Scotland last Monday while awaiting the results of a Covid test taken on Saturday, and then travelled back the following day after being told the test was positive.

Images on her Twitter page showed her in several public places likely to have been busy on a Saturday, including the Vanilla Salon and South Lanarkshire Eastfield Lifestyle leisure centre in Rutherglen, and Sweet P gift shop in Burnside.

Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle lashed out at her astonishing actions as she faced calls from her own party leader to quit the Commons.

Ms Sturgeon used a series of expletives and said her 'head was in her hands' on being told that her 'friend and colleague' had broken the law, sources told the Times.

However, Ms Ferrier is resisting calls to quit and may seek to stay in the Commons as an independent, having referred herself to the parliamentary standards watchdog.

Images on Ms Ferrier's Twitter page showed her in several public places likely to have been busy on a Saturday, including the Vanilla Salon and South Lanarkshire Eastfield Lifestyle leisure centre in Rutherglen (pictured with the MP centre)

The SNP has insisted it was unaware Ms Ferrier had taken a Covid-19 test on Saturday before travelling to Westminster to take part in a debate on coronavirus in the House of Commons on Monday.

By Ms Ferrier's own account, she was informed the test was positive that evening.

The Rutherglen and Hamilton West MP said she was screened after experiencing 'mild symptoms', meaning she should have self-isolated.

In a statement, she admitted she travelled home to Glasgow on Tuesday, where she has been self-isolating ever since. She apologised for her actions and said there was 'no excuse'.

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it is investigating the journeys along with British Transport Police over potential breaches of the Health Protection Regulations 2020.
Donald Trump's chief of staff revealed on Saturday evening that they were seriously concerned about the president on Friday, confirming for the first time how worrying the day was, as sources say Trump had heart palpitations and a temperature of 103.

Mark Meadows, who is currently with Trump inside the Walter Reed hospital, said that on Friday the president's blood oxygen levels plummeted and he was feverish.

'He's made unbelievable progress from yesterday morning, when a number of us - the doctor and I - were very concerned,' Meadows told Fox News' Judge Jeanine Pirro.

Mark Meadows on Saturday evening spoke to Fox News' Judge Jeanine

Meadows, the chief of staff, is currently at Walter Reed hospital with President Trump

Mark Meadows on Fox News: "Biggest thing that we see is with no fever now, and with him doing really well with his oxygen saturation level -- yesterday morning we were concerned with that. He had a fever, and his blood oxygen level had dropped rapidly." pic.twitter.com/hwrv0bj1QG  Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) October 4, 2020

'Yesterday morning we were real concerned. He had a fever and his blood oxygenation had dropped rapidly.'

Meadows' comments came shortly after Vanity Fair reported that the president 'grew visibly anxious' on Friday as his fever rose to 103 Fahrenheit.

Three Republicans close to the White House told the magazine that he was administered oxygen at the White House on Friday.

Two sources further told the magazine that the 74-year-old experienced heart palpitations on Friday night, which were possibly side effects of the experimental antibody treatment he received.

Trump reportedly began wondering aloud if he was going to die.

'Am I going out like Stan Chera?' Trump has asked aides, referring to his friend, New York real-estate developer Stan Chera, who died of COVID in April.

Meadows' recollection of the president's worsening condition on Friday was in stark contrast to his comments to reporters on Friday morning.

He said Trump and his wife 'remain in good spirits', and that the president had 'mild symptoms'.

'He continues to be not only in good spirits but very energetic,' said Meadows, adding that he had spoken to the president several times on Friday morning and the president had given Meadows work to do.

'The great thing about this president is not only is he staying committed to working very hard for the American people, but his first question to me this morning was: "How is the economy doing? How are the stimulus talks going on Capitol Hill?"'

Later on Friday, it now appears, the president's condition significantly worsened.

The White House was evasive about the president's condition on Friday afternoon, and medics on Saturday did little to help clarify.

Dr Sean Conley, the president's personal physician, declined to answer some of the specific questions asked about Trump's health, including how high his fever rose in recent days, when he last tested negative for the virus and whether he was ever administered supplemental oxygen since being diagnosed.

A senior administration official later confirmed Vanity Fair's reporting that Trump was given supplemental oxygen at the White House on Friday before going to Walter Reed.

Meadows is pictured with Trump as he gets out of Marine One at Walter Reed on Friday

Trump is pictured on Friday walking off Marine One and into the Walter Reed hospital

Conley sparked confusion by saying that Trump had been confirmed as positive 72 hours ago - meaning that he had carried on traveling, mingling and campaigning while knowing he was infectious.

The White House was later forced to clarify that he meant three days ago, and not 72 hours ago.

Trump himself on Saturday night said he was 'starting to feel good', posting a video on Twitter.

Trump added that the treatments he is receiving are 'miracles from God' as he said that his wife Melania's symptoms were not as severe as his own.

'We're both doing well,' Trump said in the four-minute Twitter video.

'Melania is really handling it very nicely. As you've probably read, she's slightly younger than me, just a little tiny bit,' he said of his 50-year-old wife.

'And therefore, we know the disease, we know the situation with age versus younger people and Melania is handling it statistically like it's supposed to be handled and that makes me very happy, and it makes the country very happy, but I'm also doing well and I think we're gonna have a very good result again.'
A Congress leader from Bulandshahr, Nizam Malik, who announced a reward of Rs 1 crore for anyone who brings the head of the accused in the Hathras incident, has been arrested and a case registered against him.

Malik was injured in the police lathi-charge at DND flyover when Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were briefly detained while they were on their way to meet the family of the Hathras victim.

In a related development, a panchayat of upper caste members, including Thakurs and Brahmins, held a Mahapanchayat at Baghna village, two kilometres from the Hathras victims village Bulghari, on Saturday and said all the four accused in the case were innocent. They demanded a CBI probe into the case.

Another panchayat was held on Sunday morning where a large number of people claimed that the accused persons were being falsely implicated in the case and demanded a probe into the call detail records of the victims family members.
The officers are likely to discuss how to enhance capabilities to handle natural disasters and health crises like COVID-19

New Delhi: For the first time in its history, the annual conference of the country's top police brass will be held virtually next month amid the coronavirus pandemic, officials said on Sunday.

About 250 officers in the rank of DGP and IGP from all states, Union Territories and Centre will take part in the two-day virtual meeting to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, NSA Ajit Doval among others.

The key role played by police during a disaster and pandemic, new-age crimes like cyber terrorism, radicalisation of the youth and the Pakistan-sponsored militants in Jammu and Kashmir will be discussed during the conference, to be held in multiple sessions, a Union Home ministry official told PTI.

The conference will be held in the last week of November, the official said.

As the role of police during the ongoing pandemic came under praise from all quarters, the meeting is expected to discuss how to enhance their knowledge and capabilities to handle natural disasters and such health crisis, the official said.

The state police chiefs will share their experiences in handling the pandemic and how the police have helped the distressed people and the migrant workers during the nationwide lockdown.

The prime minister is likely to make special mention about the exemplary work done by the police personnel while fighting the coronavirus, the official said.

According to an estimate, about 75,000 police and paramilitary personnel were infected by coronavirus in the country and about 600 of them succumbed to the virus.

Among those infected include about 32,500 paramilitary personnel and 24,000 policemen in Maharashtra, the worst hit state in India.

Among the deaths include 100 paramilitary personnel and about 250 in Maharashtra Police, almost all of them while playing different roles during the pandemic.

This is for the first time in the history that the annual conference of the DGPs and IGPs, organised by the Intelligence Bureau, will be held virtually and all of them will participate from their respective headquarters, another official said.

The role of social media in instigating violence, violence perpetrated by Pakistan-based terrorist groups in Jammu and Kashmir, curbing of black money and narcotics and a few other issues are also expected to be discussed in the meeting.

The implementation and activation of decisions taken at previous conferences will also be reviewed during the meeting.

The DGPs and IGPs conference is an annual affair where senior police officials of the states and the Centre meet and discuss issues of importance.

The Modi government has been organising it outside the national capital since it came to power in 2014. The last conferences have been held in Guwahati, Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, Hyderabad, Tekanpur in Madhya Pradesh and Pune.
Mumbai, Oct 4 : A new viral picture of actor Sanjay Dutt has fans worried about his health.

The image doing rounds on the Internet show Sanjay is looking weaker while posing along with one of his fans.

Seeing the picture, social media users wished the "Munna Bhai M.B.B.S." star a speedy recovery.

"Baba looks so weak. Hope he recovers soon," a user wrote.

"Hope he feels better soon," another one wrote.

Currently, Sanjay is not in the best of his health. On August 11, he had shared that he was taking a break for medical treatment.

Although the 61-year-old actor or his family members did not reveal anything officially, trade analyst and film industry insider Komal Nahta subsequently confirmed that Sanjay has been diagnosed with lung cancer.

"Sanjay Dutt diagnosed with lung cancer. Let's pray for his speedy recovery," tweeted Nahta on his official Twitter account in August.
The coronavirus pandemic shock is different to the previous recession, believes Prachi Mishra, Managing Director, Global Macro Research, Goldman Sachs. Speaking on Limping Economies and the Recovery Task at the Business Today's India's Most Powerful Women event, Mishra said that fear and scare in this scale was not prevalent in the previous recessions. The response to the shock in itself will have a damaging effect.

Mishra said that global recovery has started and disposable incomes are steadily getting stable. "Just when one thinks it is slowing down, it rises in the form of a second wave. Economic recovery will be a daunting task till the coronavirus vaccine is developed," she said. Mishra said that while developing a coronavirus vaccine takes a long time, in such unusual times development has been fast forwarded. She however, alerted that there will be redistribution of the global impact -- everyone will get a slice of the shrunken pie.

Speaking about the impact on India, she said that India stands apart just in terms of its population. "While the virus was ravaging Italy, a population the size of Italy was moving to home states," she said, talking about the migrant crisis. "There has been no lockdown near to one implemented for 1.3 billion people. By and large effective enforcement has been a challenge. Social discipline is a pipe dream in India," she added.

Talking about recovery, Mishra asked, "Where do we go from here?" "Host of eco indicators show that the economy is 75 per cent back to pre-covid levels, but is still behind other countries. If we see further macro economic policies, recovery could be faster," added Mishra.

She also spoke about women in credit and finance and pointed out that women are less likely to be questioned by the credit bureau as per research but also they are likely to default less.

Also read: BT MPW 2020: 'WFH very inclusive; families must respect women's work hours,' says Neeraj Bahl

Also read: BT MPW 2020: 'COVID-19 lockdown huge fillip for online retailers,' says Alpana Parida
Americans do not understand how important the peaceful transition of power is. Weve spent so much of our history peacefully handing the levers of power from president to president, senator to senator and Supreme Court judge to Supreme Court judge.

This string of success, however, has made Americans forget just how important this process is. Being able to transition from one leader to the next without bloodshed is an absolutely essential component of long-term stability.

Perhaps Americans not understanding this concept is why President Trumps continued comments about contesting the current election if he loses have not caused the amount of outrage that they should. Because every single American, regardless of political allegiance, should be terrified and outraged by the presidents vitriolic remarks.

A president refusing to accept the results of an election and refusing to leave office could spell disaster for our entire governmental system. What will happen if Trump loses and refuses to leave office? Will there be a civil war? Will some states obey the deposed President Trump's orders and others the duly elected Biden? These possibilities arent just possible, they are probable.
We stood by the waters edge and made sacrifices to the river god. A bit of our food, some of our drink, this we committed to the swift stream. It was time to put it in the river and be on our way.

No, we werent pagans. None of us believed that the river was an intelligent creature that we needed to propitiate for our survival. Nevertheless, like ancients starting on a hazardous journey, we made sacrifices to the god of the river. Why? Why would unbelieving moderns engage in such an atavism?

We were more than a little serious about this. We were experienced white water boatmen so we had some idea of what we were facing. We were about to start a dangerous expedition down a little-known stretch of an African river. Not even the locals knew what dangers we would be facing since the land for the next three hundred miles was completely uninhabited. We knew that ahead lay potentially life threatening rapids. Ahead lay dangerous animals, very large to very small. Ahead lay lethal diseases. We knew that any injury could be fatal because it would be weeks before we could reach help. And, too, there were unknown unknowns. So we made sacrifice to the river god. It focused our minds on our future. Something deep inside us was speaking.

America was created religious  thus the first words of the First Amendment. Our founders knew that our society would fail without a firm spiritual grounding. Today our nations spiritual core is under attack by those who arrogantly pretend to be too enlightened for religion. These militant atheists work to drive all signs of religion from the public square. They demand that government give them freedom from religion. Ironically, in so doing they reject their own humanity and spin themselves down into nihilism.

We boatmen understood that the world is a dangerous place and invariably tragic. Like people in all ages facing danger, we needed spiritual reinforcement. As far back as we have archeological evidence people have sought spiritual protections against the worlds hazards. Even Neanderthals showed their spiritual side with cave paintings and offerings of flowers for their dead. Ancient stories tell us that trees and streams and the land were believed to be imbued with living spirits. To our ancestors a living river god made sense. Ultimately these primitive sensibilities coalesced into organized religions.

This shouldnt be a surprise. It is generally accepted among biologists that behavior is, at least in part, built into our genes. It was bred into us by natural selection because, in some way, certain behaviors helped our ancestors survive and reproduce. The evidence from all cultures, from the most primitive to the most advanced, is overwhelming that in each human being there is a genetic spiritual element. A spiritual core shapes each human culture.

The need for spiritual religion may be inherent but the actual expression of this need can take many different forms. Religion does not even require belief in a supreme being. Buddhism does not demand belief in God. It recognizes that there is much about this world that we not only do not know but we actually cannot know, so it leaves such matters up to the individual.

The cultural evidence tells us that all of todays atheist secularists are genetically predisposed to be spiritual. Yet most of them deny this essential need. Like all people, atheists must attend to this innate drive to stay sane. Atheists try to maintain their sanity by forcing their beliefs on everyone else. This has profound implications for modern politics and the rule of law.

If atheists have biologically driven spiritual needs, then atheism must be a religion. So how can atheism be a religion? How can the active denial of the existence of God be a religion? The heart of the matter was taught us by Aristotle: You cannot prove a negative! It is logically impossible.

When an atheist claims that he can prove there is no God he is blowing smoke. What he can legitimately say is that he does not believe there is a God. Thus, his position is one of faith about God (i.e., Gods non-existence), not one of provable reality. But faith about God, positive or negative, is the core of almost all religions.

It goes even further. Birds of a feather, etc. Scattered around the world are formal churches of atheism. These are congregations that have buildings, dogma, sacraments, clergy  pompous preachers of atheism  and saints like Karl Marx. I might mention in this context that their holiest sacrament is abortion. This means that atheism is a regression to a primitive religion that requires human sacrifice in the form of child sacrifice.

What is the nature of this religion of atheism? If atheists do not worship a single transcendental God, what do they worship, other than themselves? Atheism is polytheistic, for it has many gods  mundane gods, not transcendental ones: Power, Gaia, Science, Race, Hubris, etc.

So, how is all this relevant to todays increasingly secular world? The most important of the atheist gods is Power. This means the institutional control of people: through government, tech business, communication, education, etc. Socialism in its various forms  Communism, Fascism, Nazism, Maoism, Progressivism, etc.  is only a means to gain power, not an end in itself.

In their lust for power, many atheists try to impose their religion on everyone else. That is the heart of much of Americas current conflict. For decades, now, we have suffered from an unrecognized religious war by atheist religionists against traditionally religious people. This religious war is being fought out, and atheists are often winning, in the courts and in the halls of Congress. They win by pretending to be secular and the victims of oppression, not themselves the oppressors.

There is a way to stop, and even reverse, the militant atheist suppression of traditional religions. That way is to establish, in the law, that atheism is, itself, a competing religion. The courts will be the battleground. It will be necessary for lawyers to establish, through the courts, that spirituality is genetic not merely cultural. That spirituality is a fundamental part of being human, and that therefore the belief system known as atheism must be considered a form of religion. The atheist part of the secular world must not be permitted to reject public religious expression.

This should not a be hard task for skilled lawyers: They only need to show that every successful society, from the most primitive and ancient to the most modern, has spiritual culture at its core. Inductive reasoning then forces the conclusion that religious spirituality is an essential, and almost certainly a genetic, part of being human.

Yes, there will be complications and conflict. Settled precedent must be discarded. There will be titanic legal battles before atheism is fully recognized as a competing religion, before it must humbly take its place among the others. Only then will we then have begun the healing of Constitutional America. Only then will we regain the first, and therefore the most important, Right of the most important Amendment, The First: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. . .

Image credit: Chalana Thilakarathna, via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 4.0
If a vaccine for the disease should become available, the candidates again had differing views. DuPuy said he is a big fan of vaccinating children and adults against disease but that the decision on a COVID-19 vaccination becoming mandatory for students would be a state decision, not local. Balfa-Mustakim said the decision should be left up to parents, based on their childrens medical history, risks and benefits of the vaccine, and their concern for their neighbors wellbeing.

Asked how Waco ISD could better help Black, Latino, indigenous and Asian students succeed in the face of inequities that emerge in school for them more than for their white peers, DuPuy said the district and the school board have been grappling with this issue for decades.

About 91% of the districts 14,500 students are considered economically disadvantaged. About 60% of the districts students are Latino, 28.5% are Black and 8.7% are white, according to the Texas Education Agency.
Election Day is Tuesday.

Well, maybe not that election day but voters in some Alabama cities will go to the polls to cast ballots in runoff races from municipal elections in August.

That includes mayoral elections in a handful of cities.

Decatur is the largest city in the state with a runoff in the mayoral race  a city that has made it a habit of not re-electing the incumbent. Mayor Tab Bowling is seeking to break that cycle as he faces former city councilman Butch Matthews.

Bowling, seeking to be the first Decatur mayor elected to consecutive terms this century, narrowly missed winning the race outright in August when he received 48 percent of the vote in a 7-candidate field.

In northwest Alabama, Florence Mayor Steve Holt is in a fight with city councilman Andy Betterton. Both received 38 percent of the vote in August with Betterton collecting 20 more votes than the incumbent.

In Homewood, businessman Chris Lane and city councilman Patrick McClusky will face off in the race for mayor. Incumbent Homewood mayor Scott McBrayer did not make the runoff

In Coastal Alabama, voters in two fast-growing Eastern Shore cities of Daphne and Spanish Fort will decide on who will be their mayor for the next four years. In Daphne, City Councilman Robin LeJeune will square off against retired Air Force colonel and businessman Steve Carey. In Spanish Fort, incumbent Mayor Mike McMillan will square off against Rebecca Cornelius. McMillan is seeking a third term in office.

In Prichard, incumbent Mayor Jimmie Gardner will face off against City Councilman Lorenzo Martin. The two survived a crowded nine-person primary election to make it to the runoff. Gardner, the citys former police chief, was elected mayor in 2016 after defeating then-incumbent Mayor Troy Ephriam.

And in an intriguing city council race in Huntsville, District 5 councilman Will Culver  whose district includes the under-construction $2.3 billion Mazda Toyota manufacturing facility  came within 18 votes of winning re-election in August. In the runoff, he faces John Meredith  the son of Civil Rights icon James Meredith.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in cities where runoff elections are taking place.
Balliya : , Oct 4 (IANS) In a bizarre statement, Surendra Singh, BJP MLA from Balliya, has said that incidents like the alleged gang-rape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit girl in Hathras can be stopped only if parents inculcate good values in their daughters.

Talking to local reporters in Balliya, the BJP MLA said neither governance nor use of weapons can prevent such crimes.

"Incidents like these can be stopped with help of good values -'na shashan se, na talwar se'. All parents should teach their daughters good values. It is the combination of governance and good values that can make the country beautiful," he told a news agency.

Surendra Singh has been known for making controversial statements.

Singh had earlier stoked a controversy by comparing government officials with prostitutes. "Prostitutes are better than officials. They take money and dance all night. But these officers despite taking money from the public, don't do their work," he had said.

He also landed in controversy when he stated that "Muslims who have many wives and children in large numbers have an animalistic tendency." "In the Muslim religion, you know that people keep 50 wives and give birth to 1,050 children. This is not a tradition but an animalistic tendency. In society, giving birth to only two to four children is normal," the BJP leader was quoted as having said.

He has also made objectionable remarks on Congress president Sonia Gandhi and BSP president Mayawati.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has demanded that Armenia set a timetable for withdrawing from Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding Azerbaijani territories, saying that Azerbaijan would not end military action until that happened.

In a televised speech in the evening on October 4, Aliyev said Azerbaijani forces were advancing in a week-long offensive to retake territories that they lost to ethnic Armenians in the 1990s.

"Azerbaijan has one condition, and that is the liberation of its territories," he said. "Nagorno-Karabakh is the territory of Azerbaijan. We must return and we shall return."

Aliyevs speech comes as fighting continues between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces, killing and wounding hundreds of people, including many civilians from both sides. The latest clashes in the long-simmering conflict over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region began on September 27.

Earlier on October 4, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said on October 4 that Armenian forces targeted Ganca, its second city, with missiles in an escalation of the war in the South Caucasus that broke out one week ago.



Armenia denied that it had directed fire "of any kind" toward Azerbaijan.



In statements posted on its website, the ministry in Baku said Ganca, a city of more than 330,000 in western Azerbaijan, and several other civilian areas were under fire from rockets and shelling. RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service quoted the ministry as saying the Azerbaijani Army "is taking adequate retaliatory measures."

Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov said the shelling of Azerbaijans territory from Armenia is an open provocation that expands the area of the battle and added that Azerbaijan took "retaliatory measures."



"Delivering fire on the territory of Azerbaijan from the territory of Armenia is clearly provocative and expands the zone of hostilities," Hasanov said.



The Azerbaijani cities of Terter and Goradiz had also been targeted, the ministry said.

It did not say what kind of measures it had taken, but Armenia said that Stepanakert, the main city of Nagorno-Karabakh, which has been under artillery fire since October 2, was hit again, and journalists on the ground reported that explosions were rocking the city.

Armenian officials published video footage showing burning buildings and vehicles in the aftermath of the attack on the city.



"Azerbaijani forces are shelling civilian targets in Stepanakert with rockets," Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisian was quoted as saying.

Hovhannisian denied that Armenia had targeted Ganca, but Nagorno-Karabakh's de facto leader, Arayik Harutiunian, said his forces had destroyed a military air base in Ganca.

WATCH: The Azerbaijanis And Armenians Demanding Peace Instead Of War

Azerbaijan on October 4 claimed to have wounded Harutiunian in retaliation for the attack on Ganca, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service reported.



Hikmat Hajiyev, an aide to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, said Harutiunian was hiding in a bunker and was heavily wounded in a targeted attack. The claim could not be independently confirmed.

World powers have been calling for a cease-fire amid concerns that the violence could grow into a full-blown war between the archfoes and draw in regional powers Russia and NATO-member Turkey.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel demanded an immediate end to all fighting during a phone call with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, her press office said on October 4.

Merkel also expressed concern about the ongoing fighting and growing number of victims.

Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory, but it is controlled by ethnic Armenian separatists with close ties to Yerevan. Armenian forces hold control over seven regions adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh.



Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in a conflict over the mountainous region since the waning years of the Soviet Union. They fought a war that ended in 1994 with an uneasy cease-fire and an estimated 30,000 killed.

With reporting by AFP, AP, Interfax, and Reuters
Maine: Confusing reports about the state of Donald Trump's health have intensified the focus on his doctor of the past two years, Dr Sean Conley.

Conley's cautiously optimistic pronouncements were contradicted by Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, who said that he understood that the US President's vitals had been "very concerning".

Dr Sean Conley, physician to President Donald Trump, briefs reporters on the condition of Donald Trump at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre. Credit:AP

Asked on Sunday whether he had downplayed the seriousness of Trump's condition, Conley told reporters: "I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude of the team, that the President, that his course of illness has had."

Conley's remarks a day earlier had also appeared to indicate that the President had been sick for a full day and a half before announcing his infection Friday morning, stoking new questions about Trump's health and whether he knowingly exposed others to the disease, sending the White House scrambling to do damage control.
Russia and Turkey had coordinated at times in the past to tamp down tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

But the uncomfortable cooperation between Turkey and Russia, an ally of Armenia, comes as both countries become increasingly assertive in the Middle East and as the United States steps back. Relations between all three countries have become more complicated.

Turkey has alienated the United States by buying antiaircraft missiles from Russia and cutting a natural gas pipeline deal seen as undermining Ukraine. At the same time, it is fighting proxy wars against Moscow in Syria and Libya.

After Russian airstrikes in Syria killed Turkish soldiers earlier this year, Turkey soon appeared on other battlefields where Russia was vulnerable. In May, Turkey deployed military advisers, armed drones and Syrian proxy fighters to Libya to shore up the U.N.-backed government and push back a Russian-supported rival faction in that war. In July and August, it sent troops and equipment to Azerbaijan for military exercises.

Armenia has said that Turkey was directly involved in the fighting in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, and that a Turkish F-16 fighter shot down an Armenian jet. Turkey denied those accusations.
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Attila Nemecz

Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator

Beaufort County Community College

5337 U.S. Highway 264 East

Washington, N.C. 27889

Ph : 252-940-6387

: 252-940-6387 Cell : 252-940-8672

: 252-940-8672 attila.nemecz@beaufortccc.edu

The Beaufort County Community College Foundation is proud to announce the following scholarship recipients for the Fall 2020 semester. Students can still sign up for 8-week classes starting October 15. The BCCC Foundation is currently raising funds through an online auction to support scholarships. Students can apply now for Spring 2021 scholarships., 22, received the Myrtle Cutler Jones Scholarship. The Snow Hill resident is working toward an Associate Degree in Nursing. She attended James B. Hunt High School and holds certificates in Nurse Aide I and Nurse Aide II. She is the partner of Tyler Small and the daughter of Tammy and David Aycocke of Lucama. Aycocke currently works at Gastroenterology East and plans to work as a nurse educator.Established in 2002 by the family of Myrtle Cutler Jones, this fund provides an annual scholarship to a second year BCCC student in a medical technology program. Jones, a Beaufort County native, recognized the importance of a medical facility in a rural community. She wanted her estate to benefit students in the medical field. Recipients must have at least a 3.0 GPA., 43, received the Linda L. Penrod Scholarship. Blackburn is part of the nursing program. She is the wife of Ricky Blackburn, and she attended J.H. Rose High School. The Washington resident plans to become a nurse at Vidant Beaufort Hospital or Vidant Medical Center. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, Advertising & Public Relations from Salem College.Established in memory of Linda L. Penrod, the endowment funds scholarships for nursing students who have completed one semester and have a 3.0 GPA or higher. Students must demonstrate financial need., 18, received the David & Terri Ann McLawhorn Scholarship. The Washington resident is working an Associate in Arts. She attended South Central High School and plans to earn a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She works as a hostess at Cheddars Scratch Kitchen.Dr. David McLawhorn initiated this endowment in 2004. As president of BCCC from July of 2001 through May of 2012, Dr. McLawhorn wanted to create a fund that would supplement the work of the Foundation by providing scholarship to students who demonstrate need and academic promise., 19, received the Tayloe Memorial Scholarship. The Washington resident is working toward an Associate Degree in Nursing. The daughter of Chuck and Renee Hudson of Washington, she attended Beaufort County Early College High School and holds an Associate in Arts. She plans to serve the people of Washington as a nurse.Mrs. Sam Tim (Tay) Carter, with encouragement from her children Libba, Lou, Clay, and Mary, started the Tayloe Family Endowment in 2003, in memory of her grandfather, Dr. David Thomas Tayloe. The endowment also honors his numerous descendants who have made significant contributions to the medical community of Beaufort County. Scholarships generated by this endowment are awarded to BCCC students enrolled in any medically related program., 23, received the Jarl & Grey Bowers Scholarship. The Washington resident is a pre-nursing student working toward an Associate in General Education. She attended Washington High School. The daughter of Michelle and Harold Johnson of Washington, she currently works at Gaskins Land Surveying as a receptionist. She plans to continue her nursing education.Grey Worley and Jarl E. Bowers provided for this endowment in their wills. Grey Bowers was a home economics teacher and Jarl Bowers was a successful businessman and community leader. The Bowers believed deeply in the value of education as well as the mission of BCCC, and bequeathed this endowment in 2008 to help students demonstrating need and enrolled in a curriculum program at BCCC., 18, received the Coca-Cola Scholarship. The Greenville resident is working toward her Associate in Arts. She attended D.H. Conley High School and plans to transfer to East Carolina University. She is the daughter of Jesse and Andrea LeNeave of Greenville.Established in 2010 with a generous gift from the Coca Cola Foundation and Coca Cola Bottling Plant in Washington, NC, this endowment provides a scholarship for a BCCC student with at least a 2.5 GPA and is receiving no other financial aid. Thanks to this donation, the Cocoa Cola Bottling Plant will model good corporate citizenship in perpetuity., 21, received the Robert "Bobby" E. Farish Scholarship. The Washington resident is working toward his Associate in Applied Science in Criminal Justice Technology. He was homeschooled and currently works at the Food Lion in Chocowinity. He is the son of Jim and Lisa Waters. He plans to work as a park ranger at a Civil War battlefield.Rebecca Farish established this endowment in 2005 to honor the memory of her husband with scholarships that are reflective of his talents and interests in life. The scholarships are awarded to students in the business, criminal justice or automotive technology programs each year, and are based on need., 26, received the Tayloe Memorial Scholarship. The Greenville resident is working toward an Associate Degree in Nursing and plans to work as a nurse, possibly as a psychiatric nurse. Watkeys attended D. H. Conley High School and holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. He is the husband of Lindsi Watkeys and the son of Chip and Teena Watkeys of Greenville.Mrs. Sam Tim (Tay) Carter, with encouragement from her children Libba, Lou, Clay, and Mary, started the Tayloe Family Endowment in 2003, in memory of her grandfather, Dr. David Thomas Tayloe. The endowment also honors his numerous descendants who have made significant contributions to the medical community of Beaufort County. Scholarships generated by this endowment are awarded to BCCC students enrolled in any medically related program.
CAIRO - Egyptian authorities detained a local journalist after she travelled to the southern city of Luxor to cover the alleged killing of a man during a police raid last week, her employer and family said Sunday.

Basma Mostafa arrived in Luxor on Saturday morning, according to the al-Manassa news website where she works, but her employer subsequently lost contact with her. Al-Manassa said in a report that Mostafa believed she was being monitored by police while in the city.

Rights lawyer Karim Abdel-Rady, who is also her husband, said his wife, a 30-year-old mother of two, appeared Sunday at the headquarters of Egypts state security prosecution in the capital, Cairo. Another lawyer, Khaled Ali, confirmed that she was brought before prosecutors.

Later Sunday, al-Manassa reported that prosecutors had interrogated Mostafa and ordered her to remain in custody for 15 days. It said her lawyers did not know what charges she faced because they were not allowed to attend the questioning.

Rights lawyer Hala Doma, however, said she and Abdel-Rady attended the questioning and that Mostafa faces accusations of disseminating false news and joining a terrorist group, an apparent reference to the Muslim Brotherhood group which the government banned since 2013.

A government media officer did not immediately return calls seeking comment. Egypt has in the past arrested journalists who it says are operating without proper permissions. The outlet Mostafa works for is banned from operating in Egypt and its website is blocked.

Media outlets are required to have licenses to work in Egypt, but withholding accreditation is often used as a pretext to silence reporting that the state sees as critical. Some journalists have also been sentenced on charges of spreading false news, a punishable crime.

Mostafa had recently reported on the death of a young man while in police detention in Cairo in September. She was in Luxor to cover unrest in the village of el-Awamiya following the death of a man allegedly at the hands of police last week, according to Amnesty International.

Her detention is the latest in a widening government crackdown on dissent and media. Egypts government, under general-turned-president Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, has overseen an unprecedented political crackdown, silencing critics and jailing thousands.

In recent years, Egypt has imprisoned dozens of reporters and occasionally expelled some foreign journalists. It remains among the worlds worst jailers of journalists, along with Turkey and China, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

In June, authorities raided al-Manassas offices in Cairo and briefly arrested its editor, Nora Younis, who was released pending investigation into charges of managing a news website without an operating license.

Mahmoud Kamel, a board member of Egypts Journalists Union, said authorities have arrested five journalists since the beginning of September.

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The River Shannon is an integral part of Leitrim, it defines the county and brings much needed life to the area during all seasons.



Paul Clements new book 'Shannon Country' takes a fresh look at the majestic river, he follows the footsteps that author Richard Hayward first took in 1939 and writes about the impact of the Shannon honestly and evocatively.

From the Shannon Pot in Co Cavan to the Shannon estuary 344km south, Clements' meandering odyssey takes him by car, on foot, and by bike and boat, discovering how the riverscape has changed from the time Mr Hayward undertook the voyage almost a century ago.



While the overall tone of the book is positive, the author feels that the River Shannon and its surrounding environs have been neglected by various agencies, and he is hard-hitting about the lack of investment in small Shannonside towns.

Filled with photographs from the journey and including a full map of the Shannon route, the book gives a voice to stories from anglers, sailors, lock keepers, bog artists, and illuminates cultural history and identity.



Paul starts his journey with the Shannon rising at the Shannon Pot. He told the paper I had no interest in the debate of where the Shannon begins and instead takes us to a mystical geomancy ritual at the famous pot in Glangevlin where we meet water witches, a shaman, sound-healers, and disciples of the natural magic found beside water. Tuatha De Danann gets a mention as well as the Marble Arch Caves.



Clements really gets his teeth stuck into Dowra, which he calls the Village that Vanished. Dowra usually does not get much mention in tour guides showcasing Ireland, but the author was struck by this ancient kingdom of Glan and the first town on the River Shannon.

Dowra does not get any points for presentation, Dour Dowra has no church, Chinese restaurant or takeaway and is largely a caffeine wilderness. There is a sad emptiness about it, he remarks. He learns that Dowra had been swept by landslides in 1862 and became known as the village that vanished. He visits Dowra Mart and speaks with a Leitrim farmer who tells him of the big, ugly, dark green blankets on the landscape the Sitka Spruce has brought.



Moving on to Drumshanbo, Clements takes a bike ride on the Snake on the Land (the Blueway boardwalk), he speaks with Sean Wynne who organises activities on the lake, Edwina Guckian who has a dance academy and Eileen Gibbons from Electric Bikes.

Paul Clements told the paper that Richard Hayward was a great lover of Carrick-on-Shannon and was made a freeman of the town in the 1940s.



I spent time chasing his spirit and revisiting places he knew well such as the Bush Hotel and Dunne's Bar, as well as attending the Shannon Sessions music event in Carrick.

He said The Market Yard in Carrick is one example of how the town is embracing an appreciation of its heritage, tapping into its past and preserving its finest architecture.



Clements says Haywards ghost has never left the place he called dear friendly Carrick, little town of my heart.

While this book will definitely help plan out a wonderful staycation, the author doesnt butter up some of the towns and villages that he says have enjoyed a better past than present.

He says Jamestown evokes an older riverine aspect where water bubbles over a weir on the way in. He goes in search of the Black Pigs Dyke.



Paul said he feels the Shannon has been forgotten in the massive marketing campaign for the Wild Atlantic Way.

The publication of Shannon County coincides with Waterways Ireland 202021 campaign to promote the Shannon as a holiday spot. Signed copies of 'Shannon Country: A River Journey Through Time' is available in Blacklion tourist offices, Dowra shops and Mulvey's, The Reading Room and Trinity Books Carrick-on-Shannon, Duignan's shop in Drumsna and the Arigna Mining Experience priced 15.

Also read: New work by Ballinamore author Jane Gilheaney Barry
(Independent)

Mike Pence's physician says the vice president "does not need to quarantine" and is scheduled to participate in next week's debate with Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

The vice president received a negative coronavirus test result on Friday, according to his press secretary, following Donald Trump's announcement that the president and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for Covid-19.

Under Centres for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, the vice president is not considered a close contact with any individuals who have tested positive for Covid-19, according to a statement from Dr Jesse T Schonau.

"Vice President Mike Pence does not need to quarantine, he said. Vice President Mike Pence remains in good health and is free to go about his normal activities.

The CDC recommends people who were within 6 feet of someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 for 15 minutes or longer should remain at home for 14 days from the point of last contact.

His statement suggests that Mr Pence has not been in close contact with any administration official or staff who has also been in close contact with the president, First Lady or senior aide Hope Hicks, three officials who reportedly have tested positive for the disease.

Mr Pence reportedly met with the president on Tuesday, two days before the president revealed a positive diagnosis, which would put him within the threshold for quarantine, according to CDC guidelines.

His is scheduled to travel to Salt Lake City, Utah on Monday ahead of his debate on Wednesday against his Democratic opponent.
Aligarh (UP): Bhim Army chief Chandrashekar Azad on Sunday demanded a time bound inquiry by a retired judge of the Supreme Court into the Hathras incident. He also sought security for the family of the victim.

Azad, who visited the family in Hathras, told reporters that a CBI inquiry would be time consuming and delay the process of justice. The Bhim Army chief was initially prevented by police from proceeding to Hathras. He was, however, later allowed to visit the family.

A 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped at a village in Hathras by four men on September 14. After her condition deteriorated, she was referred to Delhis Safdarjung hospital where she breathed her last on Tuesday. She was cremated in the early hours of Wednesday, with her family alleging the local police forced them to conduct the last rites in the dead of the night.

Azad said the family members of the victim should be provided with Y category security as they were feeling insecure". He said an atmosphere of fear and insecurity was being created in the victims village and that the kin of the woman wanted to leave the place. If the state authorities do not provide adequate security to the victims family, then I would have no option but to take them out of the village and keep them in my own house," he asserted.

Heavy security arrangements were made in the village during the Bhim Army chiefs visit. " under this government, CBI is only meant for suppressing the voice of opposition, and create fear, Azad added.

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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
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said in an interview with an Emirati website that a Biden victory in the November presidential election will lead to a shift in U.S. policy toward Iran that will be bad for Israel and the Gulf countries.

Why it matters: Friedman is a political appointee who is very close to President Trump after serving as his lawyer for many years. In the 2016 campaign, Friedman was leading the Trump campaign in Israel and in the U.S. Jewish community. Still, it's very unusual for a U.S. ambassador to weigh in on U.S. domestic politics during an election campaign.

What he's saying:

Friedman argued in a short video published on Twitter by al-Ain that U.S. policy toward Iran is the most consequential issue of the election. He said Biden was part of the Obama administration that negotiated and implemented the Iran nuclear deal, which President Trump thinks was the worst deal the U.S. has ever entered into. It created a path for Iran to get a nuclear weapon."

Friedman added: We are in a very good place with the sanctions on Iran, and we think if we continue down this path, Iran will have no choice but to end its malign activity. We worked really hard to get Iran to a much better place. I would hate to think a new administration would undermine that but, regrettably, if Biden wins, I guess they might."

In another quote that appeared on the al-Ain website, Friedman said: If Biden wins, we will see a policy shift that in my personal opinion will be wrong and will be bad for the region, including for Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait."

On Friday, another interview with Friedman was published in the hardline right-wing Makor Rishon newspaper, which is affiliated with the settler movement. Friedman attacked Biden for his record on Israel while he was vice president, including Biden's 2010 condemnation of plans to build new settlements in East Jerusalem.
Record-Breaking California Wildfires Surpass 4 Million Acres

SAN FRANCISCODeadly wildfires in California have burned more than 4 million acres this yearmore than double the previous record for the most land burned in a single year in the state.

California fire officials said the state hit the astonishing milestone Sunday with about two months remaining in the fire season. The previous record was set two years ago when wildfires destroyed 1.67 million acres.

The 4 million mark is unfathomable. It boggles the mind, and it takes your breath away, said Scott McLean, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire.

Cal Fire said in a statement Sunday that there have been more than 8,200 wildfires since the start of the year that have burned well over 4 million acres in California.

The flames have scorched an area larger than Connecticut. About 17,000 firefighters are still battling nearly two dozen major blazes throughout the state.

A firefighter mops up a hot spot while battling the Glass Fire in Calistoga, Calif., on Oct. 2, 2020. (Stephen Lam/Reuters)

Despite the grim milestone, there were signs for optimism this weekend.

Powerful winds that had been expected to drive flames in recent days hadnt materialized, and warnings of extreme fire danger for hot, dry and gusty weather expired Saturday morning as a layer of fog rolled in. Clearer skies in some areas allowed large air tankers to drop retardant after being sidelined by smoky conditions several days earlier.

In certain areas, we were able to get quite a bit of aircraft in. So we really pounded, a couple different areas hard with aircraft, Mclean said. If the weather does what is predicted, were on that glide path I hope. But that doesnt diminish the amount of work that still needs to be done.

Virtually all the damage has occurred since mid-August, when five of the six largest fires in state history erupted. Lightning strikes caused some of the most devastating blazes. The wildfires have incinerated hundreds of homes and killed 31 people but large parts of them are burning in largely unpopulated land.

A Cal Fire firefighter monitors a firing operation while battling the Glass Fire in Calistoga, Calif., on Oct. 2, 2020. (Stephen Lam/Reuters)

Many of the most destructive fires sparked in Northern California, where hills and mountains dotted with many dead trees have provided plenty of fuel for fires igniting amid high temperatures and strong winds fanning the flames. Thick, gray smoke from the blazes has fouled the air in many hill communities and major cities in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.

Fire officials said the Glass Fire burning in wine country for the past week was their top priority.

Three fires, driven by strong winds and high temperatures, merged into one tearing into vineyards and forested mountain areas, including part of the city of Santa Rosa. Thousands of people were under evacuation orders, including the entire population of Calistoga, a town of 5,000.

By Jocelyn Gecker
New Delhi, Oct 4 : After Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited Bulgarhi village in Hathras district of UP to meet the family of a Dalit gang rape-murder victim, party veteran Oommen Chandy has compared the development with the 1977 visit of Indira Gandhi to Belchi village in Bihar that revived the party's electoral fortunes.

On Thursday, Rahul and Priyanka were detained and sent back to Delhi but allowed to proceed to Hathras on Saturday only after a scuffle with police.

In July 1977, Indira Gandhi, as an opposition leader, had visited Belchi village by travelling on a train, jeep, tractor and finally riding an elephant to reach the site of massacre of 10 Dalits in the Patna district village. In 1980, the Congress returned to power at the Centre.

Former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy tweeted: "Rahul and Priyanka's visit to Hathras reminds me of a similar visit by Smt Indira Gandhi back in 1977 to Belchi in Bihar's Patna district where Dalits were massacred." "Rahulji and Priyankaji braved all attempt to stop them from reaching Hathras. Their arrival to provide support and solace is an act in history repeating itself. 'Aadhi roti khayenge, Indira ko bulayenge' slogan will resonate again -- now for her grandchildren. Dalit dignity cannot be traded," he tweeted.

Congress veteran Margret Alva said that she was happy to see the party leaders and supporters hit the streets under the leadership of Rahul and Priyanka.

"The party has always stood for the rights of the marginalised and oppressed. Wish I was there," she said.

The Congress leaders also slammed the Uttar Pradesh government for its high-handedness. Maharashtra Minister Ashok Chavan said: "Such shameful display of unlawful actions. The ones who have sworn to protect us are instead oppressing those who are raising their voice to protect the nation's daughters. I strongly condemn these reprehensible actions." Priyanka's husband Robert Vadra tweeted; "Proud of you P... this is the only way to find justice for the suffering people in our country. I and the entire family worry about you and the people of our country do too, but we have to be front-footed to stop all the atrocities on the poor and keep fighting for the people."
EDWARDSVILLE  Despite an on-again, off-again end date at the federal level, Edwardsvilles census official is confident this count will equal or better the 2010 count.

This year marks the first time that people could use the internet to respond to the decennial Census questionnaires. As of Oct. 1, the national self-response rate is 66.6 percent. Illinois self-response rate is 71.1 percent, with 58 percent coming from the internet. Madison Countys self-response rate is 73.9 percent, with 60.1 percent of respondents using the internet.

Of the city and two villages regularly covered by the Intelligencer, Maryville has a self-response rate of 83.8 percent, 76.9 percent of that total via the Internet. Glen Carbon has an 82 percent self-response rate, with 74.4 percent of that sum via the Internet. Edwardsville has a 73.9 percent respondent rate, 67.2 percent of which stems from the Internet.

Emily Fultz, Edwardsvilles city planner, said the citys number reflects all of the residents who either used the Internet, phoned in their answers or returned the Census postcards they received in the mail. What is not included in that figure is the total of SIUE students who lived on campus and anyone who did not reply at all, forcing enumerators to go door-to-door to get answers.

We still think well get about a 10 percent increase from the students, Fultz said Friday. That would put us at 83 or 84 percent. We were at 82 percent in 2010. Of course, every city would like to have 100 percent participation but we know that wont happen.

If a current federal judges order holds, that the census may continue until Oct. 31, Fultz is all for it. It gives residents more time to respond and enumerators more time to finish their rounds (up to six) to gather all of the data they can.

According to a NPR story, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh issued an order to clarify that for now, the U.S. Census Bureau must continue counting for the 2020 Census through Oct. 31. Previously, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced Monday would be the target date to end all census counts.

The census provides critical data that lawmakers, business owners, teachers and many others use to provide daily services, products and support for you and your community. Every year, billions of dollars in federal funding go to hospitals, fire departments, schools, roads and other resources based on census data.

The results of the census also determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives and they are used to draw congressional and state legislative districts.

More Information Ways You Can Be Counted before Oct. 31 By Mail: Return the invitation sent in March or the paper questionnaires sent in mid-April to: U.S. Census Bureau, National Processing Center; 1201 E. 10th Street, Jeffersonville, IN 47132, before Oct. 31. Fill in questionnaire with blue or black ink, not pencil. By Telephone: Call 1-844-330-2020 for English for the 50 states and Washington D.C., or 1-844-468-2020 for Spanish in all 50 states and Washington D.C. By Internet: https://2020census.gov/en/ways-to-respond/responding-online.html See More Collapse

Its also in the U.S. Constitution: Article 1, Section 2, mandates that the country conduct a count of its population once every 10 years. The 2020 Census will mark the 24th time that the country has counted its population since 1790.

Reach reporter Charles Bolinger at 618-659-5735
Members of the far-right group Proud Boys march in Portland, Ore., on Aug 17. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)

To the editor: Just the headline, "Republicans fear Trump's debate comments on white supremacy could harm them in November," was enough to make us despair for the future of our democracy and the unity of the American people.

President Trump's encouragement of the Proud Boys and other white supremacist groups is not a problem because the GOP will lose votes, though that is what many Republicans seem to believe. These remarks, and the president's repeated refusal to denounce such hate groups when asked to do so, are a problem because hatred is wrong.

White supremacy is evil because it values white lives over all others, especially Black lives here in our nation. White supremacy is evil because it endangers Black men, women and children every time they leave the safety of their homes. White supremacy is evil because it divides our nation and limits opportunities for Americans of color.

The problem is not a loss of votes for Trump. The problem for all of us is the loss of common decency, human compassion and a moral compass that lies not in electoral expediency, but in a commitment to seek the well-being of people.

Martha Morales and Karen Ristine, Claremont

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To the editor: This article states, "By midday, the president distanced himself from his most inflammatory debate remarks."

I suppose it's become journalistic shorthand to use "distance himself," but let's be honest. For Trump and any politician or public figure, it should read, "After speaking their truth, they constructed a lie to appease their critics."

Billy Goodnick, Goleta

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To the editor: Like Andrew Jerzy, the Oregon man featured in your article who attends rallies put on by far-right groups, I grew up in the Polish community in Southern California.

My grandfather survived Auschwitz, the Nazis and the communists  actual fascists, in other words. Our grandparents might have even known each other from attending Polish Catholic churches.

Story continues

Supporting the Proud Boys and white supremacist groups is the antithesis of what our grandparents stood for and desperately escaped. I don't think he knows what actual fascism is.

Marta Allen, West Covina

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Sir Keir Starmer has overtaken Boris Johnson as the man voters think would make the best Prime Minister, according to exclusive new research seen by The Mail on Sunday.

The analysis, conducted by former Conservative deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft, will cause alarm in Downing Street as Mr Johnson grapples with the rise in Covid-19 infections, the economic damage caused by lockdown measures, and rebellious Tory backbenchers angered by the restrictions imposed by No 10.

A total of 37 per cent of voters think that Sir Keir would make the best Prime Minister, ahead of Mr Johnson on 30 per cent.

And when asked to choose between the parties under their current leaders, 53 per cent opt for Labour, with 47 per cent for the Conservatives.

A poll conducted by Lord Ashcroft asked voters to choose between Conservatives and Labour under their current leaders - 53% opted for Labour, with 47% choosing the Conservatives

A total of 37 per cent of voters think that Sir Keir would make the best Prime Minister, overtaking Mr Johnson in the poll on 30 per cent

The research also suggests that support for the Tories in 'Red Wall' seats where Labour voters switched to the Conservatives in their thousands to hand an 80-seat majority to Mr Johnson last year is also reasonably soft, with 31 per cent saying they would switch back to Labour, while 69 per cent would stick with the Tories.

No 10 will be unsettled by Lord Ashcroft's finding that only 27 per cent believe Mr Johnson is doing a good job, while 21 per cent think he would be a good PM 'under different circumstances' and 39 per cent think he would not be a good Premier whatever the situation.

Voters are split equally between those who think his Government is doing a 'reasonable job' and those who think it has 'handled things badly', both of which rank at 45 per cent.

But 34 per cent think that a Labour Government would have handled the crisis better, with 22 per cent saying worse.

These findings are reflected in the leading politicians' personal ratings, with Chancellor Rishi Sunak alone among the London politicians in recording a positive figure  plus 2. Sir Keir is on zero and the Prime Minister is on minus 11.

Lord Ashcroft's focus groups were complimentary about Mr Sunak, with one participant saying: 'Rishi has stood out for me. How he addressed the public was quite reassuring. He's the most confident and competent of all of them.'

Lord Ashcroft's analysis found that only 27 per cent believe Mr Johnson is doing a good job, while 21 per cent think he would be a good PM 'under different circumstances'

Another said: 'I felt like I was being looked after. I think he's a star.'

Opinion on Mr Johnson was divided, with some using terms such as 'indecisive', 'overwhelmed' and 'flaky'. Others said that he was 'doing as good a job as he can in these times' and 'he's in a difficult position challenge so we should cut him some slack'.

Lord Ashcroft also detected growing irritation with the 10pm curfew on pubs and restaurants and other measures.

One respondent called it ludicrous, while another said: 'It's getting silly now. It's starting to look like a dictatorship. Stopping people seeing their families, shutting the economy down, it's getting out of hand. Not even one per cent of the population have got it and most have recovered. It's blown out of proportion.'

S8,051 adults were interviewed online from September 17 to 20. Data weighted to be representative of all UK adults.

The divisions of the past have not been swept away, says LORD ASHCROFT who believes there's still hope for the Tories despite poll showing voters are turning on 'incompetent' Boris Johnson

By Lord Ashcroft for the Mail On Sunday

It seems scarcely believable that only just over nine months ago, a triumphant Boris Johnson was returned to Downing Street with an 80-seat majority that transformed the political map of Britain.

The Covid crisis has not just derailed the 'levelling up' agenda and overshadowed the sunny optimism that was Mr Johnson's hallmark until the pandemic struck: in political terms it has given the Conservatives a premature case of the mid-term blues.

Many voters on all sides take a much more forgiving view of the Government's handling of the crisis than the media coverage might suggest.

As I found in my latest research, people spontaneously praise the furlough schemes and the speedy creation of the Nightingale hospitals.

Even critics admit that Ministers are doing their level best with no precedent to help guide their decisions.

In my poll, the proportion saying the Government had done a reasonable job in difficult circumstances matched those who thought its handling had made things worse.

Boris himself has won some unlikely hearts: 'He's stuck by the British people and done his damnedest to help,' said one 2019 Labour voter, explaining his change of heart towards the PM.

But the criticisms are many: why did we not take action sooner, people ask, at the very least by restricting flights from Covid-hit countries like China?

How could they expect us to take the rules seriously when Dominic Cummings is allowed to drive up and down the country without so much as a reprimand? And why are the guidelines so confusing and contradictory?

While many blame the recent rise in cases on people breaking the rules, they think they know why it happens: 'One minute it's 'go back to work', then it's 'work from home',' said one Tory voter in the PM's own constituency. It's frustrating, so I think people will just do what they want to do.'

The crisis has also exposed Mr Johnson's own apparent weaknesses, with some saying he seemed overwhelmed by a crisis that required grip and attention to detail.

While 27 per cent in my poll said he was doing a good job, a further one in five said he could be a good PM under different circumstances but was not the kind of leader we needed at the moment.

Some wonder whether he has really recovered from his own encounter with Covid. In my poll, the words most often chosen to describe him were 'out of his depth' and 'incompetent'.

This scrutiny is brought into sharper focus by the advent of Sir Keir Starmer, who has made a good first impression as a professional and capable leader more able than his predecessor of holding the Prime Minister to account.

So much so, in fact, that in my poll he led Johnson by 37 to 30 per cent on the question of who would make the best PM.

When we asked people how likely they thought they were to back each party at the next Election, Labour and the Tories were tied, with those who had switched to elect Mr Johnson in 2019 less sure than most Tories that they would stay with their new party.

I found the Tories had lost their lead over Labour on being seen as competent, having the right priorities, being clear about what they stand for, and being likely to do what they say  crucial attributes on which they led comfortably during last December's Election.

Tories need not despair quite yet. For one thing, Starmer (pictured in the Commons this week at PMQs) still has a good deal of convincing to do

This sort of thing makes many Conservatives nervous. Despite their nasty scare at the 2017 Election, Tories are no longer used to being seriously challenged by a Labour Party that seemed to have lost its political bearings.

But they need not despair quite yet. For one thing, Starmer still has a good deal of convincing to do.

Though he is clearly very different from Jeremy Corbyn, voters are much less sure that the Labour Party has really changed  indeed some even question how distinct the two actually are, given Starmer's prominent position in Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet.

The spectacle of him 'taking a knee' also makes some former Labour voters in former 'Red Wall' seats wonder if he is prone to the kind of virtue-signalling gesture politics that turns them off.

This illustrates Starmer's big electoral challenge: to unite Labour's new metropolitan, Remain-voting base with the very different, culturally more conservative voters who backed Brexit and peeled away in huge numbers over the past two Elections, feeling that the party looked down on them and ignored their views while taking their votes for granted.

But the Conservatives have a similar conundrum of their own, beyond simply making a better fist of grappling with the pandemic.

This will centre on the economy  how much the Government can or should continue to support businesses and incomes once the current schemes expire and, especially, how the Government's lavish but necessary spending over the past six months is to be paid for.

Last year, Mr Johnson stormed to victory by attracting both Brexit-backing voters in former Labour heartlands and culturally different voters, including many Remainers, who were not only horrified at the idea of Prime Minister Corbyn but worried that Labour would bankrupt the country.

With Brexit all but done, Corbyn consigned to history and austerity all but repudiated by the Tories themselves, that will be a much harder trick to pull off next time.

Though the pandemic continues to dominate the news, and seemingly all aspects of life, it can seem as though divisions that have shaped British politics for the past four years have not been swept away. In fact, they have not even been suspended.

The Covid crisis has not transformed the political landscape  but it has added some new contours for the parties to navigate.

Lord Ashcroft KCMG, PC is an international businessman, philanthropist, author and pollster.

Full details of his research are at lordashcroftpolls.com. For information on his general work, visit lordashcroft.com.

Follow him on Twitter and Facebook: @LordAshcroft.
A charter plane bringing hundreds of Chinese students to study in Northern Ireland has landed in Belfast.

The Qatar Airways flight arrived at Belfast International Airport from Beijing on Saturday afternoon with 400 students on board.

Queens University chartered the 777 Boeing direct flight to ensure the safety of their new and returning Chinese students in the midst of the pandemic.

All of the students who travelled on the flight were tested for Covid-19 before their departure.

A spokeswoman for the university said they were required to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test, taken no more than five days before the departure in order to board the flight.

Upon arrival, students were transported directly via private transport to Queens accommodation and placed in safe and secure quarantine accommodation, she said.

It is the second charter flight organised by the university in recent weeks.

Some 370 new and returning students arrived in Belfast on September 19 from Beijing in time for the start of the academic year beginning on September 21.

With international travel badly impacted by the pandemic, and with many people wary of transiting through major airports, the university said it decided to charter a dedicated, direct flight from China to provide reassurance to both students and families and to help reduce anxiety levels for those making the trip.

The university subsidised the cost of the flight so that students did not have to pay more than the cost of a normal commercial flight.

The students arrival comes as some students are isolating in Queens University accommodation after a Covid-19 outbreak.

The university said last week that a small number of students had tested positive for the virus at one accommodation site.
Isabelle Cornish has encouraged her fans to celebrate their bodies and embrace self love.

In an Instagram post shared on Saturday, the 25-year-old actress posed topless in nothing more than a skimpy G-string in a racy mirror selfie.

Holding up two fingers for the camera, she hid her face with her camera while showing off her incredible figure.

Love yourself: Isabelle Cornish (pictured) has encouraged her fans to celebrate their bodies and embrace self love

The Puberty Blues star wrote at length in the caption: 'I believe we are gifted with a body and should celebrate it. My work over the past year and speaking about my values of self-love has truly changed my life.

'We live in a world where we are constantly influenced to fit into a particular mould [sic]. Whether it's the way we should act, the fashion we should wear or the particular lifestyle habits or work we should do.

'But why should I limit the authentic vibration of ME because of what I choose to do in my work and life? My heart fought me hard on this one. I don't want to conform, hell the beauty of my ADHD actually doesn't really let me.

Brave: In an Instagram post shared on Saturday, the 25-year-old actress posed topless and wrote in the caption: 'I believe we are gifted with a body and should celebrate it... We live in a world where we are constantly influenced to fit into a particular mould [sic]'

She continued: 'Why should I limit the authentic vibration of ME because of what I choose to do in my work and life? My heart fought me hard on this one. I don't want to conform'

'I don't wish to share a false or curated sense of myself because I'm in the media. I believe true beauty grows from embracing and confidently expressing all parts of self quirks and intricacies included. One of my life mottos is "break the rules".

'Full moon Intention: To be oneself and to live in humble confidence that inspires others to embrace all they are,' she concluded.

On Wednesday, Isabelle revealed on Instagram that she'd been diagnosed with adult ADHD, describing it as the 'hardest thing' she's ever had to go through.

Isabelle continued: 'I believe true beauty grows from embracing and confidently expressing all parts of self quirks and intricacies included. One of my life mottos is "break the rules"

The Australia Day actress shared the news alongside a glamorous selfie, and told her followers she planned to give more insight into her diagnosis in the future.

'Getting diagnosed with ADHD at 26 has officially been one of the hardest things I've ever gone through,' she began.

'In the future, I plan on creating content on ADHD to hopefully give you some insight into my mind and inspire those who also live with a different disguise of brain superpowers.'

Diagnosis: On Wednesday, Isabelle revealed on Instagram that she'd been diagnosed with adult ADHD, describing it as the 'hardest thing' she's ever had to go through

She wrote: 'Getting diagnosed with ADHD at 26 has officially been one of the hardest things I've ever gone through. I plan on creating content on ADHD to hopefully give you some insight into my mind and inspire those who also live with a different disguise of brain superpowers'

Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental health condition with symptoms including trouble focusing, hyperactivity and impulsive behaviour.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the condition is treated similarly to that of childhood ADHD, with medication and counselling.

Isabelle, who is the younger sister of actress Abbie Cornish, 38, deleted the post later that evening.

It's not the first time she has shared her struggles with fans.

In June, Isabelle revealed she had 'despised' her body for a year-long period while trying to keep up with the modelling industry's standards.
Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday encouraged children to participate in the Delhi governments anti-dengue campaign as the governments 10 Hafte 10 Baje 10 Minute campaign entered into its fifth week.

Kejriwal on Sunday asked children to inspect their houses for 10 minutes at 10am every Sunday and replace any stagnant water which they find with clean water. He also asked them to urge their friends to be a part of the initiative.

Delhis campaign against dengue continues. Today, on the fifth Sunday of the campaign, I replaced the water at home and eliminated the possibility of breeding of dengue mosquitoes. I urge everyone to be a part of this campaign every Sunday. #10Hafte10Baje10Minute Har Ravivaar, Dengue Par Vaar, Kejriwal said on Twitter in Hindi.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Delhi government said the anti-dengue. campaign is witnessing huge participation from children.

In this campaign against dengue, the children of Delhi are doing their homework well. Other students, along with Yuvraj, who studies in class 8, also checked their houses and replaced the stagnant water. I pray to God that our children remain safe from dengue, stay healthy, and do good in life, the CM said in another post.

The fourth week of the Delhi governments anti-dengue campaign saw Residents Welfare Associations (RWAs) getting involved in the drive.

The initiative was launched on September 6 with chief minister Arvind Kejriwal inspecting his residence for stagnant water to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes.

A special helpline has also been launched by the Delhi government for the general public if they require assistance with dengue. People can call on 011-22300012 and WhatsApp on 8595920530.

Last year the same campaign was launched for the first time in September, which led to only 2,036 reported cases and two deaths due to dengue, when compared to 2015 when there were 15,867 cases and at least 60 deaths.
SAGINAW, MI  With the threat of coronavirus and COVID-19 canceling so many community events and celebrations this year, families with young children may be wondering what implications the pandemic will have for Halloween and trick-or-treating.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention deems trick-or-treating, costume parties, and haunted houses high risk. But some mid-Michigan communities have already announced suggested trick-or-treating hours and said its up to residents to decide whether to participate this year.

Halloween is Saturday, Oct. 31.

The Saginaw County Health Department recently issued COVID-19 guidance for residents who choose to celebrate the holiday. Health officials shared their recommendations via the Saginaw County Health Department Facebook page.

Much like deciding whether or not to send your children to in-person learning at school or keep them home for remote learning, Halloween 2020 requires an informed personal decision based on your family dynamics and health history. Each family must weigh the risks for themselves," the post reads.

Things to consider when making this decision, according to health department officials, include:

Any time you leave home, there is a risk of being exposed to COVID-19. We must weigh the risks any time we go out.

Do you have loved ones with underlying health conditions?

Do your neighbors wear masks and practice social distancing?

Will your children keep their masks on and practice social distancing if they go trick-or-treating?

Are there alternative activities your children would enjoy just as much?

Saginaw County Health Department officials also offered these tips for people who choose to participate in trick-or-treating:

If you have COVID-19 or you may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, do not participate in Halloween festivities and do not give out candy to trick-or-treaters.

Follow any rules, regulations or laws governing your community.

Trick-or-treat with people in your household and explain to children the importance of staying at least six feet away from people outside your group.

Avoid congregating in groups near houses.

Wear a face mask  not a costume mask  covering both your mouth and nose.

Only go to houses with safety measures in place.

And tips for participating homeowners:

Use duct tape to mark six-foot lines in front of your home and leading to your driveway/front door.

Wash your hands with soap and water before preparing any treats to be distributed, including pre-packaged candy.

Position a disinfected distribution table between you and the trick-or-treaters and do not allow children to reach into containers to get their candy/treats.

Consider handing out candy in an open space with one-way traffic flow or grab-and-go stations of individually prepared goodies.

Wear a mask while distributing candy.

Any time you leave home or gather with people you dont normally live with in your household, there is risk of exposure to COVID-19. We all have to weigh the risks each time based on our own family dynamics. Halloween is another example of making an informed choice," said Health Officer Chris Harrington. "The health department is providing guidance to help Saginaw County residents make those decisions armed with information and tips for minimizing risks.

Thomas Township officials shared a statement regarding the holiday via the Thomas Township Public Safety Facebook page. Township officials said its up to residents to decide whether to go trick-or-treating and whether to pass out candy, but urged those who do participate to adhere to any public health recommendations from the Saginaw County Health Department, including wearing a mask and social distancing.

Halloween and trick-or-treating is a nationally recognized day for children to dress up in costumes and go door to door to receive a treat and it is not sanctioned by the township," the statement read, in part. The township only announces the suggested trick-or-treating hours (5:30-7:30 p.m.) so that it keeps a sense of order with the increased amount of pedestrian traffic for that evening and the township has no further involvement. The township has no legal authority or basis to cancel Halloween and trick-or-treating or to restrict the free movement of its residents.

And city of Midland officials shared similar guidance but with a bit a humor via the city governments Facebook page.

COVID-19 PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus.

Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible.

Use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and carry hand sanitizer with you when you go into places like stores.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also issued executive orders requiring people to wear face coverings over their mouth and nose while in public indoor and crowded outdoor spaces. See an explanation of what that means here.

Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

For more data on COVID-19 in Michigan, visit https://www.mlive.com/coronavirus/data/.

Read more on MLive:

St. Charles haunted house hosting alternative event amid coronavirus

Zombie drive-thru planned for Halloween fun at West Michigan venue

Try a costume parade, scavenger hunt for Halloween this year, Jackson health officials say

Health Department millage and school district bond on Saginaw Countys November 2020 ballot
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly spending Christmas in the US

It would mark the second time the couple have spent it away from the Queen

Source claimed will be spending it with David Foster and wife Katharine McPhee

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle plan on spending Christmas in the US with the duke's 'surrogate' father David Foster, a source has claimed.

The Duke, 36, and Duchess of Sussex, 39, are set to host their own Christmas soiree in Los Angeles and plan on inviting his 'surrogate' dad, Canadian record producer David, and his wife Katharine McPhee, The Mirror has reported.

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'Meghan very much wants to host the first Christmas at their new home with her mum,' a source close to the couple claimed. 'Shes really excited and is planning on doing all the traditions she grew up with as a child, including the cooking.'

It will mark the second year the couple will have spent Christmas away from the Queen and other royals - having reportedly spent the last festive season with the duchess' mother Doria Ragland and their son Archie in Canada.

Prince William, 36 and Meghan Markle, 39, will not return to the UK for Christmas and will instead spend the celebrations in Los Angeles with Harry's 'surrogate' father David Foster, a source has claimed

It will mark the second year Prince Harry has spent the festive season away from his grandmother the Queen, 94 (pictured at the ceremony to present Captain Tom Moore with the Knighthood on July 17 2020)

The royal couple previously spent every Christmas since their 2017 engagement at the Queen's Sandringham Estate.

McPhee, 36, knows the Duchess of Sussex from their high school days in Los Angeles, having attended the same high school.

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According to the source, David Foster and Katherine McPhee offered to host the festivities at their home, however, Meghan volunteered that she and Harry host at theirs.

It comes after another source claimed to Vanity Fair's Katie Nicholl that the royal couple are enjoying their new life in California and their new home, and have no plans of returning to the UK for Christmas.

Canadian record producer David Foster, 70, and his wife Katharine McPhee, 36, are set to spend Christmas with the Sussexes, according to reports (pictured in Beverly Hills in 2018)

They also suggested that Harry and Meghan might be trying to avoid tensions after the reported fall out of the 'Fab Four.'

'Let's just say that while things are better between Harry and his brother, it's not what it was, and I don't think anyone is ready for a cozy family Christmas right now,' the source added.

It comes as historian and royal biographer Robert Lacey is set to release a book called Battle Of Brothers, which picks apart  in uncompromising detail  the feud between Prince William and Prince Harry.

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Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: 'When I started to look into this supposed feud between the two princes, I didnt believe it.

A source close to the couple claimed Prince Harry and Meghan are trying to avoid tensions following rumours of a rift between the Duke of Sussex and his brother Prince William (pictured, attending this year's Commonwealth Day Service in Westminster)

'I thought it was newspapers stirring up something that wasnt there. I didnt want to believe it, in truth. None of us does. Yet it most definitely exists. Actually, its worse than anyone thinks.'

He continued: Some say, Oh, it doesnt matter. It will blow over. But thats not what historians will be saying in ten years time.

'If this breach between the brothers is not healed in some way it will come to stand with the Abdication crisis and the death of Diana as one of the traumas that changed the monarchy.

'There is time to change things in a positive direction, but at the moment the Palace is not working in that direction.
Chris Rock hosted the socially distanced return of Saturday Night Live to 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

The audience was socially distanced, the band all wore face masks and everyone -the host included- was tested for COVID-19 in the lead-up to the show.

'I haven't had so much stuff up my nose since I shared a dressing room with Chris Farley,' quipped the Fargo actor, in reference to the late SNL star.

They're back! Chris Rock [L] hosted the socially distanced return of Saturday Night Live to 30 Rockefeller Plaza, with Megan Thee Stallion [R] as the musical guest

However the real star of the long-running variety show's return was the musical act, Megan Thee Stallion.

For her first song, the WAP hitmaker performed her track Savage while cloaking her curvaceous figure in Zebra print

Her first track was notable for its powerful 'protect black women' message, which was literally projected on the studio walls by song's end.

Megan -whose real name is Megan Jovon Ruth Pete- also performed her track Don't Stop, which featured Young Thug, who also took to the stage for the performance.

Superstar: For her first song, the WAP hitmaker performed her track Savage while cloaking her curvaceous figure in Zebra print

Killing it: Megan -whose real name is Megan Jovon Ruth Pete- also performed her track Don't Stop, which featured Young Thug, who also took to the stage for the performance

The Texas native also appeared in a parody music video about the dangers of dating in a post COVID-10 world.

The concerns about masks hiding the faces of potential romantic prospects hit home with the repeated refrain, 'Wassup with the bottom of your face?'

Rock also made an appearance, getting a dig into to the dental work of President Donald Trump's lawyer with his reference to masks 'hiding those Giuliani teeth'.

Duet: The Texas native -and Rock- also appeared in a parody music video about the dangers of dating in a post COVID-10 world

The evening's most amusing skit, however, was one in which Rock played a city official at a department that officially changed people's names.

The skit's premise was that a news crew descended on the department following a COVID outbreak and interviewed all the evacuated citizens there to change their names.

What followed was a string of name-based puns from people such as Mike Litt, Ben Lauden and a man unfortunately named Jeffrey Epstein.

LOL: The evening's most amusing skit, however, was one in which Rock played a city official at a department that officially changed people's names

Unfortunate: The skit's premise was that a news crew descended on the department following a COVID outbreak and interviewed all the evacuated citizens there to change their names

Oops: What followed was a string of name-based puns from people such as Mike Litt, Ben Lauden and a man unfortunately named Jeffrey Epstein

Another sketch depicted Rock as the ghost of Christmas Future who visits a slacker living in his mother's basement in the year 2000.

Chris' character tries to impart how bad the world is in 2020, but the young man is hung up on how much video game graphics have improved in twenty years.

In a meta twist, what finally gets his attention is that while he still lives in his mom's basement in two decades' time, his mother is dating SNL star Keenan Thompson.

Ultimately it's revealed the scenario is part of the new Peacock show 'My Mom Married Keenan Thompson'.

Other notable sketches included Chloe Fineman playing Drew Barrymore in a parody commercial for her new talk show, and another Megan Thee Stallion cameo, this time as an NBA mistress in the 'ESPN Bubble Draft'.

A Chris-mas Carol: Another sketch depicted Rock as the ghost of Christmas Future who visits a slacker living in his mother's basement in the year 2000

Woah! Chris' character tries to impart how bad the world is in 2020, but the young man is hung up on how much video game graphics have improved in twenty years
Pope Francis says the coronavirus pandemic has proven that the 'magic theories' of market capitalism have failed and that the world needs a new type of politics that promotes dialogue and solidarity.

Francis on Sunday laid out his vision for a post-COVID world by uniting the core elements of his social teachings into a new encyclical, 'Fratelli Tutti' (Brothers All), which was released on the feast day of his namesake, the peace-loving St. Francis of Assisi.

The document draws its inspiration from the teachings of St. Francis and the pope's previous preaching on the injustices of the global economy and its destruction of the planet and pairs them with his call for greater human solidarity to address today's problems.

Pope Francis delivers the Angelus prayer from his window on the day of the release of his new encyclical, titled "Fratelli Tutti" (Brothers All), at St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, October 4

The front page of the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano shows Pope Francis with his latest encyclical which asserts there's a need for a new political system to address injustice

Francis had started writing the encyclical, the third of his pontificate, before the coronavirus struck and upended everything from the global economy to everyday life.

He said the pandemic, however, had confirmed his belief that current political and economic institutions must be reformed to address the legitimate needs of the people most harmed by the coronavirus.

'Aside from the differing ways that various countries responded to the crisis, their inability to work together became quite evident,' Francis wrote.

'Anyone who thinks that the only lesson to be learned was the need to improve what we were already doing, or to refine existing systems and regulations, is denying reality.'

He cited the grave loss of millions of jobs as a result of the virus as evidence of the need for politicians to listen to popular movements, unions and marginalized groups and to craft more just social and economic policies.

'The fragility of world systems in the face of the pandemic has demonstrated that not everything can be resolved by market freedom,' he wrote.

'It is imperative to have a proactive economic policy directed at `promoting an economy that favours productive diversity and business creativity' and makes it possible for jobs to be created, and not cut.'

Vatican Secretary of State, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin during the official presentation of the Pope's encyclical, a collection of principles to guide Catholic teaching, called 'All Brothers'

Francis repeated his criticism of the 'perverse' global economic system, which he said consistently keeps the poor on the margins while enriching the few.

He rejected the concept of an absolute right to property for individuals, stressing instead the 'social purpose' and common good that must come from sharing the Earth's resources.

Francis once again rejected 'trickle-down' economic theory as he did in the first major mission statement of his papacy, saying it simply doesn't achieve what it claims.

'Neo-liberalism simply reproduces itself by resorting to magic theories of `spillover' or `trickle' - without using the name - as the only solution to societal problems,' he wrote.

'There is little appreciation of the fact that the alleged `spillover' does not resolve the inequality that gives rise to new forms of violence threatening the fabric of society.'

Much of the new encyclical repeats Francis' well-known preaching about the need to welcome and value migrants and his rejection of the nationalistic, isolationist policies of many of today's political leaders.

He dedicated an entire chapter to the parable of the Good Samaritan, saying its lesson of charity, kindness and looking out for strangers was 'the basic decision we need to make in order to rebuild our wounded world.'

Vatican encyclicals are the most authoritative form of papal teaching and they traditionally take their titles from the first two words of the document. In this case, 'Fratelli Tutti' is a quote from the 'Admonitions,' the guidelines penned by St. Francis in the 13th century.

The title of the encyclical had sparked controversy in the English-speaking world, with critics noting that a straight translation of the word 'fratelli' (brothers) excludes women. The Vatican has insisted that the plural form of the word 'fratelli' is gender-inclusive.

Francis is the first pope to name himself after the mendicant friar, who renounced a wealthy, dissolute lifestyle to embrace a life of poverty and service to the poor.
The Centre is planning to allow companies with "strategically important" businesses to procure COVID-19 vaccine directly from the developers for their employees, a move that will reduce the financial burden of the government.

"The plan to allow companies to secure vaccine doses is being considered because the government wants to ensure there is no disruption of key economic activities," officials told Hindustan Times.

The proposal, however, is yet to be cleared by the Prime Minister Narendra Modis Office.

Track this LIVE blog for all the latest updates on coronavirus pandemic

If approved, India Inc will get a special window in a tightly monitored vaccine programme that aims to prioritise frontline health workers, patients with co-morbidities and senior citizens.

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

While the authorities are yet to make a decision on companies that will be allowed to buy vaccine doses directly, officials told the newspaper that the firms in key sectors like petroleum, steel, pharma, cement and coal might get the go-ahead.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

"Their usage of vaccines will be under the overall centralised monitoring of the Union government and data on the vaccinations will be collected and stored by the Centre too," the official told HT.

Check out COVID-10 vaccine tracker for all the latest updates

The report said a large part of Indias vaccine plan would be funded by the state governments and would cost around Rs 50,000 crore.

Nearly 30 coronavirus vaccine candidates are under development in India, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said told Parliament during the recent monsoon session.

Three of these are in advanced stages of clinical trials, while four are in the pre-clinical development stage, Vardhan said in a reply to a question.

Here's a status update on 10 Covid-19 vaccines that are ahead of the pack

The Health Minister also said that if advanced clinical trials succeed, then the vaccine would be available by the end of the first quarter of 2021.

India's COVID-19 caseload went past 65 lakh, while the number of people who have recuperated from the illness crossed 55 lakh on October 4.

The total recoveries have surged to 55,09,966, while there are 9,37,625, known active cases in the country, the data showed.
With a moment of pause to contemplate hottie Stella illuminated, we share a quick glimpse of pop culture, community news and top headlines for our overnight readers.



Kansas City Workout Biz Stays Strong Amid Pandemic

Business model built to shatter intimidation lifted City Gym through COVID's heaviest season yet Ahead-of-the-curve thinking helped keep City Gym strong in the early days of COVID-19 when the weight of the pandemic dropped on people-focused industries. "We lost a fair amount of members - maybe they couldn't financially afford it anymore, maybe they didn't feel safe," said Hailee Bland Walsh, founder and owner of City Gym in Waldo.

Kansas City Legacy Of Corruption Reconsidered

Tom Pendergast and the Feud That Changed the Way States Choose Their Supreme Court Judges The model for fairly selecting judges across much of our country is known as the Missouri Plan, born some 80 years ago in response to the political manipulations of notorious Kansas City boss Tom Pendergast. It's a remarkable story - the forces of light turning back the evil of corruption - that helped signal the beginning of the end for Boss Tom.

Late Night Burning Sensation

Emergency crews called fire on 6th floor of Temple Heights Manor Daniel Westerhold SOURCE: Daniel Westerhold Raytown Fire Department is investigating a fire in the 5400 block of Blue Ridge Cutoff.Emergency crews were called to the Temple Heights Manor senior community Saturday night.Firefighters say that the fire broke out on the 6th floor of the apartment complex.

All About Stella

Supermodel Stella Maxwell is the Queer Girl Next Door If you wanted to woo supermodel Stella Maxwell - the Victoria's Secret Angel who got her coveted wings in 2015 - it seems likely that taking her to an amusement park in her adopted Southern California would make a good first date.

Prez Trump Pushes Cash Gift

Trump pushes for new coronavirus stimulus deal: 'GET IT DONE' "OUR GREAT USA WANTS & NEEDS STIMULUS. WORK TOGETHER AND GET IT DONE. Thank you!" he tweeted from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Saturday. OUR GREAT USA WANTS & NEEDS STIMULUS. WORK TOGETHER AND GET IT DONE. Thank you!- Donald J.

Veep Earns More Votes

Biden extends lead in Florida and Pennsylvania, voters blast Trump debate conduct Former Vice President Joe Biden extended his lead i crucial battleground states Pennsylvania and Florida, with poll respondents citing President Donald Trump's "bullying" conduct in the first debate last Tuesday. Biden holds a seven-point lead over Trump among likely Pennsylvania voters, with 49 to 42 percent of support.

Plague Hurts Court Pick

Amy Coney Barrett: quick confirmation under threat as three senators infected Senate Republicans are facing a shrinking window of time before the November 3 election to confirm Donald Trump's supreme court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, following the news that at least three Republican senators have tested positive for the coronavirus and more are quarantining after likely exposure.

Presidential Pandemic Protocol Proves Problematic

Why Trump's testing strategy failed him President Donald Trump's Covid-19 diagnosis exposed the folly of the White House's dependence on coronavirus testing to protect against the deadly pathogen and shake off remaining restrictions on American life. News of Trump's infection comes weeks before the election and amid constant calls from the White House to broadly reopen the economy, send children back to school and essentially return to normal.

Prez Trump Coming Back

President Trump releases update, says he's feeling 'much better' after hospitalization President Trump released a video from Walter Reed Medical Center Saturday evening, informing Americans that he felt "much better" after entering the facility and was committed to defeating the coronavirus. "I came here, wasn't feeling so well. I feel much better now. We're working hard to get me all the way back.

Cowtown Artist Desperately Seeking New Space

Artists and Developers Blaze Trails in the Quest for Affordable Studio Space - KC STUDIO Rising rents often lead artists into a peripatetic existence, and Don Wilkison is no exception. Wilkison, a Kansas City artist known by the pseudonym "Minister of Information," was settling into a new studio at the end of June.

Local Halloween Re-imagined

Hey, Boo! KCRep is Hosting Six Haunted Night of Songs and Stories - In Kansas City Brace yourselves! KCRep-one of the metro's most iconic playhouses-just announced a new show that will debut towards the end of October. Naturally, it will be socially distanced and held outdoors, but Ghost Light: A Haunted Night of Songs and Stories from KC's Cultural Crossroads promises to be a huge draw.

Autumn Warmup Underway

Sunny Sunday on way Hide Transcript Show Transcript OUT THERE, WE HAD CLOUDINESS AND IN THE 60'S, BUT IT IS GOING TO WARM UP THROUGHOUT THE WEEK. NEVILLE: THAT'S RIGHT, TODAY WE HAD HIGHS IN THE LOW-MID-60'S AND WE WILL SEE THAT WARM UP NEXT WEEK.

And this is the OPEN THREAD for right now.
Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell has said he believes President Trump needs to continue to project an image that he is still in charge of the country despite being hospitalized with coronavirus.

Trump tested positive for the disease late on Thursday night and was taken to Walter Reed Medical Center on Friday evening.

Speaking on MSNBC to Joy Reid, Swalwell said that he believes 'our enemies are watching right now' and that the president needs to continue to make daily video messages in order to avoid plunging the country into a national security crisis.

California Democratic congressman Eric Swalwell has shared his concern that Trump's being in hospital could be seen as a sign of weakness by enemies

Speaking on MSNBC he stated how it was important for the president to make daily statements in person if at all possible

'We are in the midst of a completely avoidable national security crisis and if the president of the United States can contract this [disease], it's a pretty clear sign that we are not doing enough nationwide and that this crisis is not being controlled,' Swalwell said.

'I really believe we are a country that follows our leaders and if the leader of the country is not wearing a mask and mocking others who are wearing masks, it is going to have a trickle-down effect where not everyone will wear masks.'

Swalwell shared his fears that should any of America's enemies detect a moment of weakness, they could potentially seize upon that opportunity.

'We face many threats across the world not just from nation states but individual actors who would want to do us harm. So, it is very important that as long as the president is able to project that he is in command and in control, he should do that, even if it's virtually. He should do that every single day,' Swalwell noted.

Swalwell told how he was relieved to see Trump walk towards Marine One on Friday, unaided. The president, 74, gave a 'thumbs up' as he walked from the White House to the helicopter as he was taken to hospital on Friday evening

'The second an adversary believes that there is an issue with command and control in the United States they may seek to use that as an opportunity to strike against us, whether its an ally of ours or U.S. person's abroad or even God forbid, U.S. persons here. So if the president is healthy and able, I think demonstrating this is a good thing. I promise you, our enemies are watching right now.'

During the interview on Saturday, he told how he was relieved to see Trump walk towards Marine One on Friday, unaided.

'I was encouraged to see the president walk to the helicopter and give the thumbs up. What happens again tomorrow is going to be important because our adversaries are watching.'

Before traveling to hospital, Trump released an 18 second video message to the nation, saying he was being hospitalized but said, 'I think I'm doing very well.'

'We're going to make sure that things work out," he said, adding that the First Lady was also "doing very well."

President Trump delivered an address in a Twitter video Saturday in which he said that he was 'starting to feel good'

On Saturday night President Trump said that he was starting to feel better as he delivered an update on his coronavirus diagnosis from Walter Reed military hospital.

'Im starting to feel good,' the president said in a video posted to Twitter as he promised that he was fighting the virus for COVID-19 patients 'all over the world'.

Trump, 74, added that the treatments he is receiving are 'miracles from God' as he explained that First Lady Melania Trump's symptoms were not as severe as his own.

'We're both doing well,' Trump said in the four-minute Twitter video.

'Melania is really handling it very nicely. As you've probably read, she's slightly younger than me, just a little tiny bit,' he said of his 50-year-old wife.

'And therefore, we know the disease, we know the situation with age versus younger people and Melania is handling it statistically like it's supposed to be handled and that makes me very happy, and it makes the country very happy, but I'm also doing well and I think we're gonna have a very good result again.'
Nearly 340 Vietnamese citizens return from Europe and Africa

Nearly 340 Vietnamese citizens from some European and African countries were brought home on a repatriation flight which landed safely at Van Don Airport in the northern province of Quang Ninh on October 4.















Vietnamese citizens wait for a repatriation flight. Photo by VOV.







According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the flight was arranged by authorities of the host countries, Vietnamese agencies there and the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines. Passengers were helped move to an airport in Frances Paris where the flight departed.



Passengers include children aged under 18, the elderly, the ill, stranded tourists, workers whose visas or labour contracts expired, students with no residences due to dormitory closures and those in extremely difficult circumstances.



After landing at the airport, all passengers and crew members of the flight were given health check-ups and sent to quarantine areas.



To date, more than 140 repatriation flights have been arranged by Vietnamese authorities since April 10 to help over 50,000 local people stranded abroad due to Covid-19 return home, the ministry said, adding that more such flights are set to be conducted in the coming time.
New Delhi: Taking a stern view of the disclosure of the identity of the victim in the Hathras gang-rape case, the NCW said it will send notices to all those who shared the identity, which includes actor Swara Bhaskar, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh and BJP`s IT Cell chief Amit Malviya among others once rape is established in the case.

According to the Indian penal code the disclosure of the identity of a sexual assault victim is prohibited. So as demand for action against Malviya rises, the NCW clarified that whenever it does take action against him, others like Swara Bhaskar, Digvijaya Singh and several others too will face consequences.

"Not only Amit Malviya but others like Digvijaya Singh, Swara Bhaskar and many others have revealed the identity of the Hathras victim on social media and others at Jantar Mantar," said the National Commission for Women chief Rekha Sharma.

Read | Ruckus outside Hathras gang-rape victim's house; police lathicharge Samajwadi Party, RLD workers

Further she stated that the forensic report is not clear on rape. "Once its clear, NCW will give notice to everyone. I have details of each and every person putting pictures on social media or on posters," she said.

Malviya had On the evening of October 2 tweeted a video of the victim with a caption saying, "Haathras victim`s interaction with a reporter outside AMU where she claimed there was an attempt to strangulate her neck. None of it is to take away from the atrocity of the crime but unfair to colour it and demean the gravity of one heinous crime against another."

The 48-second video caused an uproar and many demanded action against the BJP leader for allegedly the violating law.

Also read | Hathras gang-rape: Victim's family refuses to undergo narco-test; this is what they said

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh government led by Yogi Adityanath has recommended the CBI investigation into Hathras gang-rape and murder case, the Chief Minister's office stated on Saturday (October 3). CM Adityanath also said that his government was determined to ensure the harshest punishment for those guilty in the entire incident.

The decision came after a high-level meeting of concerned officials on Saturday.

On Friday, CM Yogi suspended Hathras SP and four other policemen over the incident. The action was taken on the basis of a preliminary inquiry report of the SIT which was constituted by the chief minister to probe into the case of alleged murder and gang-rape of a 19-year-old girl in Hathras.

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Lakhimpur Kheri : , Oct 4 (IANS) The birth of conjoined female twins has not only brought happiness but also spelled more financial troubles for a poor Dalit family in a Lakhimpur Kheri village, with the parents now appealing to the state and good Samaritans for financial aid to get the newborns separated surgically.

The father of the twins, Ram Kumar Gautam, works as a daily-wager and resides in Danduri village.

On the other hand, doctors in Lakhimpur Kheri were surprised that the twins were safely delivered at home on Thursday. Dr SK Sachan said: "We are surprised that the conjoined twins survived in a home delivery, which is rare in view of likely complications in such cases." The twins are omphalopagus -- they are joined at their bellies. The survival rate in such cases is only 5 to 25 per cent, according to medical experts. Such twins generally share a liver but sometimes also the lower part of the small intestine and colon.

Usually conjoined babies require surgical delivery by caesarean section due to their anatomy but in this case they were born through a normal delivery at home.

The newborns were taken on Friday morning by their father to a community health centre where the staff said they were healthy. The twins have since been referred to a Lucknow hospital for further medical tests.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Manoj Agarwal told reporters that the conjoined twins have a high mortality rate and the birth of the girls was even a rarer case of survival. "We will check the possibility of treatment of the babies," he said.

The newborns' mother Nindara said she was worried about the future of her daughters. "They need treatment at some point to lead normal lives. I hope we can get some financial support from the authorities," she said.
STAMFORD  Firefighters by sea and land battled an inferno that burned several boats, a floating tiki bar and multiple docks Saturday afternoon.

Five fire departments, including a fire boat from New York City, attacked flames spread by a drifting boat.

A boat fire at the gas dock at Hinckley boat yard, 2 Selleck St., was reported at 3:37 p.m. Engine 3 found a fully involved boat close to the dock and began stretching hoses, but the boat was adrift and was pushed across to the east side of the canal by the prevailing wind, according to the Stamford Fire Department.

The deputy chief at the scene ordered all responding fire units to redirect to Harbor Point Road on the east side of the canal.

The drifting boat carried its fire to a dock behind Beacon Apartments, where flames spread to the dock, three other boats and a floating tiki bar, the department said. Firefighters along Pacific Street and in the water attacked the fire.

The original burning boat and a second, by then also on fire, drifted south until they were corralled about 200 feet from the main fire, according to the Stamford Fire Department.

The original boats fuel tank ruptured, starting a floating fuel fire near the southern section of the dock at Harbor Point. That fire threatened the northernmost dock and additional boats moored at the Ponus Yacht Club.

A second separate water- and land-based firefighting effort was mounted by additional fire units on Pacific Street using two additional hose lines, and by fire boats in the canal.

The southern fire was quickly controlled and firefighting foam was used to finish extinguishing all of the boats and to douse the leaking fuel.

The blaze was declared under control at 4:52 p.m. The cause remains under investigation.

The Stamford Fire Department sent five engines, two truck companies, one rescue company, the deputy chief and a safety officer, for a total of 35 personnel.

Two Norwalk Fire Department marine units, the Greenwich Police marine unit, the Noroton Fire Department marine unit from Darien, FDNY Marine 4 from New York City, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Tow Boat U.S. and Stamford police and EMS units also responded.
A Midland research and development company is laying claim to developing a foolproof solution to the worldwide hacking problem. CQ Simple, a small research & development company, is in the process of unveiling what it says is a radically different and highly effective approach to cyber security.

Jess Atwell is the companys chairman of the board and according to him the new anti-hacking protocol they call Argos, a name connected with Greek mythology, is far more than just another anti-hacking software program.

It took us $2 million dollars to develop the first three pillars and five years of brain power to get it this far, Atwell said. Everyone in the world has been waiting decades for a real solution. Argos has it.

The impetus for the ambitious undertaking began five years ago when we began to understand that the biggest problem being faced in the world was the loss of confidential data to hackers, Atwell said. The illegal theft of confidential data is being encountered by governments, business and ordinary people every day. All confidential data is subject to attack. Hacker attacks are constantly increasing in frequency, size and scope.

Argos, Atwell claims, is impenetrable even by the most sophisticated of hackers. He explains why: Argos takes a totally different direction than has ever been tried before. It doesnt rely on linear processing power in any fashion or form to protect data. Argos has multiple levels of authentication and verifications which interlock interacting criteria in a way that hackers have never faced before. There are no passwords for hackers to even begin to use.

It may be far more widespread these days, but Atwell says hacker attacks can be traced to as far back as the 1930s when German engineers invented an encoding machine called Enigma.

It was a mechanical device capable of re-arranging codes instantly by simply changing internal cams to cloak their militarys communications. It worked well for the Germans until an English decoding team broke the entire code after the Battle of Britain, thus allowing Britain complete access to all of Germanys strategic and tactical communications.

Yet, according to Atwell, this breach didnt lead to the demise of Enigma, a code he maintains is still ensconced within every standard encryption being used today.

Modern cryptologists have just never bothered to develop a new code, he said. They simply took the original Enigma and digitized it. Enigma then virtually became the Standard Encryption Code used everywhere in the world.

And that proved to be an easy target for hackers.

The only thing different involved for each update to Enigma was the addition of more linear volume to the equation to try to mask it. All hackers ever needed to do to counter the extra volume was to install more computer processing power to breach each new update. There has literally never been any secure data encryption.

Atwell and his small team of technicians and consultants he describes as geniuses from the field of encryption/authentication are so confident in their initial working prototype that they plan to directly challenge hackers worldwide to try to breach it.

When hackers fail to meet our challenge, our phones will start ringing, Atwell says. Argos is now poised to grow as quickly as Microsofts Office program did in the beginning.

Companies worldwide spend a lot of money trying to protect confidential data. Atwell says hes seen estimates that place this cost at $27 trillion a year.

Weve all heard of, or worse, personally experienced data hacking on a personal or professional level. Atwell sounds a warning: The world cannot ignore any longer that everyones confidential information can be so easily breached. It is the side and back door that hackers will thrive upon if not resolved quickly.

He added: CQs team indicates that Argos security will actually reduce security costs for clients.

CQs research & development arm is currently considering initial licensing of Argos to government, military and financial entities. The company also is working on generating more working capital to support Argos anticipated explosive growth that will require additional staffing and equipment for sales, marketing and support efforts.

CQs track record includes a successful launch of its first product, Nimbus Telecommunications Platform. Nearly 3,000 units have been sold nationally by 105 dealers nationwide, Atwell noted.

They work all the time, every time wherever theyve been installed.

Atwell and his partner in the business, Dave Root, have a combined 90 years of experience.

I have 50 years of successful marketing experience introducing new technology, and Dave has over 40 years experience in starting up new companies, Atwell said.

During the second week of this month, the Atwell-led team will conduct a virtual demonstration of Argos to a group of European investment bankers. He expects it to generate quite the buzz.

There is now a guaranteed way of defeating hackers. Its Argos, Atwell said. I know of no similar programs anywhere in the world.
President Donald Trump's blood oxygen levels fluctuate, and he suffered from a fever, the President's Chief of Staff has revealed.

On Friday, President Trump's health raised alarms among doctors and aides that day as he faced a crucial time in his battle against the coronavirus, according to Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows. On the same day, hours after Trump revealed that he tested positive for COVID-19, Trump was flown to Walter Reed Hospital, according to The Sun.

While staying in the hospital, the Republican President posted a video from his hospital suite on Saturday. He warned he faced a "real test" in the coming. However, President Trump promised to be back soon and to finish the campaign.

Meadows and White House physician Dr.Sean Conley were "really concerned" about the 74-year-old president and on his condition on Friday morning, Meadows told Fox News host Jeanie Pirro. "He's made unbelievable progress from yesterday morning when a number of us - the doctor and I - were very concerned," Meadows said.

According to Meadows, on Friday morning, they were really concerned when the President had a fever and blood oxygenation immediately dropped. He added that he had spoken to President Trump several times that time and the President gave him tasks to do.

"He continues to be not only in good spirits but very energetic," Meadows said. Meadows complimented Trump and said that the great thing about him is not only Trump is staying committed working very hard for the Americans, "but his first question to me this morning was: "How are the stimulus talks going on Capitol Hill? How is the economy doing?"

Meadows sparked confusion on Saturday morning after he told reporters that the road recovery is unclear which gave people a far less optimistic view of President Trump's condition.

Meadows said President Trump's vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours are crucial in terms of Trump's care. "We're still not on a clear path to a full recovery."

Trump received supplemental oxygen at the White House prior to his hospital admission, according to the reports. Although, Dr.Conly refused to confirm the details amid President Trump's update on Saturday afternoon.

Alongside nine other members of the President's medical team, Dr.Conly said that President Trump was in "exceptionally good spirits" and that the President had said, "I feel like I could walk out of here today."

Conly also confirmed that President Trump made substantial progress since his diagnosis and that the President took two doses of Remdesivir. "President Trump remains fever-free and off supplemental oxygen with a saturation level between 96 and 98 per cent all day," he said.

According to Conly, President Trump spent most of the afternoon in business and has been moving up about the medical suite with no difficulty. The President's medical team remains cautiously optimistic.

Check these out:

Trump Tests Positive for COVID-19: Who Else Around the White House Are Positive, Negative?

Will Trump's COVID-19 Diagnosis Speeds Up Stimulus Deal? Pelosi Projects Optimism

Trump's COVID-19 Could Lead to Severe Complications Due to Age and Weight
Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court, meets with Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, at the Capito on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020. Al Drago/Pool via AP

Sen. Mike Lee said on Twitter on Friday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing what he thought were "longtime allergies."

"Unlike the test I took just a few days ago while visiting the White House, yesterday's test came back positive," the Republican senator from Utah wrote.

Lee attended a ceremony at the White House on Saturday during which President Donald Trump announced that Judge Amy Coney Barrett is his Supreme Court nominee.

Pictures from the event show a tightly packed crowd of people, many of whom weren't wearing masks, instead shaking hands and hugging each other.

Lee also met with Barrett on Capitol Hill on Tuesday and returned for a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday. He was seen maskless both times.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, announced on Friday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus.

"Yesterday morning, I was experiencing symptoms consistent with longtime allergies," Lee wrote on Twitter. "Out of an abundance of caution, I sought medical advice and was tested for Covid-19."

"Unlike the test I took just a few days ago while visiting the White House, yesterday's test came back positive," he added.

Lee said that he plans to isolate himself for the next 10 days, based on advice from a physician. "Like so many other Utans, I will now spend part of 2020 working from home," he said.

Lee noted, however, that he plans to be "back to work to join my Judiciary Committee colleagues in advancing the Supreme Court nomination of Jude Amy Coney Barrett."

Lee attended a ceremony at the White House on Saturday during which President Donald Trump announced Barrett's selection.

Images from the event show a large crowd with no social distancing and many people not wearing face masks. Some attendees hugged, bumped elbows, and shook hands with each other. Footage from CNN shows that Lee did so, too.

Story continues

Lee met Barrett again on Tuesday, this time on Capitol Hill. Pictures show that neither Barrett nor Lee were wearing face masks or staying six feet away from one another.

He was photographed, maskless again, at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday about the FBI's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

The Senate is expected to begin Barrett's confirmation hearings on Oct. 12. The staunchly conservative justice has been tapped by Trump to take the place of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who died on Sept. 18.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and California Sen. Dianne Feinstein reacted to Lee's diagnoses on Friday, calling it "unfortunate news, according to Bloomberg News reporter Laura Litvan.

"The unfortunate news about the infection of our colleague Senator Mike Lee makes even more clear that health and safety must guide the schedule for all Senate activities, including hearings," they said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Prince William refused to eat lunch with Prince Harry ahead of the infamous Sandringham Summit because he was so upset at his brothers decision to quit the royal family, a new book has alleged.

Battle of the Brothers, written by royal biographer Robert Lacey, describes how the senior royals were left hopping mad at the actions of Harry and Meghan in the run-up to their move to America earlier this year.

In whats said to be a sign of how bad relations had become, the Queen left out a picture of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from her mantelpiece when she gave her Christmas speech last year.

This non-personed the couple, according to the book, which also alleges William effectively unbrothered Harry in the aftermath of the row.

The two once-close brothers have reportedly barely spoken since the beginning of the year, despite their father, Prince Charles, becoming ill with coronavirus in March.

Describing events in the run-up to the summit, where the details of whats become known as Megxit were thrashed out, Mr Lacey says William purposefully maintained his distance.

In an extract, printed in the Daily Mail, he writes: The Queen had suggested the family should gather for lunch before their big pow-wow in the library that afternoon, but he refused his grandmothers invitation.

He would obviously turn up at 2pm for the meeting, he said, but he only wanted to talk business. The Prince himself has not confirmed his friends speculation that he was so furious with his younger brother that he would not be able to endure the hypocrisy of smiling at him over lunch.

The book is being billed as an antidote to Finding Freedom, a favourable biography of Harry and Meghan that was published earlier this year.

Mr Lacey has pieced together events based on hours of interviews with royal insiders.

The anger of William and others was compounded, according to the author, by Harry and Meghans refusal to consult with the Queen before making major announcements.

Plans to step back as senior royals and sue British newspaper groups were both announced without the Queens knowledge.

And Harry only gave his family 10 minutes warning before releasing his resignation on Instagram, the book alleges.

The Queen was also angered by Harry and Meghans attempts to trademark the Sussex Royal brand and profit from products bearing the title, according to the book.

She stepped in to ban the use of the word royal from any of the couples future endeavours.

In her Christmas message, the monarch barely mentioned the couple, despite their first son Archie being born earlier that year, and their picture was not shown alongside those of William and Kates family.

This was said to be a deliberate slapdown of the couple. Mr Lacey writes: There were some matters on which Elizabeth II would not compromise and chief among them was the authority of the crown.

The Sussex family had been non-personed as effectively as the Soviets non-personed Trotsky and Khrushchev  another charming custom, of course, that had been developed by the Kremlin.

The book also revealed royal insiders allegedly saw the interviews Meghan did with ITV while on tour in Africa as miserably self indulgent.

Speaking to presenter Tom Bradby, she said she was worried about the effect of keeping a stiff upper lip on her mental health. Sources told Mr Lacey this was seen as tone-deaf.

The couples refusal to reveal who their sons godparents were also showed they had an exaggerated idea of their own importance, according to the book.

The revelations are likely to further damage relations between the key figures of the royal family. Mr Lacey writes that historians could come to see the fall-out as being as significant as the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997, unless steps are taken to repair the damage.

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New Delhi, Oct 4 : The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) on Sunday announced it will not fight the October-November Bihar Assembly polls under the leadership of Chief Minister and JD-U supremo Nitish Kumar, and will go solo.

The LJP's decision, at a meeting of its Parliamentary Board, to quit the NDA alliance in the state came despite outreach efforts by the BJP's top leadership, particularly assigned by party President J.P. Nadda and a meeting between Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Nadda and LJP chief Chirag Paswan.

"At the state level and for ideological differences with the Janata Dal-United in the Bihar poll alliance, the Lok Janshakti Party has decided to fight the elections in Bihar outside the alliance," the resolution passed by its Parliamentary Board, stated.

In a clear announcement that it was taking arms against the JD-U, the LJP said: "In many seats, there may be ideological fights with the JD-U where the public can decide which representative will keep Bihar's good in mind." However, the LJP has been very careful to indicate that its relation with the BJP at the Centre will stay unaltered, and also assured a "post-poll alliance" with the BJP to "uphold the developmental agenda of Prime Minister Narendra Modi".

However, there was no mention of the JD-U there, while the LJP went on to stress that it had "no hard feelings" with the BJP.

This meeting was called at 3 p.m. amid concerns over the health of party patriarch Ram Vilas Paswan, whose ailments had led to postponement of the meeting till Sunday. Earlier Prime Minister Modi, Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Chirag Paswan to inquire about the elder Paswan's health condition.

In a cause of mounting concern for the NDA, animosity between the LJP and the JD-U had been growing for quite some time and matters came to such a stage that in late June, a district President of the LJP who had said that the NDA was intact in Bihar was sacked. A series of verbal fights between the JD-U and the LJP followed, and could not be quelled despite intervention at the level of Amit Shah and Nadda.

Now, in Bihar, the BJP and JD-U will go to polls in an alliance with the Hindustan Awami Morcha-Secular to be accommodated by the JD-U from its share of seats. However, a situation where the alliance fails to win the required number of seats to form government, and needs the LJP's help is one that the NDA alliance is hoping to avoid.

Polling in three-phase Bihar election will be held on October 28, November 3 and November 7. Counting of votes will be held on November 10.
A law firm whose immigration solicitors have prevented Channel migrants from being returned to France has pocketed 55 million in legal aid from the British taxpayer in just three years.

The staggering bonanza for Duncan Lewis Solicitors, whose legal aid work covers many areas of law including immigration, is revealed in figures obtained by The Mail on Sunday.

We can also reveal that the company's staff have travelled to Calais and offered support to refugees hoping to reach Britain.

Duncan Lewis Solicitors  run by entrepreneur Amarpal Singh Gupta, who has been dubbed 'Britain's legal aid king'  has forged a close relationship with charities that work among refugee camps on the French coast.

Staff have also boasted of mixing with senior Labour Party figures, including Deputy Leader Angela Rayner and Shadow Justice Secretary David Lammy.

Duncan Lewis Solicitors  run by entrepreneur Amarpal Singh Gupta (pictured), who has been dubbed 'Britain's legal aid king'  has forged a close relationship with charities that work among refugee camps on the French coast

Police officers accompany an Afghan in handcuffs on a charter plane at Leipzig-Halle Airport in July 2019 after 45 rejected asylum seekers were deported on special flight to Afghanistan's capital Kabul

Duncan Lewis has been involved in litigation that has frustrated efforts by the Home Office to return asylum seekers who crossed the Channel on dinghies to France.

Last week, just one migrant was removed on a 100,000 charter flight when last-minute court action by immigration and human rights lawyers to lodge appeals meant 29 other removals were blocked.

While there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing, Duncan Lewis has earned a fortune from the taxpayer by representing clients who include an HIV-positive rapist called Victor Nkomo who attacked a woman in Britain.

Business has boomed to such a degree that Mr Gupta, 47, who set up the firm in 1998, knocked down his existing luxury home in North London and built a 2 million five-bedroom property in its place.

According to official figures, the firm received 17.6 million in civil legal aid in 2017, 15.8 million in 2018 and 11.3 million last year. A further 11 million was paid in criminal aid work.

Referring to the visits to Calais  some of which appear on the firm's website  a source claimed that solicitors go to 'assess the situation' and provide support.

Critics say the visits put the firm in a prime position with Channel-crossing migrants who may need legal help to remain in the UK if they cross the Channel.

Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: 'It beggars belief that they are going all the way to Calais to only perform charitable work with refugees and not offering their services and advice so that they can get into the UK.

Critics say the visits put the firm in a prime position with Channel-crossing migrants who may need legal help to remain in the UK if they cross the Channel (file photo of migrants making the journey last month)

'Maybe I'm being cynical, but it seems no accident that their business is so lucrative when they are making these trips.'

According to the source, charities working with refugees at camps at Calais and Dunkirk act as 'go-betweens' with the firm, referring migrants seeking representation to Duncan Lewis once they reach British shores.

In 2018, staff from the Luton branch of the law firm posted photos on the company website of a trip to Calais to work with an aid charity for two days.

Last year, the company  which employs 800 people  said it had been invited to the Calais camps to represent several migrants. Staff also provide 'training videos' about the law to Calais charities over Zoom. One charity source said: 'We work with Duncan Lewis a lot.'

A spokesman for Duncan Lewis said: 'Our role is to always act in our client's best interests and ensure their legal issues are being dealt with in accordance with the law. Any payments received for undertaking this work is predominantly fixed-fee work and on remuneration rates set by the Government.'

He added that any trips to Calais by staff were to 'gain an understanding of the conditions that asylum seekers are residing in'.
In the Illinois Supreme Courts Third District, which picks up Will and Kankakee counties, Democrat Justice Thomas Kilbride is on the ballot for retention to a 10-year term. An active and mostly-GOP push is underway to unseat him by asking voters to say No to his retention. Its a tall mountain to climb. Kilbride only needs 60% of the vote plus-one to stay. Most voters dont pay close attention to these ballot questions, and most judges get retained. But if Republican efforts are successful, this Supreme Court seat would be up in 2022.
This is the shocking moment towering shelves in a Brazilian supermarket collapse on top of each in a domino effect crushing one worker to death.

Eight people including staff and customers were injured in the accident that happened late Friday night at the Mateus Atacarejo Mix Supermarket in Sao Luis, north Brazil.

The dead victim was identified as 21-year-old Elane de Oliveira Rodrigues. She had been working at the supermarket for three months and was crushed under the falling products in the aisle where she had been stacking shelves.

Six others who were in the same location were wounded and rescued by emergency services. They were transferred to hospital and have since been released. Two other victims, rescued by people at the scene, suffered abrasions and minor injuries and were allowed to go home.

Eight people including staff and customers were injured in the accident that happened late Friday night at the Mateus Atacarejo Mix Supermarket in Sao Luis, north Brazil (pictured: shelves topple onto each other at the supermarket)

The dead victim was identified as 21-year-old Elane de Oliveira Rodrigues. She had been working at the supermarket for three months and was crushed under the falling products in the aisle where she had been stacking shelves.

A man carries a child away from the scene after the shelves collapsed

Rescue workers searching through the piles of supermarket goods after the accident

The retail store was at its busiest, packed with shoppers at the time the disaster struck around 8:15pm.

CCTV captured the moment the metallic structures to the right of the screen started to fall causing a domino effect on other huge shelves in front, stacked high with goods.

Shop attendants and customers at the checkouts stopped in their tracks as they heard a thunderous noise. Then everyone panicked and fled as they saw the shelves crashing down on top of each other.

As people rushed back into the carnage to search for survivors, screams from the injured rang out and footage showed massive piles of food and commercial products mixed with metal shop equipment and rubble.

A man was seen carrying a small child from the debris.

And one woman cried with despair and disbelief as she filmed the horror scene.

Eye witnesses formed chain gangs outside the store to help remove the piles of damaged stock. A video shows lines of people throwing the products from one to another in a bid to clear the area and locate survivors buried beneath.

Collapsed shelves after the accident

People rush towards the piles of goods to help people trapped underneath

A man is treated by paramedics after being hauled away from the wreckage

Emergency crews at the scene on Friday

The words posted on the video by Neto Verdelho read 'Never lose faith in humanity! People helping to take things out to find the people below.'

Teams of fire officers, police and ambulance service (SAMU) responded immediately to the scene.

The search for victims continued throughout the night with rescuers, in high visibility vests, calling for silence as they shouted to victims buried under the storage shelves to signal where they were by ringing their mobile phones or by making a noise so they could be found.

The rescue operation lasted more than 11 hours and involved over 270 firefighters. The search was officially ended on Saturday morning

Ruan Alysson, the victim's cousin said to local press: '(Elane) was so happy with her new job because she had just started working as a shelf stacker for the company three months ago.

'The last picture she took of herself on her phone, in her blue work t-shirt, was on the shop floor.'

Emergency workers searching to find people trapped

The collapsed shelves

In a statement, the Mateus Group, which runs one of the largest supermarket chains in the city, regretted the accident and stressed all was being done to find, save and support the victims. They later confirmed the death of the employee.

'It is with deep regret that the Mateus Group (joins in) solidarity with the family of Elane de Oliveira Rodrigues who, unfortunately, died in the accident'.

There is still no information what caused the collapse, but there is a suspicion that an accident involving a forklift truck could have caused one of the gondolas to fall leading to the tragedy.

A full investigation has been launched by health and safety officials and police.
One person has been charged in connection with a fatal Saturday-night shooting in Lancaster.

According to Lancaster police, Geraldo Rosario, 57, is facing one count of criminal homicide.

Police say they were called to the 600 block of High Street for a shooting around 9:45 p.m. Saturday and found 40-year-old Josean Martinez, of Lancaster, who had been shot in the chest.

He was rushed to the hospital, where he died a short time later.

After speaking to witnesses, police say the investigation revealed there was an argument between Martinez and two men, one of whom pulled out a gun and shot Martinez. The two men were at the crime scene when police arrived, and one of them was brought to the police station and charged, police say.

Rosario is being held at the police station for processing and arraignment. The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information should call the Lancaster police, 717-735-3300, or Lancaster City-County Crime Stoppers, 1-800-322-1913. Tips can also be submitted on the police website or sent through text message by texting LANCS plus your message to 847411.

Tipsters may remain anonymous.
A frail elderly woman in hospital on the Sunshine Coast who has not been able to tell police her name for six weeks has finally recovered enough to reveal her identity and address.

While police are no longer involved, the woman remains in the care of Queensland Health.

The Sunshine Coast University Hospital where the mystery woman has been cared for.

On September 6, the woman was found walking along Brandenburg Road in the Mooloolah Valley by a man who took her to Nambour Hospital.

However, until two weeks ago, she was not speaking to police or medical staff at either the Nambour Hospital or, more recently, the Sunshine Coast University Hospital.
(Newser)  A majority of voters in New Caledonia, an archipelago in the South Pacific, chose Sunday to remain part of France instead of backing independence. The referendum marked a milestone moment in a three-decade-long decolonization effort, the AP reports. In a televised address from Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed "an expression of confidence in the Republic with a deep feeling of gratitude ... and modesty." Macron promised pro-independence supporters that "this is with you, all together, that we will build New Caledonia tomorrow." He praised the "success" of the vote and called on New Caledonia residents to "look to the future." New Caledonia has been part of France since 1853.The overseas ministry said results show 53.3% of the votes were cast for maintaining ties with France, while 46.7% supported independence.

story continues below

Turnout was high. More than 85% of voters had cast their ballots one hour before poll stations closed, according to the overseas ministry. Some polling stations in Noumea, the capital, closed an hour late because people were still in long lines. The referendum was among the final steps of plans initiated in 1988 to settle tensions between native Kanaks seeking independence and residents willing to remain in France. Two years ago, 56.4% of voters who participated in a similar referendum chose to keep the archipelago's ties with Paris. "Today is not a day like any other. Everyone woke up with the will to express oneself," one voter said. "This is a historic day." Saying she voted to "remain French," a woman said, "We can live together, all races together, and design our common future." A man supporting independence said: "We want the recognition of our identity, our culture. I think we are able to manage ourselves."

(Read more New Caledonia stories.)
Azerbaijan said on Sunday that Armenian forces had fired rockets at its second city of Ganja, killing one civilian and wounding four, and threatened to retaliate by destroying military targets inside Armenia.

The developments marked a sharp escalation of the war in the South Caucasus that broke out one week ago.

Until now, the main fighting has been between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave inside Azerbaijan, but it now threatens to spill over into a direct war with Armenia itself.

Azerbaijan will destroy military targets directly inside Armenia from which shelling of its population centres is taking place, presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev said.

He said there were also civilian casualties in another Azeri region, Beylagan, which borders Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia denied it had directed fire of any kind towards Azerbaijan. The leader of Nagorno-Karabakh said his forces had targeted a military airbase in Ganja but later stopped firing in order to avoid civilian casualties.

The conflict threatens to drag in other regional powers as Azerbaijan is supported by Turkey, while Armenia has a defence pact with Russia.

Turkeys Foreign Ministry said: The attacks of Armenia targeting the civilians in Ganja...are a new manifestation of Armenias unlawful attitude. We condemn these attacks.

FIGHTING SPREADS

Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev said on Twitter his forces had captured the town of Jabrail and several villages in what, if confirmed, would be a significant advance on the southern edge of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenian defence ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan

dismissed the claim as yet another fabrication. Independent verification was not possible.

Nagorno-Karabakh reported deaths and casualties among civilians in Stepanakert and Shushi as a result of Azeri shelling.

The fighting that broke out one week ago between Azeri and ethnic Armenian forces has intensified in the past two days and spread far beyond the breakaway Karabakh region.

Ganja, with a population of 335,000, is about 100 km (60 miles) north of the Karabakh capital Stepanakert and 80 km from the Armenian city of Vardenis.

Azerbaijan has previously accused Armenia of firing into its territory from Vardenis, and Yerevan has denied it. Armenia says two civilians were killed in and near Vardenis last week by cross-border fire from Azerbaijan.

Armenia says Azerbaijan has used the airport in Ganja as a base for its warplanes to carry out bombing raids on Nagorno-Karabakh.

Nagorno-Karabakh leader Arayik Harutyunyan said his forces would target Azeri cities.

Permanent military units located in the large cities of Azerbaijan from now on become the targets of the defence army, he said.

HEAVY CASUALTIES

Casualties from the past weeks fighting have run into the hundreds, although precise figures are impossible to obtain.

Armenia said the Karabakh cities of Stepanakert and Martakert were under attack by Azerbaijans air force and from long-range missiles. Each side accused the other of targeting civilians.

Ignoring appeals from Russia, the United States, France and the EU to call a ceasefire, the opposing sides have stepped up hostilities over the weekend, with an accompanying rise in aggressive rhetoric.

Armenia said on Saturday it would use all necessary means to protect ethnic Armenians from attack by Azerbaijan, and its prime minster compared the struggle with a 20th century war against Ottoman Turkey.

Azerbaijan said on Saturday its forces had captured a string of villages. Armenia acknowledged that ethnic Armenian fighters were under pressure in some places and said the situation on the ground was fluctuating.

The clashes are the worst since the 1990s, when some 30,000 people were killed. They have raised international concern about stability in the South Caucasus, where pipelines carry Azeri oil and gas to world markets.
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The Christian Mothers Association - Ghana with support from Konrad Adenauer Stiftung has trained Peace Ambassadors in the Keta- Akatsi Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church.

The day's training workshop under the theme "Women Partnering in the Election Process: A Credible and Violence Free Election 2020" had in attendance members of the Christian Mothers' Association strategically selected from parishes within the Keta- Akatsi Diocese.

The trained Peace Ambassadors are obligated to spread the message of peace before, during, and after the 2020 General Election in their deaneries, parishes, and groups.

The Executive Secretary of the association, Mother Olivia Ansu Amponsah in her open remark, stated that Ghana has gone through numerous Voter Registration Exercises peacefully but the recent one recorded few violent incidents that even resulted in the death of some citizens.

She added that those violent incidents have prompted the Association to embark on the mission to train some selected mothers of the Association as Peace Ambassadors and deploy them for the purpose of carrying out Civic Education and preaching Peace.

Mother Emily Agozie, chairperson of the Keta-Akatsi chapter of the Association stated that the Association is equipping the Christian mothers with the needed knowledge to preach peace to the gallant and energetic youth of the country who may be used by some politicians to perpetrate violence during the upcoming general elections and to urge them not to give in to such acts.

Rev. Vincent Adzika, the District Director of the Akatsi South Office of the NCCE took the trainees through the following topics; The Active Participation in the Electoral Process, the Role of Women as Peace Ambassadors; The Local Government System and Good Citizenship; Public Speaking and Community Entry; The Functions of the three Arms of Government. etc.

Rev. Adzika congratulates the trainees for accepting the challenge and encouraged them to give off their best for the peace of the country Ghana.

Mr. Jordan Dzikunu, a retired staff of the NCCE, in his presentation challenges the mothers to make themselves available for leadership roles in both political or social context when the need arises.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-05 01:54:19|Editor: huaxia

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A person prepares to vote at a polling station in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on Oct. 4, 2020. The parliamentary elections ended in Kyrgyzstan late Sunday. According to data of automatically reading ballot boxes, four parties -- Birimdik (24.54 percent), Mekenim Kyrgyzstan (23.9 percent), Kyrgyzstan (8.74 percent) and Butun Kyrgyzstan (7.09 percent) -- have passed the 7 percent threshold and can enter the parliament.The official data will be announced after manual counting of all ballot papers. (Photo by Roman/Xinhua)

BISHKEK, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- The parliamentary elections ended in Kyrgyzstan late Sunday.

According to data of automatically reading ballot boxes, four parties -- Birimdik (24.54 percent), Mekenim Kyrgyzstan (23.9 percent), Kyrgyzstan (8.74 percent) and Butun Kyrgyzstan (7.09 percent) -- have passed the 7 percent threshold and can enter the parliament.

The official data will be announced after manual counting of all ballot papers.

A total of 2,474 polling stations were opened across the country on Sunday at 8 a.m. local time and closed at 8 p.m., and 45 polling stations were opened around the world.

According to data by the Central Election Commission, the turnout rate was 55.65 percent, with nearly 2 million people having casted their votes.

In addition, Kyrgyz citizens residing abroad continue to vote in 31 polling stations.

The last voting will be completed in the polling station formed on the territory of the Kyrgyz Embassy in the United States on Oct. 5 at 6 a.m. Bishkek time.

The parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan are held according to a specific algorithm developed by the Ministry of Health and the country's Central Election Commission due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the algorithm, all members of election commissions and voters were provided with personal protective equipment, and a social distance of 1.5-2 meters is observed both outside and inside the voting premises.

The Kyrgyz parliament has 120 seats with members elected for a five-year term by party-list proportional voting. To win seats, parties must pass a national electoral threshold of 7 percent and receive at least 0.7 percent of the votes in each of the seven oblasts of Kyrgyzstan. No one party is allowed to hold more than 65 seats in the parliament. Enditem
This report reminds us that deadly crime continues to escalate across the state BUT overall the lockdown has kept a lot of locals out of trouble.



Take a look:


SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won speaks at SK hynix plant in Gyeonggi Province, July 9. Cheong Wa Dae Press Corps



By Nam Hyun-woo



SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won is emerging as the top candidate to be new chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), the country's largest and most influential business lobby group.



According to industry officials, KCCI Park Yong-maan's term will end in March. A KCCI chairman can serve two three-year terms, and Park has been leading the organization since 2013 after he succeeded to his predecessor's unfinished term.



The chairman of Seoul Chamber of Commerce customarily becomes chairman of the KCCI. The Seoul chamber, whose members include large conglomerates such as Samsung, Hyundai Motor, SK, LG and Lotte, will hold a general meeting in February to name its new head, and Chey will likely be Park's successor.



Although neither KCCI nor SK Group officially confirmed Chey's KCCI chairmanship, industry sources said Park was considering Chey as new chairman given his influence in the domestic business community and business philosophy of pursuing mutual growth and social values.



Park and Chey are known to have close relations. They exchanged their opinions and ideas on running businesses during KCCI's annual Jeju Forum last year, where Chey delivered a speech on SK Group's pursuit of social values.



Other top businesses' circumstances are also playing a role in Chey's emergence as top pick for the KCCI chairman.



Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong is de-facto leader of Samsung, but is yet to become the official leader of the conglomerate, as his father and Chairman Lee Kun-hee is still in hospital due to a prolonged health condition.



Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun also faces a similar situation, as his father and Chairman Chung Mong-koo is retaining his position while stepping away from running the automaker directly.



Unlike them, Chey has been leading SK Group as chairman since 1998, growing the group into a top-tier player in telecom and petrochemical businesses.



"While the official chiefs of Samsung and Hyundai Motor are in hospital, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-moo is regarded as too young to take the job of representing Korean businesses, given he took the group's helm in 2018 at the age of 40," one source said. "This situation makes Chey the top candidate to lead the KCCI, whose presence under the Moon Jae-in administration has ever increased."



The KCCI's influence was amplified after the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) took a back seat in the Moon administration. The FKI lost its core members  Samsung, Hyundai Motor, SK and LG  after it was revealed the federation tried to pressure 19 business groups here to donate 77.4 billion won to foundations established and controlled by Choi Soon-sil, a scandal that cost former President Park Geun-hye  to whom Choi was a close confidante  her presidency.



Reportedly, Chey has been refusing to take the KCCI chairman's post. Although SK Group did not officially comment about this, it is interpreted that the group's history is behind the refusal.



In 1993, Daehan Telecom, now SK Telecom, had to give up its bid in a government auction for a license to become a mobile carrier to avoid controversy, because the government chose the FKI to select the winner of the auction and Chey's father and former Chairman Chey Jong-hyun was then chairman of the FKI.



Given SK Group is exploring new business opportunities in various fields, the refusal is interpreted as a pre-emptive effort to rule out controversy over any abuse of influence as the KCCI chief, sources said.





Celltrion Chairman Seo Jung-jin speaks during a press conference at Incheon City Hall on May 16, 2019. Yonhap
New Delhi: "All eyes on CBI," Sushant Singh Rajput's sister Shweta Singh Kirti shared on social media recently after the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) panel ruled out murder claims in the late star's death case.

Shweta shared a series of posts saying "we will win" and "test of faith" along with photos of Sushant. One of her posts read, "The test of faith is when you can stay strong and unshaken during the testing time....I urge my extended family to have faith in God and pray from all your heart....Pray that the truth comes out. #AllEyesOnCBI."

In a major development on Saturday, the AIIMS forensic team, which submitted its report with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in relation to Sushant's death ruled out the 'murder' angle. It was learnt that the five-member team may have called it a case of suicide, rejecting the claims of poisoning and strangling made by the actor's family and their lawyer.

This development comes in at a time when the late actor's family, friends and fans across the globe are seeking justice for Sushant. Several social media campaigns are being organised in ensuring that he gets justice and the mystery around his death is solved.

Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his Mumbai home on June 14. His death case was initially probed by the Mumbai Police but after Supreme Court orders, the CBI started its probe.

Soon, a money-laundering probe was also launched by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) involving Sushant's actress girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, brother Showik and her family.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) too joined the investigation when drugs-related theories were revealed through some retrieved WhatsApp chats of Rhea and Sushant's manager Samuel Miranda.
HAMDEN  Sleeping Giant State Park reopened Sunday morning, one day after a report of a suspected pipe bomb closed the park and drew the State Police Bomb Squad.

The park reopened Sunday morning. But good weather brought visitors, and the park soon reached capacity, under restrictions connected to the coronavirus pandemic, and was closed to additional visitors.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 23:46:01|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- The government of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Sunday strongly deplored and opposed the statement made by the U.S. Department of State on Oct. 3 (local time) regarding the arrests made by the Hong Kong Police on Oct. 1.

A spokesman for the HKSAR government said that it was much regretted that senior U.S. officials continued to adopt "double standards" in expressing utterly irresponsible remarks on law enforcement actions in the HKSAR.

The HKSAR government solemnly reminded the U.S. government that the HKSAR is an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China (PRC), a local administrative region which enjoys a high degree of autonomy and comes directly under the Central People's Government. Hong Kong affairs are internal matters of the PRC. Foreign governments should stop scaremongering and interfering in any form in Hong Kong's affairs.

The spokesman said that the arrests were absolutely lawful and necessary to maintain law and order in society and protect the life and property of Hong Kong residents. As a law enforcement agency, the police will take action when they come across any unlawful acts in strict accordance with the laws in force. The police have always handled and will continue to handle all cases in a fair, just and impartial manner in accordance with the law.

The spokesman said that according to the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the freedoms of procession and assembly were not absolute, and might be subject to restrictions as prescribed by law in the interests of public order, public safety and the interests of others, etc.

According to the Police Force Ordinance, the police have the duty to take lawful measures for apprehending all persons whom it is lawful to apprehend and for whose apprehension sufficient grounds exist, the spokesman added.

Since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the central government has unswervingly implemented the policy of "one country, two systems" to effectively maintain Hong Kong's prosperity and stability. Hong Kong is consistently high on global rankings for the rule of law, the spokesman said.

The spokesman also reiterated the firm commitment of the HKSAR government to the implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle in accordance with the HKSAR Basic Law. Enditem
TORONTO - Five things to watch for in the Canadian business world in the coming week:

Statistics Canada will release its international merchandise trade numbers for August on Tuesday. Canadas imports and exports both posted gains in July, but still remained below their pre-pandemic levels.

Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem is scheduled to give a speech to the Global Risk Institute by video conference on Thursday. The central banks senior deputy governor Carolyn Wilkins recently announced that she wont seek a second term, ending weeks of speculation about her future. Wilkins seven-year term ends next May.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. is set to release housing starts figures for September on Thursday. The agency recently reported that Canadas housing market experienced overvaluation in some pockets of the country  particularly Victoria, Moncton and Halifax  in the spring amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Statistics Canada will release its labour force survey for September on Friday. The agency reported that the pace of gains in Canadas job market slowed in August, as the economy added 246,000 jobs, the fourth consecutive month of gains after jobless claims spiked during lockdowns in March and April.

MTY Food Group Inc. is set to hold a conference call to discuss its third-quarter results on Friday. The restaurant company behind such mall food court favourites as Thai Express, Tiki-Ming, Tutti Frutti and Valentine reported a second-quarter loss of $99.1 million it took a $120.3-million non-cash impairment charge related to property, plant and equipment, intangible assets and goodwill due to the pandemic.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2020.
Armenian and Azerbaijani bombardments of major cities have raised fears that many more civilians than the 42 reported dead are being killed.

Separatist forces in Karabakh - an ethnic Armenian enclave that broke away from Azerbaijan in the 1990s - reported firefights along the frontline on Monday with the regional capital Stepanakert under heavy artillery fire.

Azerbaijan's defence ministry said Armenian forces were shelling three of its towns, after hitting the country's second-largest city Ganja on Sunday.

Increasing artillery fire on urban areas has raised concerns of mass civilian casualties if the fierce fighting, which has already killed more than 240 people, continues to escalate.

An unexploded BM-30 Smerch rocket by the Mingachevir Hydro Power Station in Azerbaijan on Monday

Aftermath of recent shelling during the ongoing fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, in the disputed region's main city of Stepanakert on Sunday

Debris fills the streets of the ethnically-Armenian city of Stepanakert after shelling on Sunday

An unexploded BM-30 Smerch rocket by the Mingachevir Hydro Power Station on Monday

A shelled building burns in the separatist city of Stepanakert on Sunday night

The clashes broke out on September 27, re-igniting a decades-old conflict between the ex-Soviet neighbours over Karabakh and threatening to draw in regional powers like Russia and Turkey.

Neither side has shown any sign of backing down, ignoring international calls for a ceasefire and a return to long-stalled negotiations on the region.

Stepanakert, a city of some 50,000 in the heart of the mountainous region, has been under steady artillery fire since Friday, with residents cramming in to underground shelters and many leaving.

The separatists' foreign ministry said Monday that shelling of Stepanakert had resumed at 6:30 am (0230 GMT), with four shells hitting the city.

It released video footage of repeated bursts of heavy shelling and of debris from seriously damaged blocks of flats, claiming Azerbaijan had used cluster munitions.

Azerbaijan said Armenian forces were shelling the towns of Beylagan, Barda, and Terter.

The two sides have reported 244 deaths since the fighting erupted, including 42 civilians, but the real total is expected to be much higher as both sides are claiming to have inflicted heavy military casualties.

A woman looks through a blown out window after the city of Stepanakert was bombarded on Sunday

A view shows aftermath of recent shelling during the ongoing fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, in the disputed region's main city of Stepanakert on October 4, 2020

A view shows aftermath of recent shelling during the ongoing fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, in the disputed region's main city of Stepanakert on October 4, 2020

Tanks which Azerbaijani army officials said were seized during the ongoing fighting with Armenia over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, in the town of Beylagan on October 5, 2020.

Fire burns in a residential area after shelling by Azerbaijan's artillery during a military conflict in self-proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, Stepanakert, Azerbaijan, today

Buildings are seen in ruin and disrepair after recent shelling in Stepanakert, today

A man walks through the rubble past an overturned and burnt-out car in Stepanakert, today

The International Committee of the Red Cross on Sunday condemned the reports of 'indiscriminate shelling and other alleged unlawful attacks using explosive weaponry in cities, towns and other populated areas'.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have resisted international calls for a ceasefire and clashes have intensified in recent days, with both sides claiming victories on the front and saying they are inflicting heavy losses.

In a fiery address to the nation, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev set conditions for a halt to the fighting that would be near-impossible for Armenia to accept.

He said that Armenian forces 'must leave our territories, not in words but in deeds' and provide a timetable for a full withdrawal.

Yerevan must also recognise the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, apologise to the Azerbaijani people and admit that the region is not part of Armenia, Aliyev said.

An injured woman brought to hospital in Ganja, Azerbaijan, following shelling on the city

People shelter in the basement of the main church of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region's main city of Stepanakert

Families take cover from the shelling in a church in Stepanakert

President Ilham Aliyev said: 'Nagorno-Karabakh is our land. We have to go back there and we are doing it now.

'This is the end. We showed them who we are. We are chasing them like dogs.'

Why Armenia and Azerbaijan are fighting WHAT AND WHERE IS NAGORNO-KARABAKH? Karabakh is a region within Azerbaijan which has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces since a full-scale separatist war ended in 1994, after killing about 30,000 people and displacing an estimated one million. Nagorno-Karabakh is about 1,700 square miles in size, but Armenian forces also occupy other nearby territory. HOW DID THE CONFLICT START? Long-simmering tensions between Christian Armenians and mostly Muslim Azerbaijanis began boiling over as the Soviet Union frayed in its final years. Once the USSR collapsed in 1991 and the republics became independent nations, war broke out. A 1994 cease-fire left Armenian and Azerbaijani forces facing each other across a demilitarised zone, where clashes were frequently reported. WHAT'S HAPPENED SINCE? International mediation efforts have brought little visible progress. The conflict has been an economic blow to the Caucasus region because it has hampered trade and prompted Turkey to close its border with Armenia. Fighting periodically breaks out around Nagorno-Karabakh's borders, often deadly, notably in 2016 and this July. Since new fighting erupted on Sunday, dozens have been killed and wounded in apparent shelling by both sides. Each country blamed the other. WHATS THE BROADER IMPACT? In addition to causing local casualties and damage, the conflict in the small, hard-to-reach region is also of concern to major regional players. Russia is Armenias main economic partner and has a military base there, while Turkey has offered support to Azerbaijanis, fellow Muslims and ethnic brethren to Turks. Iran neighbors both Armenia and Azerbaijan and is calling for calm. Meanwhile, the United States, France and Russia are meant to be guarantors of the long-stalled peace process, under the auspices of the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Advertisement

Sirens were sounding and explosions were heard at regular intervals in Stepanakert, where residents were taking shelter including several families in the basement of the city's Holy Mother of God Cathedral.

Armenia's foreign ministry said Stepanakert and other towns had been hit, accusing Azerbaijani forces of 'the deliberate targeting of the civilian population'.

There were reports of dead and wounded civilians in Stepanakert and the historic town of Shusha.

Azerbaijan said Ganja was under shell fire, including from areas outside of Karabakh in Armenian territory, with at least one civilian killed.

Karabakh's separatist forces said they had targeted and destroyed an airbase in Ganja, but Baku denied this as a 'provocation'.

Azerbaijan's ally Turkey accused Armenia of 'targeting civilians' in Ganja and reiterated support for its fellow Turkic and Muslim country as 'one nation, two states'.

Karabakh leader Arayik Harutyunyan warned that it would now consider 'military facilities in Azerbaijan's big cities' as legitimate targets.

'I call on the residents of these cities to immediately leave,' Harutyunyan said in a post on Facebook.

Azerbaijani officials claimed Sunday that Harutyunyan had been seriously wounded while in a bunker hit by bombing, but his office denied this.

Azerbaijan claims to have taken control of a string of settlements in recent days as well as a strategically important plateau.

Today Aliyev said his forces had retaken the town of Jabrayil, part of an area outside Karabakh seized by the separatists in the 1990s as a buffer zone, hailing it as an important victory. Armenia denied the claim.

Authorities in both countries have reported nearly 250 dead since the fighting began, including almost 40 civilians.

Armenian separatist forces have reported more than 200 dead - including 51 on Saturday - while Azerbaijan has not released any figures on its military casualties.

Azerbaijan said that two civilians had been killed in shelling today on the southern town of Beylagan, with residents seen picking through the rubble of destroyed homes.

'I was baking bread when I heard explosions, I opened the door and saw that bombs were falling right into the yard,' said one woman, showing journalists the blown-out windows and partially collapsed roof of her home.

In Armenia's majority-Christian capital Yerevan, residents gathered in churches for services Sunday to pray and light candles.

'I came to ask God for peace, for our country and our soldiers,' Aytsemik Melikyan told AFP outside the Saint Sarkis Church.

Russia, the United States and France - who co-chair a mediation group that has failed to bring about a political resolution to the conflict - have called for an immediate halt to the fighting.

A man sweeps a street after a shelling attack in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh, today

A man shows fragments of the projectile which he found at destroyed houses following a shelling in Terter, Azerbaijan, today

Thick black smoke rises from the aftermath of recent shelling in the disputed region's main city of Stepanakert

People help an injured man in a bomb shelter during shelling by Azerbaijan's artillery during a military conflict in Stepanakert

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed concern over 'the increase of casualties' among civilians in a call with his Armenian counterpart on Sunday.

Armenia has said it is 'ready to engage' with mediators but Azerbaijan - which considers Karabakh under Armenian occupation - says Armenian forces must fully withdraw before a ceasefire can be brokered.

Karabakh's declaration of independence from Azerbaijan during the collapse of the Soviet Union sparked a war in the early 1990s that claimed 30,000 lives.

Talks to resolve the conflict have made little progress since a 1994 ceasefire agreement.
When Princess Diana tragically passed away in August 1997, she left some of her incredible jewelry collection to her sons Prince William and Prince Harry. Just after her death, the young royals had the opportunity to select a specific piece to keep. William chose Dianas Gold Cartier watch, and Harry opted for his mothers engagement ring. But now, Harrys wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex is wearing the special watch. If William chose the Cartier watch, why is Meghan wearing it?

Meghan Markle has worn multiple pieces belonging to Princess Diana | Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

Princess Dianas butler reveals why Prince Harry chose his mothers engagement ring

In late 1997  just before their first Christmas without their mother  Harry and William visited Princess Dianas apartment at Kensington Palace. In the 2017 Amazon documentary The Diana Story, her butler Paul Burrell explained why Harry wanted to keep his mothers engagement ring.

Burrell recalled that William actually chose first. He was 15 at the time, and he asked for the gold Cartier Tank watch. Princess Diana owned several timepieces. But, the 18-carat yellow gold Cartier Tank Francaise was her favorite.

Her father John, Earl Spencer, gave the watch to Diana as a gift for her 21st birthday. Today, it retails for $22,200.

Next 12-year-old Harry chose Dianas engagement ring. Burrell says that Harry told him the reason for his choice.

I remember when I held mummys hand when I was a small boy and that ring always hurt me because it was so big, Harry said.

Prince Harry used Princess Dianas diamonds to create Meghan Markles engagement ring

When Harry and Meghan announced their engagement in 2017, they sat down for an engagement interview with the BBC. This gave royal fans the opportunity to see Meghans engagement ring for the first time. And Harry explained in detail how he created the special piece of jewelry.

According to Express, Meghans engagement ring featured gems from Princess Dianas personal collection. Harry also added other elements that had a special meaning.

RELATED: Should Kate Middletons Engagement Ring Have Gone To Meghan Markle Instead?

The ring is obviously yellow gold because thats [Meghans] favourite and the main stone itself I sourced from Botswana. And the little diamonds either side are from my mothers jewelry collection, to make sure that shes with us on this crazy journey together, Harry said.

Harry sourced the main stone from Botswana because he took Meghan there when they first started dating. The couple has spoken fondly of the African country ever since.

Meghan Markle is wearing the Cartier watch because Harry and William swapped jewelry

When Prince William was ready to propose to Kate Middleton in 2010, Harry agreed to swap the jewelry pieces they had chosen after Princess Diana died. According to Yahoo! Life, Harry thought it would be appropriate for Kate to wear Dianas engagement ring.

Kate debuted Dianas ring when she and William announced their engagement. The 12-carat oval blue sapphire is on a white gold band and is surrounded by 14 solitaire diamonds. But it was not a bespoke piece. Instead, Diana picked it out herself from royal jeweler Garrard.

As for the Cartier watch, Meghan has worn it on several occasions. The most recent was at Fortunes Most Powerful Women Summit on September 29.

Clearly, even though it was not what he originally selected as a special keepsake, Dianas watch is something that holds great significance for Harry, a royal insider revealed. So to see Meghan wear his mothers watch must be very bittersweet.

Meghan also wore Princess Dianas famous aquamarine ring on her wedding day when she left St. Georges Chapel with Prince Harry.
Supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and the All Progressives Congress(APC) in Ondo State exchanged gun fire in Akure, the capital Sunday morning.

The shooting on Oba Adesida Road was reported to be an escalation of the clash on Saturday, during which an APC supporter was killed.

One person was reported killed today and many injured, according to Twitter posts by residents.

The Ondo PDP claimed two persons were killed and put the blame on NURTW members supporting Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.

Residents, have expressed concerns over the shooting.

When did Ondo state election become a war? I havent heard this level of violence in Ondo since 2003 general elections. What is going on?, wrote Love Ogundipe.

This #Akureshootings is becoming something else, last night all hell was let loose at Oba nla, this morning is ijomu. Since when do we vote with guns in Ondo state? This is a new level of unacceptable election violence, Ogundipe added.

Akure is the last place I expect violence from. Not a good sign atal. Two people reportedly shot dead in 48hrs, wrote Feyisayo..

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Wait for phones

"In metropolitan Sydney, 26,000 people are waiting for telephones. The Telephone Branch at the GPO has received more than 25,000 applications this year. Every day the correspondence section receives well over 100 letters on the same theme: 'Why can't I get the phone on?' The GPO say the main reasons for delays in installations were a shortage of underground cable and of automatic switches which were made only in America and England."

Cannibals to hang

"Three Japanese officers who roasted and ate the livers of American airmen they had executed were yesterday sentenced to hanging by a US military commission. The cannibalism took place on the island of Chichijima, south of Tokyo. The commander of the island, Vice-Admiral Kunzio Mori, was sentenced to life imprisonment for neglect of duty in not preventing it. Nine others involved were sentenced from five years imprisonment to life."

Local film a hit
Boris Johnson has warned that the coronavirus crisis will be bumpy through to Christmas and possibly beyond, but insisted: This is the only way to do it.

The prime minister said he recognised public fatigue with lockdown restrictions and accepted that people were furious over the limits on their social and economic lives.

And he warned: This could be a very tough winter for all of us, but there is a way through. If we follow this balanced approach, we can do it and do it together.

He urged the public to behave fearlessly but with common sense in following guidelines on social distancing and hygiene.

Speaking on the BBCs Andrew Marr Show, Mr Johnson admitted he was frustrated with shortcomings in the governments test and trace system.

But he said he was hopeful that the scientific equation would shift within the coming weeks and months, with the discovery of viable vaccines and treatments for coronavirus.

Asked if the pandemic could drag on for years to come, with areas of the country going repeatedly in and out of lockdown, he said: No, I dont think thats going to happen.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 20 January 2022 A jet skier jumps the waves off the coast at Blyth in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 19 January 2022 Britains Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, participate in a therapy session with individuals who have experienced the care system, during a visit to the Foundling Museum in London REUTERS UK news in pictures 18 January 2022 Surfers enter the sea as the sun rises over Tynemouth on the North East coast PA UK news in pictures 17 January 2022 Bonhams Danny McIlwraith holds a Nigerian polycrome carved wood mask during a photocall for the sale of the Jim Lennon Collection at Bonhams in Edinburgh PA UK news in pictures 16 January 2022 The moon rises above the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, Hampshire PA UK news in pictures 15 January 2022 Demonstrators outside Downing Street during a Kill The Bill protest against The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in London PA UK news in pictures 14 January 2022 Ecologist Emma Smart (left) and retired GP Dr Diana Warner outside HMP Bronzefield, in Surrey, following their release from the prison where Emma undertook a 26-day hunger strike during her incarceration. Ms Smart was sentenced in November, along with other members of Insulate Britain, to serve four months for breaking a High Court injunction by taking part in a blockade at junction 25 of the M25 motorway during the morning rush hour on 8 October last year PA UK news in pictures 13 January 2022 A TV presenter holds a copy of a newspaper outside 10 Downing Streetafter the Prime Minister apologised for attending a gathering of colleagues in the Number Ten garden in May 2020, while the UK was in strict lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic Getty UK news in pictures 12 January 2022 Fitness guru Derrick Evans after receiving an MBE during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 11 January 2022 A couple walk underneath an umbrella during wet weather on Westminster Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 10 January 2022 A jogger passes the Covid Memorial Wall in London AP UK news in pictures 9 January 2021 The sun rises over horses at Seaton Sluice in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 8 January 2022 Riders compete during the Veterans Men's race at the UK Cyclo-Cross National Championships 2022 in Ardingly, south of London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 7 January 2022 A dog looks out of a car window at the wintry conditions in Killeshin, Co. Laois PA UK news in pictures 6 January 2022 People walk through frost and mist alongside a frozen lake during sunrise in Bushy Park, London REUTERS UK news in pictures 5 January 2022 A skier jumps on the slopes at Allenheads in the Pennines to the north of Weardale in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 4 January 2022 Freshly-fallen snow covers houses in Corbridge, near Hexham in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 3 January 2022 Dean Morrison, 13, receives his Covid-19 vaccine from student nurse Anthony McLaughlin during a vaccination clinic at the Glasgow Central Mosque PA UK news in pictures 2 January 2022 Konastantinos Tsimikas of Liverpool with Chelseas Mason Mount during the Premier League match at Stamfrod Bridge Liverpool FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 January 2022 New Years Eve Lasers, drones and fireworks illuminate the sky in front of the Royal Naval College in Greenwich shortly after midnight in London EPA UK news in pictures 31 December 2021 Competitors in fancy dress run across the Pennine tops near Haworth, West Yorkshire, in the annual Auld Lang Syne Fell race which attracts hundreds of runners every year PA UK news in pictures 30 December 2021 Sunrise at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 29 December 2021 The Very Revd Dr Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, looks at Becket, a six month old red-billed chough as he visits Wildwood Wildlife Park in Kent on the anniversary of the murder of Thomas Becket PA UK news in pictures 28 December 2021 Troops of the Household Cavalry are seen reflected in a puddle during the changing of the Queens Life Guard, on Horse Guards Parade, in central London PA UK news in pictures 27 December 2021 A pedestrian walks past a winter sale sign outside a John Lewis store on Oxford street in London Getty UK news in pictures 26 December 2021 Riders take their bikes through the snow near Castleside, County Durham PA UK news in pictures 25 December 2021 Patrick Corkery wears a santa hat and beard as waves crash over him at Forty Foot near Dublin during a Christmas Day dip PA UK news in pictures 24 December 2021 People stand inside Kings Cross Station on Christmas Eve in London Reuters UK news in pictures 23 December 2021 Christmas shoppers fill the car park at Fosse Shopping Park in Leicester PA UK news in pictures 22 December 2021 The sun rises behind the stones as people gather for the winter solstice at Stonehenge. Getty UK news in pictures 21 December 2021 People take part in a winter solstice swim at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh to mark the solstice and to witness the dawn after the longest night of the year PA UK news in pictures 20 December 2021 An auction employee displays poultry to buyers and sellers attending the Christmas Poultry Sale at York Auction Centre in Murton PA UK news in pictures 19 December 2021 Joao Moutinho of Wolverhampton Wanderers looks on during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 December 2021 Freight lorries queuing at the port of Dover in Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 December 2021 Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, bursts 'Boris' bubble' held by colleague Tim Farron, as she celebrates following her victory in the North Shropshire by-election PA UK news in pictures 16 December 2021 Brussels sprouts are harvested by workers as they prepare for the busy Christmas period near Boston in Lincolnshire PA UK news in pictures 15 December 2021 Lewis Hamilton is made a Knight Bachelor by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 14 December 2021 The Royal Liver Buildings surrounded by early morning fog in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 13 December 2021 People queue outside a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination centre at St Thomas's Hospital in Westminster Getty Images UK news in pictures 12 December 2021 People take part in the Big Leeds Santa Dash in Roundhay Park, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 11 December 2021 People arrive at a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Elland Road in Leeds, PA UK news in pictures 10 December 2021 Stella Moris speaks to the media after the US Government won its High Court bid to overturn a judges decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange PA UK news in pictures 9 December 2021 Camels are lead around Salisbury Cathedral during a rehearsal for the Christmas Eve Service PA UK news in pictures 8 December 2021 Margaret Keenan and Nurse May Parsons, a year after Margaret was the first person in the UK to receive the Pfizer vaccine PA UK news in pictures 7 December 2021 Snowfall in Leadhills, South Lanarkshire as Storm Barra hits the UK with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow PA UK news in pictures 6 December 2021 A person tries to avoid sea spray on New Brighton promenade in Wallasey as the UK readies for the arrival of Storm Barra Getty UK news in pictures 5 December 2021 People release balloons during a tribute to six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes outside Emma Tustin's former address in Solihull, West Midlands, where he was murdered by his stepmother PA UK news in pictures 4 December 2021 People walk through a Christmas market in Trafalgar Square Reuters UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 2 December 2021 Duchess of Cambridge inspects a Faberge egg at the Victoria and Albert Museum Getty

Mr Johnson said it was too early to say whether local restrictions are working in areas such as Oldham, where infections have doubled despite the imposition of additional measures over the past six weeks.

The scientific advice was that it was necessary to wait and see whether his whack-a-mole strategy  which has seen one-third of the population put under local restrictions  was bringing down the R rate of transmission, he said.

I appreciate the fatigue that people are experiencing, but we have to work together, follow the guidance and get the virus down, whilst keeping the economy moving. Thats the balance we are trying to strike, said Mr Johnson.

They are furious with me and they are furious with the government, but Ive got to tell you in all candour, its going to continue to be bumpy through to Christmas, it may even be bumpy beyond, but this is the only way to do it.

He added: If you ask me: do I think things can be significantly different by Christmas? Yes, I do, and were working flat-out to achieve that.

But be in no doubt that it is still very possible that there are bumpy, bumpy months ahead.

This could be a very tough winter for all of us  weve got to face that fact.

The prime minister said he believed the Covid-19 situation will look radically different come the spring.

Boris Johnson said: If you talk to the scientists theyre all virtually unanimous that by the spring things will be radically different and well be in a different world because that is the normal cycle of a pandemic like this.

But I also think, if you look at where we are, so many things are better.

Mr Johnson said new treatments were now available, adding: We will find all sorts of ways, Im absolutely sure, particularly through mass testing programmes, of changing the way that we tackle this virus.

However, he conceded that the delivery of a vaccine could not be guaranteed this year, saying: I dont want to get peoples hopes up on the vaccine unnecessarily, because I think theres a good chance but its not certain.

Admitting his frustrations with the test and trace system, Mr Johnson said: Im not going to claim that the service is perfect, because it isnt.

He said both demand and capacity had massively increased since he made the promise to return test results within 24 hours.

Yes, its not perfect but it has made a huge difference to our ability to see where the virus is and where it is spreading, in which groups it is most prevalent and it is helping us a huge amount, he said.

It is not perfect, Im not going to claim its perfect. Am I frustrated with it? Yes, of course Im frustrated with it. Am I going to blame NHS Test and Trace of course Im not.

I take full responsibility for the service, by international comparators it is really very, very good indeed.

He repeated his promise to ramp up antigen testing to 500,000 a day by the end of the month.

Mr Johnson appeared to accept that chancellor Rishi Sunaks Eat Out to Help Out cut-price restaurant scheme in August may have helped fuel the resurgence of the Covid virus.

It was very important to keep those jobs going, he said. Now, insofar as that scheme may have helped to spread the virus, then obviously we need to counteract that and we need to counteract that with the discipline and the measures that were proposing.

I hope you understand the balance were trying to strike.

And he appeared to blame members of the public for the breakdown in social distancing seen in many city centres in England as pubs close simultaneously at 10pm under his curfew rule.

People just need to follow the guidance," he said.

Obviously it makes no sense if, having followed the guidance for all the time in the pub they then pour out into the street and hobnob in such a way as to spread the virus.

Mr Johnson said he took full responsibility for all the governments actions in response to the pandemic.

But Labour health spokesperson Alex Norris said: Boris Johnson had the chance to map out a serious strategy to improve public confidence in the governments handling of this crisis.

Instead he waffled and ducked every question. His serial incompetence is holding Britain back.

Daisy Cooper, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, said Mr Johnsons admission that the winter will be tough would leave people rightly worried about their loved ones.

Sadly, as has become all too common with this prime minister, there was a lot of bluster but little in the way of answers, she said.

It is now all the more important for the government to take responsibility for its failures and deliver a comprehensive strategy to test, trace and isolate every case of coronavirus to keep people safe and prevent new surges.

It is also past time the prime minister shared his concerns with the chancellor. To protect livelihoods in the months ahead, we need to see an extension of the furlough scheme, protection for excluded groups, and new investment to create jobs  especially in the green economy.

Mr Johnson said it was balderdash to suggest that he was still suffering from the effects of coronavirus.

No, I had a nasty bout, no question, he told Andrew Marr.

Pressed on whether he had long Covid, which causes debilitating symptoms such as fatigue and breathlessness for months after the virus has cleared the patients body, Mr Johnson said: No, no, not in my case.

This is total tittle-tattle, it is drivel. It is not tittle-tattle, it is balderdash and nonsense.

I can tell you Im fitter than several butchers dogs.
A small unfinished stretch on the Delhi Metros Pink Line was expected to be completed by September end this year but it got delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, sources said.

The Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar corridor or the Pink Line spans about 58 km with 38 stations. However, a small portion in east Delhis Trilokpuri area has proved a bottleneck for the DMRC authorities for a long time, due to which, the line is disjointed for some distance there.

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation authorities have been working on ironing out the land and other issues that has halted the connecting of the two sides on that stretch.

But for the pandemic, we would have opened the missing link by September end. Now, we hope to do it by March 2021, an official source told PTI.

Pink Line was opened in multiple phases in 2018 and all station on the line have been opened.

Work is in progress on this section in Trilokpuri which is still not connected on the corridor. The foundation work has been completed and pier casting work is going on. Preparations are in progress for pier cap casting as well. However, 17 houses have still not been evacuated and the matter is subjudice, another source said.

The total length of the stretch which remains to be linked is 289 metres, he said.

The first section to be opened on the Pink Line was the over 20 km-long Majlis Park-Durgabai Deshmukh South Campus segment in March 2018, which for the first time connected the north and south campuses of the Delhi University on the metro network.

This was followed by inauguration of the stretch from South Campus to Lajpat Nagar; and then of the Trilokpuri Sanjay Lake segment and eventually of the Lajpat Nagar-Mayur Vihar Pocket 1 part of the line.

The bottleneck near Trilokpuri station had arisen due to multiple issues, including land acquisition, resulting in a portion of metro segment -- then about a few kilometres remaining incomplete -- rendering the Trilokpuri Sanjay Lake station a terminus.

Thus, currently a very small stretch between the Trilokpuri Sanjay Lake and Mayur Vihar Pocket 1 stations is left to be joined. No station remain to be opened, so this linking should happen soon, the source said.

The stations on Trilokpuri Sanjay Lake-Shiv Vihar stretch are Trilokpuri Sanjay Lake, East Vinod Nagar-Mayur Vihar-II , Mandawali-West Vinod Nagar, IP Extension, Anand Vihar ISBT, Karkardooma, Karkardooma Court, Krishna Nagar, East Azad Nagar, Welcome, Jaffrabad, Maujpur-Babarpur, Gokulpuri, Johri Enclave and Shiv Vihar. The main highlight of this section of Pink Line is the presence of three interchange stations -- Anand Vihar (with Blue Line), Karkardooma (with Blue Line) and Welcome (with Red Line).
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Nearly half a million students returned for in-person learning as of this week, but as the largest school district in the country sent students of all grade levels back to the classrooms, an uptick in new cases in 11 zip codes in Brooklyn and Queens has the city on guard, and could trigger school closures if the coronavirus infection rate does not level.

Both the city and state have set out standards outlining thresholds that would trigger the closure of schools at the city and regional levels.

In July, the Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced schools across the state could reopen in Phase 4 if the daily infection stayed below 5% using a 14-day average.

Cuomo also stipulated that schools would have to close if the regional infection rate rose above 9% using a 7-day average after Aug. 1, a policy that holds true at the state-level today.

WHATS NEW YORK CITYS THRESHOLD FOR SCHOOL CLOSURES?

But Mayor Bill de Blasio decided to take a more conservative approach to New York Citys threshold that would trigger school closures.

More than two weeks after Cuomo laid out the statewide threshold of 9%, de Blasio said the city would close schools across the board if the citys coronavirus infection rate hit 3% or higher on a seven-day rolling average.

At the time, de Blasio said the city was sending a message that it was prioritizing the health and safety of New Yorkers by setting such a stringent threshold.

But as schools started to reopen for in-person learning at the end of September, the city started grappling with a rise in cases in zip codes in Brooklyn and Queens, driving up the overall infection rate on a seven-day rolling average, which had remained below 1% for most of the summer.

WHERE DO THINGS STAND NOW?

On Tuesday, the citys overall rate of New Yorkers who tested positive for the virus hit 3.25% for the first time in months, which in turn, increased the seven-day rolling average to 1.38% (but still below the 3% seven-day rolling average threshold).

Since that time, the seven-day rolling average has continued on an upward trend, which the mayor has blamed on an uptick in cases in 11 zip codes in Brooklyn and Queens.

On Wednesday, the citys seven-day rolling average rose to 1.46%; on Thursday, it hit 1.52%; and on Friday the citys seven-day rolling average was 1.53%.

Despite the rise, de Blasio has continuously said the uptick in new cases has only been limited to those 11 zip codes and would focus on stepping up enforcement and getting people tested in those neighborhoods to drive that number down.

Yesterdays seven-day rolling average I just referred to, 1.52% citywide, today is 1.53% citywide, we will know a lot more in the next few days, but what I think we see is, were hovering around a level right now thats literally half, only 50% along the way, to the standard that would cause us a larger concern citywide, de Blasio said Friday on WNYCs Brian Lehrer Show.

Thats because of what I told you, he continued. If you look at the vast majority of the city right now, most neighborhoods are at 1% or less, so what we need to do is really focus on these 11 zip codes with everything weve got. I dont think there is a scenario anytime soon, based on what were seeing, just pure numbers, where were talking about a need for a larger [school] shutdown.

De Blasio said Friday the average infection rate of the 11 zip codes was 6.43%, while the average infection rate of the citys other 135 zip codes was 1.08%.

On Monday, Cuomo warned that the state could act on the takeover of local school districts if the circumstances justified it, and would keep a close eye on the data.

I think New York City suggested 3%, but again, the state law governs here, Cuomo warned.

But if you saw [3%, 4% or 5%] and troubling circumstances, then you could certainly act, he said. You could also act below that, if you saw what were seeing now, like this Brooklyn cluster. We have to get to the bottom of that, but the data is key and well act on the data.

The Department of Education said that if the citys seven-day rolling average hit 3%, its schools are set up to operate fully remote already and would implement that plan right away.

FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER.
A day after meeting the family of the 19-year-old gang-rape victim in Hathras, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday slammed the Uttar Pradesh government as she demanded the district magistrate to be suspended for the way he treated the womans family.

According to the victim family of Hathras, the worst treatment was that of DM. Who is protecting them? He should be dismissed without delay and his role should be investigated in the entire matter, the partys general secretary said on Twitter.

The family is demanding a judicial inquiry then why the SIT (Special investigation team) investigation is going even after creating noise over CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) investigation, she said in another tweet. If the UP government has even slightly woken up from its slumber, it should listen to the point of view of the family, Priyanka Gandhi said.

Along with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi had visited the home of the woman in Hathras on Saturday. After the meeting, Priyanka posted five demands for the family including, the removal of the district magistrate and the judicial probe into the matter.

Saturday was their second attempt to meet the womans family and relative. On Thursday, they were stopped midway by the state police citing Section 144. The police briefly detained Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi.

The Dalit woman succumbed to her injuries in Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi on Tuesday after she was gang-raped by four upper-caste men in Hathras. The state police and the government have been questioned over their decision to cremate the womans body in the dead of the night without the presence of her family members.
Senator Ron Johnson, the Wisconsin Republican who tested positive for the coronavirus this week and whose state has experienced a recent record surge in virus cases, said on Saturday that he continues to oppose mask-wearing mandates.

He did say today that he continues to oppose mask mandates, Ben Voelkel, a spokesman for Mr. Johnson, said, confirming a report in The Capital Times, a Wisconsin newspaper, which quoted Mr. Johnson as saying that he preferred individual responsibility.

Mr. Johnson told the paper that while masks can help lower the risk of infection, theyre certainly not a cure-all.

Public health experts have said masks are critical to slowing the spread of the virus, a message that Wisconsins governor, Tony Evers, a Democrat, reinforced while wearing a mask in a video message on Saturday.
At Saturday nights South Carolina Senate race debate, there was more to social distancing than two podiums set thirteen feet apart.

Jaime Harrison, the Democratic Party challenger to Senator Lindsey Graham, was shielded by a large plexiglass screen, and prior to the debate, his campaign manager tweeted that the incumbent senator should be quarantining.

As chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, this week Mr Graham had prolonged exposure to Senator Mike Lee, who has since tested positive for Covid-19  per CDC guidelines he should be in quarantine.

Fittingly, the first question of the night concerned the coronavirus pandemic, the number of newly infected public officials in the past day, and whether politics had hampered the response to the virus.

Senator Graham answered first, defending the handling of the pandemic, saying that the virus is a problem that came out of China not Trump Tower.

He then pivoted his answer, vowing that through his position on the judiciary committee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett would be confirmed to the Supreme Court.

Mr Harrison said that he was not going to blame president Donald Trump or anyone for the inception of the disease, but he would put blame on whether it was taken seriously.

Tonight I am taking this seriously. Thats why I put this plexiglass up. Because its not just about me, its about the people in my life that I have to take care of as well: my two boys, my wife, my grandmother, he said.

Mr Harrison lost his aunt to coronavirus in the summer.

The debate comes on the second day of the president being hospitalised with the coronavirus at Walter Reed Medical Centre.

South Carolina has more than 151,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and has officially recorded 3,442 deaths from the virus.

There have been 7.4 million cases nationwide and more than 209,000 deaths.
(Natural News) The world must recalibrate and reassess its basic systems if it is to survive the aftershocks of the coronavirus pandemic, stated Klaus Schwab, the founder and the executive chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The COVID-19 crisis has shown us that our old systems are not fit anymore for the 21st Century. It has laid bare, a fundamental lack of social cohesion, fairness, inclusion, and equality. Now is a historical moment, the time, not only to fight a virus but to shape a system for the post-corona era, Schwab said during a virtual meeting attended by some of the planets most powerful business leaders, government officials, activists and other globalists in early June.

During the meeting, Schwab said that this fundamental lack entails the revamping of all aspects in modern society, including our thinking and behavior, as well as the creation of a new social contract that is centered on social justice.

This social contract, Schwab said, will include policies such as wealth taxes and additional regulations on corporations as well as the imposition of environmentally-focused government programs similar to the Green New Deal legislation package pushed by the likes of left-leaning United States senator Bernie Sanders and New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

This revamp, according to the WEF, will be called the Great Reset.

Schwab says Great Reset should happen soon

This Great Reset, the WEF said, is a commitment to jointly and urgently build the foundations of economic and social systems to pave the way for a more fair, sustainable and resilient future. (Related: Al Gore, UN Secretary-General, others now demanding great reset of global capitalism.)

According to Schwab, global leaders must restore a functioning system if it is to address the challenges of the next 50 years, adding that for this Great Reset to work, every country, from the United States to China, must participate, and that every industry, from oil and gas to tech, must be similarly transformed.

The Great Reset, Schwab said, has to happen soon, as the window for its implementation is short.

We only have one planet and we know that climate change could be the next global disaster with even more dramatic consequences for humankind. We have to decarbonize the economy in the short window still remaining and bring our thinking and behavior once more into harmony with nature, Schwab said.

Sharan Burrow, the general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), has expressed support for the measure, noting that there is an urgent need to design policies that align with the principle of investing in people and the environment if we are to rebalance our economies after COVID-19  economies, that, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), are heading towards the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Antonio Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, has also spoken favorably for the Great Reset.

Guterres, a member of the Portuguese Socialist Party and the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002, noted in a statement that the Great Reset will enable the creation of more progressive societies in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We must build more equal, inclusive and sustainable economies and societies that are more resilient in the face of pandemics, climate change and the many other global changes we face, Guterres said.

Not all are in favor of this Reset

According to Jack Houghton, the current Digital Editor for the news platform SkyNews, the WEFs Great Reset which Schwab and his colleagues say will revamp capitalism, will be nothing more than a return of the deadliest social experiments of the 20th century, and that it eventually put more people under more suffering should it ever come to pass.

Capitalism indeed creates inequality, but it is also the only system known to man which also creates equality. This is because wealth creation is not a zero-sum game. There is not a finite amount of money or wealth. Money can be created, jobs can be created and people can be pulled out of tragedy and despair by capitalism itself, Houghton said in a column.

Meanwhile, Justin Haskins, the editorial director of the conservative think tank the Heartland Institute, says that the WEF, by dramatically pushing humanity toward greater government control, will only exacerbate the current problems experienced by the people today.

The Great Reset is a proposal to completely alter the entire global economy, moving it more toward collectivism and away from capitalism, Haskins said, calling it the most significant threat to capitalism and individual liberty in more than a half-century.

Conservative commentator Alex Newman, in an episode of Behind The Deep State, said that instead of revamping the economy, this Reset will only serve to crush it, noting that it will do away with the concepts of a free market and will enforce undue restrictions on entrepreneurs and capitalists.

According to Newman, instead of simply allowing businesses to produce items needed by consumers, the WEF will soon make business owners jump through hoops all under the guise of social justice.

Businesses have to jump through the environmental hoops the government wants them to go through, the social hoops  you have to give lots of money to Black Lives Matter and other assorted social justice Marxist organizations  and of course, good governance, Newman said, adding that this could lead to the undoing of the global economy.

For more on how the global cabal is planning to destroy capitalism and the free market, follow Globalism.news.

WATCH:

Sources include:

CNBC.com

WEForum.org 1

WEForum.org 2

Blogs.IMF.org

Barrons.com

SkyNews.com.au

Heartland.org
Press Release

October 4, 2020 IMEE: WE NEED AN ORDINARY MOM ON BOARD IATF Senator Imee Marcos has urged the government to seriously consider appointing a mother who is an ordinary homemaker to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) or set up a special committee led by her to assess the Covid-19 pandemic's impact on women. "These new modes of blended education are a challenge to both the school system and families. Mothers are struggling at the center of it all. The pandemic is impacting women in myriad and cruel ways," Marcos said. "We need simple, commonsensical ways for mothers to cope. A lending program for tablets, or one that supports purchases by installment, would be in place if a mom was sitting in the IATF," Marcos asserted. "A working mother would already have set up community-based tutoring pools that handle small groups of kids, or opened streets and auditoriums, and more handwashing facilities for family use. Instead, we are arresting people for quarantine violations. Where are they to isolate in our crowded, depressed areas?" Marcos asked. The pandemic has amplified the hidden discrimination against women and the lack of policies that benefit them, Marcos pointed out. "The toll on healthworkers, 70% of whom are female, has been immeasurable, " Marcos said, adding that women even take on the role of "default caregivers who are usually uncompensated" when a family member becomes disabled or seriously ill. Longer, not shorter, market hours and more rolling stores would give women, especially single moms, the breathing space to juggle work, household chores, and childcare, Marcos added. Although the economic potential of women in micro-businesses and MSEs has been recognized worldwide, Marcos said it remains suppressed by limited access to loan programs, since most property titles required as collateral are often in a husband's name. A mother in the IATF would be more critical of official reports concerning her fellow women, Marcos also said, citing Philippine National Police findings that violence against women and children has gone down. "Domestic violence is likely unreported," Marcos explained, adding that the Philippines has yet to shake off its reputation in the United Nations as the global epicenter of child pornography online. "Women are outnumbered in the IATF. Poor Secretary Briones is overwhelmed by the demands of new learning modes, Secretary Berna is struggling with her tourism sector. We need a commonsensical but compassionate homemaker in policy making," Marcos concluded.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

New Mexico reported its lowest number of COVID-19 cases in five days amid a recent surge.

Two more deaths were also reported Sunday, bringing the state total to 892.

The Governors Office said in a news release Sunday that 189 new cases of COVID-19 were detected in New Mexico. The state had reported at least 227 cases over each of the previous four days.

The deaths include a man in his 50s from Dona Ana County who was hospitalized and had underlying health conditions and a man in his 70s from San Juan County who had underlying health conditions, according to the state Department of Health.

Bernalillo County led the state, with 47 cases. Dona Ana County reported 46 new cases, Chaves County reported 22 cases, Santa Fe County reported 21 cases and Lea County reported 12 more cases.

There was also a positive test for a state inmate at the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Valencia County, bringing the total number of cases in the prison to 35.

McKinley County, which has been rocked by the disease, with a total of 4,355 cases, did not report any new cases on Sunday.

The state now has a total of 30,477 COVID-19 cases, with 17,270 designated by the Department of Health as having recovered.

Hospitalizations are still relatively high, at 91.
"The burden of disenfranchisement falls on poor folks and people of color. All of that skews our democracy," said Blair Bowie, who leads the Restore Your Vote project at the Campaign Legal Center, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit. "You're cutting out voices that are important. That makes it harder for our government to reflect the will of the people."

Voting rights advocates consider Reynolds' order in Iowa a victory but say the goal is to make the voting rights part of the state's constitution. Advocates also want to expand voting rights in every state to include people on probation and parole, people who haven't paid court costs and people in prison.

But ongoing legal disputes show how complicated the issue is.

Veronica Fowler, communications director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, feels the pressure. She's glad for the governor's executive order but cognizant of the ticking clock leading up to Election Day.

"It's a heavy lift. There isn't a lot of time," Fowler said of getting people registered to vote.

"This population is especially challenging to reach out to and motivate," she said. "If you have been recently incarcerated, you have a lot going on in your life."
Hathras Politics: Chandrashekhar Azad, the chief of Bhim Army on Sunday marched for about 20kms to meet Hathras victim's family who died last week after allegedly being raped by 4 men. Chandrashekhar's car was stopped by UP cops about 20kms before Hathras.

Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad met the family of Hathras victims family today. He was stopped by Uttar Pradesh authorities while he was trying to reach Hathras with his supporters. After being stopped from heading towards Hathras, Chandrashekhar started a foot march with his supporters to meet the family. He was seen addressing a massive crowd while standing on a truck today.

Uttar Pradesh cops had stopped Chandrashekhars car about 20 km before Hathras. He then marched for about 20 km to reach the victims village. His supporters who marched along with him were seen raising slogans against the UP government.

Earlier on Friday, Chandrashekhar also took part in a protest that was held at Delhis Jantar Mantar demanding justice for the Hathras victim. His todays visit to Hathras comes a day after Congress leaders Priyanka Vadra and Rahul Gandhi visited Hathras and met the victims family. He said at Jantar Mantar that their struggle would continue till Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister doesnt resign and justice is not served. He said that that he urged the Supreme Court to take note of the incident.

Also read: Kheti Bachao Yatra: Wont let them destroy farmers, says Rahul Gandhi

Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad meets family of the alleged gangrape victim in #Hathras. He says,"I demand 'Y security' for the family or I'll take them to my house, they aren't safe here. We want an inquiry to be done under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge" pic.twitter.com/AHhBF1no5c  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 4, 2020

Also read: India and China to hold Corps Commander-level talks on October 12

In a significant development, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday was seen backing a CBI probe into the case. He took it to twitter and wrote that the UP government is recommending a CBI probe into the matter.

A 19-year-old girl from Hathras died after she was allegedly gang-raped by four men. The incident has led to nationwide protests against Yogi Adityanath led Uttar Pradesh government.

Also read: Rahul, Priyanka meet Hathras victims family, Rahul assures support to family
All schoolsboth government and privatein the national capital will remain closed for students till October 31, Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said on Sunday.

The announcement puts an end to speculation around the partial reopening of schools in Delhi in the wake of fresh guidelines by the centre that have further eased Covid-19 curbs.

Also, the previous order of the city administration, issued on September 18, on closure of schools was valid till October 5 (Monday).

The decision to keep schools shut in Delhi will be extended. I have issued directions for closure of all schools in Delhi till October 31. An order on this will be issued soon, Sisodia told HT.

Also Read: School reopening: If students prefer online classes, allow them to do so, says Centre

The move comes after an assessment of the Covid-19 situation in the capital. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the city reported 3,037, 2,920 and 2,258 cases, respectively. overall, Delhi has reported 287,930 cases and 5,472 fatalities.

All schools in Delhi will remain closed till October 31 due to corona. Chief Minister @ArvindKejriwal has said that as a parent, he understands the seriousness of the situation. At this time it will not be appropriate to take any risk regarding the health of children, Sisodia tweeted in Hindi on Sunday afternoon.

        31    .  @ArvindKejriwal                .              .  Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) October 4, 2020

The decision on schools came even as the central government on September 30 issued new guidelines allowing more relaxations of Covid-19 restrictions as part of its plan to resume businesses and activities in the country struck by the pandemic.

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Russia's support of Alyaksandr Lukashenka may come at a price that could alter the balance of power in Europe as the Kremlin flexes its military might on the eastern fringes of NATO and exacts concessions from the embattled Belarusian strongman.



Lukashenka, in power since 1994, finds himself facing international isolation since declaring himself the winner of a disputed August 9 election and brutally cracking down on protests and rounding up opposition leaders. The EU and United States announced they would not recognize him as the legitimate president after Lukashenka held a secret inauguration on September 23.



Putin, however, has extended a hand to Lukashenka -- who in the past used the EU and Washington to counter Russia's dominant position -- including offering possible military assistance to put down what both leaders agree, without providing a shred of proof, is a foreign-inspired uprising.



Russia, which has long sought permanent military bases in Belarus, has increased its military activity in and around Belarus in what is its last friend on its border with Europe after an anti-Russian government emerged in Kyiv in 2014.



A stronger Russian military presence in Belarus would alter the geopolitical chessboard in Europe, argued Keir Giles, author of the book Moscow Rules and a consulting fellow at London's Chatham House.



"The presence of Russian forces in Belarus -- along with the air and missile forces they could be expected to bring with them -- would substantially alter the security situation for a wide area of Central Europe," Giles told RFE/RL.



"Popular scenarios for Russian military adventures such as a move on the Suwalki gap -- the strip of Polish-Lithuanian border separating the exclave of Kaliningrad from the rest of Russia -- would no longer be several geopolitical steps away."



Russian Seeking Bases



Russia and Belarus are already linked closely militarily. They have an integrated air- and missile-defense system, plus a regional group of forces comprised of four Belarusian brigades and special forces and the Russian 20th Guards Army. Moreover, Belarus is a member of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).



During the current crisis, Lukashenka has claimed that Putin has assured him the CSTO would provide aid amid unfounded claims that NATO had massed troops on Belarus's western border.

On the ground in Belarus, Russia leases two military sites: a strategic ballistic missile defense site operated by Russian Aerospace Forces in Hantsavichy and the global communications facility for the Russian navy in Vileyka.



But for the Kremlin a permanent base has long been the goal, explained Nigel Gould-Davies, a former British ambassador to Belarus and a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.



"Moscow has been seeking an air base since at least 2013. It has already had two smaller facilities: a radar and a naval communications transmitter. But a base would be a significant development, given that Belarus borders three NATO members," Gould-Davies told RFE/RL in written comments.



In 2015, Putin pushed the deal for the base for Russian Su-27 fighter jets, only to have Lukashenka balk in what Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later described in September 2019 as an "unpleasant episode."

Lukashenka's refusal came a year after Russia illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and began supporting separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Refusing to toe the line on either move, Lukashenka began to ponder his own country's territorial integrity and began to warm to the West again, a frequent strategy of his when relations with Russia sour.



With an anti-Kremlin government now in power in Kyiv, Belarus "acquired a new significance for Russian strategy," Nicholas Myers, a military analyst, recently wrote, especially along the Suwalki Gap, linking to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, also a key Russian military site.

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.

His hold on power tenable, Lukashenka may be amenable to an air base, plus extending the leases on the other two facilities, which are due to expire in June 2021.

"Today, as Lukashenka's negotiating power has almost vanished, Russia has all the cards in its hands to achieve this strategic objective," explained Laurynas Jonavicius, a researcher and assistant professor at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science at Vilnius University.



However, Moscow may not rush to push its advantage, fearing that siding too closely with an unpopular ruler whose days may be numbered makes little sense and could spark a public backlash.



"Since Lukashenka's bet right now is on Russia's support to stay in power, any radical move to that on Russia's side may provoke a very negative reaction of the angry society. Moscow does not want to alienate [the] Belarusian people -- like it did with the Ukrainians," Jonavicius told RFE/RL.



Many observers see parallels between Lukashenka and former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who was pushed from power after the Maidan protests in late 2013 and early 2014.



A month after his ouster in February 2014, Russia annexed Crimea and a month later began supporting separatists in eastern Ukraine.



"Just as with Ukraine, Russia was considered likely to intervene if it seemed to Moscow there was a danger of 'losing' Belarus to the West. In the past six years, there have been endless discussions of what might prompt another Russian military intervention in Europe after Ukraine. In many of these scenarios, it is precisely the situation currently unfolding in Belarus that has been top of the list, with all the wide-ranging implications for security of the continent as a whole that would follow," explained Giles.

"There are many differences between Belarus and Ukraine; but also, when considering the possibility of Russian intervention, key similarities. Instability, and the danger of losing an effective veto on Belarus aligning itself with Western alliances, would cause just as deep concern in the Kremlin today as it did with Ukraine in 2014," Giles said.



Giles and other analysts doubt there will be any Russian invasion of Belarus, seeing the moves as part of an effort to bolster Russia's military presence.



"It is likely that Russia will try to exploit the crisis in Belarus to increase its military presence there. Such presence can take a form of much more frequent exercises and rotational presence of troops," explained Wojciech Lorenz, a security analyst at the Warsaw-based Polish Institute of International Affairs.



Russian troops have been rotating in and out of Belarus recently under the cover of military drills.



In September, Russian forces deployed to Brest, Belarus, just 5 kilometers from the border with Poland, as part of annual exercises.



Some 1,000 Russian airborne assault forces mounted mock air assaults and strategic bombing missions involving six Russian Tu-22 long-range bombers.

The Slavic Brotherhood drills from September 15 to 25 were a message from Russia to NATO, Giles said.



"Over and above the creeping normalization of Russian military activity in Belarus, which may morph into a semipermanent presence, the clear message Russia is sending to NATO is that it can completely change the strategic position by delivering and inserting forces to those border regions with Belarus in a matter of hours," Giles explained.



The Russian Defense Ministry said the exercises were a "response to NATO actions" along the border -- not of Belarus, but of the union state of Russia and Belarus.

On October 25, 2019 Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the security situation on Russia's western flank "remains tense," asserting "NATO continues to increase its combat potential and military activity in Europe. It is strengthening its military presence, deploying additional military contingents and offensive weapons."

More drills -- Unbreakable Brotherhood-2020 -- are planned for Belarus between October 12-16 under the CSTO umbrella, with troops from Armenia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, as well as Belarus and Russia due to participate.

Belarus was announced as the site for these by the Russian Defense Ministry on September 15, one day after Putin and Lukashenka met in Sochi, during which the Russian leader handed Lukashenka a $1.5 billion state loan to keep his regime afloat. During those talks, Putin and Lukashenka agreed to extend the Slavic Brotherhood drills to September 25 and to hold "almost monthly" joint military exercises in the two countries in 2021.

Amid the drills in Belarus, Russia's Western Military District (WMD) conducted an "abnormally high number of exercises in late September," according to the Washington-based think tank The Institute for the Study of War (ISW).



"Belarusian and Russian WMD exercises share common emphases on command and control and interoperability -- elements necessary for a sustained Russian deployment to Belarus," ISW analyst George Barros explained to RFE/RL.



As Russian and Belarusian troops drilled in September, U.S.-led multinational air defense drills were held in Lithuania, Poland, and Germany between September 12-27.



The U.S. Army said the exercise -- Tobruq Legacy 2020 -- "is a long-planned defensive oriented exercise not tied to any current events in the region."

NATO maintained the alliance is "strictly defense" and ready to defend NATO allies.



"All NATO allies support a sovereign and independent Belarus and we expect all other countries to do the same. The alliance remains vigilant, strictly defensive, and ready to deter any aggression against NATO allies. NATO's presence in the eastern part of the alliance is designed to prevent aggression and preserve peace," a NATO official told RFE/RL in written remarks.



Amid regional fears sparked by Russian aggression against Ukraine, the United States has some 4,500 troops in Poland. In June 2019, the two countries agreed to allow 1,000 more rotating U.S. troops.

The possibility of more Russian forces in Belarus will only add to security concerns for NATO, argued Gustav Gressel, a senior policy fellow at the European Council of Foreign Relations.



"The additional Russian forces in Belarus will further increase enemy forces at the border with NATO. Being able to use Belarusian territory, NATO will also be even more exposed geographically," Gressel said.



"Defending the Baltics was a race against the clock, and now [with possibly more troops] Moscow chips away two to three days from that equation."
Muzaffarpur boiler explosion: PM Modi announces ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for kin of deceased

Makes me feel better: 84-year-old Bihar man claims to have taken 11 Covid vaccine shots

FIR against 84-year-old Bihar man who took 11 doses of COVID -19 vaccine

PM Modi, Amit Shah attend BJP CEC meet to finalise candidates for Bihar polls

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Oct 04: The BJP central election committee met here on Sunday to deliberate over the Bihar assembly polls and finalise the party''s candidates, as the ruling National Democratic Alliance suffered a setback with Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan''s Lok Janshakti Party deciding to walk out of the NDA in the state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president J P Nadda and other top party leaders attended the meeting.

Earlier in the day, BJP leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah and Nadda, held long deliberations over the unfolding political situation in the state where the saffron party has declared JD(U) president and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as the leader of the alliance for the three-phase polls.

While lauding the BJP, the LJP said it will not contest the elections under Kumar''s leadership.

Mukesh Sahni-led VIP to contest all 243 seats in Bihar polls

The Bihar assembly polls will be held in three phases on October 28, November 3 and November 7, and the counting of votes will take place on November 10.

The nomination process for the first phase, under which 71 of the total 243 seats will go to polls, began from October 1 and will end on October 8.
Family members of the 19-year-old Dalit woman who died in a New Delhi hospital on September 29 after she was allegedly gang-raped in Uttar Pradeshs Hathras and left partially paralysed said they were against a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe ordered by the Yogi Adityanath government and instead sought a Supreme Court-monitored inquiry.

We do not require a CBI probe... we want an investigation to be held under a retired Supreme Court judge, said the brother of the woman.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the state government, meanwhile, continued its probe and recorded statements by family members of the woman, who was allegedly raped and left partially paralysed by four dominant-caste members on September 14 when she had gone to the fields to collect cattle fodder.

We are open to anyone who wants to present himself before SIT and get his or her statement (recorded), said senior Indian Police Service officer Bhagwan Swaroop, who heads the three-member team.

Scores of people held a meeting Sunday outside the house of a former BJP MLA in Hathras where they defended the accused in the alleged gangrape of a Dalit woman who later died, and demanded registration of an FIR against her family members.

Heavy police force was deployed in the vicinity of the residence of former BJP MLA Rajvir Singh Pehalvan, located around 8-9 kilometres from the victims village.

One of the organisers of the meeting and Pehalvans son Manveer Singh denied that the gathering comprised members from the upper castes and said they were from different sections of society.

We welcome the CBI inquiry ordered by the Uttar Pradesh chief minister. We have faith in the investigation, Singh said, and claimed that the victims family members were changing their stand.

The entire scenario has been created to blame the government. The accused persons are in favour of any type of inquiry. But the victims are changing their stand every now and then. They do not want a narco test or a CBI probe. Now they want other kinds of inquiries, he claimed.

On September 22, the victim of the gang rape who died in New Delhis Safdarjung Hospital where she had been shifted after her condition failed to improve in an Aligarh hospital where she was initially treated recorded had her statement, claiming she had been raped and naming the four accused. Her mothers statement echoed the claim.

On Sunday, Dalit leader and Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad visited the family of the Hathras woman and demanded that a high-level security cover be provided to her relatives

I demand Y security for the family or Ill take them to my house, they arent safe here. We want an inquiry to be done under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge, he said.

Azads demand came a day after Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi visited the victims family and said the state government should take responsibility for the familys safety.

If Y Plus category security cover can be provided to actor Kangana Ranaut, then why can it not be provided to the family of the victim, Azad said, adding that if his demand was not met, he will organise a gherao of the state assembly.

Amid criticism of the government and the polices handling of the case, CM Adityanath on Sunday asked officials to handle cases related to women, girls, Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) with sensitivity.

The CM said this to police and administrative officers during a coronavirus disease (Covid-19) review meeting. The most complicated of problems could be solved through dialogue, he said.

Attempts must be made to sort out various problems through dialogue with the affected people. The police should act promptly and deal with sensitivity in cases related to women, girls, SCs and STs, he said.

On Saturday, Adityanath had said his government was committed to ensuring justice to each and every victim. He said that efficient and sensitive policing was needed to strengthen the foundation of good governance, curb crime and maintain law and order in the countrys most populous state.

The CM had also sent senior officials including additional chief secretary (home) Awanish Awasthi and director general of police HC Awasthy to the village on Saturday to meet the womans family. Awasthi said any group with no more than five people was allowed to meet the victims family, a remark that came after journalists and politicians were previously turned away from the village.

Other accusations of missteps include allegations that the womans body was cremated by the police in the early hours of Wednesday without the familys consent, triggering demonstrations across the country.

Chaotic scenes were witnessed on Sunday in Boolgarhi village of Hathras district when a Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD)delegation was about to enter the village and a Samajwadi Party (SP) team was leaving. Five SP leaders had gone inside the village. Anxious SP workers soon went out of control and jumped the barricades when RLD vice president Jayant Chaudhary and his supporters arrived at the spot

When some unidentified people started throwing stones, the police charged the crowd with batons while Chaudhary was interacting with a reporter. RLD workers rushed to rescue Chaudhary. The RLD leader downplayed the incident, but criticised the police for the lathi-charge on his delegation.

This lathi-charge on Jayant Chaudhary reflects the jungle raj in Uttar Pradesh. He had gone to condole the death of the Hathras girl and was targeted in a planned manner, said Kaptan Singh Chahar, a former spokesperson of RLD.

Some RLD workers, including Pradeep Chaudhary, sustained major injuries, Chahar said.

Sub-district magistrate Prem Meena denied a planned lathi-charge, and said that the police had resorted to a baton-charge to bring the situation under control after SP and RLD workers threw stones at the police.
The death of a man from north Belfast in Turkey has been described as "tragic" by MP John Finucane.

Three men from Belfast were involved in the "incident" abroad.

The other two men are in hospital.

The Sinn Fein MP said: "The community of North Belfast will rally around the families of those affected and do all that we can to provide support to them at this time of great difficulty.

"All three families are travelling out [to Turkey], as I understand it," he told the BBC.

"There are two families that are just travelling out hoping that their loved one will pull through from intensive care.

"The Department of Foreign Affairs has made contact with all three families and will be assisting them throughout the process."

SDLP councillor and Deputy Mayor of Belfast Paul McCusker said it was "worrying and devastating" news.

"At this stage we know one male has died and two others are critical.

"As a North Belfast community all our thoughts and prayers are with you all, including the families," he said.
Kenzo Takada, the designer whose exuberant prints helped bring Japanese fashion to the world, died on Sunday at a hospital in Paris. He was 81.

The cause was complications of the novel coronavirus, a spokeswoman for the designer said, adding that he had been sick for a few weeks.

Known for his beaming smile and mischievous sense of fun  one of his more famous sayings was fashion is like eating, you shouldnt stick with the same menu  Mr. Takada, who was generally referred to only as Kenzo, shook up the established French fashion world after arriving from Japan in 1964.

Fashion is not for the few  it is for all the people, he told The New York Times in 1972. It should not be too serious.
Twice in the past week, Stanley Johnson, father of the Prime Minister, has been photographed not wearing a mask in places where the law says we are supposed to. He is seen reading a book in an airport with his mask pulled down

Twice in the past week, Stanley Johnson, father of the Prime Minister, has been photographed not wearing a mask in places where the law says we are supposed to.

Although 80, he is certainly not senile. Like many other people, he may not like wearing masks, but he must be aware of the law enacted by his son's administration.

So why doesn't he obey it? For the same reason that, at the beginning of July, he ignored government advice that only 'essential' travel should be undertaken, and flew to his villa in Greece. He went via Bulgaria because there were no direct flights.

Stanley Johnson, whom I know slightly, is a charming and clever man. And also sometimes a careless and selfish one. He can't be bothered to moderate or change his behaviour in order to avoid embarrassing his son, who is trying to run the country in difficult circumstances.

It was ever thus. In a new biography of Boris Johnson by Tom Bower, serialised in yesterday's Mail on Sunday, there is a disquieting portrait of Stanley as an often absent, occasionally ill-tempered father who, according to his ex-wife (and Boris's mother) Charlotte, conducted successive affairs before their divorce.

Remind you of anyone? Stanley was dashing, talented, and intermittently strapped for money. He was (and is) a life force. Bower paints a picture of a chaotic Johnson household in which rubbish was strewn over the floor, and children largely expected to fend for themselves.

I don't say Boris imitated his father in every respect. According to Bower, drawing on damaging testimony from Charlotte, Stanley once hit her and broke her nose during a marital fracas. She was hospitalised. Friends say there was no violence on any other occasion.

There's no evidence that Boris has a violent streak. But father and son resemble each other more obviously than is usually the case  not only in their jovial manner and appearance, but also in their cavalier attitude towards marital fidelity, and a sense of not being too bothered with boring detail.

Unhappy families: Boris is on the far left, his parents on the right

And yet there are qualities of kindness and sensitivity in Boris (whom I know better than Stanley) which I suspect may come from his mother, an accomplished painter who, sadly, has suffered from Parkinson's disease for many years.

In the end, though, Boris has followed his father's dangerous example of living life at full pelt as a Lord of Misrule. He has done as he pleases, quickly divorcing his first wife, acquiring another who bore him four children, and recently divorcing her. Now he has Carrie Symonds, and a young son.

And throughout it all, like his father, he has conducted numerous affairs, and lived life at a frantic pace. Bower suggests that the inner Boris is a lonely man, traumatised by his parents' tumultuous relationship and their divorce, as well as by his mother's eight-month incarceration in a mental hospital.

Yet that childhood sadness has not prevented him from letting history repeat itself. Another bereft wife, another set of four children deeply hurt by a father who turned his back on them.

Bower says Boris gets on better with women than men. His father is the great exception  perhaps the only man to whom he has ever been very close, and then by aping him rather than by being cared for by him. He is always searching for new women to love him.

Successful politicians often have problematic childhoods. Sometimes, like any unhappy children, they react against their parents. Boris's brother Jo  whom he recently presumptuously ennobled  is buttoned up, reserved and methodical. The very opposite of Stanley  and of Boris.

Boris's lodestar has been Stanley. His optimism, as well as his infectious charm and high intelligence, have propelled him to the highest office, so that he has surpassed the man whom he emulated.

But gifted though Boris is, and attractive to many ex-Labour voters who habitually dislike the Tories, like his father he lacks those qualities of diligence and application which the crisis of Covid-19 has demanded of him.

He was almost the last man in the world for this unprecedented challenge. Unsurprisingly, it took him weeks to wake up to the seriousness of the pandemic. He missed five important Cobra meetings when preparations were being discussed.

There are echoes here of Stanley's carelessness over masks and his fierce determination to pursue his own interests.

In February, Boris disappeared mysteriously for ten days to the official residence of Chevening, I am told partly because his publishers are growing restive over their handsome advance for his book on Shakespeare, which he had to get on with.

As late as March 7, when the virus was rampant, he recklessly attended an international rugby match.

Around that time he was thoughtlessly shaking people's hands despite contrary official advice. His naturally anarchic spirit, inherited from Stanley, did not equip him well for this disaster.

Boris's brother Jo (pictured) whom he recently presumptuously ennobled  is buttoned up, reserved and methodical. The very opposite of Stanley  and of Boris

Now he has veered from one extreme to the other, like a carefree poacher transformed into an officious gamekeeper.

By nature inimical to rules, and bored by detail, he finds himself promulgating increasingly draconian regulations. Yesterday he informed us that his tough (if sometimes confusing) approach was 'the only way to do it'.

You can't easily change your character over the age of 50. Deep down Boris Johnson is doubtless the same easygoing heir of Stanley.

For the moment, though, a Lord of Misrule has been cast in the unlikely role of the nation's enforcer, struggling unconvincingly to be a person he isn't.

Boris silent on claims his dad broke mothers nose

By Arthur Martin for the Daily Mail

Boris Johnson last night refused to comment on the explosive allegation that his father struck his mother and broke her nose.

Charlotte Johnson needed hospital treatment after she was hit by her husband when the Prime Minister was ten, according to a new biography.

Mr Johnson's spokesman refused to comment on the incendiary claim.

Boris Johnson last night refused to comment on the explosive allegation that his father struck his mother and broke her nose. He is pictured above yesterday on The Andrew Marr Show

Author Tom Bower claims the astonishing secret, combined with the troubled relationship of Boris's parents, defined him as a man.

'Boris agonised over his mother's fate,' he writes in The Gambler.

'Not only had he watched her suffer, but also saw his father blatantly deny the truth. Unwilling to confide in others about his father's violence, he became a loner.

'In his solitariness, his competitiveness was offset by self-doubt. To mask the misery and hurt, he demanded attention.

'Boris's bravado masked deep unhappiness. His parents' marriage had become irredeemably fractured. Charlotte found the pressure of her husband's neglect and philandering overwhelming.'

'I need you': PM's last text to Arcuri The Prime Minister sent an alleged mistress a text message saying 'I miss you and I need you' while courting current fiancee Carrie Symonds, it is claimed. When he was Mayor of London, Boris Johnson is said to have had a four-year affair with Jennifer Arcuri  a pole-dancing American businesswoman. In a new biography about the Prime Minister called The Gambler, by Tom Bower, it is suggested Miss Arcuri ended their relationship as his second term as mayor came to an end in May 2016. The biography claims his last text message to her was sent on December 29, 2018. He allegedly wrote: 'I miss you and I need you.' She deleted the text. By then, Mr Johnson was divorcing his wife Marina Wheeler and had already been courting Miss Symonds since February of that year. No 10 declined to comment last night. Advertisement

Doctors spoke to Stanley Johnson 'about his abuse' of his then wife, while the couple's four children were told a car door had hit their mother's face, it is claimed.

Friends said the incident took place in the 1970s when Mrs Johnson was suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder and had 'flailed' at Stanley, who broke her nose when 'flailing back'.

They added that Stanley, now 80, deeply regretted the incident and denied that he had been violent on any other occasion. He did not respond to requests for a comment yesterday.

Mr Bower describes Stanley's marriage to Charlotte as violent and unhappy. In the book, she is quoted as saying: 'He broke my nose. He made me feel like I deserved it.'

Mrs Johnson's parents visited their daughter in hospital and confronted Stanley who denied any involvement, the book claims.

The author says Mrs Johnson 'confronted Stanley about the affairs she suspected him of having', which he denied. In the book, which is being serialised in The Mail on Sunday, Mrs Johnson, now 78, says: 'Stanley wanted to be loved and wanted sex and he wanted power. And when I contradicted him, it threatened his power.'

Based on interviews with hundreds of colleagues and family members, the book portrays Boris as a loner who struggled to cope with his parents' divorce in 1978.

It also details Boris's intense desire to become Prime Minister, jostling for advantage with fellow Old Etonian David Cameron and feuding with George Osborne.
Shaikh Isa bin Ali Award for Voluntary Work has honoured Dr Kawthar Al Eid, Member of the Board of Directors of the Bahrain Red Crescent Society (BRCS).

Dr Al Eid was chosen as one of the pioneers of voluntary work in Bahrain among the national cadres on the front lines tackling Covid-19 pandemic.

She was one of the 19 prominent volunteers honoured for their voluntary work that contributed to protecting the health and safety of citizens and residents and tackling the Covid-19 pandemic.

BRCS praised the efforts made by Shaikh Isa to inspire volunteers and improve their contribution in various fields of voluntary work in Bahrain.

BRCS congratulated Dr Al Eid for being honoured with this prestigious award and lauded the work of all its members who perform outstandingly in various fields of voluntary work.

Dr Al Eid expressed her profound appreciation of the role Shaikh Isa plays in supporting and strengthening the values of voluntary work in Bahrain and his constant interest in supporting and motivating volunteers.

This honour provides a significant incentive for all volunteers to do more to the service of the country, she said.

Granting the award this year to national cadres working on the front lines is a generous tribute to them, an appreciation of their efforts, and recognition of their exceptional contributions in the fight against the Covid pandemic. It also highlights the noble role that volunteers play and their courage, dedication and eagerness to protect citizens and residents from the virus, Dr Al Eid said, concluding her statement.-- Tradearabia News Service
Pro-Trump protesters and racial justice supporters clashed Saturday in Bend at a rally and street cruise that was held in support of the president, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.

The events took place at Pilot Butte Neighborhood Park and a man who allegedly took the Trump flag was arrested by Bend police, The Bulletin reported. The news organization also reported that Bend police confiscated two handguns from a Trump supporter.

According to tweets by OPB reporter Emily Cureton, a Trump rally was planned for Saturday. Black Lives Matter organizers also announced a counter rally picnic at the Bend park on Saturday. The Trump rally was originally planned at a different location but its organizers decided to relocate to the park where the picnic was taking place, wrote Cureton, who was onsite at the events.

Fights broke out between the two sides when someone took a Trump flag from a supporter of President Donald Trump, OPB reported. People on both sides started trading punches and someone fired mace into the crowd, video posted on social media by OPB showed.

Punches, taser, mace. Bend demonstrations turn violent after someone snatches a trump flag pic.twitter.com/gzTCbATWcv  Emily Cureton (@emilycureton) October 3, 2020

The pro-Trump event, called the Trump Cruise rally, was to feature a potluck, guest speakers and a cruise through Bend, organizers told KOHD-TV.

AP and Oregonian politics team
A man inspects a crater which locals said was caused by an Armenian rocket strike in the town of Beylagan on Oct. 4, 2020, during the ongoing fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan said Sunday that Armenian armed forces had shelled its second city of Ganja in a major new escalation of the conflict in the South Caucasus. AFP



Azerbaijan said on Sunday that Armenian armed forces had shelled its second city of Ganja in a major new escalation of the conflict in the South Caucasus.



Armenia denied that it fired towards Azerbaijan, but the leader of Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave inside Azerbaijan, said his forces had destroyed a military airbase located in Ganja.



"Permanent military units located in the large cities of Azerbaijan from now on become the targets of the defence army," said Karabakh leader Arayik Harutyunyan.






Jayakumar Madala By

Express News Service

PUDUKOTTAI: The government's decision to open limited Direct Procurement Centres (DPC) may pave way for new problems in Pudukkottai district, with a communal clash brewing in the Vellalaviduthi panchayat.

On the backdrop of a bumper Kuruvai season, long-forgotten community friction may resurface in the Vellalaviduthi village, as the government has provided permission to open only one of the two DPCs located here.

The village panchayat has two DPCs - one at Vellalaviduthi and another at Mangalakovil, 1.5 km apart. Earlier, there was only one DPC at Vellalaviduthi village. As a majority of the farmers belonged to two different communities, there was a dispute among them while selling their produces at the DPC a few years ago. As the dispute failed to settle and often one community ruffled feathers of the other while selling the paddy at the DPC, the local TNCSC officials took measures towards opening another DPC at nearby Mangalakovil in 2018.

Although the government has set no restrictions for the farmers to sell their harvest in any particular DPC, an unsaid rule has been prevailing in the Vellalaviduthi panchayat where a section of Caste-Hindu sell their produce only at the Mangalakovil DPC and another section at the DPC in Vellalaviduthi.

However, now with the government ordering to open only the DPC at Vellalaviduthi, the villagers fear that it would spark community tension again.

"Already the farmers belonged to one community have started heaping their harvest in front of the closed Managalakovil DPC, even though the government has said they are not going to open it now," feared a villager.

The farmers are doing this to mount the pressure on the officials to open the DPC as they do not want to go and sell their paddy at the Vellalaviduthi DPC.

Speaking to TNIE, Paramasivan, Village Panchayat President, Vellalaviduthi said, " Ever since a second DPC was opened in the panchayat, there have been no issues of communal tension here. Now with the officials providing permission to open only open, tensions are already rising. The district administration should immediately intervene and open both the DPCs before any law and order issues arise."

However, when contacted the officials from the TNCSC regarding the issue, they opined that permission was provided for only one DPC to open as only a limited harvest has been completed till now.

"We have passed on the information regarding the villagers' demand to the higher officials, we will open the other DPC when the permission is granted," said the officials here.


More than 2,000 migrants on Saturday dropped their bid to reach the United States after Guatemala threatened to expel them out of concern they might spread COVID-19.

The group, mostly made up of Hondurans who set out on Thursday from San Pedro Sula, asked local authorities to help them return home, the Guatemalan president's office told news media.

An AFP journalist saw some being loaded into army trucks for the return trip.

But some small groups said they remained determined to reach the US to escape the poverty and violence in their home country.

Late Thursday, Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei - who is himself recovering from COVID-19 - had ordered the Hondurans detained and sent home. However, he urged them to return voluntarily.

'Amid the current health emergency, not only did they fail to respect measures to enter the country but also health measures established to protect our citizens,' he said.

Giammattei - who is himself recovering from COVID-19 - has ordered that the migrants leave

Three thousand migrants are believed to have set out from Honduras towards the U.S., but after the Guatemalan president ordered them to leave, 2,000 abandoned their trek. A policeman is pictured speaking with the migrants in San Marcos, Guatemala, on Saturday

Honduran migrants who were heading in a caravan to the US are photographed as they voluntarily return to their country, in Corinto, Honduras, on Saturday

Guatemalan officials said some 3,000 people originally crossed the border without submitting to a Covid-19 test, required for foreigners entering the country.

Many were not wearing masks.

Giammattei said that 'a massive group of Hondurans violently broke in' to the country some 190 miles northeast of Guatemala City.

The caravan split up once in Guatemala, with a larger group taking a northern route toward Mexico and the smaller one following a southwesterly route.

Mexico had deployed troops and immigration agents at border points to block the caravan.

Honduran migrants trying to reach the U.S. get inside a truck escorted by the Guatemalan soldiers to send them back to Honduras, in the town of Morales on Saturday

A Honduran migrant is pictured on Saturday awaiting transport back to Honduras

Soldiers guard the migrants who are being returned back to Honduras from Guatemala

Migrants who did not leave voluntarily were forcibly detained by the Guatemalan police

'I am just so incredibly frustrated. Because we left home with a goal, which was getting to the United States. And when we see ourselves back home again - our dreams have been shattered,' migrant Blas Escobar told AFP.

'I am so angry because I came here, wasted time and the little money I had,' added Eduardo Rodriguez, who injured his foot falling off a moving pick-up.

Both had tried to reach the border with Mexico through the department of Peten and had already traveled more than 150 miles on foot or in trucks.

In recent years, thousands of Central American migrants traveling in large groups have crossed into Mexico, with the aim of reaching the US border.

The caravan had set off just a month before the US presidential election, in which President Donald Trump - whose hard line against migrants is a central plank of his policy platform - is seeking a second term.

After Trump threatened Mexico with steep US tariffs if it failed to stem a surge of undocumented migrants, Mexican officials deployed some 26,000 troops to the country's borders.

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a left-wing populist, has sought to maintain good relations with Trump despite the US leader's anti-Mexico rhetoric.
To catalyse cutting-edge in India, NITI Aayog, the New and Renewable Energy Ministry, and Invest India are organising a global symposium virtually 'India PV EDGE 2020' on October 6, an official statement said.

There will be a plenary session and subsequent sessions on 'Wafers and Cells', 'Modules and Production Equipment' and 'Supply Chain, it added.

The statement said solar deployment has been the flagship green growth story of the last decade and this would be instrumental to stimulate growth and build a climate-resilient world. India has become the third-largest solar capacity country in the world and set an ambitious target of 450 GW of renewable capacity by 2030, comprising 300 GW of solar capacity.

Union Minister for Power, and New and Renewable Energy R K Singh, Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar, and CEO Amitabh Kant will attend the plenary session.

Around 60 prominent Indian and global CEOs are slated to attend the event virtually.

(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 News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, October 4, 2020 12:45 475 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c48fab90 1 National omnibus-bill-on-job-creation,plenary-meeting,DPR,baleg,house-of-representatives,omnibus,omnibus-bill,omnibus-law,labor-union Free

The House of Representatives Legislation Body (Baleg) and the government have agreed to pass into law the controversial omnibus bill on job creation in the next plenary session on Oct. 8, despite mounting opposition from members of the public  particularly labor groups  in recent months.

[The bill] has been approved for the next stage of the deliberation, said Baleg chairman Supratman Andi Agtas during a meeting with members of the government on Sunday, as quoted by kompas.com.

Supratman said seven House factions had conveyed their approval of the bill during the meeting: the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Golkar, Gerindra, NasDem, the National Awakening Party (PKB), the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the United Development Party (PPP).

Two other factions  the Democratic Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS)  objected to the bill, he said.

Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto, who was among the government representatives present during the meeting, said the government appreciated the speedy and transparent deliberation of the bill.

He said the bill would improve bureaucratic efficiency and cut unnecessary red tape, particularly in regard to business permits and investments.

Read also: Guide to omnibus bill on job creation: 1,028 pages in 10 minutes

Furthermore, he claimed the bill would also be beneficial to the countrys workers, saying that the regulation would ensure safety nets for employees, such as new severance terms in the event of layoffs.

Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) head Bahlil Lahadalia said last month the government had been preparing the implementing regulations for the articles in the bill that had been agreed upon by lawmakers.

The government is trying to revise 79 prevailing laws and more than 1,200 articles with the omnibus bill. The bill, which is more than 1,000 pages long and contains 174 articles in 15 chapters, has faced a backlash from labor unions, observers and NGOs that argue it will jeopardize labor rights and weaken environmental protection, among other issues. (rfa)
","heading":"","fullWindow":false,"fullBleed":false,"showFullBleedOnMobile":false,"headColor":"","type":"html5mobile","textColor":"","mobileImageUrl":"","bgColor":"","imageUrl":"","registeredOnly":false,"linkUrl":"","aodaTitle":"","internalScroll":false,"displayStyle":"small-up"},{"type":"ad","heading":"ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW","name":"ArticleSecondBigBox","display":"medium-down","pos":"2","interstitial":true,"sizes":[[300,250]]},{"text":"Kelly Weiling Zou, a fourth year undergraduate student at Smith and founder of the stolenbysmith Instagram account, said that ethics is the only mandatory course related to equity and some elements come up in other mandatory courses, like human resources and organizational behaviour. Outside of that are electives, which still dont often dive into equity-driven discussions, Zou added. ","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"type":"textBreakPoint","insertAt":"contentMiddleBreakPoint"},{"captionPosition":"overlay","origImageSize":"800x1200","fullWindowGenericImage":false,"lastmodified":1601681457441,"forceoriginal":false,"caption":"Meena Waseem, a second-year student at Smith School of Business at Queen's University, is a co-director of Reform Smith, a student and alumni initiative looking to make the school more equitable. ","type":"genericimage","credit":"Courtesy Meena Waseem","url":"/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2020/10/04/why-business-schools-will-need-a-curriculum-overhaul-if-corporations-are-going-to-meet-their-pledges-for-equity-inclusion-and-diversity/_2_meena_waseem.jpg","crop":"0,250,800,858","renditions":[{"url":"https://images.thestar.com/1jfztGFJr3cScJmq4kyQW9s1Fwk=/0x250:800x858/1086x825/smart/filters:cb(1601681457441)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2020/10/04/why-business-schools-will-need-a-curriculum-overhaul-if-corporations-are-going-to-meet-their-pledges-for-equity-inclusion-and-diversity/_2_meena_waseem.jpg","width":1086,"height":825,"scalefactor":136},{"url":"https://images.thestar.com/kyiBVLuhqph_YEuANfNi9zF54Rg=/0x250:800x858/968x736/smart/filters:cb(1601681457441)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2020/10/04/why-business-schools-will-need-a-curriculum-overhaul-if-corporations-are-going-to-meet-their-pledges-for-equity-inclusion-and-diversity/_2_meena_waseem.jpg","width":968,"height":736,"scalefactor":121},{"url":"https://images.thestar.com/UsPmf0ybO1bJJ9PWOryBY6Pqi58=/0x250:800x858/850x646/smart/filters:cb(1601681457441)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2020/10/04/why-business-schools-will-need-a-curriculum-overhaul-if-corporations-are-going-to-meet-their-pledges-for-equity-inclusion-and-diversity/_2_meena_waseem.jpg","width":850,"height":646,"scalefactor":106},{"url":"https://images.thestar.com/KTLrA4SenO0alKQw7ebE3zra9L8=/0x250:800x858/800x608/smart/filters:cb(1601681457441)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2020/10/04/why-business-schools-will-need-a-curriculum-overhaul-if-corporations-are-going-to-meet-their-pledges-for-equity-inclusion-and-diversity/_2_meena_waseem.jpg","width":800,"height":608,"scalefactor":100},{"url":"https://images.thestar.com/6hGa4bseK7roubE5YF7eGelP49M=/0x250:800x858/650x494/smart/filters:cb(1601681457441)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2020/10/04/why-business-schools-will-need-a-curriculum-overhaul-if-corporations-are-going-to-meet-their-pledges-for-equity-inclusion-and-diversity/_2_meena_waseem.jpg","width":650,"height":494,"scalefactor":81},{"url":"https://images.thestar.com/7OOX9pyUv0Xz2r1LBeEGYSdc6w4=/0x250:800x858/605x460/smart/filters:cb(1601681457441)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2020/10/04/why-business-schools-will-need-a-curriculum-overhaul-if-corporations-are-going-to-meet-their-pledges-for-equity-inclusion-and-diversity/_2_meena_waseem.jpg","width":605,"height":460,"scalefactor":76},{"url":"https://images.thestar.com/Cpe6xlT6JtpR76zhLk2TP58Ih3U=/0x250:800x858/480x365/smart/filters:cb(1601681457441)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2020/10/04/why-business-schools-will-need-a-curriculum-overhaul-if-corporations-are-going-to-meet-their-pledges-for-equity-inclusion-and-diversity/_2_meena_waseem.jpg","width":480,"height":365,"scalefactor":60},{"url":"https://images.thestar.com/d0pGpGqS8wIn5ChpNCDxqcNw9fY=/0x250:800x858/400x304/smart/filters:cb(1601681457441)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2020/10/04/why-business-schools-will-need-a-curriculum-overhaul-if-corporations-are-going-to-meet-their-pledges-for-equity-inclusion-and-diversity/_2_meena_waseem.jpg","width":400,"height":304,"scalefactor":50},{"url":"https://images.thestar.com/KIRwXYdGtj-unwnMEm0ZHiiH9X0=/0x250:800x858/320x243/smart/filters:cb(1601681457441)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2020/10/04/why-business-schools-will-need-a-curriculum-overhaul-if-corporations-are-going-to-meet-their-pledges-for-equity-inclusion-and-diversity/_2_meena_waseem.jpg","width":320,"height":243,"scalefactor":40},{"url":"https://images.thestar.com/kcyEK1QHsN2vNDXOmJ14XYnWHTc=/0x250:800x858/93x71/smart/filters:cb(1601681457441)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2020/10/04/why-business-schools-will-need-a-curriculum-overhaul-if-corporations-are-going-to-meet-their-pledges-for-equity-inclusion-and-diversity/_2_meena_waseem.jpg","width":93,"height":71,"scalefactor":12}]},{"type":"articleRelatedInlinePrimary"},{"text":"Meena Waseem, who is in her second year at Smith and co-chair of the Reform Smith initiative, agrees that in her years, the lack of mandatory equity classes persists. I would say (in) those classes there are touches on equity and a couple respects. But not to the extent that it should, (as for) an equity lens in other courses, I just did not see a presence of that at all, Waseem said.","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"text":"Waseem questioned what students lose by not being challenged to think critically about equity issues or outside of current business models. Its producing graduates that are just following trends, she said. ","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"text":"And that, Waseem said, ripples even broader, considering how many communities business and corporations impact in Canada and around the globe. Were not improving the world that were in. So, its not really building leaders. In fact, were just following a trend that already exists in the business world. Its not changing anything.","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"text":"Interim dean of Smith Brenda Brouwer said in an email to the Star that there is overlap between Reform Smith requests and plans already underway with the school and the universitys equity, diversity, inclusivity and Indigeneity (EDII) task force and that there are plans to meet with the Reform Smith team.","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"type":"slimcut"},{"text":"While we may not always agree on the strategy and approach, we both agree that change must span multiple dimensions  from the in-class experience and course content, to training and hiring, to policies and processes, she said.","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"text":"We recognize that access, equity and inclusion are vital to our schools future and to developing global citizens with the broad knowledge, skills, and perspectives needed to contribute meaningfully to society as well as advancements in business.","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"type":"ad","heading":"ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW","name":"ArticleThirdBigBox","display":"medium-down","pos":"3","interstitial":true,"sizes":[[300,250]]},{"text":"When asked about what changes, if any, are coming at Schulich School of Business at York University, interim dean Detlev Zwick said in an email: We are currently examining ways to build more diverse and inclusive content into our curriculum. ","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"text":"Zwick outlined current offerings such as courses titled diversity and inclusion in organizations and the history of capitalism, as well as plans for a new course elective on anti-racism for 2021-2022.","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"text":"For Sara Reza, a third year student at Schulich who started the Instagram account silencedatschulich, the courses shes taken thus far havent prioritized equity. ","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"type":"cta","buttonText":"Sign Up Now","buttonLink":"/emails.html?nsrc=article-inline-firstup-GTA","description":"Start your morning with everything you need to know, and nothing you don't. Sign up for First Up, the Star's new daily email newsletter.","title":"Get more of what matters in your inbox"},{"text":"Like at Smith, the first two years of the undergraduate program are mostly mandatory courses, one of which is business ethics. While she expected it would address negative repercussions of business, she says it didnt. ","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"text":"We rarely talk about the byproducts of capitalism that affect our communities in a negative way, she said.","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"captionPosition":"overlay","origImageSize":"1200x800","fullWindowGenericImage":false,"lastmodified":1601681210517,"forceoriginal":false,"caption":"Sara Reza is a student at Schulich School of Business at York University. She has been working with the school to improve its equity lens.","type":"genericimage","credit":"Courtesy Sara Reza","url":"/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2020/10/04/why-business-schools-will-need-a-curriculum-overhaul-if-corporations-are-going-to-meet-their-pledges-for-equity-inclusion-and-diversity/_3_sara_reza.jpg","renditions":[{"url":"https://images.thestar.com/S32iyJPv2dFruVowTQpVXnhs-s8=/1200x800/smart/filters:cb(1601681210517)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2020/10/04/why-business-schools-will-need-a-curriculum-overhaul-if-corporations-are-going-to-meet-their-pledges-for-equity-inclusion-and-diversity/_3_sara_reza.jpg","width":1200,"height":800,"scalefactor":100},{"url":"https://images.thestar.com/Z31MF7W-9qzmITncKxuWzQweH8k=/1086x724/smart/filters:cb(1601681210517)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2020/10/04/why-business-schools-will-need-a-curriculum-overhaul-if-corporations-are-going-to-meet-their-pledges-for-equity-inclusion-and-diversity/_3_sara_reza.jpg","width":1086,"height":724,"scalefactor":91},{"url":"https://images.thestar.com/wIs1n6vPUnhtQGn0zBcj7D8xbNs=/968x645/smart/filters:cb(1601681210517)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2020/10/04/why-business-schools-will-need-a-curriculum-overhaul-if-corporations-are-going-to-meet-their-pledges-for-equity-inclusion-and-diversity/_3_sara_reza.jpg","width":968,"height":645,"scalefactor":81},{"url":"https://images.thestar.com/bLNLm-znlK7glIdaSApX4hxsVqA=/850x567/smart/filters:cb(1601681210517)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2020/10/04/why-business-schools-will-need-a-curriculum-overhaul-if-corporations-are-going-to-meet-their-pledges-for-equity-inclusion-and-diversity/_3_sara_reza.jpg","width":850,"height":567,"scalefactor":71},{"url":"https://images.thestar.com/EISlZGPDodANEjXadBJmAtW4zCM=/650x433/smart/filters:cb(1601681210517)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2020/10/04/why-business-schools-will-need-a-curriculum-overhaul-if-corporations-are-going-to-meet-their-pledges-for-equity-inclusion-and-diversity/_3_sara_reza.jpg","width":650,"height":433,"scalefactor":54},{"url":"https://images.thestar.com/BXfOspbTha8gqN8XpbCpnOwUxpA=/605x403/smart/filters:cb(1601681210517)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2020/10/04/why-business-schools-will-need-a-curriculum-overhaul-if-corporations-are-going-to-meet-their-pledges-for-equity-inclusion-and-diversity/_3_sara_reza.jpg","width":605,"height":403,"scalefactor":50},{"url":"https://images.thestar.com/HL2bODjjhW6uz2EEI9up9crgqRg=/480x320/smart/filters:cb(1601681210517)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2020/10/04/why-business-schools-will-need-a-curriculum-overhaul-if-corporations-are-going-to-meet-their-pledges-for-equity-inclusion-and-diversity/_3_sara_reza.jpg","width":480,"height":320,"scalefactor":40},{"url":"https://images.thestar.com/dAqaGCMuCs85sMWf1KtSB0P5ZwQ=/400x267/smart/filters:cb(1601681210517)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2020/10/04/why-business-schools-will-need-a-curriculum-overhaul-if-corporations-are-going-to-meet-their-pledges-for-equity-inclusion-and-diversity/_3_sara_reza.jpg","width":400,"height":267,"scalefactor":33},{"url":"https://images.thestar.com/L-PIRfcg6pDXnLT_VP8x5bKf1Kc=/320x213/smart/filters:cb(1601681210517)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2020/10/04/why-business-schools-will-need-a-curriculum-overhaul-if-corporations-are-going-to-meet-their-pledges-for-equity-inclusion-and-diversity/_3_sara_reza.jpg","width":320,"height":213,"scalefactor":27},{"url":"https://images.thestar.com/KmmTpPipXT0xs8-kK-1p56w3W10=/93x62/smart/filters:cb(1601681210517)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2020/10/04/why-business-schools-will-need-a-curriculum-overhaul-if-corporations-are-going-to-meet-their-pledges-for-equity-inclusion-and-diversity/_3_sara_reza.jpg","width":93,"height":62,"scalefactor":8}]},{"text":"Reza says she has been involved in a diversity, equity and inclusion working group organized by Schulich with administration, students and faculty. Right now the group is addressing barriers to Black and Indigenous students, and there are also talks of curriculum-based changes, which she says is a good, proactive step.","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"type":"textBreakPoint","insertAt":"contentLongBreakPoint"},{"text":"The need for change at the school level has proven crucial over the course of the year, as businesses reckon with their inclusion shortcomings. ","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"text":"If students at business schools arent being taught courses about equity, or through a nuanced lens that considers race, gender and ability then thats a piece that continues to be missing as they enter the job market, with potentially wider repercussions.","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"text":"It links to everything, Jamile Cruz, said about the need for a holistic approach to equity. She is the founder of consultant firm I&D 101, which specializes in inclusivity and diversity in corporations.","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"text":"The business system from schooling to actual organizations keeps repeating itself as seen in the lack of diverse leadership at companies, for example. If we dont start really thinking about different ways of changing the system, were going to see more of the same, she said.","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"type":"relatedStories","relatedStories":[{"url":"/news/canada/2020/09/11/from-discrimination-to-climate-change-canadians-want-corporations-to-step-up-and-prioritize-social-good-over-profits.html","assetId":"ef1acfb4-788b-42c6-b00b-a050a5f91316","headline":"From discrimination to climate change Canadians want corporations to step up and prioritize social good over profits","abstract":"The findings of a new survey conducted by the Canadian Centre for the Purpose of the Corporation showed that for an overwhelming majority of...","image":{"origImageSize":"1200x740","cropthumb":"0,0,1110,740","lastmodified":1600033453140,"alt":"The findings of a new survey conducted by the Canadian Centre for the Purpose of the Corporation showed that for an overwhelming majority of Canadians the top three issues at the front of mind are wealth and income inequality, environmental and climate issues, and 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Exclusive","type":"special"}},"enableConversations":true,"enableLivechat":false,"publishedepoch":1599814800000},{"url":"/news/canada/2020/07/13/canadian-students-sound-off-on-campus-racism-through-hundreds-of-instagram-posts.html","assetId":"d7190139-0af8-4ad5-a920-a0f5b9e6e783","headline":"Canadian students sound off on campus racism through hundreds of Instagram posts","abstract":"On Monday, the group Black at Western Alumni also released an open letter to the universitys president outlining 13 action items for the school to...","image":{"origImageSize":"1200x800","lastmodified":1594680560806,"alt":"Vanessa Patterson who graduated from Western in 2019 started an account for students from her alma mater to share their experiences with discrimination on 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or just for show? As political and corporate leaders speak out against anti-Black racism, some arent buying their sincerity","abstract":"After this blows over like every other trending topic, we still have to wake up for the rest of our lives  and live the Black experience, said...","image":{"origImageSize":"1200x886","cropthumb":"0,0,1200,800","lastmodified":1592073941872,"alt":"Karissa Lewis went on Twitter to suggest clothing retailer Aritzias public support of the Black Lives Matter movement was all for show based on her experiences working for the retailer as an associate manager.","url":"/content/dam/thestar/news/canada/2020/06/12/goodwill-or-just-for-show-as-political-and-corporate-leaders-speak-out-against-anti-black-racism-some-arent-buying-their-sincerity/_1_main_karissa_lewis.jpg","crop":"0,0,1200,692","sizes":{"1:1":{"small":"https://images.thestar.com/issOfV7ahJwUXPu9T5OyvZ-93mA=/0x0:1200x800/100x100/smart/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/canada/2020/06/12/goodwill-or-just-for-show-as-political-and-corporate-leaders-speak-out-against-anti-black-racism-some-arent-buying-their-sincerity/_1_main_karissa_lewis.jpg"},"3:2":{"small":"https://images.thestar.com/Gd7vXTeOhZNUE20f9totbD_RTjQ=/0x0:1200x800/114x76/smart/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/canada/2020/06/12/goodwill-or-just-for-show-as-political-and-corporate-leaders-speak-out-against-anti-black-racism-some-arent-buying-their-sincerity/_1_main_karissa_lewis.jpg","medium":"https://images.thestar.com/1dJn2FwDoiu26eZDJs7C38EGXl4=/0x0:1200x800/330x220/smart/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/canada/2020/06/12/goodwill-or-just-for-show-as-political-and-corporate-leaders-speak-out-against-anti-black-racism-some-arent-buying-their-sincerity/_1_main_karissa_lewis.jpg","large":"https://images.thestar.com/jyH3RwjB9_OFs1rYJZjxp4-9XZ4=/0x0:1200x800/690x460/smart/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/canada/2020/06/12/goodwill-or-just-for-show-as-political-and-corporate-leaders-speak-out-against-anti-black-racism-some-arent-buying-their-sincerity/_1_main_karissa_lewis.jpg"},"21:9":{"large":"https://images.thestar.com/BtpPUBujiN1Rk_jxmkUBqc1bp2E=/0x0:1200x800/1080x460/smart/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/canada/2020/06/12/goodwill-or-just-for-show-as-political-and-corporate-leaders-speak-out-against-anti-black-racism-some-arent-buying-their-sincerity/_1_main_karissa_lewis.jpg"}}},"labels":{"section":"Canada","trust":null,"special":null},"enableConversations":true,"enableLivechat":false,"publishedepoch":1591999200000}]},{"text":"To improve teaching on equity at business schools, she said there also needs to be diverse hiring and bigger changes to the system and lens through which courses are taught. I think it goes beyond just a class on inclusion, diversity. Those concepts of inclusion, diversity and equity, needs to be (present) in other courses, Cruz said. ","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"text":"Outside of the presence of equity topics in courses, Noor Rahemtulla, a recent graduate and co-chair of Reform Smith, noted that discussions can be challenging because there is little work done to teach baseline knowledge. She, for example, grew up in Alberta where Indigeneous history is taught all throughout public school, but she and Zou note that stereotypes and misconceptions about Indigenous communities come up often in class discussions at Smith.","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"text":"I think there needs to not be only more discussion and more opportunity for dialogue, but there also needs to be a very strong and rigorous education component to ensure that all students going through the program are aware of these issues, and so can speak to them, Rahemtulla said. ","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"text":"Zou says that the high cost of tuition at Smith  over $16,000 per year  almost makes privilege a prerequisite to be able to easily attend the program. A side effect of that privilege is less exposure to issues of social equity. ","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"text":"Queens Applicant Equity report shows that students with a family income below $75,000 a year have a lower rate and number of offers and registration in all undergraduate programs than students with higher family incomes. Fifty per cent of registered students reported a family income of $125,000 or higher. ","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"text":"Business school undergraduate tuition in Ontario is the second most expensive annually outside of programs related to medicine, costing over $9,400 per year on average for domestic students, according to Statistics Canada. ","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"type":"textBreakPoint","insertAt":"contentEndBreakPoint"},{"text":"With no changes to the cost to attend, The same issues are brought in again and again, Zou said. ","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"text":"Angelyn Francis is a Toronto-based reporter for the Star covering inequity and inequality. Her reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. 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From discrimination to climate change Canadians want corporations to step up and prioritize social good over profits

Canadian students sound off on campus racism through hundreds of Instagram posts

Goodwill or just for show? As political and corporate leaders speak out against anti-Black racism, some arent buying their sincerity
Around the world, there is a sweeping movement toward a global green energy transition. While world leaders have been urged by experts for years to start lowering greenhouse gas emissions and start battling climate change with a sense of urgency, the COVID-19 pandemic has, in its severe and continued destruction of the global economy, catalyzed the decarbonization of our economies. The pandemic has given the global community an unanticipated interruption to the status quo and a vital, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for what the World Economic Forum advocates as a new energy order and a great reset. The movement is widespread; Chile and the European Union are instating or planning to instate renewable energy communities, in Europe Big Oil is transitioning to Big Energy, Australia is investing heavily in hydrogen to meet its target of carbon neutrality by 2050, and now even China, one of the key nations for curbing global carbon emissions, has announced its own extremely ambitious plan to bring its carbon footprint to zero by the year 2060. In fact, the United States is one of few holdouts in the global energy transition as many of the worlds most powerful economies embrace decarbonization as an inevitability and rush to corner the green energy market.

For China, however, their ambitious decarbonization plan may be easier said than done. While Beijing releases ambitious plans, cynics have a strong argument to make that it may just be a heap of greenwashed propaganda. At the same time that China is making grand plans about a net-zero carbon footprint, the country is constructing new coal-fired plants at a healthy clip, and coal has easily maintained its dominance of the countrys energy mix.

So how will China go about replacing the coal that they rely so heavily upon? To replace all that coal capacity, Quartz reported this week, China will rely primarily on wind power. The biggest relative gain would be in solar - no surprise, since China has spent the last several years building itself into the worlds leading solar superpower. But the plan also imagines a pivotal role for nuclear.

Related: U.S., UAE And Israel Agree On Joint Energy Strategy



China has been on the rise as one of the worlds foremost nuclear powerhouses for years now. Despite years of decline, the U.S. is still the foremost nuclear power producer in the world, accounting for about one-third of global nuclear energy production. But China is hot on its heels and plans to add huge amounts of nuclear capacity over the coming years, quadrupling its current production levels. GlobalData Plc predicts that China will pass France as the worlds No. 2 nuclear generator in 2022 and claim the top spot from the U.S. four years after that, Bloomberg Green reported in June.

This strategy is a significant contrast from other decarbonization roadmaps in places like Europe and Australia, where nuclear remains divisive among politicians and constituents alike. While the global nuclear energy industry has stagnated, China is charging full steam ahead. Right now, the center of gravity has decisively shifted toward China, Jacopo Buongiorno, a nuclear scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was quoted by Quartz. Theyre growing fast and [the US and EU] are shrinking. Theyre trying everything, which is quite exciting to watch.

Chinas approach to nuclear is strikingly innovative. Another unique attribute of Chinas decarbonization plan and overall approach to nuclear energy is that the country is working on developing compact nuclear plants that can be located in residential areas on top of the more standard large-scale nuclear plants that connect to the grid. It is also rolling out small plants that float on ocean barges, which can be used to power offshore oil and gas operations. And its building cutting-edge plants that operate at exceptionally high temperatures and are used for industrial facilities, reports Quartz.

While nuclear energy has considerable drawbacks - very rare but extremely hazardous meltdowns and other nuclear disasters, hazardous waste with a radioactive half-life that will outlive us all, and high levels of water consumption, to name a few - it holds enormous promise for lowering global greenhouse gas emissions. And China is one of the countries that most needs to downsize its carbon footprint. While Chinas zero-emissions target is an ambitious one, their assertive nuclear plan could get them there.

By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Photo credit: Volkswagen

From Car and Driver

Volkswagen invited us down to Chattanooga, Tennessee, for a brief drive of an ID.4 electric crossover prototype alongside a Mazda CX-5 AWD. Since we made the trip from our Kentucky base to VW's United States headquarters in a VW Tiguan SEL Premium R-Line 4Motion, we had a representative trio for our brief comparison test.

In April of this year, the CX-5 and Tiguan finished first and second, respectively, in our six-way compact crossover comparo. Since the ID.4's debut a week ago, VW has stressed its desire for the ID.4 to be seen as a competitor for combustion-engine offerings as well as electric challengers such as the Tesla Model Y, Ford Mustang Mach-E, and Hyundai Kona Electric. That gives the electric German quite the taskconvincing shoppers to step away from the security of the familiar while overcoming the lure of Japanese juggernauts like the Toyota Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V.

The ID.4's looks arguably straddle a middle ground, more exotic than the ICE competition but less racy than the Mach-E and Model Y, which have steeply raked coupe rooflines. The ID.4's roof sits 1.9 inches lower than a Tiguan's, but its 8.2 inches of ground clearance (for the European model) is 0.3 inches more than the Tiguan offers, ensuring it skews more crossover than wagon. The VW's rear bumper blends some unexpected lines and textures, but overall it presents a fulsome, handsome form. If someone replaced the VW badges with those from Citroen's DS luxury line, we wouldn't have known better.



Photo credit: Volkswagen

The shape moves through the air cleanly enough, with VW citing a coefficient of drag of 0.28, matching the Audi e-tron. The Tesla Model Y comes in at a claimed 0.23, while Ford has only committed to a figure "below 0.30" for the Mach-E.



Since we were driving a prototype, we can't deliver final judgment on issues such as noise, vibration, and harshness, which are still undergoing tuning and where there's clearly work to be done. Every ID.4 comes with keyless access, the crossover powered up and primed to go as soon as the driver takes his seat and presses the brake pedal. At that point, the EV is silent. Get moving, and the ear detects the Jetsons-like whir common to every EV, but the motor also emits a subtle, high-pitched whine as it spools up to its 16,000 rpm peak. We could hear the whine inside the cabin and, rolling down the windows at low speeds, confirm that it could be also heard outside the car.

Story continues

The prototype rode on European-spec all-season Pirelli P Zeros that created a mild resonant thrum on all but the most polished road surfaces. U.S. models will get a selection of Hankook, Pirelli, or Bridgestone all-season rubber, depending on tire size. Aerodynamic sleight of hand keeps wind noise on par for the segment, the turbulence no worse at 65 mph than it was at 35.

Photo credit: Volkswagen

When we had a chance for spirited runs on a 30-mile suburban loop, we discovered a squishy brake pedal with long travel. Volkswagen fits drums on the ID.4's rear axle, same as on the ID.3. VW says an EV's typical duty cycle includes so much regenerative braking that "disc brakes on the rear can be less effective than drums after long periods of not being put to heavy use." That sounds to us like a cost-saving measure wrapped in a performance justification. Even the Chevrolet Bolt uses four-wheel disc brakes, and that car can be stopped using Fred Flintstone's best-foot-forward technique. We preferred the ID.4's B mode, which increases brake energy recuperation to make driving mostly a one-pedal operation.

All of those issues, except the drum brakes, can be tuned to satisfaction with some more attention from the engineers.

In the solid win column, the ID.4 was clearly the best-handling machine in our trio. A healthy portion of the ID.4's advantage came from being the only rear-wheel driver of the bunch. VW likes to pepper GTI references into conversations about the ID.4's handling. That's a bit optimistic, but only a bit. In our April crossover test, we said, "The Tiguan feels like a GTI for responsible adults," minus some agility and road hugging. The ID.4 feels like a GTI for electric crossover buyers, offering the same playfulness that distinguishes the Tiguan.

Photo credit: Volkswagen

The e-motor's maximum output of 228 pound-feet of torque isn't generous for a vehicle weighing a claimed 4559 pounds in base Pro trim, but the instant application of every pound-foot delivered a little snap of the head with each stab on the throttle. Volkswagen hasn't yet pegged a zero-to-60-mph time, only saying it's less than 7.8 seconds, which sounds consistent with the rated 201 horsepower. Steering is sharp, the crossover's stubby nose easy to place on a chosen line. And the ID.4's 33.6-foot turning circle is 1.8 feet smaller than the Chevrolet Bolt's.

Damping and body control are excellent, with body roll checked by a 24-mm anti-roll bar in front and a 22.5-mm bar out back. It took more work in the ID.4 than the CX-5 or Tiguan to get the tires to beg for mercy, and there's a small window for using the throttle to place the rear wheels. Once you've overcooked 4,600 pounds of RWD compact crossover into an acute corner, though, there are no heroics to attempt. It's time to get hard on the brakes.

Photo credit: Volkswagen

We'll need to wait for a real drive time in a retail model to render a final verdict. But the ID.4 prototype wasn't far from delivering the pleasant EV ambience we'd expect, and it already stands out thanks to its style. Unlike the coupe-roofed competition, it hasn't sacrificed roominess or utility for looks. Dynamically, the little crossover already delivers, a chunky pup game to get friskier than almost any of its buyers will ever demand. The AWD model promises to be even better, especially if VW programs some spirited torque shuffling between the front and rear motors.

Already priced below the Mach-E and Model Y before federal and state discounts, buyers who apply the full $7,500 federal tax credit can pocket healthy savings by choosing the VW over the Ford or Tesla. Even after the federal credit, though, the ID.4 charges a notable premium over status-quo models like the CR-V and CX-5. We're skeptical that VW's EV will siphon off a substantial number of traditional compact crossover buyers, but the ID.4 is a big move in the right direction.

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Three persons including a senior citizen were booked and two of them arrested for allegedly raping a teenage Dalit girl for months in Kakod town area of Bulandshahr district, police said.

The accused Srichand, 70, and Balbeer also known as Ballan, 50, are brothers and they have been arrested after a case of rape was registered against them on the complaint of the victim, said circle officer, Secundrabad area, Namrata Srivastava.

She added that efforts were under way to arrest the third accused Mahesh, 40, who was absconding. The police said the accused knew the girls family and they raped the girl at different places over the past few months.

When the mother of the 16-year-old noticed some changes in her body and enquired about the same, the girl narrated her ordeal to her.

The CO said the girl accused Srichand of raping her almost one-and-a-half-year ago and alleged that his younger brother Ballan outraged her modesty five months ago when she was alone at home.

Also read: Hathras gang-rape victims family against CBI probe; SIT records statement

Both are known to her family and Ballan worked in a farm house. He helped the family in getting a loan from his farm owner. The family mortgaged their house to the farm owner in lieu of the loan, the cop said.

Ballan used to visit their house to ensure repayment of instalment of the loan which the family had been unable to pay for the past few months due to their poor financial condition.

The familys earnings come from selling milk and another accused Mahesh used to visit their house to procure milk. The girl also charged him of raping her a month ago.

A case was registered against the accused on the complaint of the girl, said Srivastava and added that a fair investigation would be done in the case. She said that the girl had been sent for a medical examination and her statement would be recorded on Sunday.

The incident comes against the backdrop of a 19-year-old Dalit womans alleged gang rape and assault in Hathras. She later died in a Delhi hospital and was cremated in the dead of the night by the local police triggering outrage across the nation.

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The United States and Russia will hold a round of control talks in the Finland's capital, Helsinki, on Monday to follow up on negotiations in Austria this summer, the Finnish president's office said.

"The round of discussions on strategic stability and nuclear weapons between the United States and Russia, which began in Vienna in the summer, will continue in Helsinki on Monday," the office of the Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said in a brief statement late Sunday.

The office said negotiators from Washington and Moscow met a previous time in Finland in 2017.

"Finland welcomes the negotiators, this time (US) Ambassador (Marshall) Billingslea and (Russian) Deputy Foreign Minister (Sergei) Ryabkov," the statement said, adding that Niinisto would meet both representatives after the talks.

The talks are aimed at producing a new agreement to replace the New START treaty that expires in February the last remaining pact constraining the arsenals of the world's two major nuclear powers.

According to Russian news agency TASS, the previous round of consultations between Billingslea and Ryabkov were held in Vienna on August 17-18.

(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.)
Fire officials said the Glass Fire burning in wine country for the past week was their top priority

Deadly wildfires in California have burned more than 4 million acres (6,250 square miles) this year  more than double the previous record for the most land burned in a single year in the state.

California fire officials said the state hit the astonishing milestone Sunday with about two months remaining in the fire season. The previous record was set two years ago when wildfires destroyed 1.67 million acres (2,609 square miles).

The 4 million mark is unfathomable. It boggles the mind, and it takes your breath away, said Scott McLean, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire.

Cal Fire said in a statement Sunday that there have been more than 8,200 wildfires since the start of the year that have burned well over 4 million acres in California.

The flames have scorched an area larger than Connecticut. About 17,000 firefighters are still battling nearly two dozen major blazes throughout the state.

A community of forest homes lies in ruins along Auberry Road in the Meadow Lakes area after the Creek Fire swept through on September 8, 2020 near Shaver Lake, California. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

Despite the grim milestone, there were signs for optimism this weekend.

Powerful winds that had been expected to drive flames in recent days hadnt materialized, and warnings of extreme fire danger for hot, dry and gusty weather expired Saturday morning as a layer of fog rolled in. Clearer skies in some areas allowed large air tankers to drop retardant after being sidelined by smoky conditions several days earlier.

In certain areas, we were able to get quite a bit of aircraft in. So we really pounded, a couple different areas hard with aircraft, Mclean said. If the weather does what is predicted, were on that glide path I hope. But that doesnt diminish the amount of work that still needs to be done.

Virtually all the damage has occurred since mid-August, when five of the six largest fires in state history erupted. Lightning strikes caused some of the most devastating blazes. The wildfires have incinerated hundreds of homes and killed 31 people but large parts of them are burning in largely unpopulated land.

Story continues

Read More: 3 killed in Northern California wildfire; thousands flee

Many of the most destructive fires sparked in Northern California, where hills and mountains dotted with many dead trees have provided plenty of fuel for fires igniting amid high temperatures and strong winds fanning the flames. Thick, gray smoke from the blazes has fouled the air in many hill communities and major cities in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.

Numerous studies have linked bigger wildfires in America to climate change from the burning of coal, oil and gas. Scientists say climate change has made California much drier, meaning trees and other plants are more flammable.

Not 4 million acres tho  habibti  (@childishjasbino) October 4, 2020

Fire officials said the Glass Fire burning in wine country for the past week was their top priority.

Three fires, driven by strong winds and high temperatures, merged into one tearing into vineyards and forested mountain areas, including part of the city of Santa Rosa. Thousands of people were under evacuation orders, including the entire population of Calistoga, a town of 5,000.

Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now!

The post Record-breaking California wildfires surpass 4 million acres appeared first on TheGrio.
Long lines stretched outside polling stations Sunday during Kyrgyzstan's parliamentary elections. Sixteen parties are vying for the 120 seats in the legislature, which has significant powers in appointing the prime minister and has occasionally acted as a counterweight to the president and cabinet in recent Kyrgyz history.

The current parliament is ruled by a coalition in which the Social Democratic Party (SPDK) has the most seats  38.In the summer of 2019, ex-president and ex- SPDK chairman Almazbek Atambayev was arrested on corruption charges after a raid on his residence and sentenced to 11 years in jail.

(Image Credit: Twitter/@JPDiPirro)
Director General of Police (DGP) Law and Order Ashok Kumar on Sunday launched a special grievance cell for Jammu and Kashmir students and appointed a special nodal officer for addressing issues of Kashmiri students studying in Uttrakhand.

This comes a week after Jammu and Kashmir Students Associations delegation apprised Kumar about various issues of Kashmiri students in the state. In the meeting, the delegation led by Spokesperson of the association Nasir Khuehami shared various issues faced by the students in the state with the DGP and requested the establishment of a special grievance cell which ensures the safety and security of the students.

As per an official statement, Kumar said that Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mamta Vohra has been designated as a nodal officer for managing the response and redressal of complaints of students belonging to Jammu and Kashmir.

The appointment of a nodal officer for Kashmiri students will give them a sense of security and comfort, he said, adding that if there is any apprehension or any misconduct towards them, they should contact Vohra for addressing such issues.

Any student or resident of Jammu and Kashmir in Uttarakhand can contact the nodal officer on mobile number -- 9412029346 or can even reach out on email mamtasvohra@gmail.com. The number and email will be manned round the clock, the statement read.

The complaint can be directly registered if any Jammu and Kashmir student or resident is threatened or harassed in the state. Moreover, Kumar assured of taking all possible steps to ensure the students safety and said that he had been closely monitoring the situation.

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The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) on Sunday virtually walked out of the National Democratic Alliance in Bihar ahead of the state assembly polls, saying that it will not fight the election under JD(U) president and Chief Minister Nitish Kumars leadership of the ruling alliance in the state, LJP sources said.

An LJP parliamentary board meeting chaired by its president Chirag Paswan instead passed a resolution in favour of an alliance with the BJP and said its MLAs will work to strengthen the hand of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP has already announced that the NDA will fight the polls under the leadership of Nitish Kumar.

As such, the LJP resolution makes the partys break up with the NDA in the state inevitable. The BJP central election committee is meeting later in the evening to finalise the partys candidates for the three-phase assembly election, which begins from October 28.

Earlier on Thursday, top BJP leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah and party president J P Nadda, held a meeting with LJP chief Chirag Paswan to thrash out a seat-sharing arrangement with allies.

Paswan, LJP sources said, listed his grievances with Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar and spoke of pressure from within his party to contest on 143 seats in the elections to the 243-seat assembly at the meeting here.

No seat-sharing deal was finalised at the meeting," an LJP leader said, adding that Shah noted that the BJP has had no differences with the LJP. The presence of Shah at a meeting of BJP leaders on the Bihar polls on Wednesday and now his meeting with Paswan underscored his effort to settle the internal differences within the ruling National Democratic Alliance amicably.

In 2015, it contested 42 seats and won two. The JD(U) was then part of the opposition alliance which decisively defeated the NDA.

(With PTI inputs)
Vietnam, Laos strengthen cooperation for 2021-2030 period

Vietnam and Laos have reached agreements on a number of issues to promote bilateral cooperation during the 2021-2030 period.









Officials from both sides gathered at a recent meeting discussing the development of the 10-year cooperation strategy for 2021-2030 and the five-year cooperation agreement for 2021-2025 between the Vietnam-Laos Cooperation Committee and the Laos-Vietnam Cooperation Committee, which took place at Lao Bao - Densavan Border Gates between Vietnams central province of Quang Tri and Savannakhet Province, Laos, from September 29 to October 1.



At the conference, the two sides discussed the Vietnam-Laos cooperation strategy for the 2021-2030 period and the five-year cooperation plan for the 2021-2025 period towards mutual agreement before submitting them to the governments of the two countries for consideration and passing at the upcoming Intergovernmental Committee Conference on bilateral cooperation between the Government of Vietnam and the Government of Laos, scheduled to take place at the end of 2020.



The delegates also discussed the implementation of the 10-year cooperation strategy between the two countries for the 2011-2020 period and the five-year cooperation agreement for the 2016-2020 period.



In an interview with Nhan Dan Newspaper correspondents in Laos on October 2, Lao Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment cum Vice Chairman of the Laos-Vietnam Cooperation Committee Khamphoi Keokinnaly affirmed that, through the conference, the two sides have gained better understanding on a number issues and agreed to continue to discuss some specific matters in the next meeting, in order to get the best results before submitting to the higher levels.



The Lao official said that through the conference, many problems have been resolved. Both sides came to an agreement and are continuing to prepare documents for the next meeting. The results achieved through the conference are positive, serving well in the comprehensive cooperation between Laos and Vietnam, he said.



Due to the complicated developments of the COVID-19 epidemic, the two sides strictly implemented measures to prevent and control the pandemic in accordance with the regulations of the two countries, choosing the national border gates of Lao Bao and Densavan as the location for the meeting.



At the meeting, the two committees praised the results of the bilateral cooperation in recent years and planned to continue hold the next meetings and working sessions to adjust and complete the content of the cooperation documents ahead of the 43rd Intergovernmental Committee on bilateral cooperation between the Government of Vietnam and the Government of Laos.
CONTACT: Pamela D. Wilson 303-810-1816

Email: Inquiry_For_Pamela@pameladwilson.com

Golden, Colorado  October 4, 2020

The Caring Generation Radio Show: Work Family Conflict

Golden CO- Caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson hosts The Caring Generation family talk radio program for caregivers and aging adults this coming Wednesday, October 7th, on the Bold Brave Media Network. The program airs live at 9 p.m. EST. The Caring Generation aired initially from 2009 to 2011 on 630 KHOW-AM in Denver, Colorado.

Caregiving: Work Family Conflict

Adult children helping aging parents may not call themselves a caregiver. When something serious happens to an elderly parent's health like a heart attack or a stroke, the belief that"I'm simply helping out"turns the adult child's life upside down.

Suddenly, a working adult child is called a caregiver by doctors and the healthcare system. The newly identified caregiver devotes time to help an aging parent. Caregiving efforts may interrupt work and career.

Conversations that could have happened early with elderly parents about "when you need care what do you want," still may not occur. Caregivers don't know what they don't know. Little understanding of the depth and time caregivers may devote exists. Caregiving can consume life and interrupt a career when elderly parents' needs continue to grow, and no discussions have occurred about caregiving responsibilities.

Caregiver Stress and Burnout

Caregiver stress and burnout exist for family and professional caregivers. Caregivers accept family responsibility to provide care.

Professional caregivers like CNAs and other care staff working in home health companies assisted living communities, and nursing homes experience stress due to time pressure, a lack of training, and a lack of support from the workplace. These caregivers are placed into situations they're not taught to navigate.

As a result, older adults and their family members may be frustrated and angry. Working caregivers feel the same way when they are on the receiving end of upset clients. How do professional caregivers manage?

Pamela's Guest is Dr. Catherine O'Brien from the Mather Institute

The guest for this caregiving radio program is Dr. Catherine O'Brien, PhD., MPH Assistant Vice President and Director of the Mather Institute. She shares information about the stress experienced by staff working in senior living communities.

In addition to overseeing translational research and other initiatives within the Institute, Dr. O'Brien is responsible for developing collaborative research partnerships with universities and professionals in the field of aging. She serves as managing editor for Seniors Housing & Care Journal, a peer-reviewed publication focusing on applied research and best practices in the areas of seniors housing and long-term care. Dr. O'Brien's recent research topics include wellness in residents of Life Plan Communities and senior living workforce development.

Join Pamela on The Caring Generation for intelligent conversations about aging, caregiving, and relationships. The Caring Generation radio program airs live at 6 p.m. Pacific, 7 p.m. Mountain, 8 p.m. Central, and 9 p.m. Eastern every Wednesday night. Replays of the weekly programs are available on all major podcast sites. Wilson's website features the podcast and radio program transcripts. Information about Wilson's commitment to online caregiver education, keynotes, video conferencing, caregiver support, and creating workplaces where people matter is on her website

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DEAR ABBY: My husband, "Daryl," gets furious every time I talk to my ex, my two oldest kids' father. The only thing we discuss is my kids' issues, but Daryl loses it completely. He starts calling me names and says I don't respect him even though I do. I keep assuring him that there's nothing inappropriate being talked about (he is present during all the conversations since we talk over the phone and live in different states).

I don't know what to do anymore. My kids are 14- and 13-year-old girls, who are going through all these crazy teenage issues, which obviously, as their parents, my ex and I have to sometimes talk about, and it's not even that many calls. I'm wondering if this is normal because I've only been in two relationships in my life. I'm 33, and I feel like a goofball for not knowing what to do. -- TOUGH SITUATION IN TEXAS

DEAR TOUGH SITUATION: No, it is not normal. Your husband's jealousy and insecurity are over the top. You have a responsibility as the mother of two teenage daughters to see them through this time of great transition, and if you feel their father is in a better position to provide input than your husband, you have a right to seek it.

It's time to talk about this with a licensed marriage and family therapist because Daryl's behavior is abusive. If it isn't stopped, it may escalate. Do it now because if the verbal abuse continues and your daughters witness it, they will grow up thinking it's normal behavior, and it will negatively affect their relationships with men later in life.

DEAR ABBY: I have been diagnosed with PTSD by my doctor. I thought only people who have been in military combat would receive a PTSD diagnosis.

I have had a lifetime of verbal abuse from my mother. Once she had broken my spirit with rants of "dummy," "stupid" and "I wish you had never been born," I was easy prey for my older brother. To get laughs, he never misses a chance to make fun of me in public.

On second thought, I guess I HAVE been through combat. Abby, do you have any ideas how to make life somewhat bearable? -- CONSTANTLY HURTING

DEAR CONSTANTLY: I sure do! Ask your doctor for a referral to a psychotherapist with expertise in family dysfunction and PTSD. Then make it a practice to AVOID abusive people who seek attention by ridiculing and belittling others. If you do, your life will improve immeasurably. Trust me on that.

DEAR ABBY: What do you think about people having drive-by baby showers? I was recently invited to one, only to arrive and find the front yard filled with people, cake and balloons. But I had been instructed to just drop my gift and go on.

I did expect a few people to be there with the expectant mom to greet me and receive the gift, but after traveling 25 miles only to find a full-blown party going on that I wasn't allowed to join seems very rude to me. I think if that was the plan, she should have just had a shower for these A-list guests and forgone the drive-by part. What are your thoughts on this? -- TURNED OFF IN TENNESSEE

DEAR TURNED OFF: You may not have been singled out to be slighted. Those at the party may have "crashed" the lawn from their cars. What a foolish, risky thing to subject the expectant mother to. If the revelers weren't masked, the honoree and her baby were at risk of catching COVID!

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
It is the hugely popular 1 shower gel that claims to have packed 40 'real zingy limes' or an astonishing 7,927 tingling mint leaves inside every one of its 250ml bottles.

But scientists last night accused the makers of Original Source of misleading consumers, saying only one per cent of each bottle contains any fruit or plant product.

An estimated 5.5 million Britons used one of the UK brand's shower gels last year.

One hugely popular 1 shower gel claims to have packed 40 'real zingy limes' or an astonishing 7,927 tingling mint leaves inside every one of its 250ml bottles

Eye-catching packaging boasts that one of its gels contains 'three mouth-watering oranges' in every bottle, while the label on its lemon and tea tree version claims it is made with '10 real zesty lemons' hand-picked by farmers in Sicily.

However, some experts accused the brand of relying on 'questionable science' and clever marketing, when in reality it is using tiny drops of strong-smelling essential oils extracted from fruit and leaves.

Original Source's website says its limes come from South America, adding: 'We've packed 40 real limes and 100 per cent natural fragrance into every 250ml bottle.'

For its mint shower gel, the brand boasts: 'We pack 7,927 tingling mint leaves and 100 per cent natural fragrance into every 250ml bottle so you can pack more into your day.'

Laurence Harwood, professor of organic chemistry at the University of Reading, said: 'It's all just advertising-speak. Saying there are 40 limes in every bottle gives the impression to the consumer that they have macerated them but, no, they have extracted the oil by boiling or pressing the peels which are a by-product from juice plants.'

He said the amount of essential oil extracted from the zest of 40 limes would be 'minuscule', adding: 'We are talking a matter of milligrams.

Scientists accused the makers of Original Source of misleading consumers, saying only one per cent of each bottle contains any fruit or plant product

'I'd say it would make up about one per cent of a bottle of Organic Source's lime shower gel. What it ought to say on the bottle is "This product is made from the oil extracted from the zest of 40 limes", but that doesn't sound as good.'

Original Source told the MoS it uses the whole fruit to create the essential oils in its products. The firm said it keeps its costs low by buying its essential oil directly from a supplier who cold presses the limes. The pulp is sold to other industries and food production.

Speaking to wholesalers, the cheapest limes our reporters could find on the planet last week cost 9p each from Spain.

At that price, 40 limes would cost 3.60, more than three times the 1 cost of Original Source's lime shower gel.

In small print on the back label, the Original Source lime bottle states it is made with 'Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Oil, Citrus Sinensis (Orange) Peel Oil Expressed'.

The mint shower gel's ingredients list said it contains 'Mentha Arvensis (Peppermint) Leaf Oil'.

Cosmetic chemist Nausheen Qureshi said: 'When they say there are ten lemons in a bottle, what they probably mean is there is one drop of oil.

Some experts accused the brand of relying on 'questionable science' and clever marketing, when in reality it is using drops of strong-smelling essential oils extracted from fruit

'But you are not using ten lemons to make that oil, you are using the remnants of the skin of ten lemons that no one wants because it's a by-product. To say there are ten lemons in every bottle is a huge over-exaggeration. It is questionable science. I think someone in the marketing department has had a lot of fun with this.'

A spokesman for Original Source denied the brand was being misleading and said: 'The claims on the packaging relate to the amount of natural essential oil derived from the fruits that Original Source puts into each shower gel.

'The Original Source Lime shower gel contains the essential oil of 40 limes which has been extracted.

The whole fruit is put into a hopper and 'cold pressed'  essentially squeezed, rolled and chopped to draw out the oils.

Knowing the average yield of essential oil per lime and the amount we need in every pack, we can calculate the number of limes required per pack.'
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 19:13:05|Editor: huaxia

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JAKARTA, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo has emphasized that the public health remains the government's top priority amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Along with that priority, the government has also been taking measures to minimize the economic impact which has been battered by the global pandemic, he said.

"The public health must be the number one. It must be prioritized," he said in a statement uploaded to his official channel on YouTube on Sunday.

He also stressed that making the public health a priority does not mean the country has to sacrifice economic aspects.

"If we sacrifice the economy, it is the same as sacrificing the lives of tens of millions of people," said Widodo, who is commonly called Jokowi.

"This is not an option we can take. Again, we have to find the right balance," he added.

The president has called on his ministers to work harder in responding to the crisis and urged people to lodge complaints or deliver suggestions to his administration.

The Health Ministry announced 3,992 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the total number of infections nationwide to 303,498.

According to data released by the ministry on Sunday, 96 more people have died of the disease, bringing the death toll to 11,151. Enditem
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid tribute to revolutionary freedom fighter Shyamji Krishna Varma on his birth anniversary, and said he devoted himself towards Indias freedom and inspired many nationalists.

Shyamji Krishna Varma was fearless and selfless. He devoted himself towards Indias freedom and inspired many nationalists. India bows to him on his Jayanti. We shall always work hard to realise his vision for our nation. Visit this site to know about him. krantiteerth.org, he tweeted.

The website notes that Varma, who was born in 1857, had set up a revolutionary centre in India House at London and propagated the cause of Indias independence through his writings in a publication journal called The Indian Sociologist.
Shuaa Capital, a leading asset management and investment banking platform in the region, has launched three Sharia compliant funds and already secured $75 million of commitments.



The Shuaa High Yield Sukuk Fund, Nujoom Aggressive Fund and Nujoom Balanced Fund  the first Sharia-compliant funds within an ICC umbrella to launch in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM)  are breaking ground as part of Shuaas fund platform rolled out in ADGM.



The funds platform is expected to be the largest of its kind to be domiciled in ADGM. The funds, and Shuaas fund platform within ADGM, are established and managed by Shuaa GMC Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary, which is regulated by the ADGM Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA).



The Shuaa High Yield Sukuk Fund will invest in a diversified portfolio of sukuk instruments, including high yield sukuk, Sharia-compliant fixed income investments and other collective investment funds approved by the Sharia advisors.



The Nujoom Aggressive Fund and the Nujoom Balanced Fund will invest in a global portfolio of Sharia-compliant equities, fixed income investments and money market instruments.



The funds, which are available to qualified institutional investors only, are offered through Allfunds Bank platform, the worlds largest fund distribution network, and will widen the choices available to insurance and pension institutional investors with a long-term investment horizon.



Under the ICC framework, each fund has its own segregated assets, and distinct investment strategies and mandates. Consequently, the assets of each fund will be invested for the shareholders of the corresponding fund and the assets of a specific fund are solely accountable for the liabilities, commitments and obligations of that fund.



Jassim Alseddiqi, Chief Executive Officer of Shuaa Capital, said: The number of Sharia funds available to investors is yet to match the growing demand for Islamic finance products across the world. This is because not enough fund managers offer options in the much sought after Sharia space, and even the funds available either have small AUMs or are close ended.



As a result, the choice of strategies remains limited. The current climate of uncertainty amid the COVID-19 pandemic has created disruption in the global markets, presenting our funds with investment opportunities that would not have been available under normal market conditions. Our pioneering funds, which are the first Sharia-compliant funds to launch under an ICC umbrella in the Abu Dhabi Global Market, are designed to give insurance and pension institutional investors more options while also supporting the Islamic investment industry.



Ajit Joshi, Head of Public & Private markets at Shuaa Capital, added: The ICC funds platform will serve as Qualified Investor Fund primarily targeting insurance and pension institutional investors with a long-term investment horizon.



Our umbrella fund gives investors the option and comfort of investing in a regulated fund structure that is diversified, achieves cost-efficiencies and economies of scale, and creates consistent and long-term value. We remain committed to the Islamic investment industry and look forward to launching more funds to address the growing demand for Sharia compliant investment funds.



Shuaas group experience in managing several Sharia-compliant investments also drives additional confidence and opportunities for the ICC funds. The new funds will serve as a platform for its investors to deploy capital, generate stable returns and further diversify their investments.



Dar Al Sharia Limited acts as Sharia advisor to the funds. FAB Custody is appointed as the custodian, while Apex Fund Services serves as the administrator.  TradeArabia News Service


Japanese conductor leads Liszt, Dvorak concert in HCMC

Internationally acclaimed conductor Honna Tetsuji led a concert featuring works by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt and Czech composer Antonin Dvorak at the HCM City Opera House.









Pianist Luu uc Anh performed Liszts Piano Concerto No 2 in A Major at a concert in HCM City Opera House on October 4.  Photo courtesy of HBSO



The concert opened with Liszts Piano Concerto No 2 in A Major featuring pianist Luu uc Anh of Ha Noi.



Born in 1993, Anh began studying piano with his father, Meritorious Artist Luu Quang Minh, one of the leading teachers in accordion and jazz in Viet Nam.



Anh joined the Viet Nam National Academy of Music (VNAM) in 2000, and then the Royal Conservatory of Liege, Belgium where he obtained his Bachelor's degree in 2013 and Master's degree in 2015. He entered the Malmo Academy of Music, Sweden in 2016.



Anh has won numerous music awards, such as first prize at the "Leopold Godowsky" International Piano Competition 2014 in Warsaw, Poland, and first prize at the Stockholm International Piano Competition 2017 in Stockholm, Sweden.



He has appeared as soloist with the Viet Nam National Symphony Orchestra, London Chamber Orchestra, and Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, and has performed in Europe, Australia and Japan.



In 2018, he was invited to give a private performance for the Prime Minister of France, Edouard Phillipe at Van Mieu (Temple of Literature) in Ha Noi, and later for Princess Victoria of Sweden at the same venue.



He has been a lecturer at VNAMs Piano Department since 2018.



The second part of the night will feature Dvoraks Symphony No 9 ("From the New World"), known as the New World Symphony.



The four-movement work will be performed by the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO).



Conductor Tetsuji studied at the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam and the London Sinfonietta, an English contemporary chamber orchestra.



He has won several top prizes at international competitions, including the Tokyo International Competition and Arturo Toscanini International Conductor Competition.



He has conducted numerous orchestras such as La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra of Italy and the Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra.



He was appointed music advisor and conductor of the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra (VNSO) from 2001-2009, and as the orchestra's director from 2011.



He took the VNSO to perform at New York's Carnegie Hall and Boston Symphony Hall in the US in 2011, the Capella Paolina chapel and Italian Presidential Palace in Italy in 2013, and the Grand Hall of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Russia in 2014.


The West Australian government will give each household $600 to use toward their energy bills in a bid to assist coronavirus recovery.

From November, the one-off credit will begin landing in the bank accounts of about 1.1 million home owners and tenants.

The state government anticipates it will save households about four months worth of energy bills.

Any remaining credit not used on the next bill, which will arrive by the end of the year, can be transferred onto future energy bills.

The credit will not be means tested.

The state government anticipates it will save households about four months worth of energy bills

Premier McGowan said that Western Australia is in the best possible position to recover from the pandemic. Pictured: Medics at a drive through testing clinic

Premier McGowan said that Western Australia is in the best possible position to recover from the pandemic

Premier Mark McGowan on Sunday said he hoped the credit would offer financial relief to struggling West Australians in the lead up to Christmas.

'This year has been like nothing we've experienced before,' Mr McGowan said.

'It's been difficult in so many different ways, depending on everyone's personal situation.

'This $600 credit will go a long way to helping every Western Australian.'

The scheme is anticipated to cost the government $644 million, which will be funded by the historic Bell Group settlement.

After almost three decades of legal disputes, the West Australian Supreme Court in August distributed funds from the group's liquidation.

The West Australian state government had a significant stake in the Bell Group prior to its collapse in 1991.

Premier Mark McGowan on Sunday said he hoped the credit would offer financial relief to struggling West Australians in the lead up to Christmas

People are seen lining up at Centrelink in Flemington on March 23 at the beginning of the coronavirus crisis. Mr McGowan said he hoped the cash splash would help boost the economy come Christmas and the New Year given families would have additional disposable income

The State Governments third-party insurer, the Insurance Commission of WA, walked away from the court case with about $665 million.

Mr McGowan said he hoped the cash splash would help boost the economy come Christmas and the New Year given families would have additional disposable income.

'It will also mean many families will have extra cash to spend, which will help support our economy and local jobs,' Mr McGowan said.

'By spending it locally, it gives our State the best chance to recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19 stronger than ever.'

He went on to say that Western Australia is in the best possible position to recover from the pandemic.

The state is treating just 29 active cases of COVID-19 and as had a total of 686 cases, in contrast to about 20,197 in Victoria and 4,323 in New South Wales.

'Keeping the cost of living down for WA families is important, to allow families to spend their money on what's important to keep our economy growing. '
New Delhi: With a spike of 75,829 new cases and 940 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 count crossed 65-lakhs on Sunday, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).

As per the MoHFW, the COVID-19 count is at 65,49,374, including 9,37,625 active cases in the country.



The count also includes 55,09,967 cured and discharged or migrated cases and 1,01,782 deaths, as per the MoHFW.

Earlier yesterday, the COVID-19 toll in the country had surpassed the 1-lakh mark.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 7,89,92,534 samples have been tested up to October 2 for COVID-19 in the country. Out of these 11,42,131 samples were tested on Friday.

The MoHFW had said that increased pace of testing has led to "early identification, prompt isolation, and effective treatment of COVID-19 cases. These have eventually resulted in a sustained low Fatality Rate."

"India has scaled up its testing capacity from one in January to more than 7.7 cr in October. With progressively falling positivity rate, testing has worked as an effective tool to limit the spread of COVID-19 infection," a tweet by the MoHFW read.
FILE PHOTO: Japanese designer Kenzo poses for the media in front of his works at an art gallery in Buenos Aires

By Sarah White

PARIS (Reuters) - Japanese fashion designer Kenzo Takada, better known as Kenzo, who created his label in Paris in the 1970s, died on Sunday, the brand that still carries his name said.

Aged 81, Takada died of complications linked to COVID-19 at the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a residential suburb on the western outskirts of the capital, his spokesman told French media.

Known for his colourful motifs and original silhouettes, which mixed inspirations from Japan, such as the kimono, with other cuts, Takada also branched into perfumes and skincare lines, helping his business boom.

He had retired from his eponymous label several decades ago, however, after selling it to LVMH <LVMH.PA>, the world's biggest luxury group, in the early 1990s.

Kenzo has since had several other creative directors, while Takada maintained close links to the world of fashion but explored other areas of design, including furniture.

Confirming his death in a statement on Instagram, the Kenzo brand paid tribute to his use of colour, and said the label was still inspired by his zest for life and optimism.

Takada, who has described how he first reached France via a long boat journey in the mid-1960s, was known an avid traveller, and played with a mix of cultural inspirations in his designs.

A New York Times review of one of Takada's early fashion shows in 1973 hailed an "ethnic mishmash that was joyous and full of fun", describing him as "one of the most imaginative designers in the world".

Takada, who has also designed opera costumes, started out with a small store in Paris before soon reaching star status, and remained in his adopted city. His contemporaries in a thriving period for Parisian fashion included Jean Paul Gaultier and Yves Saint Laurent.

"Paris is mourning one of its sons today," Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said on Twitter.

LVMH's Chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault said in a statement that Kenzo had "infused into fashion a tone of poetic lightness and sweet freedom which inspired many designers after him".

Story continues

Ralph Toledano, chairman of France's fashion federation, credited Takada with contributing to writing "a new page in fashion, at the confluence of the East and the West".

Takada early this year launched a new venture in Paris, a home and lifestyle brand called K3, in collaboration with other designers.

(Reporting by Mathieu Rosemain, Nicolas Delame and Sarah White; Editing by Giles Elgood, Frances Kerry and Barbara Lewis)
Despite the current crisis facing the global aviation industry, its commitment to pursuing sustainability remains strong, particularly as the sector starts to recover.

Speaking at the Global Sustainable Aviation Forum, industry leaders reiterated that long-term climate action should be a priority alongside economic recovery in the coming years.

Executive Director of the cross-industry Air Transport Action Group, Michael Gill said: Air transport is in the midst of the deepest shock in its history. We expect a reduction of up to 4.8 million jobs in the sector by the end of the year and a massive hit to our ability to connect the world. However, as we plan for the recovery of air connectivity, we also must prioritise our environmental progress.

Our sector has a long-term climate change goal to cut CO2 emissions in half by 2050. With the right help from governments, the energy sector and technologists, we expect that global aviation will be able to hit net zero emissions a decade or so later. Some parts of the world will be able to meet this point earlier and a number of individual companies have already set goals along these lines. To achieve this will require a transition in our energy source from fossil fuel to sustainable aviation fuel, the acceleration of research and development of electric, hybrid and potentially hydrogen aircraft. It will also require a commitment to collaboration going even beyond our current levels. We have the next decade to set the scene for sustainable global connectivity for the next 30-40 years.

Speaking about the need to focus on sustainability as part of the industrys long-term recovery from Covid-19, the Director General of Airports Council International, Luis Felipe de Oliveira, said: The recovery of the aviation industry will be a key driver of the global economic recovery. To ensure that aviation can continue to provide the economic and social benefits, it is crucial that we pursue a green recovery and lay the foundation for a prosperous and sustainable industry for the long term. Airports are central to the interconnected and interdependent aviation ecosystem. Airports and their partners in the aviation industry need the support of appropriate regulation and government policies to facilitate a green recovery and push for real change.

Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation Director General Simon Hocquard said: Meeting our ambitious sustainability goals continues to be of paramount importance and will only happen if everyone in the aviation system plays their part. From implementing new operational procedures to adopting the latest technologies, the ATM industry has an important role to play in improving the efficiency of aviation in the near term, before new electric aircraft technologies or zero carbon fuels come on stream.

Alexandre de Juniac, Director General and CEO of the International Air Transport Association, said: Covid-19 has devastated the aviation industry. But we are working hard to re-connect the world safely and sustainably. Were committed to pushing ourselves, our partners, and governments to achieve our carbon targets in a green recovery. But this is not the time for more environmental taxes that punish people for reconnecting with family or who contribute to economic recovery with business travel. For aviation, the keys to combatting climate change remain investments in carbon offsetting, sustainable fuels, and radical green technologies.

Chair of the International Coordinating Council of Aerospace Industries Associations, Eric Fanning, said: Manufacturers invest billions of dollars a year to make the next generation of airplanes even more fuel efficient, but disruption from Covid-19 will make it difficult to maintain this level of investment in research and development. Moving forward, government and industry leaders must find new ways to collaborate on funding and developing innovative technologies that will address climate change." -- Tradearabia News Service
(Photo : Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) SAN FRANCISCO, CA - SEPTEMBER 29: An attendee inspects the new Nexus 5X phone during a Google media event on September 29, 2015 in San Francisco, California. Google unveiled its 2015 smartphone lineup, the Nexus 5x and Nexus 6P, the new Chromecast and new Android 6.0 Marshmallow software features.

(Photo : Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images) BERLIN, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 20: A customer tries out the new Apple iPhone 5C smartphone at the Berlin Apple Store on the first day of sales on September 20, 2013 in Berlin, Germany. The new iPhone 5S and 5C phones went on sale all over the world today and hundreds of customers waited outside the Berlin store in the rain to be among the first to buy the new phones starting at 8am.

Hacking reports have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. From small to big corporations and individuals are not safe from cybercriminals. Whatever devices you are using, hackers are capable of stealing your personal information.



Kim Komando, a Fox News reporter, shared her experience with targeted ads. She said that when she mentioned that she would like to go hiking in Patagonia, her phone started receiving ads about hiking adventures in her desired place after an hour during their dinner.

Although there's no concrete evidence that your phone's camera is always listening to you, many residents in the United States believe that apps and other sites collect their voice data for marketing purposes. Even your smart TV could be gathering sensitive data while you use it.

iPhone and Android smartphones are no exception, although Apple's iOS 14 is updated with useful new privacy options. Here's a new trick you can use to identify if someone secretly using your device's mic or camera.

Look for your iPhone's orange dot

iPhone's latest system update includes an orange dot that appears in the screen's upper-right hand corner. This serves as an indicator when your mic is in use. On the other hand, if a small green dot appears, that means your camera is in use or was recently recording.

If you're not sure which app is using your mic or camera, here's what you need to do;

1) Navigate to the device's Settings, then scroll down and choose the "Privacy option."

2) You can tap either the "Camera" or "Microphone" option. Each of these will show you a list of apps.

3) Choose the apps you want to turn off.

How to identify if your Android's camera or mic is in use

Right now, Android devices don't have the feature to notify you if the camera or mic is working. However, you can use the Access Dots app, which will show an icon just like in iOS.

You can also adjust the indicator icon's color to your liking. If you see the indicator and want to turn off your camera or mic, you can just swipe from the bottom up to the middle of your screen. After that, you need to swipe from left to right, then tap the "Clear all" option to close all the apps at once.



You can also check your device's permissions. Here's what you need to do;



1) Go to Settings and scroll down, then click the "Personal" option.

2) Choose the "Privacy and Safety" option, then go to App Permissions.

3) You can either choose the Camera or Microphone, then choose the app you want to turn off by toggling the slider to the "off" position.

For more news updates about Android or iPhone smartphones, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Also Read: This Samsung Phone Lets Users Control it With Just Waving in the Air

This article is owned by TechTimes,

Written by: Giuliano de Leon.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Actor Thomas Jefferson Byrd, who starred in several films by director Spike Lee, has been shot dead in Atlanta.

Lee broke the news on Instagram on Sunday, writing: 'I'm So Sad To Announce The Tragic Murder Of Our Beloved Brother Thomas Jefferson Byrd Last Night In Atlanta, Georgia.'

Atlanta police confirmed that cops responded to a call about a person injured at about 1.45am on Saturday and found Byrd unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds in his back.

The 70-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.

Thomas Jefferson Byrd, 70, was shot dead in Atlanta on Saturday. The actor, who starred in several films by director Spike Lee, is pictured in 2014

Spike Lee broke the news of Byrd's death in an Instagram post on Sunday. The pair are pictured together in August 2012 at the Longacre Theater in New York City

In his post about the news, Lee included a photo of Byrd playing the character Errol Barnes in his 1995 movie Clockers

Police have not released any additional information about the incident as the investigation remains ongoing.

In his post about the news, Lee included a photo of Byrd playing the character Errol Barnes in his 1995 movie Clockers.

'May We All Wish Condolences And Blessings To His Family. Rest In Peace Brother Byrd,' the director wrote.

Byrd had appeared in seven of Lee's films over the years, including Get On The Bus (1996), He Got Game (1998), Bamboozled (2000), Red Hook Summer (2012), Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus (2014) and Chi-Raq (2015).

In addition to his time on the silver screen, Byrd also enjoyed an impressive theater career, receiving a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in 2003 for his performance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

Byrd had appeared in a number of films directed by Lee (pictured together with Elvis Nolasco in 2014), including Clockers, Get On The Bus, Bamboozled and Chi-Raq

In addition to his time on the silver screen, Byrd also enjoyed an impressive theater career, receiving a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in 2003 for his performance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Byrd is seen far right on the opening night of that show

Byrd was born in Griffin, Georgia, in 1950. He earned a bachelor of science degree in education from Morris Brown College and a Masters of Fine Arts degree in dance from the California Institute of the Arts before making his acting debut in a 1992 episode of In The Heat Of The Night.

Three years later he appeared in Clockers, his first of many collaborations with Lee.

Among the other highlights in his career were appearances in Set It Off, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Living Single, and The Last O.G.

His final role was as Abner in the Civil War drama Freedom's Path, which is scheduled to be released later this year.
Four rural activists from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have been honoured with Prize for Womens Creativity in Rural Life by the Womens World Summit Foundation (WWSF). Founded in 1994, at the Beijing 4th World Conference on women, WWSF annually awards creative and courageous rural women leaders and groups for their work in improving the quality of life in rural communities.

Among the ten women leaders from across the globe, three are from Madhya Pradesh and one from Chhattisgarh, said Ran Singh Parmar, national president of Ekta Parishad. The prize includes $1000 and a citation.

Till date, the foundation has awarded 462 prizes to selected candidates in over 140 countries. In some cases, the WWSF prize enhances the status of unknown, active, creative rural women leaders and some of attain national recognition and sometimes move into positions of decision-making at the local/or national level, it said in a statement.

Subhadra Khaperde (52)  A senior volunteer activist born in Chhattisgarhs Kanker, Khaperde had started her journey as a social reformer in 1988 with Gandhian organisation Ekta Parishad. After five years of association, she now independently works for the rural women in Madhya Pradesh and elsewhere. Her work varies from reproductive health to womens ownership and intervention in agriculture.

Born as a Dalit, Khaperde had to incredible hurdles in her course of career. After being trained by veteran Gandhian activist Rajagopal PV at Raipur, she worked in Chhattisgarh and later shifted base to Dhar in Western MP with a team of 20 volunteers.

In the subsequent years, besides working for the rights and upliftment of the downtrodden, she focussed on the reproductive health of women after she established base between Khargone and Dewas, a tribal pocket of around 20-25 villages. Aided by crowdfunding, she organised health check-ups, offering them medicines and referring them to hospitals.

We worked in Dhar, nearby districts, brothels in Kolkatas Kalighat, Chittor in Rajasthan, Indore slums to map the reproductive health status of women in both rural and urban areas. It was to compare with the data offered by the census. At one point, we realised that only medicines wont help as nutritional levels were low among women and we found them in same condition in future visits. Then we found out that they are living in poor environment, have low income and consume food grown with chemicals and lacked nutrition. So, we started producing organic seeds of paddy, pulses, millets at a small stretch in Pandutalav in Dewas around five years ago. We also promoted consumption of nutritious vegetable, as I think that a woman requires more nutrition than a man reproduction and menstruation regularly, she said.

Earlier women had desi seeds, which ensured nutritious food at their homes but as corporates seized the agri sectors and started offering hybrid seeds, womens intervention in agriculture and reach to nutritious food also got hampered. This is the reason we mostly work among women from farmer families for promotion of desi seeds so that they again have stake in agriculture, she added.

Khaperde had also been active in promoting education of tribal girl child, banning bootlegging, conservation of water and land rights for tribals.

Shabnam Shah (33) - A young volunteer activist from Mungaoli in Ashoknagar district, Shah has been associated with Ekta Parishad since 2009, working among Sahariya tribe mostly on Jal, Jungle and Jameen (water, forest and land).

We work among 6000 families in 100 villages and have ensured land rights to over 1500 families. Mostly the field officers with a lack of knowledge about Forest Land Rights act hinder process of land right allotment. We work for awareness on this with the help of Gram Sabha, she said. The volunteer and her group also works for awareness against liquor consumption in villages.

Besides, Shah recently helped a tribal family in Koluachak village get their land back from encroachment of musclemen. One of the tribals had died in the assault of influential people and police had booked the victims side. We are also working to get the false charges charges levelled against tribals removed, Shah added.

Nirmala Kujur (37) - A young progressive tribal worker from Korbas Chandrauti, Kujur has been striving to uplift her community for years. After finishing class 10th, Kujur had started working as a government-appointed volunteer and also worked with women self-help groups and a volunteer organisation in Mumbai.

A strong advocate of women self-reliance, Kujur had left her husbands home when her husband, who was not much educated and had no proper job, objected to her going out and working. I work for employment of tribal women and girls education and teach them that they should be selfsufficient so that they are not dependent on anyone in any phase of life," Kujur said.

She also works for forest land rights and believes that women should have ownership of the house they live in. We work for the education of girls who drop out of schools and securing degrees through alternative courses," she added. Kujur has been associated with the Ekta Parishad since 2006-07.

Saraswati Uike (43) - A tribal from Gond, Uike comes from a very poor family of labourers. At 14, she was a mother, living the challenging life of a day labourer. However, her contact with the Ekta Parishad transformed her life at the age of 18. Soon, she became an active leader fighting for the right to land, water and forest.

Born in Betul, Uike works in Raisen district among Gond, Bhil, Bhilala tribes on forest land right and empowerment. With her dedicated efforts, scores of tribal villages have secured land and community rights in Raisen.
New Delhi: Bihar government on Saturday urged the Centre to act fast and make arrangements for willing states to raise debt for bridging their Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue gap.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi has in a letter to union finance minister and GST Council chairperson Nirmala Sitharaman urged that the Centre should act quickly given the urgency of fund requirement faced by states.

I would, thus, urge you to make necessary arrangements for initiating the process for arranging the special window so that willing states can go ahead and borrow," Modi said in the letter. Mint has reviewed a copy of the letter.

At the last GST Council meeting in August, states were offered two borrowing options to raise funds and meet the shortfall in their GST receipts. About 22 states have already opted for either of the two borrowing options. While 21 states have opted for borrowing under a special RBI window. Mizoram opted for market borrowings.

However, states like Kerala, Punjab, Puducherry, Chattisgarh, West Bengal, Telangana and Delhi have rejected the borrowing plans.

The GST Council will meet on Monday to take a decision on how to tackle the shortfall in GST compensation cess fund, which is used to make good states GST revenue gap.

Bihar Deputy Chief minister wrote that availability of funds, even if in the form of debt, will enable the cash strapped states to kick-start the development process which has come to a halt in the face of the ongoing pandemic.

Even as the Covid menace seems to abate, it is all the more important to start getting back to normalcy and this calls for resources, Modi said in the letter. Thus, we should lose no time in finding resources to generate necessary funds for this purpose," Modi said. The deputy chief minister also said that the process of borrowing is expected to take some time since arrangements will have to be made to create the special window through which states can borrow with convenience.





Modi said that states were in need of funds for activities in the second half of the year. Realising this aspect of the matter, the government of India promptly presented the two options, both of which involved borrowing by the states. I am told that most of the states have exercised their option. Having done so, we are naturally expecting that the Central government would go ahead and initiate the process," Modi said in the letter.

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A day after the Grand Alliance or Mahagatbandhan announced the seat-sharing deal for the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls, BJP president JP Nadda, Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and senior party leaders such as Shahnawaz Hussain and Bhupendra Yadav reached party headquarters for the Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting.

Sources claim that the party leaders will discuss the seat-sharing formula with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's JDU and Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha. Earlier in the day, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) announced that they will not contest the upcoming Bihar polls in alliance with JDU.

Bihar elections 2020: LJP says no to poll alliance with JD(U) over 'ideological differences'.

Citing the ideological differences, the LJP's national general secretary Abdul Khaliq said hs party will not contest the forthcoming Bihar assembly polls in alliance with its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partner Janata Dal (United). However, he added that the party would not field candidates on the BJP's seats.

"At the national level and in the Lok Sabha elections, the LJP shares a strong alliance with the BJP," Khaliq added. The senior LJP leader said the decision was taken after a key meeting of the party leaders and lawmakers on October 4.

In the absence of Ram Vilas Paswan, his son Chirag Paswan was under pressure from the party leaders to go it alone in 143 constituencies. Following this, Chirag had even met BJP President JP Nadda to come to a consensus on seat sharing. However, nothing concrete came out. As of now, Ram Vilas Paswan is recovering at AIIMS after undergoing heart surgery.

Earlier on October 3, the opposition grand alliance announced its seat-sharing formula for the upcoming Bihar polls. Grand Alliance's CM face Tejashwi Yadav while briefing the media said RJD will contest 144 seats, while Congress has been allotted 70. Also, CPI-ML will contest on 19, CPI on 6 and CPM on 4 seats respectively. Apart from this, the Lok Sabha bypoll seat has been given to Congress.

Bihar Assembly polls: Grand Alliance announces seat-sharing deal; RJD to contest 144 seats; Congress given 70

The polling for 243 assembly constituencies in the state will be held in three phases, i.e. October 28 for 71 seats, November 3 for 94 seats and November 7 for 78 seats. The counting of votes will take place on November 10.
I read the news today, oh boy The Beatles

By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

Naked Capitalisms Links page posts each day, every day, and has for thirteen years, with no interruptions or days off. If a record like that is all you need to hear, the Tip Jar is to your right. Links posts just before 7:00AM New York time, on the site, where readers seem to hang out, anticipating, or in your mailbox if you subscribe to it, having been scheduled to fire backstage in WordPress four or five hours before.

Many of you have shared how much you enjoy reading Links to start your day. For example, this exchange in Comments:

Sam Adams: I used to start my day with the Times and le Figaro. Now its first NC. And Ive learned as much through the comments. petal: Ah, me too. Now my first stop every day, and Ive learned gobs about everything  its been like opening up the world. Thank you to everyone. Brian: I was just thinking, I dont have my coffee and NC yet. Something wrong with a morning like that, incomplete. Morning to you all! Lee: Two cups of tea and NC, to start the day. Benedict@Large: NC and coffee start my world turn each day.

Readers also particularly appreciate the Antidote. From reader crittermom:

The photo made me laugh out loud (both cats still looking at me funny). Hilarious! I also loved the Kingfisher video. It was just as funny, as it held its head so still! Nice way to start the day!! Thanks, NC.

Other readers appreciation the curation. Reader Jennifer:

Thank you as always for the carefully collected links and information.

Still others appreciate the humor. Reader abynormal:

luv a strong does of irony to start the day

And some appreciate the curation and the humor. Reader Mojca:

Thank you for consistently being the best source of news, useful links and wry humour.

So if you, like these readers, start your day by reading Links, please supply the needful to keep us doing it. The Tip Jar is to your right.

The news does not stop. It always flows. Bringing you links to start your day is a process of acquiring, well, links from that flow, curating them, categorizing them, ordering them, and adding quotes, humor, etc. And of course the antidote! That process is extremely demanding and requires high-level skills. Because to you, readers, Links simply appears, like Athena from the head of Jove, the level of effort involved in creating it may not be clear. Ill describe the aspects of that effort which involve editorial judgment here; I have relegated the equally demanding technical aspects to a note[1].

Sometimes the news rages like whitewater; at other times it flows placidly. In either case, link acquisition involves selecting Link candidates from the news flow. Many candidates are sent in from helpful readers; others are acquired from the Twitter, itself a news flow of staggering volume; still others are selected from newsletters to which we subscribe; others from sites that we ourselves regularly visit.

Once sufficient candidates for Links are selected, we curate them. (In my case, I will have read several hundred, acquired 70 or 80, and winnowed those down to 55 or 50.) Curation is where editorial judgment really enters in: We have to balance breaking stories (Trump getting Covid) with continuing stories readers will expect to see (California wildfires) with articles on finance (the latest private equity debacle), articles on new science (aerosols), theoretical excursions (The American Conservative; nonsite.org), human interest (man bites dog), conversation starters (which way should toilet paper hang), and humor, especially about animals. We also add links that are intriguing, from sources that would never be discovered otherwise. Some of these links are on topics are beats we regularly post on; others are topics that the relatively sophisticated common reader will be familiar with  or should be!

Having curated the links, we use our editorial judgement to add value to them. For example, for a Covid story, we might quote from the Abstract to give you the gist when they read the popularized coverage elsewhere. For political or financial stories, we might quote something particularly egregious or extraordinary that goes beyond the headline, to make the moral of the story clear. We might also add jokes (mine are ironic, or sly as one reader said). We might also simply share our human feelings with you.

Following curation and value-add, we throw the links into categories (Assange, Class Warfare) because a list of 55 or 65 Links would forbiddingly long, and it would be hard for you to choose the topics you really want to dig into. With a category like California Wildfires, readers who are especially interested in  or affected by!  those fires can read those links first. But not all links fit into categories!

After categorization, we order the links within categories, and slide links between categories. I cant explain this part any better than to say that Links should flow. Juxtaposition matters, concrete-to-abstract matters, timely-to-theoretical matters, serious-to-funny matters, interplay between sources on the same topic matters. Here again editorial judgment enters, so that Links isnt clunky or offputting to read, but smooth and seamless, fluent and easy, with anything jarring intended to jar.

Finally comes the Antidote, a curation process that I also cannot explain. But readers seem to like them! If you are persuaded that Links demands an extraordinary level of editorial judgment and care, then you should contribute generously to compensate the makers for their labor. The Tip Jar is to your right.

* * *

I hope I have conveyed how Links, despite the seeming simplicity of its editorial design, is in fact a complex and demanding process performed under deadline pressure and for which Naked Capitalism has made the commitment that failure to deliver is not an option. Delivering Links to you also requires an uncommon combination of curiosity, news judgment, editorial judgment, and technical skill. Fortunately, we have not one, not two, but three people with those attributes. You should tip generously so they can keep doing what they do. Thanks for reading!

NOTE

[1] There is no better way to convey the demanding nature of links than to describe the actual labor that goes into it, in detail. However, since the mechanical process of creating Links may be intimidating to some readers, or even boring, like the whaling chapters in Moby Dick, I have placed that material in this note. Technical readers enjoy, since the production process of links is also a master class in high-speed and, though I say it, high quality blogging. If you want to give the people who labor to create Links a decent hourly rate, the Tip Jar is over there.
Barcelona star, Ousmane Dembele, will only move to Manchester United if the Red Devils can give him a long-term contract, according to The...

Barcelona star, Ousmane Dembele, will only move to Manchester United if the Red Devils can give him a long-term contract, according to The Times.

Dembele had drawn the interest of Man United in the past few weeks.

The forward could become a Man United player before this summer transfer window shuts on Monday night.

Man United view the France international as an alternative to Borussia Dortmunds Jadon Sancho, with the clubs Executive Vice-chairman, Ed Woodward struggling to sign the England youngster.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaers side have been trying to negotiate a loan deal with Barcelona for Dembele.

Dembele is expected to cost Man United around 65m to sign on a permanent deal.

The 23-year-old is down the pecking order under Barcelona manager Ronald Koemans squad, with Ansu Fati and Philippe Coutinho currently shining alongside Lionel Messi in Barcas attack.

Speaking about Dembeles future amid interest from Man United, Koeman told reporters recently that he trusts the player.

Dembeles situation? Im counting on him, Koeman said.

Im counting on him. But these are decisions for the club and the player.

Dembele joined Barcelona in 2017 from Dortmund in a 135.5million deal.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-05 01:42:06|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

BEIRUT, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's state security arrested on Sunday 37 migrants, including women and children, who tried to escape to Cyprus by sea, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.

The boat carrying the 37 migrants was stopped eight km away from Ramkeen Island belonging to the northern port city of Tripoli after being spotted by the naval radars, NNA said.

The Lebanese Intelligence Directorate also arrested the organizer of the human smuggling operation.

The detainees, who are 34 Syrians, two Lebanese and one Palestinian, were handed over to the competent authorities. Enditem
Waitrose has claimed an early victory against Ocado in the race to woo middle class shoppers.

Weekly orders have risen by 20 per cent to 190,000 after its products were replaced by those from Marks & Spencer on Ocado's website.

Victory: Waitrose weekly orders have risen by 20 per cent to 190,000 after its products were replaced by those from Marks & Spencer on Ocado's website

In contrast, Ocado's average weekly orders fell from 345,000 to 328,000 in the fortnight after the September 1 switch, according to The Sunday Times.

The brands had a spat last month when Ocado boss Tim Steiner accused Waitrose of lacking the tech skills to succeed.

Ocado's capacity has grown more slowly than Waitrose and other competitors as it can only expand by building more robotic warehouses but it remains Britain's fastest growing supermarket by sales.

Waitrose is aiming to hit 250,000 weekly orders next year.
3 1 of 3 Schenectady Police Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle Show More Show Less 3 of 3





SCHENECTADY  Police have charged a 27-year-old Albany man with second-degree murder in the shooting death of another Albany man outside a liquor store Friday night, according to a criminal complaint.

The court document indicates the suspect, Anibal Madera, shot and killed Elnahcere Vincent, 22, shortly before 8 p.m. near the Star Liquor store on State Street and Kelton Avenue.
UK-based travel company Love Holidays has created a tricky themed brainteaser

Can you find all seven of the renowned city souvenirs inside the bustling scene?

Colourful graphic filled with sun-seeker items to throw you off finding the pieces

A tricky new brainteaser is challenging players to spot seven renowned souvenirs in a jam-packed illustration.

The seek-and-find puzzle, created by British travel company Love Holidays, has stumped many - including even the most eager of holiday-goers.

ADVERTISEMENT

Well hidden among the colourful holiday scene, how many souvenirs do you think you will be able to find?

A new brainteaser created by travel company Love Holidays, challenges the internet to spot seven renowned souvenirs from this colourful and busy graphic

To make the challenge that much harder, the creators have also kept the types of souvenirs a secret.

As well as finding all seven, are you able to name the items and where in the world they can be found?

Click here to resize this module

If you're struggling, focus your attention on the smaller items in the busy graphic.

Give up? Scroll down to find the well-hidden souvenirs highlighted.

The seven hidden souvenir items, highlighted, were hidden among other vibrant pieces to distract peoples' eyes

What are the souvenirs and where can they be found? Eiffel Tower - Paris, France The Eiffel Tower remains the most popular image of Paris and is instantly reminiscent of the city's romance and culture. Paris' tourism authorities suggest picking up a small model from Les Parisettes to remember your trip. Mannequin Pis - Brussels, Belgium A historic and cheeky fountain sculpture loved by the people of Brussels, was chosen as the best souvenir to take home from the city. The seven renowned souvenirs items included the Eiffel Tower, a Matryoshka doll and a ceramic sardine Matryoshka Doll - Moscow, Russia This authentic, hand-painted doll is said to be the most iconic image of Russia. The city's tourism authorities picked out this memento as Moscow's must have souvenir. Buddy Bear - Berlin, Germany Buddy Bear statues have been a symbol of optimism in Berlin since 2001. Luchadores Mask - Mexico City, Mexico Pick up a colourful wrestling mask as a souvenir of your time in Mexico City. Wrestling, or lucha libre, is incredibly popular and has been granted 'Intangible Cultural Heritage' status by the capital's government. Ceramic Sardine - Lisbon, Portugal Lisbon's tourism authorities recommend that you take home a ceramic sardine to remember your time in Portugal's sunny capital. Troll - Oslo, Norway Trolls are an intrinsic part of Norwegian folklore and have often been the subject of art, music, and literature. Commemorate your time in Oslo by taking home a troll figurine.

Elsewhere on the internet UK-based sofa and carpet specialist ScS challenged people to find the TV remote hidden between plants, clocks and various chairs.

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The creators of the fiendishly tricky seek-and-find puzzle claim that on average it takes 40 seconds for people to find the remote - so how long will it take you?

A third of participants couldn't find the control in under a minute, according to the creators.

Only the most eagle-eyed participants can spot the TV remote lost among the various pieces of furniture in this fiendishly tricky seek-and-find puzzle (above)

Ensuring it's more difficult for people, the colourful graphic makes it harder to spot where the electric device might be by packing the puzzle with objects.

But if you're struggling, concentrate your attention towards the bottom of the vibrant graphic.

Give up? Scroll down to find the well-hidden TV remote highlighted.

Answer: The TV remote is circled. The key to the puzzle was to focus your attention towards the bottom of the graphic

Meanwhile, a tricky new brainteaser is challenging players to find a single queen bee hiding within her busy colony.

Hungarian children's illustrator and viral puzzle sensation Gergely Dudas, better known as Dudolf, recently shared the seek-and-find puzzle on his website and Facebook page for fans to enjoy.

Players are asked to spot the single queen bee in the hectic scene and, to throw people off and make things as difficult as possible, all the insects look frustratingly similar.

Hungarian children's illustrator and viral puzzle sensation Gergely Dudas, better known as Dudolf, recently shared this seek-and-find puzzle on his website and Facebook page for fans to enjoy

The cartoonist also filled the vibrant image with plenty of playful characters, brightly coloured accessories and extra details to try to confuse the eye.

If you're struggling to find the answer, then here's a clue - feast your eyes towards the bottom right-hand side of the busy image.

Give up? Scroll down to find the well-hidden queen bee highlighted.

But don't fret if you didn't manage to complete the tricky challenge this time round - because it's just the latest in a long line of brainteasers sweeping the web.

Don't fret if you didn't manage to complete the tricky challenge this time round - because it's just the latest in a long line of brainteasers sweeping the web

Earlier this year, Dudolf shared a tricky spot the difference puzzle which left even the most eagle-eyed players scratching their heads.

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He challenged puzzlers to find the seven things separating these two almost identical beach scenes.

To have any hope of getting all seven, you will have to pay close attention to even the smallest of objects.

Scroll down for the solution

Hungarian children's illustrator Gergely Dudas, better known as Dudolf, challenged players to find the seven things separating these two almost identical beach scenes

The puzzle, shared on Dudolf's Facebook and website, proved popular with his fans, who agreed it was 'seriously difficult' but 'fun'.

One posted: 'Found five! Then I needed the solution'. Another wrote: 'Couldn't find the last one, but finally did.' A third asked: 'Did everyone have as much difficulty as I did?'

If you're struggling to find them then here's a clue: the differences may be as small as a change in logo or a detail on an item of clothing.

Still having a hard time? You'll find the solutions below.

Answers: The logo on the suncream, the fruit on the ground, the direction of the seashell swirl, the watermelon seeds, the band on a sunhat, the colours on an ice lolly, the sandcastle flag

It came just weeks after Dudolf challenged players to find the snake hiding in a jungle-themed seek-and-find puzzle.

The brainteaser shows a jungle scene in shades of green, with birds flitting between branches and thick foliage in the background.

But the single slithering snake is almost impossible to find.

The brainteaser, created by children's illustrator Gergely Dudas, from Budapest, Hungary, shows a mass of green and yellow leaves with misleading parrots

The challenging graphic, produced by the illustrator of Fox & Rabbit, prompted fans of Dudolf's work to say it is 'very difficult'.

If you're looking for a place to start, begin by working from left to right and look closely between the leaves to see if anything is hiding.

Try not to be put off by the vine leaves and parrots as you weave you way through the jungle to find the snake.

And if you are still struggling, try looking closely at the patterns on the leaves to spot the creature.

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Give up? Then scroll down to find the answer highlighted among the faded jungle scene.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 21:38:19|Editor: huaxia

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LAGOS, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian troops have killed scores of militants and destroying several hideouts in an airstrike against Boko Haram group in the restive northeast state of Borno, a military spokesperson said.

Defense spokesman John Enenche, who announced this in a statement reaching Xinhua on Sunday, said troops of the subsidiary Operation Hail Storm-2, had on Thursday killed several Boko Haram militants and destroyed their hideouts at Maima and Tusuy area in Borno.

He said the feat was a sequel to credible intelligence reports and a series of aerial surveillance missions, which indicated that the locations were being used as rendezvous points by the militants.

According to him, the Air Task Force dispatched an appropriate force package of Nigerian air force fighter jets and helicopter gunships to engage the two locations.

"The attack aircraft scored devastating hits in the target areas, destroying some structures and neutralizing several of the terrorists," he added, without giving more details.

The northeast region of Nigeria has been destabilized for over a decade by Boko Haram, which is known for its agenda to maintain a virtual caliphate in the most populous African country. Enditem
Right now hottie Candice inspires this quick peek at the local news scene along with a review of pop culture and top headlines.

Checkit . . .



Kansas City Workout Advocate

KC-based 'Ninja Warrior' contestant Amber Dawkins raises awareness for cystic fibrosis It was June 20, and Amber Dawkins and her husband, Jerry, were driving back to Kansas City after spending time with family Palmer, Kansas, when she got the call from a Los Angeles area code that would change her life.

Blaze Kills Overnight

1 dead after fire at Raytown senior-living facility KANSAS CITY, Mo. - One person is dead and multiple others were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation after a senior-living facility caught fire Saturday night in Raytown. Fire crews responded around 9:16 p.m. to Temple Heights Manor, 5420 Blue Ridge Cutoff.

KC Prays Amid Pandemic

Amid pandemic challenges, houses of worship show resiliency KANSAS CITY (AP) -The coronavirus pandemic has posed daunting challenges for houses of worship across the U.S., often entailing large financial losses and suspension of in-person services. It also has sparked moments of gratitude, wonder and inspiration. In the Chicago suburb of Cary, Lutheran pastor Sarah Wilson recorded a sermon aboard a small plane piloted by a congregation member.

ANGELS COMEBACK!!!

Victoria's Secret's Huge Breakout Quarter Victoria's Secret killed L Brands Inc. ( NYSE: LB), the lingerie retailer's parent. Early in the year, it looked like it would be partially sold off to a private equity firm after years of falling sales. The deal fell apart. L Brands engineered, with some luck, a turnaround of sorts.

Prez Shares The Love

Trump's children offer support, prayers after COVID-19 diagnosis President Trump's children offered their support and prayers for their father on Friday after he revealed he had contracted COVID-19. "@RealDonaldTrump is a true warrior. He will fight through this with the same strength and conviction that he uses to fight for America each and every day," Eric Trump said in a tweet.

Plastic Debate Trending

Lindsey Graham's Dem opponent shields self on debate stage with plexiglass partition The South Carolina Democrat looking to replace Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham took what appeared to be a unique approach to stressing the coronavirus issue during their debate Saturday. He wrapped himself in plexiglass.

GOP Stands By Prez

SurveyMonkey poll: Trump faces little GOP fallout over COVID disclosure Just one in 10 Republicans says President Trump is handling his own COVID-19 diagnosis irresponsibly, according to a SurveyMonkey snap poll for Axios after he disclosed testing positive.

Social Media Death Threat Crackdown

Facebook, Twitter and TikTok ban users from wishing for Trump's death from COVID-19 Following President Trump's positive COVID-19 diagnosis, social media companies have voiced a clear message: Any content that wishes for the death of anyone, including the president, will be removed. After the president announced that he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for coronavirus early Friday morning, many people, including his political opponents, wished them well.

El Papa Condemns State Sponsored Killing

Pope Francis closes the door on the death penalty in 'Fratelli Tutti' Pope Francis' new encyclical, "Fratelli Tutti," does something that some Catholics believed could not be done: It ratifies a change in church teaching. In this case, on the death penalty. In 2018, Pope Francis ordered a change in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the official compendium of church teaching, when he termed the death penalty "inadmissible."

Latino Print Legacy Endures

Joe Arce, trailblazer in Latino community, reflects on 50 years in news, says he's not through KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The KC Hispanic News comes out every week like clockwork as it has for 24 years. "And 26 years in television, that's a total of 50 years covering news in the Kansas City area," Joe Arce said. Arce is the man behind all the years of dedication to the Latino community.

Kansas City Arts Movement Persists Amid COVID-19

The Story So Far In Kansas City: How The Pandemic Put Two Career Artists Back Where They Started Making a career as an artist is a creative gesture as bold and miraculous as any brushstroke. There's no clear path to success, and even great success does not guarantee economic survival. You can get your book published, your paintings displayed, your name in the credits of a movie, and still find yourself unable to visit a dentist or pay your rent.

Kansas City Weather Right Now

Foggy start to Sunday, sunny rest of day Hide Transcript Show Transcript YEAH, IF THEY GET TO PLAY AT THIS WEEK THE WEATHER WE FIND PICK A DAY ANY DAY. IT'LL BE FINE. THE ONLY THING ABOUT TOMORROW'S WEATHER THAT WILL BE DIFFERENT THAN ALL THE OTHER DAYS IS THAT IT WILL BE QUITE WINDY TOMORROW TODAY.

Evan Craft, Redimi2, Danny Gokey - Be Alright is the Sunday song of the day and this is the OPEN THREAD for right now.
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Linkedin Colin Rubenstein (The Jakarta Post) Melbourne, Australia  Mon, October 5 2020

In the aftermath of the Sept. 15 Washington signing of separate peace and normalization agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel and Bahrain, the Abraham Accords, we may be witnessing the emergence of a new Middle East.

In the aftermath of the Oslo Accords, the late Israeli statesman Shimon Peres foresaw a regional peace fueled by cooperative economic restructuring and a long-term process of reciprocal disarmament made possible by the resolution of what Peres saw as the core issue between Israel and the Arab world: The Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

While not modelled on the vision Peres sketched in his 1993 book The New Middle East, the Abraham Accords clearly refute widely-held assumptions about the centrality of resolving the Palestinian issue as a prerequisite for establishing a foundation of peace, prosperity and stability in the Middle East.

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Like most people 87 years of age, Porter Davis is running out of time.

This year is probably my last chance, he said. A lot can happen when youre 87.

Davis said he is trying to tie up loose ends in his life. The biggest loose end from his nearly nine decades on Earth is passing the California bar exam and becoming a lawyer. There may be 1.3 million lawyers in the U.S., according to the American Bar Association but, Davis said with a sigh, none of them is him.

As a young man in the 1960s, he attended two law schools and took the bar exam four times. He flunked out of one of the law schools. He also flunked the bar exam, all four times.

That was then, Davis said. With a lifetime of experience, hes smarter now. Hes ready to try again  if a technical impasse with the State Bar gets resolved.

I believe in being optimistic, he said. The exam will be administered Monday and Tuesday.

Davis, a retired real estate broker and former construction worker from Larkspur, dug up all his old law books. He paid $2,500 for a bar exam study course consisting of 12 more law books. Hes studying, at least several minutes every day.

Davis recently sat down at an outdoor cafe near his home to show how a man who is running out of time studies for an exam. Davis, who says he is the oldest person ever to take the bar exam, picked up the first of his 12 exam-prep books and began turning the pages quickly. He looked at each page for about one second, before turning to the next page.

Now Playing: Porter Davis, 87, of Larkspur, studying for the State Bar exam at a cafe near his home. Video: San Francisco Chronicle

Im getting a mental image of the material, he said. Im taking a photograph that goes into your subconscious mind.

It took him a full half minute to study the first 30 pages of the book.

I dont believe in memorizing things, Davis said.

It might be a moot point, as they say in his prospective trade, because of a bunch of red tape at the State Bar. The exam registrar sent Davis a form letter saying the office couldnt find records of the four bar exams that Davis flunked in the 1960s, which would have entitled him to try again.

Transcripts from the second of the two law schools Davis attended, which also would entitle him to try again, have also gone missing. (Davis does have four years of law school transcripts from two schools, The Chronicle confirmed.)

The registrar refunded Davis his $830 bar exam fee.

Pursuant to Rule 4.26, the letter said, employing the kind of language that lawyers like to use, you are not eligible to take the 2020 bar examination.

Steve Rubenstein / The Chronicle

Davis doesnt want his $830 back. He wants to be a lawyer partly, he said, because he has six former wives and being a lawyer might come in handy. You never know.

When he called the bar exam registrar, Davis said he was told that exam records from the 1960s were all on paper, not on computers, and that his records could not be found. Davis said he was asked if he could prove that he had taken the bar exams in the 1960s by producing the letters he received from the bar at the time that said he had flunked.

I had thrown them away, he said. It was too painful.

A spokeswoman for the state bar, Teresa Ruano, said any applicant who flunks is permitted to retake the bar exam, but that she could not provide specifics about Davis.

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.

All applicant information is confidential, Ruano said.

This year, about 10,000 people will take the California bar exam and, based on past results, about 6,000 of them will flunk. Because of the pandemic, applicants will take the test at home and must agree to be monitored by their computer video cameras, to make sure they are not looking up answers.

Davis said he is not giving up. He has already contacted a lawyer, the kind that files lawsuits on behalf of people who have suffered a wrongful act, which he said he knows from his studies is called a tort and which the State Bar ought to know, too.

And he contacted the office of his state assemblyman, Marc Levine, D-Marin County, who assigned a staff member to look into Davis missing records claim. Levine said he would do what he could.

Were going to ask the bar to dot all the is and cross all the ts, Levine said. This is still a work in progress. I really respect what Mr. Davis is trying to do. Hes got a lot of guts.

Davis, who knows most of what is in the First Amendment, will need to move fast to master the differences between voluntary and involuntary manslaughter. Hes flipping the pages faster than ever.

Im weighing my options, Davis said. But Im not going to be a milquetoast. And Im not going to take no for an answer.

Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SteveRubeSF
Hathras case: Caste-based meet held in support of rape accused

India

oi-Deepika S

Hathras, Oct 04: Around 700-800 people on Sunday held a caste-based meeting at the residence of former BJP MLA Rajvir Singh Pehalvan here on the issue the death of a Dalit woman after she was sexually assaulted.

The meeting was held a day after UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered a CBI probe into the incident. Heavy police force was deployed in the vicinity of the former BJP MLA's house, located around 8-9 kilometres from the victim's village.

One of the organisers of the meeting and Pehalvan's son Mahavir Singh, however, denied that the gathering comprised members from the so-called upper castes and said they were from "different sections of society".

"We welcome the CBI inquiry ordered by the Uttar Pradesh chief minister. We have faith in the investigation," Singh told PTI while claiming that the victim's family members were "changing their stand".

"The entire scenario has been created to blame the government. The accused persons are in favour of any type of inquiry. But the victims are changing their stand every now and then. They do not want a narco test or a CBI probe. Now they want other kinds of inquiries," he claimed.

Stopped by cops, Bhim Army chief marches to meet Hathras victim's family

Singh also said various legal options were being explored to defend the accused in the case. He asserted that the arrest of some of the accused persons from their homes was proof of their innocence.

"Had they been guilty, they would had run away from their homes. Why would they be present in their homes," he said.

He also alleged that the Congress and the Samajwadi Party were trying to influence the victim''s family as they wanted to the issue to "linger on".

The caste-based meeting assumes significance as it is being held a day after Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited the victim's house and met her family members at a village in the district, and the recommendation of a CBI probe by Adityanath.

A fortnight after she was gangraped, the Dalit woman died of her grievous injuries in the early hours of Tuesday at a Delhi hospital.

She was cremated in the dead of the night near her home on Wednesday. Her family alleged they were forced by the local police to hurriedly conduct her last rites. Local police officers, however, had said the cremation was carried out "as per the wishes of the family".

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Story first published: Sunday, October 4, 2020, 17:38 [IST]
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on Sunday visited Kuwait to extend the condolences of the US administration to the country's leaders after the death of its emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

Esper expressed "sincere condolences" for the loss of Sheikh Sabah, who died on Tuesday at the age of 91, in a meeting with the new emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who also expressed concern over the health of US President Donald Trump.

Sheikh Nawaf said he was glad that Trump, who has been hospitalised after being diagnosed with coronavirus, was "recovering and well". Esper thanked him for his "expression of concern".

Kuwait and the United States are close allies, bound by a defence agreement that expires in 2022.

Read: Kuwait's ruler Emir Sheikh Sabah passes away

Their alliance was sealed with the Gulf War in 1991, during which a US-led international coalition expelled Saddam Hussein's Iraqi troops from Kuwait after seven months of occupation.

Camp Arifjan, near the Saudi border, is a key base for US troops stationed in the country.

Before arriving in Kuwait on Sunday, Esper spent the night in Qatar, another US ally in the oil-rich Gulf, where he discussed "the importance of the strong defence partnership" between the two countries.

Esper thanked Qatar for hosting some 8,000 US military personnel at the Al-Udeid Air Base, the US's largest in the region.

The Pentagon chief had been on a North Africa tour aimed at beefing up the fight against jihadists in war-torn Libya and the Sahel, and on Friday signed a military cooperation deal with Morocco.
Toward the end of his career, as he grew increasingly despairing and cynical, America's greatest humorist soured on jokes. "The secret source of Humor itself is not joy but sorrow," Mark Twain wrote in his 1897 travelogue, Following the Equator. "There is no humor in heaven."

It is with this caveat that I describe The Good Lord Bird, a seven-part miniseries that premieres Sunday on Showtime, as a comedy. Yes, it includes Ethan Hawke, as the abolitionist John Brown, asking a rabbit earnestly, "Do you have fire in your heart for justice?" Yes, its main character wears a dress for pretty much the entire series after having his name, Henry, misheard as Henrietta, and never successfully managing to correct the mistake. But for telling a tale as sad as the story of America and its original sin, The Good Lord Bird takes a page from Twain: it copes with laughter.

The Good Lord Bird was originally intended to premiere in February before being pushed back to early August, but Showtime  seemingly jittery about how the show would play in the midst of the upheaval over systematic racism and the murder of George Floyd  then pushed the release back again to October with the intention of adding "more context." The network apparently still lacks full confidence in the show, though, as it premieres quietly this weekend (now only further overshadowed by the news). "Perhaps, as the tumultuous events of 2020 played out, there was ... some nervousness about presenting such a story in a series developed by two white men from a Black writer's novel," The New York Times speculates; the series was created by Hawke with the writer Mark Richard, and is based on James McBride's 2013 National Book Award-winning novel. Still, the Times points out it has a stacked team of Black writers and directors behind the camera, and talent like Hamilton's Daveed Diggs, as Frederick Douglass, in front of it (McBride also executive produced).

Story continues

Perhaps there were fears, instead, of The Good Lord Bird coming across as too much of a white savior story, centering as it does on the zealous preacher John Brown, although this is grappled with internally in the script. The story, additionally, is told through the perspective and first-person narration of Henrietta nee Henry, an enslaved boy who is adopted by Brown after his father gets killed (Henry is mainly referred to as "Little Onion" in the series, due to an unfortunate incident with Brown's alliaceous good luck talisman; he is played by the immensely talented newcomer Joshua Caleb Johnson). Or perhaps the network's apprehension was about the tone of the show more generally, being, as it is, a satirical retelling of the doomed raid on Harpers Ferry, the curtain-raiser for the Civil War.

It is that very contradiction  the absurd married with the tragic  that makes The Good Lord Bird brilliant, though. No character better embodies this dichotomy than Hawke's John Brown. As the story's Holy Fool (Herman Melville thought he was "weird"), the preacher vacillates between spittle-flecked rages demanding the emancipation of every enslaved person in the nation, and a quiet, childlike naivete ("it doesn't bother me giving you my special thing," he tells Onion in the first episode, obviously bothered). At other moments, Hawke plays the part with an almost Jack Sparrow-like swagger, muttering to himself as if he's off in his own reality. But for all the comic relief  and there is plenty, The Big Lebowski's Jeff Bridges had even briefly been considered for the part  John Brown is at his core a complicated and tragic figure. The Good Lord Bird does not shy away from his unimaginable violence and bloodshed, nor his emotional burden. "Grief. That is my wealth. Grief," he tells Onion, after describing the deaths of nine of his children, though Hawke's tired, disheveled Brown carries the weight of that loss in every moment he's onscreen. And lest we forget our history, the series begins with the reminder that it is telling a story that will end with Brown's martyring, when he is hanged for treason.

There is an important distinction between humor and cartoonishness, and The Good Lord Bird navigates it well. The latter results from not having a deep enough understanding of one's characters and subject; the former, humor, is the opposite, a result of seeing, clear-eyed, that there is no other option for coping. In that regard, The Good Lord Bird does not hesitate to peer soberly into America's heart: a mass hanging in the second episode, set to Nina Simone's "I Shall Be Released," is especially upsetting. And though the passage of time has allowed for Brown's preachings of slavery as America's greatest sin to prove to be correct, there is a reminder, too, of how religion was twisted by pro-slavery forces to justify the practice. "If we whites are wrong," a different preacher prays at one point, "please forgive us."

Both the novel and the television adaptation of The Good Lord Bird have drawn comparisons to Twain's writing, in part for their episodic narratives and the whisked-along first-person narrator, but also the memorable parade of characters who come through Onion's life along the way. A better comparison, though, would be in the way that McBride, Hawke, and Twain all weaponize humor to speak to Americans about their flawed homeland and history, using it as the sugary coat on the bitter pill of truth-telling. "If you're trying to teach people, or yell at them, you rarely change their mind," Hawke explained to The New Yorker. "Humor can really effect change  it's the greatest illuminator."

If there is one single image that sums up The Good Lord Bird, it comes at the start of the first episode, when Hawke looks out through the camera at us with his icy blue eyes and whispers, "what a good country," just as the hood is pulled over his head for his execution. It's not exactly funny; it's odd, though, to watch a man who is about to be killed by his country still hold on to his hope for it. "John Brown is all of us," I had scribbled next to my transcription of the quote, a sort of wry joke to myself. In the tragicomedy of America, you have to take the laughs you can find.

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Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad says his convoy shot at in UP

Bhim Army chief meets family of Hathras victim, demands 'Y' security

India

oi-Deepika S

Lucknow, Oct 04: Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad, who was stopped by cops on his way to Hathras, met the family of the Dalit woman who died on Tuesday.

Videos and photos showed the Bhim Army chief marching with others towards Hathras to meet the victim's family.

"I demand 'Y security' for the family or I'll take them to my house, they aren't safe here. We want an inquiry to be done under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge", he said.

"If 'Y Plus' category security cover can be provided to actor Kangana Ranaut, than why can it not be provided to the family of the victim?," he said, adding that if his demands are not met, he will 'gherao' the Vidhan Sabha.

Azad on Thursday demanded President's Rule in Uttar Pradesh, alleging failure of constitutional machinery in the state over crimes against dalits.

"I am sitting at my house on a dharna, injustice will not be tolerated. In Uttar Pradesh, dalits are being meted out with injustice. The DM and the SSP of Hathras who have been protecting criminals and performing inhuman acts have not been removed yet. How can one expect justice from such unworthy people, he said in a tweet in Hindi.

The visit comes a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi met the family at their home.

Hathras case: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra demands removal of DM, probe into his role

The 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped at a village in Hathras by four men on September 14. After her condition deteriorated, she was referred to the Delhi's Safdarjung hospital where she breathed her last on Tuesday.

She was cremated in the early hours of Wednesday, with her family alleging the local police forced them to conduct the last rites in the dead of the night.

Local police officers, however, had said the cremation was carried out "as per the wishes of the family".
Seoul, Oct 4 : South Korea reported 64 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, the fourth consecutive day that the count has remained below 100, taking the overall tally to 24,091, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

Sunday's figure marked a slight decrease from 75 cases reported on Saturday and a rise from 63 identified the day before, reports Yonhap News Agency.

After daily infections hit 133 on September 30, they have again plunged to double-digit figures.

But authorities were concerned over a spike in cases as Sunday markedthe end of the extended Chuseok autumn holiday that began on September 22.

Millions of people travelled across the country to meet their family members and relatives over the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving.

Health authorities designated Monday to October 10 as a special two-week period for heightened virus curbs amid concerns of a resurgence.

Also on Sunday, there was one new Covid-19 fatality which increased the death toll to 421.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
MINSK -- More than 300 people were detained across Belarus on October 4 as tens of thousands of Belarusians took to the streets in support of the countrys political prisoners, in the eighth weekend in a row of massive protests against long-time ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

Opposition news channel Nexta said that more than 100,000 people rallied in the capital, Minsk, where police used water cannons to disperse the protesters.

Waving the white-and-red flag of the opposition, protesters marched to the beat of drums toward detention facilities.

Security forces cordoned off streets in central Minsk, while some metro stations temporarily closed their doors to commuters to hinder access to the city center.



Protests were also held in Brest, Hrodna, Homel, Mahilyou, and other cities.

The Interior Ministry said 317 people were detained nationwide. The majority of those detained, 258, remain in custody pending a court appearance.

Seventeen journalists were also detained. All but five were released after police checked their documents.



Similar to past protests, local observers reported that mobile Internet was turned off as authorities tried to prevent protesters from organizing.

Protests against Lukashenka have continued since the disputed presidential election on August 9 despite a crackdown, with several killed, hundreds of injured, and more than 10,000 detained.



Lukashenka, in office since 1994, was officially declared the election winner with more than 80 percent of the vote -- a result which the opposition and the West assert was rigged.



Opposition candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya took refuge in neighboring Lithuania following the vote. She announced on September 30 she has begun creating a shadow cabinet, saying, "Alyaksandr Lukashenka's regime is not just illegitimate, but also is not capable of carrying out its duties."

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.

Several prominent members of the opposition are currently in detention, including leader Maryya Kalesnikava, who is facing up to five years in jail on charges of endangering national security.

Tsikhanouskaya's husband, Syarhey Tsikhanouski, has been in prison since before the election on charges he and supporters say are politically motivated.

Ahead of the protest, Nexta, which has coordinated protesters and has more than 2 million subscribers, said that authorities have opened more than 250 criminal cases against Lukashenka's would-be rivals, activists, bloggers and ordinary Belarusians.



The latest march comes after the United States and EU on October 2 slapped sanctions on Belarusian officials responsible for fraud in the August presidential election and the brutal crackdown on protesters and opposition members.



Britain and Canada have also sanctioned Belarusian officials, including Lukashenka.



Belarus quickly responded with tit-for-tat sanctions against the EU, although it was vague on who would be on its blacklist.

The Foreign Ministry advised the embassies of its western neighbors Poland and Latvia to reduce their staffs and summoned the ambassadors of the two countries.



In a statement on October 4, the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, blasted the Belarusian move against the Lithuanian and Polish diplomats.



"The demand of the Belarusian authorities that Poland and Lithuania withdraw their ambassadors and significantly reduce their diplomatic representations in Minsk is unfounded and regrettable. It goes against the logic of dialogue and will only further isolate the authorities in Minsk," Borrell said.



In tandem with the moves against Latvia and Poland, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said it was revoking the accreditation of all foreign media, claiming it was a long-considered move aimed at streamlining the process.

Lukashenka has accused Western countries and NATO of supporting protesters and trying to destabilize the country.

With reporting by dpa and Reuters
A 'greedy' grandmother who taught people how to steal from Centrelink will have to spend five years in jail, despite claiming the penalty was too harsh.

Rebecca Assie, 63, ran what a judge described as a 'sophisticated and greedy fraud' ring from her Sydney housing commission home for more than two-and-a-half years.

By the time she was caught in late 2015 she had helped her 'students' steal $137,937.

Assie had taken over control of the syndicate after the death of husband Jamal Elali - known among the local Lebanese community as The King - and continued to instruct people on the best lies to tell doctors to get benefits they did not deserve.

Assie's assistance came at a cost, with students required to first pay an up front cash deposit - often in a paper bag exchanged in the toilets of a McDonald's store.

The elderly Centrelink fraudster was last year sentenced to five years in prison by the NSW District Court, which her lawyers claimed was too severe.

But the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal disagreed, finding the jail term was fair and in the process slamming Assie for attempting to claim otherwise.

Rebecca Assie (pictured), 63, ran what a judge described as a 'sophisticated and greedy fraud' ring from her Sydney housing commission home for more than two-and-a-half years until 2015

She was last year sentenced to five years in prison over her crimes, but appealed against that term. The NSW Court of Criminal Appeal threw out her appeal on Friday, finding the sentence fair

Assie admitted helping customers steal $137,397 worth of Centrelink payments between February 8, 2013 and September 3, 2015

Assie's role in charge of the fraud syndicate saw her fill out some of the forms for her customers, before they filled in the remainder themselves and filed them.

She also made appointments for her clients with certain doctors, knowing that they would sign off on whatever illness or injury she needed them to.

On occasions she even went to the doctors on behalf of her clients, pretending she was them.

At the end of her appointments with these doctors she would pay them in cash.

One of the couple's major clients Joulan Obeid first approached them in 2012, asking for help to falsely claim carer's payments for her daughter.

Assie instructed Obeid to visit her local Centrelink office and collect the necessary forms, before handing them and cash to the couple. who then filled them in for her.

Within two months Obeid was approved to receive both carers allowance and carers payments.

She continued to receive the false payments until May 2015, when Centrelink ordered a review of her entitlement.

In order to help, the welfare cheating couple demanded Obeid pay $1500 in cash.

She referred to payments by using code words like: 'One kilo and half of grapes for it.'

Assie ran the fraud syndicate - started by her late-husband Jamal Elali (pictured) who died in 2015 - from their housing commission home in Padstow, western Sydney

Assie (pictured) had herself been claiming welfare payments since 1990 and received a total of $209,499.90 between then and 2011

Needing to have the forms filled out by the end of May, Assie called Centrelink and, pretending to be Obeid, asked for an extension.

She then accompanied her to visit the doctor, but the meeting did not to go to plan and she was asked to leave just moments after introducing herself.

Obeid's medical form was finally signed by a different doctor in late-May.

In total, Obeid fraudulently obtained $66,607.69 from 2013 up to September 2015.

Assie and her late-husband also came to the aid of a mother-of-six who had her Centrelink payments cancelled after 11 years.

Farah Dagher received a total of $66,647 in fraudulent payments from Centrelink.

While Assie and Elali's customers were cashing in, they too received plenty of false financial help from Centrelink over the years.

Two years ago, Assie was accused of ripping off the taxpayer of $200,000 by claiming to be blind for 21 years and receiving a disability pension.

Among her customers in the Centrelink fraud syndicate was Joulan Obeid (pictured), who was receiving two different kinds of welfare from the government with assistance from Assie

When NSW Police first raided Assie and Elalis home in 2013 they found $244,950 in cash bundled into white envelopes.

The mother-of-three did not report any taxable income between 2008 and 2014.

Assie's lawyers claimed the sentence handed down in the NSW District Court would have been more appropriate for a higher level conspiracy.

But the three NSW Court of Criminal Appeal judges found the five-year sentence was fair and in handing down their decision took a parting shot at Assie.

'There is nothing in this case that is even faintly suggestive that the applicant suffered any injustice in the sentencing process,' the court's three judges found.

Assie will first be eligible for parole on December 5, 2022.
By ANI

KOLKATA: A local BJP leader in West Bengal was shot dead on Sunday by two bike-borne assailants near Titagarh in North 24 Parganas district, police said.

The duo opened fire at Manish Sukla, a local councillor, on B T Road in the evening, following which he was taken to a private hospital, where he was declared brought dead, they said.

The BJP leadership blamed the Trinamool Congress for the incident, but the ruling party has rubbished the accusation.

"It is shameful that the TMC has now started politics of annihilation of political opponents. We don't have any faith in local police as this happened in front of the police station. We want a CBI inquiry," BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said.

BJP MP Arjun Singh also held the TMC responsible for Shukla's "killing" and claimed that shots were fired at him from a carbine.

Shukla, who switched over to the saffron party last year, was considered to be close to Singh.

Senior TMC leader Nirmal Ghosh said the incident was a result of infighting within the BJP and allegations against his party were baseless.

A huge police contingent was rushed to the spot after Shukla was gunned down around 9.30 pm.

"We have started an investigation and will look at all possible angles," a senior police officer said.

The BJP has called a 12-hour bandh in Barrackpore area on Monday in protest against the incident.

Meanwhile, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar expressed concern over the law and order situation in the state and summoned the Additional Chief Secretary, Home, and the DGP on Monday morning.

"ACS Home @MamataOfficial and DGP @WBPolice have been summoned at 10 am tomorrow in the wake of worsening law and order situation leading to the dastardly killing of Manish Shukla, Councillor, Titagarh Municipality in political party office," Dhankhar said in a tweet.
The British Pound to South African Rand (GBP/ZAR) exchange rate tumbled last week, despite a surge in market volatility and uncertainty which would normally harm market demand for riskier emerging market correlated currencies like the South African Rand. Next week could be even more volatile for the Pound and South African Rand, as markets digest the weekends Brexit and US political developments.

After opening last week at the level of 21.81, GBP/ZAR briefly edged higher before spending the rest of the week tumbling.

GBP/ZAR only lost around half of the previous weeks losses, as the Rands gains were limited by market aversion to taking risks. Still, before markets closed for the week, GBP/ZAR was trending near the level of 21.40.

For most of the week, the South African Rand pushed the Pound lower amid higher market demand for risk-correlated currencies.

The South African Rand is a currency often correlated with risk and emerging market sentiment. As a result, it benefitted strongly from market optimism towards the global coronavirus pandemic and Brexit.

Hopes for progress in a coronavirus vaccine and Brexit have also supported the Pound over the past week, but the South African Rand benefitted more.

Still, towards the end of the week the South African Rand continued to trend high despite a surge in safe haven demand.

US President Donald Trump reportedly contracted the coronavirus Covid19. This led to fears regarding the status of the 2020 Presidential Election and how it might be affected by the Presidents illness.

However the Rand was able to hold most of its weekly gains against the Pound, due to the risk-sentiment earlier in the week.

The Pounds volatility also made it easier for the Rand to hold highs against it. UK-EU Brexit negotiations were expected to conclude on Friday, but there has been little sign of a breakthrough.

At the end of the week, news of a weekend meeting between UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also helped give Pound invesrtors a little hope.

According to Yohay Elam, Analyst at FXStreet:

The news of the PM's intervention triggered hopes for a Brexit breakthrough and boosted the pound. However, there are reasons to doubt that Sterling would hold onto these gains. Johnson's move comes one day after von der Leyen announced legal action against the UK. Will the British leader cede ground to the bloc?

Pound (GBP) Exchange Rate Forecast: Reaction to Brexit Developments in Focus

Developments over Saturdays expected meeting between UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are likely to be the primary focus for Pound investors when markets open next week.

If there are any breakthroughs or an extension to negotiations, the Pound could surge on Monday.

On the other hand though, bad relations between the UK and EU or a lack of optimistic developments could instead lead to the Pound plummeting.

While Brexit developments and no-deal Brexit bets will be the focus for Sterling at the beginning of next week, upcoming UK data will also be watched by investors.

Britains final September services PMI data is due on Monday, with construction PMI data following on Tuesday.

Then, on Friday, a slew of UK ecostats including trade balance and growth results could influence the Pound as well.

South African Rand (ZAR) Exchange Rate Forecast: US Politics to Influence Market Risk-Sentiment

While the South African Rand was resilient for much of last week, continued risk-aversion could lead to the Rand giving up much of its recent gains.

If US President Donald Trumps coronavirus illness intensifies, investors will become concerned about how the US Presidential Election will unfold.

High uncertainty is likely to leave riskier currencies weaker. This could lead to Rand losses.

On the other hand though, if it appears as though the election will go on unhindered, markets could calm and investors may be more willing to take risks again.

As for data, Mondays South African standard bank PMI and Fridays SACCI business confidence stats are unlikely to have much impact on the Pound to South African Rand exchange rate.
Anna Pritchard has lived in the 1,100-bedroom Murano Street student village at Glasgow University for almost two weeks. She is an 18-year-old student at the university, having just moved away from home for the first time. But its not quite the Freshers she imagined as six days after being dropped off at her halls, the largest residence on the Scottish campus, Anna was forced to self-isolate. Eight of her 11 flatmates tested positive for coronavirus and now they all face being trapped in those four unfamiliar walls for 14 days - or longer.

I feel like I'm missing out - but I've also never known anything different, Anna tells The Independent. Across Murano Street and one other dormitory, a total of 600 Glasgow University students are self-isolating and, at the time of writing, Anna (who has tested negative for Covid-19), still has two weeks left before she can venture to the outside world.

Anna says police have been patrolling the complex, which is made up of self-catered accommodation with single bedrooms and shared common areas and bathroom facilities, and costs 126 per week. The teenager says an officer told one of her flatmates that they must remain in their rooms, rather than mixing as a household. They dont know what were going through, she says. Its bad enough trying to make new friends, and then being locked up for two weeks - but the expectation that we don't speak to our flatmates? It's just ridiculous.

Glasgow University told The Independent that students are required to stay in their household but have not been asked to stay in their individual rooms and the police only visit residences when they have been called by staff or students - not on routine patrols.

Since March, Anna and her peers have been tackling additional problems to the universal ones thrown up by the coronavirus pandemic. First the class of 2020 was forced to miss the last months of secondary education as schools across the country closed; forgo a summer of drinking and partying with friends in favour of time at home with their parents; have their A Level results predicted by a computer algorithm; and many were turned down by their university of choice after their results failed to live up to the grades they were expecting.

The send help sign was [originally] a joke, but now it's actually quite bad

Now - for the seemingly lucky ones who did make it to university - they face being responsible for a second wave of the virus, and restrictions placed on their newly-won freedoms.

Many universities, including Cambridge, University College London and East Anglia, have totally banned overnight guests. Others in Manchester (1,700 students at Manchester Metropolitan have been told to isolate after 127 tested positive) have told students to only attend virtual events in lieu of real parties and socialising. All students in Scotland were banned from visiting pubs or restaurants. There have even been suggestions that students should not be allowed to go home to their families at Christmas. But amid rising cases, perhaps many have forgotten just how it feels to be away from home for the first time on your own?

While the Murano Street Student Village situation is bleak, they are, in some ways, the lucky ones. A coronavirus test centre has been set up in the complex, residents will now be refunded one months rent and receive a 50 payment for food. In Dundee, meanwhile, 500 students at Abertay University have been forced to isolate in privately-run halls, Parker House, but are yet to be offered any financial recompense. Images of signs students had put up in the windows as joking cries for help went viral this week.

The send help sign was [originally] a joke, but now it's actually quite bad, 18-year-old resident Joe Wilson explains. I dont want to sound really dramatic but its worse than a prison because at least, in a prison, you can go outside. Joe says no mental health support has been offered [Abertay University said it was in daily communication with students to offer guidance and support, including a personal phone call (supplemented with an email and daily newsletter if they werent contactable by phone)] and that students have been told if theyre seen outside their flats that police will be called.

Staff have been facilitating supermarket deliveries, [Abertay confirmed food parcels and vouchers were delivered and financial assistance is available to students], but Joe says many orders have been delivered to the wrong flats, and he and his flatmates arent allowed to be in their kitchen at the same time to cook or eat. The teenager describes hearing ambulances arrive to pick up fellow students from the building in the middle of the night, and says the experience has already had a destructive impact on his mental health.

Our experience has been that the majority of students have coped well with this, a spokesperson for the university says. And iQ Student Accommodation, owners of Parker House in Dundee, said: We are doing all that we can to support students during this difficult time, as they adhere to the guidance and regulations set out by the NHS and government. It also pointed to Scottish legislation which makes provisions for students to terminate their tenancies early for a reason relating to coronavirus.

(RexFeatures/shutterstock_editorial_10792859k.jpg)

Joe says many of his peers are now considering finishing their first year remotely from their hometowns instead. Today, everyone's trying to work out how to end the tenancy agreement, he says. Everyone's just getting out. After he moved away from home, Joe found out his only in-person teaching was a non-essential drop-in session: So those three hours weren't even important, and that's the only reason everyones paying five grand a year to stay here.

With the bulk of course material now available online, and the usual club nights, parties and society meetings unable to take place as normal, many students are beginning to wonder whether paying to move away from home was worth it after all. Everyone says unis so great and you go away from home and meet a whole load of new people, says Joe. Then, when we got here, there was an online pub quiz, but you had to pay for it - so no one did it.

I was set on moving as far away as possible. But, getting here, I'm really questioning whether this was right

Elijah, a first-year philosophy student at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN), decided against moving into student halls due to worries about the virus, but did move from home in Hereford to new private accommodation in Preston: I was going to but I was so frightened of living with strangers and not knowing what their attitude to social distancing would be that I decided to go into private accommodation.

Now that Preston has gone into local lockdown and the 18-year-old is unable to mix with other students, Elijah is experiencing doubts about having moved five hours from home and hundreds of miles from their partner, who is at university in Bristol: I was completely set on moving as far away from Hereford as possible. But, getting here, I'm really questioning whether this was the right move for me.

A student experience where in-person seminars are a finite commodity and shrieking to Rihanna on a sticky student union dancefloor is a criminal offence will likely sound unappealing to older graduates. But, for some students, the restructuring of university life has in some ways made learning and socialising easier. I'm autistic, and I find the lecture hall environment quite difficult, says 22-year-old theatre student Josh*, who did not want his university named. I always sit at the front so I can hear properly but I get distracted by people talking behind me There are some days where I think I would fare better if I could access it digitally.

For other students they have been able to have some in-person contact. The University of Buckingham hosted a mix of virtual and in-person social events where students were permitted to attend in groups of six, provided groups didnt mix. We had some parents tell us, My son, my daughter, they're an introvert and I'm worried because they won't have that same opportunity to make friends, says student union president Daria Ermolenko. But we've watched these introverts come to our events, because they know that this won't be a party-style event, they know they'll be in a small group and, for an introvert, that's very reassuring. So I think [socially distanced] it's more inclusive.

For now, thousands of students, self-isolating or not, will continue to experience many of the university rites of passage through a screen. Although they have been given some good news as education secretary Gavin Williamson said students in England could go home if universities scheduled term to finish early, they are still a world away from the university experience so many were sold when they first applied.

Despite being stuck inside for another fortnight, Anna is still glad she didnt defer. My life has already been put on hold too much by coronavirus, she says. At least something that I planned to do this year has actually gone ahead.

* Names have been changed
People cross the street near Time Square in New York City, which now faces potential re-imposition of virus restrictions in some neighborhoods

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday he planned to reimpose restrictions on nine neighborhoods as Covid-19 cases rise in parts of the city, which had largely controlled the virus after a catastrophic outbreak.

The proposal, which must be approved by state Governor Andrew Cuomo, marks a major setback for America's largest city since it was hit hard in March by the coronavirus. The city has lost almost 24,000 people to the virus.

"Today, unfortunately, is not a day for celebration," de Blasio said, announcing he would ask to close nonessential businesses and all schools in nine neighborhoods of Brooklyn and Queens.

If approved by the governor, who has not yet weighed in, the new restrictions would be the first step back toward lockdown in the city.

New York City became the global epicenter of the pandemic in spring, but more recently officials had touted the lowest rates of test positivity and infection among major US cities.

Several of the nine neighborhoods have large populations of Orthodox Jews, and the virus has been spreading rapidly in that community in recent weeks.

The increases coincided with the Jewish High Holidays, the most holy days in the Jewish calendar, that culminated last Monday with Yom Kippur.

- 'Rewind' of city's reopening -

De Blasio has faced criticism previously for his handling of the virus response among the city's Jewish residents.

He triggered fury in April when he threatened "the Jewish community" with summons and arrest after a large crowd of Hasidic Jews gathered for a rabbi's funeral in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood.

The nine neighborhoods now targeted by the mayor have seen the rate at which people are testing positive for the virus remain above three percent for the past seven days, despite authorities intervening to encourage mask-wearing and other safety practices.

De Blasio said he intended to "rewind" the city's reopening in the worst-affected areas, according to the New York Times.

Story continues

The city is also monitoring 11 additional ZIP codes that de Blasio described as of "real concern."

His proposal comes just days after hundreds of thousands of the city's children began returning to in-person school for the first time since March, and restaurants were allowed to resume limited indoor service.

New York City is considered America's cultural capital, and its world-class restaurants have been hard-hit by the virus.

However, authorities allowed eateries to resume indoor service at 25 percent capacity as economic pressure grew for loosening restrictions.

Following increases in cases in 20 of the city's 146 neighborhoods, New York City's leaders are following a model of localized measures, also taken in other nations like South Korea and Singapore.

cat/jm/bbk
MONTREAL - A public inquest into the death of an Indigenous woman who filmed herself being insulted by Quebec hospital staff hours before she died will be launched as soon as possible, the province's chief coroner announced.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 4/10/2020 (475 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

People take part in a protest called Justice for Joyce in Montreal, Saturday, October 3, 2020, where they demanded Justice for Joyce Echaquan and an end to all systemic racism. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

MONTREAL - A public inquest into the death of an Indigenous woman who filmed herself being insulted by Quebec hospital staff hours before she died will be launched as soon as possible, the province's chief coroner announced.

Pascale Descary said the late-Saturday decision came as the result of a formal request filed hours earlier from Quebec's Public Security Minister Genevieve Guilbault.

Descary's office pledged to launch the inquiry soon, but offered no specific dates.

Joyce Echaquan, a 37-year-old Atikamekw mother of seven, died shortly after she filmed herself from her hospital bed in Joliette, Que., about 70km north of Montreal, last Monday while she was in clear distress and pleading for help.

Hospital staff can be heard in the video making disparaging comments about Echaquan, including calling her stupid and saying she'd be better off dead.

The video created widespread indignation, touched off several inquiries and prompted Echaquan's family to launch a lawsuit against the hospital where she died.

Echaquan's relatives and members of the Atikamekw community of Manawan, Que., about 200km north of Joliette, welcomed the pending coroner's inquest.

"Every day in Quebec and Canada, Indigenous men, women and children are victims of contempt and racism in the health care system," family and community members said in a statement released hours after Descary's announcement. "Joyce Echaquan's case at Joliette Hospital is certainly not unique, but rather the tip of the iceberg."

"The public inquest must provide answers that will initiate change in how health care services are delivered to Indigenous people."

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Similar calls for reform rang through the streets of Montreal on Saturday as crowds of protesters held a rally to both express support for Echaquan's family and voice concerns about systemic racism in the health-care system.

The coroner's office said the public inquest will seek to examine the cause and circumstances surrounding her death, and make recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault referenced Echaquan's death in a Sunday statement marking the annual day commemorating missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada.

"It falls only a few days after an event that profoundly shocked us all: the death of Joyce Echaquan and the racism that she was subjected to," Legault wrote in a post on Facebook. "We have asked the coroner for a public inquest to shed light on this tragedy."

Legault has been criticised for failing to acknowledge the existence of systemic racism in the province.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2020.
When Dr. Amun Sandhu moved to the United Kingdom a decade ago to study medicine, her superiors predicted her career advancement would be limited.

"You don't tend to see very many female surgeons," she said she was told. "You'll end up being a GP, anyway."

While Sandhu is now a doctor of acute medicine in East London, the Vancouver native still feels a gender bias.

She recounted times when she has approached patients' bedsides, flanked by a male nurse or junior colleague, and the patient will speak over her entirely, assuming the man is the doctor.

"You feel like you've done all the hard work and earned this, and you're still being referred to as either a nurse or not even being referred to at all," Sandhu said.

Submitted by NHS East London Trust

Lorraine Sunduza, the chief nurse for the East London Trust, has had similar experiences. Originally from Zimbabwe, Zunduza said there have been times when she has assigned tasks to her staff, only to have them question her authority.

She said these "subtle" yet frequent occurrences have left her wondering, "If I was a man, would they do that? And if I was white, would they do that?"

Of the people who work for the National Health Service in Britain, 77 per cent are women. But while they make up more than three-quarters of the NHS workforce, women account for less than half of its most senior members, on average, according to a study published last month by the University of Exeter.

This lack of representation makes things more difficult for female health-care workers, said Sandhu  from commanding the respect they deserve to earning reasonable pay to being given the proper equipment to do their jobs.

Medical careers based on '20th-century model'

The Exeter study, led by professor Ruth Sealy of the university's business school, included an analysis of more than 3,000 directors across the NHS in England, as well as more than 70 in-depth interviews with board chairs, directors and aspiring executives.

Story continues

The senior female NHS employees Sealy interviewed reported having overcome workplace inequality and domestic pressures to secure a leadership role. "Women who get to senior positions in leadership have been clinging on with their nails," she said.

Submitted by Ruth Sealy

A major factor in determining whether someone in health care can advance to the next rung of the ladder is their ability to get experience in several different areas of medicine, says Sealy.

However, a lack of flexibility from senior decision-makers or an alliance board makes it difficult for women to advance, she adds.

"Medical careers are still based on a  20th-century model," said Sealy.

Sandhu said that in her experience, female consultants tend to be more aware of the work-life balance many women in health still navigate today.

When asked to comment on the support available for female staff, a spokesperson for the NHS provided the CBC with an email response, saying the NHS is "offering greater options for flexible working, modern and inclusive recruitment practices and a continued focus on staff health and well-being as set out in the NHS People Plan."

Poorly equipped

A gender bias can also be seen in pay. According to a review by the U.K. government this year, the overall NHS gender pay gap is 23 per cent.

Similar numbers can be seen in Canada. In Ontario and British Columbia, female doctors earn 30 per cent and 36 per cent less, respectively, than their male counterparts, according to a report published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal in August.

The gap is slightly smaller in the United States, according to a 2019 report published by medical news site Medscape. The average U.S. male doctor earns 25 per cent more than his female equivalent.

Submitted by Amun Sandhu

Another way the lack of female leadership affects women in the NHS is that they aren't always provided appropriate equipment.

In the early stages of the pandemic, Sandhu and fellow health-care workers were "fit-tested" to ensure their personal protective equipment (PPE) was sufficient. The test involved having a fine spray, meant to mimic the virus, misted over their masked faces.

If the PPE was reliable, the wearer wouldn't be able to smell or taste the spray. But Sandhu and many other female colleagues reported an orange smell and a bitter taste in the back of their throats. In other words, the mask didn't fit properly.

Sandhu said this demonstrates that female health-care workers weren't "taken into consideration" with regards to proper PPE, including masks, scrubs and gowns.

Most PPE is based on the sizes and characteristics of male populations from certain countries in Europe and the United States, according to a 2017 report from the U.K.'s Trades Union Congress. That means only three in 10 women in the U.K. have PPE that's designed for their bodies, the report states.

Sandhu said many of her female colleagues had to use tape to adjust their XXL scrubs, and when surgical caps were in short supply, they re-purposed excess gown material for handkerchiefs to tie around their heads.

"We were told, basically, 'This is what we have, this is what you'll need to use,'" said Sandhu.

The quality of supplies has improved greatly since the number of coronavirus cases dropped, Sandhu said, but earlier in the pandemic, the lack of proper PPE left her feeling unprotected.

Sealy said that "when you are in less than a powerful position, it's much harder to question the way that things are being done, and to question why you don't have the PPE  and to push when you don't get what you should be given."

Women the 'shock absorbers' of society

Dr. Roopa Dhatt, a doctor of internal medicine in Washington, D.C., who also serves as the executive director of Women in Global Health, said "there are superhuman expectations on women."

Peter Braverman

She calls women the "shock absorbers" of society, saying they continue to work long hours for less pay than men in order to keep their communities moving forward.

Women in Global Health collaborated with the World Health Organization on a 2019 report on female leadership in health, which found that women make up more than 70 per cent of the global health workforce, but only hold one in four leadership positions.

"If we want to really actually make headway in creating not only stronger, more resilient health systems ... women need to be in leadership roles. They've demonstrated it. They have the expertise. They have the power," said Dhatt.

But those who have power also know they can be subject to abuse.

British Columbia's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Bonnie Henry, spoke recently about the importance of addressing gender bias in order to ensure better treatment for the next generation of leaders.

In a panel presentation at the Union of B.C. Municipalities last week, Henry opened up about death threats and other negative comments she has received since the start of the pandemic.

"I sense that people find that [kind of abuse is] OK for a woman who is up-front, more so than some of our male leaders," Henry said.

WATCH | Dr. Bonnie Henry speaks about receiving abuse:

Despite the challenges for women in health care, Sandhu said she takes inspiration from female medical leaders like Henry and Canada's chief medical officer, Dr. Theresa Tam.

"The way that they're conveying their messages is beneficial to female physicians and nurses and women in health care in general," Sandhu said.
Sacramento Police Department personnel work across the street from Mama Marks Park on Roanoke Avenue, near the scene where a 9-year-old girl was killed in a drive-by shooting in Sacramentos Del Paso Heights on Oct. 3, 2020. (Xavier Mascarenas/The Sacramento Bee via AP)

9-Year-Old Girl Killed in Shooting in California, Police Say

SACRAMENTO, Calif.A 9-year-old girl was killed and three others were injured in a drive-by shooting Saturday in Sacramento, police told the FOX40 and the Sacramento Bee.

The shooting happened at 1:10 p.m. in a park in the Del Paso Heights neighborhood on the citys north side, and a woman, man, and 6-year-old girl were the people injured, police said.

Police spokesman Officer Karl Chan told the Bee that a family was gathering at Mama Marks Park when a gunman drove up and shot them.

The 9-year-old girl died at the scene, the Bee reported. Police said the 6-year-old girl is in stable condition, and the woman is in critical condition.

Police told the Bee that a man had taken himself to a hospital, also suffering a gunshot wound. He is in stable condition, police said.

Chan told the Bee that the site of the shooting is a very emotional scene.

Sacramento Police Department personnel work across the street from Mama Marks Park on Roanoke Avenue, near the scene where a 9-year-old girl was killed in a drive-by shooting in Sacramentos Del Paso Heights on Oct. 3, 2020. (Xavier Mascarenas/The Sacramento Bee via AP)

Officers are investigating a potential gang connection to the shooting, Chan told the Bee.

There is no information on a suspect or suspects, police told the newspaper and the TV station.

On Sept. 11, 2018, 3-year-old Azalya Anderson died after she was hit by a stray bullet, the Bee reported.

A bullet fired from the street struck her in her living room.
POE TO ECOZONES: MAKE SURE WE DON'T LOSE ANY MORE JOBS

Sen. Grace Poe asked the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) and Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone Authority (ZCSEZA) to find out why locators are leaving.

CEZA reported that employment was cut by half from 2,880 in 2018 to 1,555 in the first quarter of 2020, while ZCSEZA went from employing 1,467 people in 2018 down to 998 in 2020.

It was noted at the last Senate hearing on the proposed 2021 budget of the investment promotion agencies that ZCSEZA chief Raul Regondola failed to look into why a wig manufacturer, considered to be one of the biggest manufacturers of wigs that exports to Japan, decided to leave the ecozone.

"It is part of your responsibility to figure out why relocators left. We want to make it a thriving ecozone, so dapat tanungin natin kung saan tayo nagkulang at anong puwede nating gawin," Poe stressed.

The senator said that if the tax holiday was the reason why relocators are leaving, they could approach the DOF (Department of Finance) or NEDA (National Economic and Development Authority) for help. "May mga bagay na pwede nating gawin para maisalba natin ang mga trabaho," said Poe.

CEZA administrator Raul Lambino explained that the reason behind the decline in employment is their cleaning up of offshore gaming corporations and locators found to be engaged in illegal activities that was reported last August.
The causes of most of Oregons catastrophic wildfires that ignited on Labor Day are still under investigation, with official determinations yet to come.

But anecdotal and eyewitness accounts suggest that several were started by electrical lines and equipment buffeted by the historic windstorm that whipped across the state for three days.

Many residents of affected communities are asking why the lines werent deactivated before the winds, which were clearly forecast days in advance by the National Weather Service, along with red flag warnings noting the extreme fire danger.

Oregons U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley wrote Friday to the chief of the U.S. Forest Service and the Oregon State Forester asking for an analysis of what role power lines played in the start or spread of the fires in the Santiam Canyon.

If, in fact, power lines were the culprit in igniting the fires statewide, one utility could face enormous exposure: Portland-based Pacific Power and its parent company, PacifiCorp, which is owned by Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate.

Pacific Power was formed by a string of mergers that created a predominantly rural service territory spread throughout Oregon, but also in parts of Washington and Northern California. The utility operates local distribution systems and, in some cases, high voltage lines that run through the center of the fires in the Santiam Canyon along Oregon 22; the Archie Creek fire in the Umpqua National forest; the Slater fire that started in California and blew into Oregon; the Echo Mountain Complex near Lincoln City; the Almeda Fire in the Rogue Valley, and the South Obenchain fire that started east of Eagle Point.

PacifiCorp declined to answer questions about individual fires and the potential involvement of its infrastructure. Drew Hanson, a spokesman, said The Labor Day windstorm was far-reaching, impacting communities we serve throughout Oregon and into northern California.

The fires destroyed several thousand homes and structures and claimed nine lives in Oregon and another two in California. And if electrical lines are the cause, the resulting liability could be enormous. On top of the lives, homes, structures, livestock and belongings lost  that initial state estimates pin at $1 billion -- the Oregon Department of Forestry and federal agencies have likely spent hundreds of millions on fire suppression efforts, with far more to come in cleanup and restoration costs.

Northwest utilities are only too aware of the $30 billion in liabilities that sent Californias largest electrical utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, into bankruptcy last year. Those claims stemmed from dozens of fires blamed on its equipment, including the destruction of the town of Paradise in 2018 that claimed 85 lives and 11,000 homes.

But if Oregonians are eager for their state utility regulators to weigh in, they were disappointed Thursday. The Oregon Public Utility Commission invited chief executives and top transmission executives from Pacific Power and Portland General Electric for a review of the wildfires, and each utility gave a 15-minute presentation, followed by questions from commissioners.

None of the executives or the commissioners even flirted with the subject of how the wildfires started or whether Pacific Power in particular should have used preemptive blackouts in light of the forecasts -- as PGE did on Mt. Hood. It was a curious omission, as the financial impacts of the fires could be meaningful for ratepayers, and the PUC has been pushing utilities to develop more comprehensive wildfire prevention plans in the wake of the Paradise disaster, including standards to implement so-called public safety power shutoffs.

Instead, commissioners asked softball questions and declined to allow any public comment or questions. Megan Decker, the PUC chair, made it clear that the PUC has no role investigating the fires' causes. That will be up to the federal and state agencies that protect the lands burned.

And the legal threshold to assign liability for a wildfire may be higher in Oregon than it is in California, where court cases have turned on a you-break-it-you-you bought-it standard known as inverse condemnation. In Oregon, plaintiffs may need to meet a higher bar, such as negligence on the part of the utilities.

Either way, residents affected by the wildfires arent waiting around. Lawyers have already filed one class action lawsuit against PacifiCorp alleging negligence and other claims. Other victims tell The Oregonian/OregonLive that they are also discussing possible lawsuits with attorneys.

The results of forensic fire investigations can take months. But the Oregonian/OregonLive looked at the largest wildfires in the state, interviewed residents where possible, and examined the utility infrastructure in each case.

Beachie Creek/Santiam fires

Firefighters attempted and failed to control a fire that destroyed a fire camp at the old Gates Elementary School on Labor Day. The fire was ignited when a power line fell on a cyclone fence.

The Beachie Creek fire is actually a misnomer for what is now a 192,843 acre-complex of fires that merged together. The original Beachie Creek fire started Aug. 16 in the Opal Creek wilderness, two miles south of Jawbone Flats. Before the Labor Day windstorm, it was a 500-acre fire burning in steep and inaccessible terrain. The cause is still under investigation.

The Labor Day winds blew up that fire, but the Northwest Interagency Fire Coordination Center also said in mid-September that downed power lines were responsible for setting 13 separate fires  many of them miles away from the Beachie Creek fire - along the Santiam Canyon from Mehama to Detroit on Labor Day and the following morning.

Twelve miles away as the crow flies, a fire command center set up at the Gates School was incinerated on Monday evening of the Labor Day weekend after a power line fell on a cyclone fence surrounding the school, arced and set off a number of fires simultaneously, according to the firefighters on scene. It destroyed the camp, including equipment parked there, and firefighters were forced to retreat.

Map: Mark Friesen/staff

Sources: Esri, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, National Interagency Fire Center

PacifiCorp officials said in the days following those fire starts that they didnt know if its equipment caused any of them. It also declined to address questions about the extent of its service territory.

But Diane Turnbull, the executive director of the Upward Bound Camp that now owns the old school property, told The Oregonian/OregonLive that Pacific Power is their service provider.

The lead plaintiffs in the class action suit filed last week live farther down the canyon, in Lyons. Their lawsuit claims that Pacific Power, which also serves that community, is responsible for the fire that destroyed their home.

PacifiCorp declined to comment.

In a letter sent Friday to U.S. Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen and Oregon State Forester Peter Daugherty, Wyden and Merkley noted that downed power lines may have had a significant role in the expansion of the Beachie Creek fire. They asked for an analysis of that role.

Could more have been done to prevent these power lines from starting a fires in the windstorm? they asked. What role did downed power lines play in establishing new fires in the canyon?

Pacific Power and its parent company arent the only electricity or transmission providers in the Santiam Canyon. Bonneville Power Administration owns high voltage lines that parallel Oregon 22 from the city of Detroit west. Consumers Power provides local distribution to some customers, though the utilitys officials told the Salem Statesman Journal they shut their system down about 7pm on Labor Day.

Archie Creek fire

A view of the Archie Creek fire's destruction, looking south from Oregon 138 at milepost 24. (Courtesy Francis Eatherington)

Fire officials say the 132,000 acre Archie Creek fire in the Umpqua National Forest east of Roseburg started Tuesday morning Sept. 8, near Steamboat. The fire destroyed 109 homes and its cause remains under investigation.

PacifiCorp is the local service provider along Oregon 138, which follows the North Umpqua River. It also operates a high voltage transmission line that carries electricity from a hydroelectric dam 60 miles east of Roseburg to Dixonville, just east of Roseburg. It also runs along the highway.

That line has been the source of fires and litigation in the past. In 2009, the Williams Creek fire started just west of Archie Creek. It burned 8,395 acres, and an investigation determined the fire was caused by a power line. The Forest Service sought recovery of $16 million in firefighting costs, alleging PacifiCorp was negligent for failing to adequately inspect and maintain the line. PacifiCorp settled the lawsuit in 2016 for $13 million, according to the U.S. Attorney of Oregon.

While fire officials say Archie Creek started at Steamboat, residents say there were fire starts up and down the highway, at Susan Creek and at Archie Creek and potentially at Steamboat. The utilitys power lines run through them all.

Ron Hamill, a field biologist who lives off Oregon 138 east of Fall Creek Falls, drove up the highway at 5 a.m. on Tuesday to find the source of smoke at his house. He spotted a fire at Archie Creek.

Map: Mark Friesen/staff

Sources: Esri, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, National Interagency Fire Center

I didnt see the lines arcing, but it was burning directly beneath the line and hadnt burned down to the road, he said. We have 10 power outages a year up here. Theyre always having problems with the lines.

When he drove back to a vantage point closer to his home, he saw another big plume coming from Susan Creek, about three miles to the west. While the winds were blowing, he said, its unlikely the Archie Creek fire had already spotted six miles down the road.

Anne Dorsey lives about 10 miles downriver from Steamboat. Her property is north of the river, adjacent to the PacifiCorp transmission line, which set a small fire on her property in 2002 that was quickly extinguished.

If the power lines started the fires, Dorsey said it would be the third time since she moved there, and this one overran her property. While her home survived, her outbuildings and the surrounding forest were destroyed.

It will be a miracle if the house doesnt get wiped out in a landslide, she said.

She said neighbors at Susan Creek told her they also lost power Tuesday morning, but that Pacific Power ended up re-energizing their lines.

After the power went back on, the Star Mountain fire blew up, she said, referring to the mountain above those homes. That was someones big mistake.

She said shes talking with an attorney who has already sent in a veteran fire investigator to look at the fires source. They said there was a 99% chance it was a power line.

PacifiCorp declined to comment.

Slater fire

Crews repair power lines damaged by the the Slater Fire in Happy Camp, California. The wildfire spread from California into Oregon in early September.

Fire officials say this 154,000 acre behemoth started as a vegetation fire on the morning of Sept. 8, near the Slater Butte Fire Lookout north of Happy Camp, California. Amid the ensuing high winds and low humidity, the Slater fire burned northwest into Oregons Illinois Valley.

The blaze has caused 2 deaths and destroyed 700 structures. The cause of the fire is under investigation, and fire officials declined to pinpoint the start of the fire other than say it was near the fire lookout.

Pacific Power is the electrical provider in Happy Camp and up into Oregon. It also owns a transmission line that runs just north of the Slater Butte Fire Lookout and serves local distribution in that area.

Map: Mark Friesen/staff

Sources: Esri, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, National Interagency Fire Center

In fact, in developing wildfire prevention plans for its service territory in California, Pacific Power identified the Happy Camp area as one of its few extreme risk areas, where topography, historical fires and local fuel conditions put it at higher danger. Consequently, the company developed plans to deactivate its lines there during periods of extreme risk.

The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for the entire area Sept. 6, calling for strong, gusty wind with low relative humidity. The warning went on to say high fire danger will likely contribute to a significant spread of new and existing fires.

But Pacific Power didnt de-energize its lines. At its meeting with the Oregon Public Utility Commission its executives said public safety power outages are a last resort.

The cause and origin of the Slater Fire is still under investigation, Drew Hanson, a spokesman for PacifiCorp said in an email. "Pacific Power only institutes a Public Safety Power Shutoff as a last resort, following the carefully considered protocols set forth in its comprehensive Wildfire Mitigation Plan. Public Safety Power Shutoff events must be properly planned and coordinated so a loss of power does not have unintended consequences of increasing public safety risk.

In this case, Pacific Power did not institute a Public Safety Power Shutoff because the forecasted conditions did not meet the factors identified in Pacific Powers Wildfire Mitigation Plan.

Echo Mountain Complex

The Echo Mountain fire burned 29 of the 31 homes in the Salmon River Mobile Village on the north side of Oregon Highway 18.

The Echo Mountain Complex blew up amid high winds at 11:45 p.m. on Monday night, just east of Otis. At 2,552 acres, its one of the smallest of the Labor Day fires. But it was highly destructive, burning 293 structures in the area northeast of Lincoln City. The cause is still under investigation.

The complex is actually two fires. One reportedly began on Echo Mountain near Panther Creek, where Pacific Powers VanDuzer # 2 transmission line has a right of way. The second, the Kimberling fire, started further east, where the companys Van Duzer #1 and # 2 lines come together and run along Oregon 18. Pacific Power also provides local distribution in the area.

Map: Mark Friesen/staff

Sources: Esri, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, National Interagency Fire Center

Rep. David Gomberg, D-Central Coast and a resident of Otis, said that while there is no official cause of the fire yet, anecdotal accounts are that it was power lines.

Gombergs house survived, though fire burned across his driveway and many neighbors lost their homes. He says he hasnt spoken to anyone who witnessed the fires start.

We were initially told it was human-caused, and the inference was that it was power lines, but suddenly all that just stopped, he said. Were waiting for the investigation.

PacifiCorp declined to comment.

Other fires

FILE - In this Sept, 15, 2020, file photo, taken with a drone, fire retardant blankets leveled homes in Talent, Ore., after the Almeda Fire tore through the area. Two unusual weather phenomena combined to create some of the most destructive wildfires the West Coast states have seen in modern times. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)AP

The Almeda fire was the most destructive of Oregons Labor Day fires in terms of its impact on homes. This was an urban conflagration that ignited near a BMX park on the north side of Ashland. Amid high winds, flames blew rapidly northwest along Bear Creek, consuming some 2,700 structures and 2,400 homes as it ripped through the communities of Talent and Phoenix along the Oregon 99 corridor.

Police told the Medford Mail Tribune that the fire had two points of origin, one in Ashland and another in Phoenix. In Ashland, they found one person dead near the head of the fire. In Phoenix, they arrested a man who has been charged with two counts of arson and other charges.

Pacific Power is the local service provider, and its local infrastructure was decimated in the fire. But there is no indication that its lines were involved in starting it.

The nearly 33,000-acre South Obenchain fire reportedly started Sept. 8 at 2 a.m., five miles east of Eagle Point. It destroyed 33 homes and 56 other structures. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Pacific Power is the electric service provider in the area.

Holiday Farm fire

Marcus Kauffman with the Oregon Department of Forestry, walks through a burned out area of the Holiday Farm Fire along the southwest edge of the burn area above Deerhorn, Ore., Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. (Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard via AP) APChris Pietsch/The Register-Guard via AP

Pacific Power has no involvement here. But its another fire where residents blame power lines.

This wildfire blew up along the McKenzie River just east of Blue River at 8:20p.m. on Labor Day. Fanned by the gusting east winds, the fire eventually grew to 173,000 acres and destroyed 431 homes.

Fire officials say the cause remains under investigation, though Kris Brandt, who lives almost on top of the reported start at milepost 47 of Oregon 138 told the Oregonian/Oregon live that his power went out at 8:15 p.m., followed by a loud explosion.

I would have guessed it was a transformer exploding but I cant confirm, he said.

He alerted neighbors, then started filming what he thinks was the fires start, less than 1,000 feet away.

Map: Mark Friesen/staff

Sources: Esri, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, National Interagency Fire Center

About the same time, Tyee Burwell was returning home when he noticed a power line arcing on a pole near milepost 47.

It was blowing blue sparks everywhere, said Burwell, a resident of nearby McKenzie Bridge. Im pretty darn sure thats where the fire started.

The local electricity provider is Lane Electric Cooperative, which received multiple outage calls as winds began to pick up Labor Day evening. A spokesman for the utility previously told the Oregonian/OregonLive that it did not shut down its distribution system until early Tuesday morning.

The Eugene Water and Electric Board serves customers farther down the drainage, and both the Bonneville Power Administration and the City of Eugene own transmission lines that parallel the highway.

Correction: Anne Dorsey lives 10 miles west of Steamboat on Oregon 138. An earlier version of the story misstated the distance.

-- Ted Sickinger; tsickinger@oregonian.com; 503-221-8505; @tedsickinger

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
The war between conservatives and Silicon Valley is on. The scions of social media are no longer hiding their disdain for an entire movement. They know the outcome of this high-stakes presidential election could jeopardize their rule over the American people and unmake the oligarchy theyve built with the rest of the ruling class. If we are to save the republic, we must realize this tooand act.

Tens of millions of individual users who dare question leftist orthodoxy are being targeted and silenced by Big Tech. There are no limits on who they censor, including the President of the United States.

Thats why the Media Research Center is fighting back with the Free Speech Alliance, which includes over 70 groups and The Claremont Institute. We also just released our database effort to document the bias at CensorTrack.org.

One key weapon being deployed to punish conservatives is the so-called fact check. Its being used to censor thousands of conservatives communicating with millions of followers. Its happened tens of thousands of times, and its getting worse. Facebook is one of the worst offenders.

Facebook, with 2.7 billion users, is dramatically skewed to the left in its fact-checking operation. It now has an international Oversight Committee dominated by George Soros-funded entities that make a mockery of unbiased review. Citizens wanting to rally in support of reopening the country have been banned because some public gatherings in some states are forbidden. Antifa, however, thrives largely unchecked and unchallenged as it riots in the streets and harasses members of Congress in their homes.

Conservatives have made good-faith attempts to resolve these many conflicts, but to no avail.

Covid-19 has sent social media sites into censorship overdrive. If you disagree with the social media prescription for the virus, you are silenced. Ask the president, or his son, or countless doctors.

Social media censorship is the most direct threat to free speech worldwide coming from the most powerful companies in the history of man. As a consequence, some conservatives are actively supporting the effort to strip from these social media giants the Section 230 protections that they certainly have abused.

Just like newspapers such as The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, these social media giants need to be held legally accountable for content on their own sites. But 230 protects companies from lawsuits when publishing the content of others. This has given Big Tech firms like Facebook the power to block conservatives from the public conversation while encouraging hate-filled, dishonest speech toward conservativesall with virtual impunity.

Taking Action

U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R., MI), Lindsey Graham (R., SC), and Marsha Blackburn (R., TN) have proposed legislation that would clarify the original intent of the law and increase accountability for content moderation practices.

Others, including 51 state attorneys general, are exploring antitrust remedies to break the monopolies and allow competition that might embrace free speech.

These are very encouraging steps in the right direction.

But there might be an easier solution to resolve at least part of the problem: lets fix fact-checking.

Silicon Valley, its allies in the old media, and the academy are the ones clamoring for fact-checking, not the public.

Theres no market demand for any corporate fact-checking. None.

This is not to suggest that social media sites shouldnt be monitored, and restrictions placed on them. But those restrictions should be imposed only where absolutely necessary and legally required in cases of criminal activity, terrorism, and pornography.

That should be the full extent of Big Techs direct involvement in the fact-checking process.

Let the public make the call: allow them to opt in to fact-checking.

We offer a simple framework.

Create a Social Media Charter: A task force would produce a simple document outlining what can and will be banned by the social media community. Every company will be asked to sign the charter. Demand Equal Fact-Checkers: Each social media company would recruit a set number of official fact-checkerssay, ten. These fact-checkers would run the political gamut and share in valuing true diversity of thought. For every leftist enterprise there would be a conservative alternative. Any existing fact-checking operations would need to disclose their true bias. Pure objectivity does not exist. Insist on Transparency: Each fact-checking organization would be required to fill out a Transparency Statement, to include the organizations official mission statement and describe all other organizational activities, political affiliations, sources of major funding and the qualifications of all staff participating in their operation. Pay Fact-Checkers: As cable companies do with C-SPAN, so too would the social media giants fund these fact-checking organizations as a public service. Fact-checkers would be paid their salaries a year in advance, just as ombudsmen are, to mitigate against any possible interference. Publicize Options: Social media companies would prominently list the names of all fact-checkers and encourage their audiences to read them. Track Actions: Social media companies would agree to maintain a public log of all disciplinary action taken by the companies against users, be they personal or corporate. Impose Biannual Oversight: A blue-ribbon Oversight Board would be convened biannually to review these fact-checkers. If the Oversight Board determined a fact-checkers record to be unacceptable, it could terminate the contract while recruiting a similar replacement. Limit Fact-checks: Fact-checks wouldnt be used to shut down, suspend, or in any other way discipline users or organizations. They would be attached to stories for the users who opted in. They would provide additional information, not censor by dictate.

This will naturally require tweaking, but the outline ought to provide satisfaction for all parties. Social media sites will become self-policing communities; freedom of speech will be guaranteed, warts and all; conservatives will have the assurance they are no longer being targeted for censorship; and the reasons for legal or legislative action against these social media giants will be minimized, if not negated altogether.

In other words, one piece of the debate just might be resolved by the private sector, for the private sector. And maybe liberals will get back to defending free speech, as they once did.

Read more at: AmericanMind.org
Layoffs Hit the Skies

Airlines began furloughing more than 32,000 workers on Thursday as the industrys efforts to secure more federal aid funding remained stuck in Congress. (This comes after tens of thousands more airline employees took voluntary layoffs over the past few months.) The industry received $25 billion in federal aid through the CARES Act back in March, on the condition that they refrained from broad job cuts until Oct. 1. Now that deadline has blown past and air travel is still down about 70 percent from last year. Several airlines said they would hire back workers if lawmakers provided the funding they need to pay them, and the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, pledged her support. But it may not be enough to get the votes she needs.

Image Credit... Giacomo Bagnara

Whats Next? (Oct. 4-10)

About That Deadlock

The airline industry isnt the only one holding its breath for Congress to pass another pandemic aid package. But Republicans and Democrats still cant agree on what it should cover. On Thursday, House Democrats pushed through a $2.2 trillion stimulus plan that would provide aid to families, schools, restaurants, businesses and yes, airline workers. But it stands little more than a snowballs chance in hell in the Senate, where Republicans have already pronounced it too expensive. Still, both sides are running out of moves, and with the election coming up, theyre feeling the pressure to do something.

A (Bleak) Black Market

Its a telling sign of our times that theres big money to be made in defrauding the unemployment system. A thriving black market for jobless benefits has cost states millions of dollars and become so pervasive in California that state officials have suspended processing unemployment claims to put new controls in place (which will, of course, affect people who genuinely need the money). The Labor Department dedicated $100 million to impose new cybersecurity measures.

Cruising for a Conflict

Remember those horror stories of coronavirus-ridden cruise ships floating around at sea because no port would take them? Perhaps with that in mind, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended its no-sail policy for cruises to mid-February from Oct. 31. As a result, Carnival Cruise Line announced that it would cancel voyages from all of its United States ports except Miami and Port Canaveral for November and December. But then the White House blocked the C.D.C. order, overruling medical professionals who warned that outbreaks on cruise ships could become a public health disaster. Ill stay home, thanks.
With Mr. Trump moved to the hospital Friday, and many White House aides sent home, the administration will rely more on the type of virtual teamwork that many companies have adopted during the coronavirus pandemic.

The White House has beefed up its digital contingency plans in recent years to prepare for events that could disrupt normal work routines, former officials say. But the new reliance on remote-work tools comes as law-enforcement officials and cybersecurity experts warn of an uptick in hacking threats to government computer systems.

Cybersecurity took on added urgency Friday as Mr. Trump was transferred to Walter Reed hospital, as hackers could try to breach defenses to learn about the presidents condition. People still in contact with Mr. Trump as he battles the infection could find themselves in hackers crosshairs, said Theresa Payton, who served as White House chief information officer under President George W. Bush.

The medical team is now a target," said Ms. Payton, now the president and chief executive of Fortalice Solutions LLC, a cybersecurity consulting firm for businesses and governments.

Mr. Trump revealed in a tweet early Friday morning that he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for Covid-19, soon after news broke of top White House aide Hope Hickss infection. As the president worked from his residence Friday, some staffers worked remotely or were directed to leave their offices, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The types of digital tools staffers use to communicate couldnt be learned. A White House spokesperson didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.

The presidents personal residence already has secured communications lines and can relatively easily become an alternative work site, Ms. Payton said. But federal officials could bring in even stauncher defenses, such as special video equipment or so-called Faraday cages that shield those inside from digital intrusions.

Nation-state spies are likely to go after not only White House medical staff but that teams family, home and employees such as nannies and dog-walkers, seeking information about the health of Mr. Trump and the first lady, she said. Any personal or professional device connected to the internet could prove to be a backdoor for attackers, she said.

Id say, For all intents and purposes of taking care of the president, heres your phone and your email," she said. Youre not allowed to use any other equipment and youre not allowed to discuss the situation at home."

Those pressures could add to more basic workflow issues for rank-and-file White House staffers now working remotely, said Michael Daniel, who served as the White House National Security Councils cybersecurity coordinator, the administrations top cyber official, from 2012 to 2017.

Theres no question that [White House business] will become more challenging to do," Mr. Daniel said. The stuff thats not as important will drop off the bottom."

The White House has invested significantly since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in policies and technology to allow staffers to work remotely in an emergency, Mr. Daniel said. Many officials have increasingly turned to virtual private networks that allow them to burrow behind the White Houses computer defenses from home, he said.

But cybersecurity experts warn that connecting to home Wi-Fi networks and mixing personal and professional devices have broadened many organizations so-called attack surface during the coronavirus pandemic.

Any time you disperse the workforce, youre going to get increased risk," said Mr. Daniel, now president and chief executive of the Cyber Threat Alliance, an intelligence-sharing consortium.

Staffers who work with classified information likely will have to keep coming to the White House, he said, where data is protected with encryption tools and additional security measures.

Administration officials can set up secure communications at certain off-site locations as needed, Mr. Daniel said. For a location like [Walter Reed], where a president might go regularly, they will have certain infrastructure ready to go."

Write to David Uberti at david.uberti@wsj.com and Kim S. Nash at kim.nash@wsj.com

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How Chirag Paswan's go-solo move may change Bihar poll math

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Oct 04: Chirag Paswan's LJP's decision to contest the Bihar Election 2020 "on its own" has thrown open new possibilities in the three-phase assembly elections starting from October 28.

Chirag chaired the party's parliamentary board meeting in which a decision was taken to not fight the assembly election, which begins from October 28 in three phases, under Kumar's leadership of the NDA in the state.

"Due to ideological differences with the JD(U), a member of the alliance at the national level and in the assembly polls, the Lok Janshakti Party has decided to fight the elections in Bihar separately from the alliance," a party statement said.

"We will triumph," was the brief comment of Chirag Paswan as he sported a victory sign after the meeting.

However, the LJP's decision has thrown open new possibilities in the Bihar polls as the party may end up damaging the JD(U)'s prospects at several seats. The development may send confusing signals to traditional NDA voters, especially in the constituencies where both the JD(U) and the LJP will contest besides the opposition parties.

The opposition alliance of the RJD, Congress and the Left may receive a boost with the development.

The LJP traditionally draws its support from a big bloc of Dalit voters and has in its ranks a number of upper caste leaders, who are influential in different pockets of the state.

The LJP had deployed a similar strategy in the February 2005 assembly polls in the state when it was part of the Congress-led UPA alliance at the Centre but contested against the RJD, the principal UPA member in Bihar.

Bihar Election 2020: 'What ideological difference, JD(U) hits back at LJP

Its gamble paid off initially as the party with its 29 MLAs held the balance of power in a hung assembly which was, however, dissolved and a fresh election called for.

The LJP again fought independently while it remained a member of the UPA at the Centre, but this time people gave the NDA alliance headed by Nitish Kumar a clear majority, ending Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD 15-year reign in the state in 2005.

Political watchers will be keenly watching if the LJP again manages to effect a change of government in the state under its new leader.

The nomination process for the first phase, under which 71 of the total 243 seats will go to polls, began from October 1 and will end on October 8.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 17:20:26|Editor: huaxia

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A man wearing a face mask stands on a busy road in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on Oct. 5, 2020. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday urged the public to take precautionary measures to avoid another wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

ISLAMABAD, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday urged the public to take precautionary measures to avoid another wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Khan said in a tweet that there is a fear that the onset of winter could result in the second wave of COVID-19 in Pakistan.

"I urge everyone to wear face masks in public to avoid a spike. All offices and ed (educational) institutions must ensure masks are worn," the prime minister said.

The latest official data released by the health ministry of Pakistan on Sunday morning showed that 632 new COVID-19 cases and six deaths surfaced in the country over the past 24 hours, and the total number of the confirmed cases reached 314,616.

A total of 33,725 tests were conducted over the last 24 hours, and there are presently 9,135 active cases in the country, according to the data.

As the COVID-19 situation has improved, Pakistan has reopened markets, offices and educational institutions. Enditem
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Some 400 members of an armed black militia brandished semi-automatic weapons in a show of force in Louisiana on Saturday as they protested a recent fatal shooting of a black man by local police.

The NFAC, or Not F****** Around Coalition, is an Atlanta-based militia made up primarily of former military veterans.

The organization has frequently staged processions and marches in several cities that have been flashpoints of racial tension these past few months.

The militia members were marching to protest the August 21 shooting death of Trayford Pellerin.

Police claimed officers shot Pellerin after he was seen walking into a convenience store with a knife.

Some 400 members of the 'Not F****** Around Coalition,' an Atlanta-based all-black militia, held a march on Saturday in Lafayette, Louisiana

NFAC is an organization made up of predominantly former military veterans. NFAC members are seen above in Lafayette on Saturday

John Grandmaster Jay Johnson, the group's leader, is seen kneeling in the street at Parc Sans Souci in Lafayette on Saturday

It was particularly active this past summer in Louisville, where protests were frequently staged in the wake of the March 12 shooting by police of Breonna Taylor.

Last month, a Louisville grand jury declined to pursue criminal charges against any of the officers for fatally shooting Taylor, a 26-year-old black EMT who was killed in her bed as cops executed a no-knock search warrant.

Police, who believed Taylors home was used to facilitate the sale of drugs, did not find any narcotics during the raid.

According to its leader, John Grandmaster Jay Johnson, the NFACs three main missions is to protect the black community; self-police the black community; and educate the community about their rights as gun owners.

The group marched through downtown Lafayette, Louisiana, on Saturday after obtaining a permit to do so, the Lafayette Daily Advertiser reported.

It should also be noted that Louisiana is an open carry state, meaning that NFAC was not breaking any laws by brandishing their weapons.

Lafayette is the city where police fatally shot a 31-year-old black man who was allegedly entering a convenience store with a knife on the night of August 21

NFAC militia members raise their fists in the air during a demonstration in Lafayette, Louisiana, on Saturday

The organization has frequently staged processions and marches in several cities that have been flashpoints of racial tension these past few months

NFAC militia members armed with semi-automatic weapons stage a procession in Lafayette, Louisiana, on Saturday

The group gathered at Parc Sans Souci for a march that went along the same route as the Mardi Gras parade

The group gathered at Parc Sans Souci for a march that went along the same route as the Mardi Gras parade.

When the march began just after 4pm near the Lafayette Public Library, several people started running after a gunshot was heard.

Authorities later said that one person in attendance who is not a militia member accidentally discharged his weapon.

Police arrested 26-year-old Terrance Jones of Lafayette. He was charged with one count of reckless discharge of a firearm at a parade or a demonstration.

He was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to KATC-TV.

There were no injuries.

The shooting on the night of August 21 was captured on video, and the state ACLU condemned what it described as a horrific and deadly incident of police violence against a black person.

Both the ACLU and the Southern Poverty Law Center quickly called for an investigation.

Lafayette officers followed Pellerin, 31, on foot as he left a convenience store where he had created a disturbance with a knife, Louisiana State Police said.

NFAC militia members are seen above kneeling during an armed rally at Parc Sans Souci in Lafayette, Louisiana, on Saturday

Louisiana is an open carry state, so the NFAC was not breaking any laws by staging their armed demonstration on Saturday

An NFAC member wearing a face covering with the group's name is seen above during the rally in Lafayette on Saturday

NFAC members hold their semi-automatic weapons during a rally at Parc Sans Souci in Lafayette, Louisiana, on Saturday

Stun guns failed to stop him, and the officers shot Pellerin as he tried to enter another convenience store, still with the knife, according to a news release.

Pellerin became anxious in groups and may have been frightened by the officers, Michelle Pellerin, Trayfords mother, told The Advocate.

He had sought professional help earlier this year, she said.

Instead of giving him a helping hand they gave him bullets, national civil rights attorney Ben Crump told the newspaper.

He and Baton Rouge attorney Ronald Haley said they have begun their own investigation by interviewing witnesses.

Some said Pellerin was not armed, Haley said.

NFAC staged the march in Lafayette after House Rep. Clay Higgins threatened the group on Facebook.

Higgins, a former sheriffs deputy in St. Landy Parish, posted a photo of NFAC that included a caption which read: Me? I wouldn't even spill my beer. I'd drop any 10 of you where you stand.

We don't care what color you are. We don't care if you're left or right.

On August 21, Lafayette police shot and killed 31-year-old Trayford Pellerin. Police said that they pursued Pellerin (above) for half a mile on foot after receiving a disturbance call at a Circle K gas station, and that he ignored orders to stop

Multiple customers (left) were at the gas station as the suspect made a beeline for the entrance to the convenience mart (right). He was armed with a knife, witnesses say

As the man came within feet of the door to the occupied convenience mart, police opened fire, shooting 11 times

The immediate aftermath of the shooting is seen, after police fired 11 rounds

If you show up like this, if we recognize threat...you won't walk away.

Facebook took down the post.

Johnson said he felt blindsided by Higgins threat.

When (Higgins) decided to issue this threat, it blindsided us, Johnson told a radio interview.

When I read those words, I read them four times.

Youre going to apologize to me and youre going to apologize to my organization, Johnson said.

If you choose not to do it, then were going to come to your town and make it so uncomfortable for your constituents, theyre gonna beg you to apologize to me.

Higgins has so far refused to apologize.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has reinforced his warning for beachgoers to not be selfish moments before he clashed with a journalist over hotel quarantine.

Coronavirus cases in the state remain low after recording one fatality and 12 new infections on Sunday.

But the premier is pleading for people to 'stay the course' after large groups at beaches and parks flouted virus restrictions over the weekend.

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Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has reinforced his warning for beachgoers to not be selfish moments before he clashed with a journalist over hotel quarantine

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has reinforced his warning for beachgoers to not be selfish moments before he clashed with a journalist over hotel quarantine. Pictured: Locals at St Kilda on Saturday

'We are so, so close. Let's not any of us do anything that might undermine the very positive numbers,' he told reporters on Sunday.

'Once we get them low, we can keep them low and we can open up again if we don't do anything silly or anything selfish right now.'

Mr Andrews warned people that if they 'try to shortcut this thing, then we will be back where we were weeks and months ago'.

'Let's not any of us do anything to jeopardise where we find ourselves. It is delicately poised'.

During the same press conference Mr Andrews was relentlessly questioned by journalist Rachel Baxendale from The Australian.

She cited her report about workers in hotel quarantine between July and August who also worked shifts at an aged care facility.

'On August 2, we went into stage 4 restrictions. You shut down entire industries to limit the spread of coronavirus, Ms Baxendale said.

'And yet, we had a Government subcontracted worker who was working in the setting which had caused Victoria's second wave and moving between that setting and aged care which, to date, has been linked to 640 deaths.'

The moment a young man grabbed a 7News reporter and kissed his head as lockdown relief craziness broke out at St Kilda Beach. A woman kissed the camera lens, leaving a lip-shaped blur.

Pictured: Social distancing circles have been painted on the grass and people in this photo appear to be keeping to their circles. Groups of five are permitted, from only two households

'Why on earth was that happening?'

Mr Andrews responded that he wasn't 'sure the person worked any shifts in aged care while infectious'.

'I would need to come back to you in terms of further details about that particular case,' the premier said.

'But the key point there is we're doing everything that we can to limit movement. Sometimes, you can't get it 100 per cent but the key point there is whether the person was infectious. I don't have that detail.'

The response did not satisfy Ms Baxendale who further pressed on the matter.

'But if you can't even limit This person was working as a Government subcontractor This was happening at a point where you told hundreds of thousands of Victorians that they couldn't go to work because we were trying to limit the spread of coronavirus,' she said.

'And yet a government project, we had someone who was moving from hotel quarantine to aged care. Why was that?'

Local friends catch up as the weather warms up during COVID-19 in Melbourne on Saturday

St Kilda beach on Friday. The warm weather brought out the crowds sparking fears that the virus would spread

Mr Andrews started to get visibly frustrated with the reporter and doubled down on his response, saying he 'doesn't know how many times' it happened.

'I don't know whether they were infectious. I don't know. That's not a feature of the program now,' he said.

Police patrols will continue at St Kilda Beach after large groups gathered on Friday, raising concerns that such behaviour could trigger another outbreak.

'It's sunny, yes, and people love to go to the beach when it's sunny but there's a global pandemic on,' Mr Andrews said.

'Surely, there's a greater urge to see this thing, to defeat it and to have a normal summer and have a COVID normal Christmas and 2021.'

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said mystery cases remained a concern with an uptick in the 14-day rolling average.

There were 13 mystery cases with an unknown source in Melbourne in the fortnight to October 1, with three new ones found in the southeast and west of Melbourne in postcodes 3145, 3023 and 3019.

People thronged to St Kilda beach at sunset on Friday

Locals exercise along St Kilda Beach as the weather warms up in Melbourne

Prof Sutton said a single case of unknown acquisition might represent 10 or 15 true cases in the community.

'It's really a call to arms ... anyone in those postcodes should be aware that there's transmission in those postcodes.'

Prof Sutton said outdoor activities were okay but they had to be undertaken safely.

'We know that it is good for emotional wellbeing, psychological wellbeing, so it is important to get out,' he said.

But he reminded Victorians that no more than two households or five people can gather and they must maintain social distancing and wear masks.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said mystery cases remained a concern with an uptick in the 14-day rolling average

Health figures released on Sunday show the 14-day rolling average of daily case diagnoses up to Saturday is 11.9 in Melbourne and 0.2 in regional Victoria.

If Victoria hits a rolling 14-day average below five and a two-week total of below five mystery cases it will move to the third step of reopening by October 19.

There are 241 active cases in the state, with 91 in aged care facilities and three in regional Victoria.

The state's death toll is now 806 since the start of the pandemic. The latest death is that of a man in his 80s and linked to an aged care outbreak.

Police said over the last 24-hour period they had issued 104 fines, including 17 for failing to wear a face mask and 11 at vehicle checkpoints

Across Australia, 894 people have died from COVID-19.
Mukesh Ranjan By

Express News Service

JHARKHAND: Eight years ago, Hasrat Bano was being terrorized daily by a moneylender for not being able to repay a loan of Rs 10,000. Today, she not only has repaid the loan but Bano is also successfully running her own business and earning double that amount every month. Bano, a resident of Thanwa village under Medininagar Block in Palamu, has seen this change in her fortunes thanks to a self-help group (SHG) of women.

These women are saving money by collecting Rs 10 every week from each member. After joining the group in 2013, Bano immediately took a loan of Rs 10,000 and repaid the moneylender. She later took a loan of Rs 80,000 from the SHG and opened a flour mill and a shoe shop. She is earning more than Rs 20,000 a month now. My husband worked as a daily wage labourer and we were completely dependent on moneylenders in case of any exigency, said Bano.

Self-help group members in West Singhbhum district| EXPRESS

Her life has completely changed after joining the SHG, she added. Being from a Muslim family, I was not allowed to come out of the house alone. After establishing myself financially, my in-laws have removed all restrictions, she added. Hasrat Bano is not alone. There are more than 30 lakh such women in the remotest villages of Jharkhand who earlier had to depend on local moneylenders for almost every financial requirement. However, after joining the SHG under the Ajivika mission, they now draw money from the corpus fund collected by them in their hour of need.

They can repay it at their convenience. These women are not only coming out of poverty themselves but are also helping other women. Jharo Kunwar, 47, of Rajderwa village under Satbarwa block of Palamu has also succeeded in coming out of the debt-trap. My family was always debt-ridden as we had no permanent source of income. After joining the SHG in 2016, I took a loan and repaid the moneylender freeing myself from his trap.

Now, we are collecting Rs 10 every week which has increased up to Rs 80,000. Whenever we require money for medical or any other requirements, we get loan easily at the rate of merely 1 per cent and repay it as per our convenience, she said. She has started goat farming after taking a loan from the SHG. Similarly, Sangita Devi of Namkom in Ranchi started a photocopy shop after taking a loan from SHG and has given jobs to another 5 women from her village.

Gita Devi of Ormanjhi also took a loan of Rs 85,000 for starting a line hotel and is earning Rs 8-10,000 every month. I belong to a very poor family and had never thought that I would ever have a bank account. But, with the help of the SHG, I started saving Rs 10 every week and have started my own business, said Gita Devi. The total corpus fund collected by 2.3 lakh SHGs in the state, comprising more than 30 lakh women, has risen to over Rs 149 crore.
The clock is ticking for Alabamas K-12 schools to spend $170 million of the $411 million in federal coronavirus relief aid. To date, schools have spent about $26 million of that money, which must be spent by Dec. 30 or it goes back to the federal government.

The money for schools is part of the $1.8 billion in coronavirus relief Alabama received from a $150 billion package Congress approved in March.

Gov. Kay Ivey sent $170 million in July to the Alabama State Department of Education in two buckets$100 million for remote learning and devices for students to use and $70 million for health-related expenditures. It must be spent by Dec. 30 or it goes back to the federal government.

The December deadline is troubling, said Ryan Hollingsworth, director of School Superintendents of Alabama. Its a short period of time to spend it. It only takes us through half a school year.

Hollingsworth said district officials are facing challenges spending that money given all of the activities related to reopening schools this year.

In the fall of a normal year, and we all know 2020 is not, he said, late summer, early fall, there are a ton of annual reports and plans that are due. The added challenges related to COVID-19 are keeping district officials busy.

Part of the problem, he said, is not just the short timeline, but the regulation and requirements that come with getting access to it.

For example, the health and wellness grants will only pay for the first semester. Some schools need to use the money to hire nurses, but its hard to hire a nurse for only a few months, he said.

Getting devices like laptops and tablets for remote learning has also been a challenge, he said.

There have been supply chain challenges, where its PPE (personal protective equipment) or devices. Were still struggling with some of that, he said. His organization is compiling information to share with the state board of education at their Oct. 8 meeting about the difficulty theyve had getting those devices in particular.

School districts must certify that theyll spend the money according to the rules before the state board gives the money to the district.

Its important that Alabama public schools take advantage of this opportunity, said Senate Education Budget Chairman Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, saying districts have a lot of extra costs associated with COVID-19 and they need to act quickly to use this money.

Quite frankly, Orr added, most Alabama school districts cant afford to lose money in that fashion.

The $170 million was allocated to school districts based in part on how many students are enrolled, but also was weighted based on the challenges in the community, including how widespread the coronavirus was at the time of the distribution.

AL.com analyzed how much money per student the $170 million in federal aid represents across all districts and the states five public charter schools. The amounts range from $174 per student to $755 per student across the state, with districts with higher percentages of students in poverty receiving more.

Two other buckets of money, amounting to nearly $250 million, have also been made available to schools, but those deadlines are farther off, giving education officials more time to determine how best to spend the money.

The largest pot of all relief aid is in the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, or ESSERF. Alabamas schools split $195 million based on the schools federal Title I allocation. Title I funds are allocated based on the number of students in poverty.

The ESSER money can be spent on a wide range of activities and items, including laptops and devices, personal protective equipment, salaries for additional employees to help with academic struggles, mental health services and more.

Districts have until Sept. 30, 2022 to obligate, or decide how to spend, their ESSER funds and must submit an application to the ALSDE for approval.

To date, 101 school districts and one public charter school have had their ESSER applications approved. After reviewing nearly three dozen approved applications, AL.com found districts either planned to spend or had spent most of the money on devices, internet connectivity and digital curriculum.

Cleaning services, equipment and supplies, along with personal protective equipment was also a high priority. Some school districts planned to use the money for costs associated with graduation ceremonies for the class of 2020, and others planned to use the money to pay for salaries for nurses or academic tutoring.

A second but smaller pot of money, the Governors Emergency Education Relief Fund, or GEERF, was sent to the ALSDE in July and split $49 million among K-12 schools. Districts have until Sept. 30, 2022 to obligate, or decide how theyre going to spend, those funds. Ivey specified four priorities for schools in spending that money: equipping buses with WiFi, purchasing digital teaching materials, providing academic support to bridge learning gaps, and providing before and after school tutoring.

A look at all of the federal aid made availablemore than $410 million in totalshows that for some districts, the total amount of coronavirus aid represents 10% or more of their yearly budget.

The states largest school district, Mobile County with nearly 53,000 students, stands to receive nearly $38.5 million in federal coronavirus relief, a figure that is nearly 7% of their $592 million operating budget for this year. Notably, $11 million of that is in the bucket that must be spent by Dec. 30 or returned to the federal government.

For some districts, the total amount of coronavirus aid represents 10% or more of their yearly budget.

In Linden City, the states smallest school district with under 500 students enrolled, the total federal aid is $635,000, more than 10% of their current years $6.26 million budget. That amounts to more than $1,200 per student, but of that total $279,000 must be spent by Dec. 30.

For Barbour County, a district that struggles to maintain the states required one-month operating costs in reserve, the $1.3 million in coronavirus aid represents 13% of their $9.6 million operating budget.

The map below reflects the total amount of federal coronavirus aid available to each school district, shown as a per student amount based on enrollment from the 2019-20 school year.

Click here if you are unable to view the map.

Hollingsworth said he is not alarmed by the amount of money left unspent at this point, even with the Dec. 30 deadline.

It would be very alarming had we not had the federal assistance and the governor allocating these funds to K-12, he said. We would be in an awful position without these funds being made available.

Gina Maiola, spokesperson for Gov. Ivey, wrote in an email to AL.com that Ivey does want coronavirus relief to reach schools as they reopen classrooms for students.

It remains a priority to get as much of this money allocated and spent ahead of that end-of-year deadline, Maiola wrote.

The full table of all districts' CARES Act allocations is available at this link.

Updated 11:20 a.m. to include links to approved ESSER and GEERF applications.

Updated 10:20 a.m. 10/6/2020 to correct the deadline for obligating ESSER and GEERF money. The correct deadline for obligating, or deciding how to spend the money, is Sept. 30, 2022.
Belarus Police Use Water Cannon as Tens of Thousands Rally in Minsk

MOSCOWTens of thousands of people marched through the center of the Belarusian capital Minsk on Oct. 4 to demand that authorities free political prisoners, prompting police to turn water cannon on them.

The march is the latest in a series of rallies in since an Aug. 9 election in which Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko claimed a landslide reelection victory. His opponents say it was rigged to hand him a sixth term in power.

Police use a water cannon during an opposition rally to reject the presidential election results in Minsk, on Oct. 4, 2020. (Stringer/Reuters)

More than 100,000 people rallied in Minsk, the opposition news channel Nexta said on the messaging app Telegram. Official estimates are usually lower.

The crowd, waving white flags with a red stripe, which have become the symbol of the Belarusian opposition, marched to the beat of drums towards detention centers, pictures and videos posted on social media showed.

Let them out, the crowd chanted by the walls of Okrestina detention center, where some protesters and Lukashenkos opponents are believed to be held.

An opposition supporter argues with a police officer during an opposition rally in Minsk on Oct. 4, 2020. (Stringer/Reuters)

Lukashenko is struggling to contain nearly two months of street protests that pose the biggest challenge to his 26-year rule. More than 13,000 people have been arrested and some later freed, while major opposition figures have been jailed or exiled.

Belarusian police used water cannon mounted on armored police vehicles to disperse protesters and detained scores of protesters, Interfax news agency reported and videos on social media showed.

Armed policemen in black helmets holding batons cordoned off streets in central Minsk, while some metro stations temporarily closed their doors for commuters.

The authorities temporarily ordered slower internet speed, which was restored late on Oct. 4. Telegram channels, the main means of communication and distribution of photos and videos from the protests, asked residents of Minsk to unlock their Wifi networks if protesters march nearby.

Other cities in Belarus also saw rallies against Lukashenko.

The political crisis in Belarus has caused broad repercussions for Minsk and its ally Moscow. The European Union and the United States have imposed sanctions on senior Belarusian officials, but spared Lukashenko.

The crisis has also raised the possibility of more sanctions against Moscow if it helps Lukashenko. The rouble has already dropped steeply at the prospect.

Lukashenko denies electoral fraud and was inaugurated in late September in a ceremony held without any prior announcement, bringing more protests and condemnation from the European Union, the United States, and Britain.

By Andrey Ostroukh
Latest figures for today show there were 22,961 new cases and 33 deaths in UK

It follows a big jump in cases yesterday when 12,800 Covid cases were recorded

But it has now been revealed that 16,000 missed cases have been added to data

Health chiefs have been scrambling to find contacts of those cases, reports say

Telegraph reports positive cases were delayed in reaching NHS Track and Trace

Tens of thousands of Britons have been 'put at risk' by a computer glitch that meant thousands of new cases were missed from the government's coronavirus infection figures and were delayed in being passed on to NHS Track and Trace, according to reports.

Public Health England last night admitted nearly 16,000 cases had been missed off its dashboard system in the space of a week  most of them in the past few days.

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The agency said in a statement that all those missing cases had been informed that they had the virus, as normal.

But PHE did not address the possible impact on NHS Track and Trace - with The Telegraph today reporting that the 'stall' in the system meant the missing cases were delayed in being passed on to Track and Trace call handlers.

According to the paper, the issue left health officials desperately trying to hunt down contacts of the positive cases - some of which date back 10 days - in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Tens of thousands of close contacts are only being reached now, reports the paper, meaning that many of them could have been unknowingly carrying the virus, when they should have been told to self isolate.

It comes as a furious row last night erupted over the UKs daily Covid figures, as the country recorded 22,961 new coronavirus infections following the 'technical glitch' .

The daily totals rocketed over the weekend after the glitch resulted in officials adding on thousands of cases that were missed last week.

The admission by PHE that the figures had been missed suggests the pandemic is growing faster than previously thought.

On Friday, the daily tally stood at 6,968 positive cases, comparable to the level it had been all week.

But on Saturday, it rose abruptly to 12,872, and today's tally was more than three times higher  a record 22,961 new cases.

The Department of Health said the October 3 and 4 figures were 'artificially high' in England and the UK due to the technical issue.

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A further 33 deaths - the figures of which were not impacted by the technical issue - were also confirmed today.

The daily totals rocketed over the weekend after the glitch resulted in officials adding on thousands of cases that were missed last week.

Public Health England last night admitted nearly 16,000 cases had been missed in the space of a week  most of them in the past few days. Pictured: People in face masks on the street of London

Meanwhile, experts have raised concerns following the glitch, as the accuracy of the figures is essential for determining the way ministers respond to the pandemic  particularly in local areas.

The localised lockdowns that cover a quarter of the UK population are already the subject of controversy, with many claiming they are unfair and arbitrary.

In other developments:

Boris Johnson warned Britons of bumpy months ahead and a tough winter as he dramatically rowed back on his previous optimism about Christmas;

He also admitted he was frustrated with delays in the NHS Test and Trace system;

Ministers were putting the finishing touches to a new traffic-light system which could pave the way for harsher restrictions such as the closure of all pubs in a certain area;

Reports suggested that next years school exams would be delayed by three weeks;

Trials of an air passenger testing regime are expected to begin within weeks in a victory for the Mails Get Britain Flying campaign;

A hard-hitting report claimed the Governments pandemic policies had made vulnerable care home residents expendable and violated their fundamental human rights;

Health minister Lord Bethell claimed Britain will look back at its Covid-19 response like the Olympics and be extremely proud

Professor Paul Hunter, an epidemiologist at the University of East Anglia, said last night: Clearly in the management of any epidemic you need good-quality data  without that data it is very difficult to respond. It is a real problem.

Leaked document reveals possible pub closures and ban on ALL social contact outside your household under proposed red, amber, green 'traffic-light' system Ministers are planning tough new 'red alert' lockdowns, with a leaked document revealing that all social contact outside homes could be banned under the most extreme part of a proposed 'traffic-light-style' system, according to reports. The new three-tier system includes an Alert Level Three which will include tough new restrictions - which almost parallel the complete lockdown measures imposed in March. These include closing all hospitality and leisure business and banning contact with anyone outside a person's household in any setting. Non-professional sports will also be stopped - though places of worship will still be allowed to stay open - which was not the case during the original coronavirus lockdown. It comes as the UK recorded 23,000 new coronavirus infections on Sunday following a 'technical glitch' which meant thousands of cases were initially missed off the official data. The tough new red measures, outlined in a leaked document seen by The Guardian, will only be imposed either nationally or in a specific area if the virus cannot be controlled by measures in Alert Level Two or if an area sees a 'significant increase in transmission'. Measures for 'Alert Level Two', amber in the traffic light system, include limiting social gatherings to people within a household and support bubble, while travel will be limited to essential purposes. Alert Level Two will be triggered when there has been a rise in infections and local measures cannot control it. Meanwhile Alert Level One, green, will include the measures that are already in place, such as the 'rule of six', the 10pm Covid curfew on hospitality businesses and the wearing of face masks in public places such as supermarkets and public transport. According to the Guardian, A Whitehall source said the levels were intended to be 'minimum standards'. The source added that specific local circumstances in each area would also be taken into account.

Government adviser Professor Graham Medley, who sits on the Sage emergency panel, said: Reporting delays play havoc with data streams and make them very difficult to analyse in real time. If the delays change or vary by group then they can distort a lot. I wonder what these will do to the R estimates next week?

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Dr Duncan Robertson, an expert in modelling and policy analytics at Loughborough University, added: It is important to understand the reason for the delay.

If this is a reporting delay, that is bad enough, but if there have been delays in putting these cases into the NHS Test and Trace database, that can have serious implications for spreading the disease.

Critics said if there was a real spike in cases in the coming days it could be missed, because it is impossible to tell which infections are new and which are simply the backlog filtering through.

Mr Johnson and his scientific advisers have repeatedly pointed to rising case numbers to justify tighter regulations.

Local restrictions are dependent on infection data.

A swing of a dozen cases in a week in a small town or borough is enough to be the difference between lockdown being imposed or businesses and families being allowed to continue as normal.

Public Health England interim chief executive Michael Brodie said last night: A technical issue was identified overnight on Friday, October 2, in the data load process that transfers Covid-19 positive lab results into reporting dashboards.

After rapid investigation, we have identified that 15,841 cases between September 25 and October 2 were not included in the reported daily Covid-19 cases.

Every one of these cases received their Covid-19 test result as normal and all those who tested positive were advised to self-isolate.

Earlier, in separate hospital data, 28 people were recorded as having died from coronavirus in Britain.

The figure - ten more than last week - brings the UK's total death toll during the pandemic to 42,345.

Scotland has reported 758 new cases and no new deaths. Wales has 432 further cases but its death toll remains the same as no new fatalities were reported.

All 28 deaths were recorded in England, with 25 in hospitals in the North East, Yorkshire and the Midlands.

Patients were all aged between 69 and 94 years old and had underlying health conditions.

The figure comes after a 'failure in the counting system' was blamed for coronavirus cases nearly doubling yesterday - as Boris Johnson hinted contact tracing might have been delayed.

Earlier, the PM dodged giving a fuller explanation as he was grilled on the extraordinary spike reported yesterday, with just under 13,000 new cases.

Boris Johnson (pictured arriving for an appearance on the BBC's Andrew Marr show today) dodged giving a full explanation as he was grilled on the extraordinary spike reported yesterday, with just under 13,000 new coronavirus cases

Amid alarm at the increase, the Department of Health said there had been a 'technical issue' in adding a number of the cases to the total in England.

But appearing on the BBC's Andrew Marr show this morning, Mr Johnson suggested that the issue might have gone deeper and affected crucial efforts to track down contacts of those who tested positive.

'The reason for that is there was a failure in the testing system... It was a computing issue,' he said.

Boris Johnson denies bungling coronavirus lockdowns as he says he hopes science will allow 'different approach' to be taken 'in the next few weeks and months' Boris Johnson today denied bungling coronavirus lockdowns as he warned there is no guarantee the situation will improve by Christmas. The PM admitted people were 'furious' with him over the 10pm pubs curfew, the Rule of Six, and chaotic local curbs, but defended his handling of the crisis amid growing disquiet on his own benches. As the virtual Tory conference gets underway, Mr Johnson urged the public to be 'fearless but use common sense' to help manage the outbreak without destroying the economy. He said he was working 'flat out' and hoped that 'in the course of the next few weeks and months the scientific equation will change' and that would allow a 'different approach'. But in an interview on the BBC's Andrew Marr show, he cautioned that the restrictions could drag into 2021. 'I know people are furious, and they are furious with me and furious with the government.,' Mr Johnson said. 'But, you know, I've got to tell you in all candour, it's going to continue to be bumpy through to Christmas, it may even be bumpy beyond. But this is the only way to do it. He added: 'This could be a very tough winter for all of us.'

The premier added that 'all the people who had a positive test have now been notified'.

The government released its daily figures five hours late last night, showing a total of 12,872 new lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases across the UK reported in the 24 hours to 9am Saturday.

In the 24 hours to 9am on Friday, there were 6,968 lab-confirmed cases in the UK.

However, the figures refer to the date the case was recorded, rather than the date the specimen was taken.

The Department of Health warned the infection statistics could also be inflated 'over the coming days' after the problem meant potentially thousands of cases were previously missed off the official figures.

Carl Heneghan, Professor of Evidence Based Medicine and Director of the Centre for Evidence Based Medicine at Oxford University, said the more-telling seven-day average showed a 'small rise'.

He said England's data could still reflect a levelling-out of the virus, though he raised concerns over the direction of the data in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

While the infection data saw a sharp rise, the number of deaths stayed largely in line with figures from the the rest of the week.

The latest Department of Health figures were sent out five hours later than the usual 4pm release, came with a warning that additional data will be added to the totals in the 'coming days' due to a 'technical error'.

In a statement issued on the website today, the department said: 'Due to a technical issue, which has now been resolved, there has been a delay in publishing a number of COVID-19 cases to the dashboard in England.

'This means the total reported over the coming days will include some additional cases from the period between 24 September and 1 October, increasing the number of cases reported.'

Saturday's figure brought the total number of cases in the UK to 480,017.

The Government also said a further 49 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Saturday. This brings the UK total to 42,317.

Separate figures published by the UK's statistics agencies show there have now been nearly 57,900 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

Other figures show there were 2,194 Covid-19 patients in hospital in England as of Saturday, up from 1,622 a week ago, while 307 Covid-19 hospital patients were in ventilation beds, up from 223 a week ago.

A total of 368 patients with confirmed Covid-19 were admitted to hospitals in England on Thursday, compared with 288 a week earlier.

The announcement was issued on the Department of Health and Social Care's website today following the announcement of the figures

Professor Carl Heneghan stressed the importance of looking at seven-day average data, which he said better reflects the infection trend compared to the daily data

Long Covid could become a bigger public health issue than excess deaths, academic warns So-called 'Long Covid' - which causes victims to suffer symptoms months after falling ill with the virus - could be a bigger public health problem than excess deaths, an academic has warned. It comes as a new report by King's College London revealed that around 10 per cent of coronavirus patients who took part in its survey showed Long Covid symptoms such as breathlessness and chronic fatigue for a month after infection. As many as two per cent were still experiencing such symptoms after three months. In a report from Tony Blair Institute of Global Change, Tim Spector, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King's College London, warns Long Covid could become a bigger public health issue than excess deaths due to Covid-19. The professor has pointed the statistics showing that Long Covid is most prevelant in women in their 40s, while deaths due to coronavirus are most among the elderly. The report calls on the government to raise awareness of the issue. The authors of the paper, titled Long Covid: Reviewing the Science and Assessing the Risk, say they believe awareness campaigns 'would help drive compliance with containment measures such as the use of masks'. In the report's foreword, Professor Spector said that in the first few months of the pandemic, little attention was paid to the infected population who were not sick enough to go to hospital, who made up 99 per cent of cases. He said it turned out that Covid-19 was not just a bad flu, but in many people it behaved more like an autoimmune disease, affecting multiple systems in the body. Prof Spector said the app launched in March by his group at King's College London and the health-science company ZOE to capture the wider range of symptoms people were experiencing received data from more than 4 million people. Researchers learned that 'a great many people didn't get better after two weeks as expected', Prof Spector said, adding: 'We kept following them and found out that a significant number still had problems after months. 'This is the other side of Covid: the long-haulers that could turn out to be a bigger public-health problem than excess deaths from Covid-19, which mainly affect the susceptible elderly.'

Commenting on today's figures, Professor Heneghan stressed the importance of looking at seven-day average data, which he said better reflected the infection trend compared to the reported data.

The latest figures show England's seven-day average saw a rise from 4,600 to 5,400 from September 18 to September 25, compared to Northern Ireland where the figure nearly doubled from 144 to 263 over the same period and Scotland too saw a rise from 294 to 540.

He said 'England still looks like it is stabilising, but it looks worse in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

'It is still going up as we go into winter, but this is what happens at this time of year with respiratory infections.

'If you look at the moving seven-day average (for England) it is mostly staying level.'

Asked why the direction of the infection rates could be worse in both Scotland and Northern Ireland, Professor Heneghan said it may have been due to the success of the two countries stemming coronavirus during the first wave - meaning there is still a large group of people who could still catch the virus.

Britain's second wave of coronavirus showed signs of slowing down on Friday, as the number of new positive tests were just 1.4 per cent higher than last week.

Another 6,968 cases were announced yesterday, only marginally higher than the 6,874 last Friday.

This small rise comes as most days in September saw a week-on-week increase of more than 35 per cent.

Friday's was the lowest weekly increase since August 25, suggesting last month's resurgence in cases has hit its peak.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) also backed up signs that the outbreak is slowing and estimated there were 8,400 daily cases of the disease in England in the week ending September 24.

This marks a 12.5 per cent fall from the 9,600 infections thought to have been occurring every day the week before.

The ONS described its findings as 'limited evidence' transmission of the virus 'may be levelling off following steep increases during August and September'.

The estimate is based on 300,000 tests sent to homes across the country over the past six weeks - they produced 400 positive swabs and mathematical modelling is used to apply the result to the whole population.

Meanwhile, patients who were told by their GPs to get a Covid test 'have been turned away at testing sites' even when there is enough capacity due to lab processing problems.

Up to 200 people a day were refused a test at a centre in Stoke after Whitehall officials limited the number they could administer.

Officials there said even people who were referred by their family doctor were told they could not be tested when the quota had been reached.

Meanwhile some sites are working at just a fifth of their capacity as testing laboratories struggle to process the results.

It comes as more people than ever are having to wait three days or more to find out if they have coronavirus after an in-person test in England.

Patients who were told by their GPs to get a Covid test (pictured in Leeds) 'have been turned away at testing sites' even when there is enough capacity due to lab processing problems

Some sites (pictured, Burnley) are working at just a fifth of their capacity as laboratories struggle to process the results

More people than ever are having to wait three days or more to find out if they have coronavirus after an in-person test in England (pictured, the Burnley testing site)

NHS Test and Trace data on Thursday showed members of the public taking swab tests at drive-through sites or pop-up local and mobile centres face growing waits.

The Stoke site saw swathes of people being turned away because only a few who did not book online could be tested.

One member of staff told the Times: 'Sometimes when we get to that threshold  ie the maximum even if they came with that GP letter, we couldn't let them in.'

Another said if a family came with a sick child 'you really should say ''well I appreciate that I can see he's not particularly well, have you tried booking a test on the internet''?'

'Lighthouse lab' delays opening for a month A super-lab expected to process 50,000 tests a day has had to delay opening. The site at Charnwood near Loughborough, which is one of the 'Lighthouse laboratories', will not open for at least another month. The labs are at the focus of the government's plans to ramp up testing and processing the results. The Department of Health and Social Care had bragged in a press release last month the lab would be open 'by the end of September'. But the site has no workers and those interviewed were told they will not be needed until at least the last week of October, according to the Times. Meanwhile another Lighthouse lab in Newport is also yet to open after being earmarked for August but likely to only open this month. Public Health Wales pointed the finger at recruitment problems and not enough tests to check the lab's processing works. A Department of Health spokesman said: 'NHS Test and Trace is providing tests at an unprecedented scale  240,000 a day on average over the last week  more than all major countries in Europe with more testing per head of population. 'We are expanding testing capacity rapidly with new Lighthouse laboratories in Newport, Newcastle, Bracknell and Charnwood as we drive towards our target of 500,000 a day by the end of October.'

They added even if the person claimed to have been trying for a test for three days they should be turned away.

The Stoke site was performing 500 tests a day a one point, but are now following a quota.

On one day last week just 100 people were tested by 5pm, with 260 the following day.

Whitehall's cap at testing sites - which started last month - appears to be reflected across the system as social media users also reported being turned away from sites.

Liz Martin from London tweeted: 'Tests are unavailable and people are being turned away. I couldn't get one recently even as a key worker.'

Barking and Dagenham Council posted: 'We've been told covid testing sites in B&D are really busy with only a few walk in slots available daily.

'Don't get stuck in a queue or waste your time walking down there, only to be turned away - you're best to book online or call 119.'

Another account wrote: 'I've had at least 4 different people tell me the same story where someone they know has gone to a testing centre, given their details and then is turned away because it's ''too busy''.

'One week later, they all get a letter saying they're positive for Covid. No swab was ever taken.'

Canary Wharf counsellor Andrew Wood added: 'Serious problems at Watney COVID testing centre I observed a number of people being turned away as had not booked in advance I asked the nice security guard how many he had to turn away (30% he said).

'He said and GPs were telling people incorrectly that they could just turn up and be tested.

'He was telling them to go online Somebody has to put up a poster reminding people how to book including calling 119 outside to help him and give the security guard a proper mask (security guards have one of the highest infection rates in the country).'

Mike Stripling from the East Midlands commented: 'Felt the full frustration of the covid testing facilities today. 10 people with full Poe doing SFA. my wife booked app this am for 3.30 got there after 1.5 hours of traffic to be turned away. Pathetic!'

Another man from Brighton posted: 'People being turned away from the mobile testing centre in Brighton - they had a QR code for the nearest test centre they could get in ABERDEEN! Staff couldn't help though...and had to tell them to go back to the online booking system.'

The cap on testing capacity is reportedly being used to relieve pressure on the floundering Lighthouse labs.

One of the network's new sites in Charnwood, Leicestershire, has delayed opening by a month.

It was due to open at the end of September but will not be functioning until at least later this month.

But when the site - run by US firm PerkinElmer for the UK government - opens it will process 50,000 tests a day.

Meanwhile another Lighthouse in Newport missed its August opening date and will not be running until November.

In a bid to ramp up the number of tests being processed, the government has now said it will work with universities and smaller private laboratories.

But it has renewed doubts the Prime Minister's target of 500,000 tests a day by the end of October can be reached.

NHS Test and Trace data shows 1.7million tests were processed in the week up to September 23, which rose from 1.6million the week before.

The five Lighthouse labs and NHS sites are expected to be able to process 1.8million at full capacity.

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care told MailOnline: 'These claims do not reflect the huge amount work underway in a system that we have built from scratch into the largest diagnostics network in British history.

'New booking slots are made available daily for those who need them and we are rightly targeting testing capacity at the areas that need it most, including those where there is an outbreak, and prioritising at-risk groups.

'NHS Test and Trace is continually increasing capacity, with the ability to now process over 320,000 tests a day, but we have seen a significant demand for tests including from people who do not have symptoms.

'We recently announced new facilities and technology to process results even faster, expanding UK testing capacity to 500,000-a-day by the end of October.'

Meanwhile, Government sources today revealed a Covid-19 vaccination could be just 'three months away' in Britain.

The preliminary hospital death total saw an increase of 122 per cent on the figure recorded last Saturday, when 23 people were confirmed to have died in hospital. Pictured: Oxford Circus on Friday

Close to half of England's hospital deaths were in the North West, where 1,603 people tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours despite localised Covid-19 restrictions. Pictured: London

Every adult in the country could be vaccinated against Covid-19 as soon as Easter as plans are put in place to train an army of careworkers to administer the jab.

It coincides with Boris Johnson's hint last night that the Rule of Six could be suspended on Christmas Day to ensure a family of five can have both grandparents round for festive lunch.

The Prime Minister stressed the Government would do 'everything we can to make sure Christmas for everybody is normal as possible'.

Mr Johnson has often identified a vaccine as the key to being able to lift many of the restrictions imposed on the public since March, but has insisted 'we must never cut corners' or 'sacrifice safety to speed' in the search for one.

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It comes just days after it was claimed that Britain's rising coronavirus infection rate may actually speed up vaccine trials and move the world one step closer to eradicating the disease.

But scientists are sceptical and say it could be much longer before full vaccination can be carried out, reported The Times.

Earlier this week, a Royal Society report warned there would be significant challenges in distributing and producing the vaccine on such a mass scale.

Nilay Shah, head of the department of chemical engineering at Imperial College London, and a co-author of the report, said: 'Even when the vaccine is available it doesn't mean within a month everybody is going to be vaccinated.

Boris Johnson, pictured last night, has often identified a vaccine as the key to being able to lift many of the restrictions imposed on the public since March, but has insisted 'we must never cut corners' or 'sacrifice safety to speed' in the search for one

'We're talking about six months, nine months... a year. There's not a question of life suddenly returning to normal in March.'

Oxford University has been running human trials on a vaccine since April and there are hopes it could be approved by regulators by Christmas.

Care home residents and staff will be first to get a Covid-19 vaccine ahead of NHS staff and all over-80s Care home residents and staff will be the first to get a Covid-19 vaccine when one is approved, according to fresh government advice. Everyone over the age of 80 and NHS staff will be second in line, updated guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation states. The body, which consists of 20 top scientists, advises ministers on all vaccines. It admitted its guidance for any UK Covid-19 vaccination scheme is likely to change in the future. Matt Hancock previously pledged that Britons with underlying conditions would be near the front of the queue for any jab. But millions living with heart disease or other ailments that raise their risk of dying of Covid-19 won't be vaccinated until everyone over the age of 65 is inoculated, according to the new guidance. WHO WILL GET A COVID-19 JAB FIRST? Under the proposed ranking by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, the vaccines will be rolled out in the following order: older adults' resident in a care home and care home workers

all those 80 years of age and over and health and social care workers

all those 75 years of age and over

all those 70 years of age and over

all those 65 years of age and over

high-risk adults under 65 years of age with underlying health woes

moderate-risk adults under 65 years of age with underlying health woes

all those 60 years of age and over

all those 55 years of age and over

all those 50 years of age and over

rest of the population (priority to be determined)

Government sources involved in the much-anticipated vaccine said it would be less than six months before a full programme, excluding children, would be ready.

Plans to speed up the process include the creation of drive-thru vaccination centres and rules allowing more staff to give the jabs.

The armed forces could even be drafted in for extra help.

'We are looking at closer to six months and it is likely to be far shorter than that,' a government source said.

To administer two doses of a vaccine to 53 million adults in the six-month time period would involve 600,000 jabs a day.

Those who need the injections most are first on the list, meaning care home residents and staff will get it as soon as it's ready.

Those aged over 80 and NHS staff are next, followed by all over 65s, younger adults at higher risk and people over 50.

Some care home managers were asked for a list of eligible frontline staff last month.

Around 100million doses of the Oxford vaccination, which is yet to be proved successful, have already been ordered by the Government.

It is hoped scientists will know if it prevents at least 50 per cent of infections, the threshold for success, by the end of this year.

Britain is currently bound by the European Medicines Agency until January, meaning it can't administer the drug even if approved by UK regulators.

But Ministers have revealed plans to change the law to allow vaccinations to start sooner.

The Department of Health said: 'We are confident we have adequate provision or transport, PPE and logistical expertise to deploy a Covid-19 vaccine across the country as quickly as possible.'

Several challenges had been highlighted in the Royal Society report, including the need to inject people with RNA, a type of genetic material, in some of the most promising studies, even though an RNA vaccine has never been produced at a large scale.

Questions also remain over supply chains, with some vaccines having to be kept at -80C while being transported.

Furthermore, as much as 80 per cent of the population may have to be innoculated to achieve herd immunity, even if a vaccine proves to be 90 per cent effective in reducing transmission.

Prof Shah added that some 20,000 people would need to be recruited by the NHS to deliver the drug and that field hospitals may have to be built for the mass vaccination programme.

It comes after it was revealed New York-based company Codagenix plans to begin experiments of its vaccine in London by the end of the year.

The jab will be of a type called a live attenuated vaccine, meaning people will be given a genetically-modified version of the coronavirus that is weaker than the real thing but still infectious.

People enter Oxford Circus underground station in London after the 10pm curfew that pubs and restaurants are subject to in order to combat the rise in coronavirus cases in England

Live attenuated vaccines  such as the MMR jab  work by stimulating the immune system in the same way that real Covid-19 would, but by relying on viruses unable to cause severe illness.

Codagenix says its vaccine was successful after a single dose in animal trials and is designed to produce immunity against various parts of the coronavirus, rather than just the 'spike protein' on the outside that many others have focused on.

This could mean it would still work even if the virus mutated. Using a live virus may enable medics to create a type of immunity that is similar to what the body would make naturally.

Oxford University's front-runner vaccine candidate was supposed to be rolled out this autumn but trials came to a standstill when infection rates petered out over summer.

Studies had to be moved abroad to the likes of Brazil, the US and South Africa - where coronavirus was still rife - to test if the jab can prevent infection.

In order to prove beyond doubt a vaccine works, scientists need to inoculate tens of thousands of people then send them back into the community and wait for some to get infected.

This has been a sticking point for the Oxford team because there was barely any Covid-19 transmission for months in the UK.

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But experts have told MailOnline the one 'silver lining' to Britain's climbing Covid-19 rates is that it could speed up this process.
The Punjab Police on Sunday said it has busted a terror module of banned outfit Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) by arresting its two cadres in Hoshiarpur district of the state.

They were identified as Makhan Singh Gill alias Amli and Davinder Singh alias Happy, both residents of Noorpur Jattan village in Hoshiarpur, Punjab Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta said.

Police have seized two sophisticated arms and ammunition, including one MP5 sub-machine gun (with two magazines and 30 live rounds) and one 9mm pistol (with two magazines and 30 live rounds), besides a white colour car, four mobile phones and an internet dongle from their possession, Gupta said in a statement.

The DGP said based on inputs about the disruptive designs of certain pro-Khalistan elements, who had plans to disturb peace and communal harmony in the state by launching terror attacks, security forces had launched a major drive in the state to conduct raids and check the movement and whereabouts of members of various terrorist modules busted in the past.

The current breakthrough is the result of these concerted efforts and the drive launched in the recent past, he added.

Gupta said during preliminary investigations, Makhan disclosed that they were in touch with Canada-based Harpreet Singh who had instigated them to raise a terror module in Punjab to carry out killings in the state.

According to Makhan, who has earlier been a close associate of BKI (Babbar Khalsa International) chief Wadhawa Singh, Canada-based Harpreet, a KZF operative, is a frequent visitor to Pakistan and he's a close aide of Pak-based KZF chief Ranjeet Singh alias Neeta, the DGP said.

The arrested accused further disclosed that the arms and ammunition had been arranged for them by Ranjeet Neeta through his associates, he added.

A couple of other foreign-based terrorist handlers from Germany and the USA had also figured in the module, who were involved in transferring funds from abroad to Makhan alias Amli through different money transfer services and other funding channels as well, Gupta said. The DGP further stated that Makhan was a hardcore pro-Khalistan militant who had been earlier arrested by the Punjab Police for his involvement in smuggling arms consignments into India and various terror-related offences.

Makhan has been trained in Pakistan and he had earlier stayed in the USA during 1980s and 1990s. He has been very closely associated with Pak-based Babbar Khalsa International chief Wadhawa Singh Babbar and stayed with him in Pakistan for over 14 years," he added.

Gupta said a case under various provisions of the IPC, the Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act has been registered at Police Station Mahalpur in Hoshiarpur district against the accused.He said Makhan had been engaging in various terror and other criminal activities in the past.

As many as seven cases had been earlier registered against him.

This story has not been edited by www.republicworld.com and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manish Shukla died at a private hospital on EM Bypass in Kolkata on Sunday night less than three hours after he was shot multiple times in the back and upper torso at Titagarh in North 24 Parganas.

The assailants came on motorcycles and their faces were covered with masks, said BJP workers present at the spot. Two BJP workers also sustained injuries.

Shukla, who defected from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) two years ago, was a popular organisational leader. The news of his death led to tension in large parts of the Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency of which Titagarh is a part.

Shukla was shot not far from Titagarh police station and sophisticated weapons were used, alleged BJPs Barrackpore Lok Sabha MP Arjun Singh, who too defected from the TMC in 2018.

We were at a programme together earlier in the evening. He was attacked after returning to his office, Singh said. Police were behind the attack. We saw more than eight bullet injuries on his body. I am also a target, Singh said while making the allegations.

Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar took up the issue and summoned the home secretary and Director General of Police to the Raj Bhawan at 10 am on Monday.

ACS Home @MamataOfficial and DGP @WBPolice have been summoned at 10 am tomorrow in the wake of worsening law and order situation leading to dastardly killing of Manish Shukla, Councillor, Titagarh Municipality in political party office, Dhankhar tweeted at 11.40pm.

Shukla was murdered. We demand a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the role of the police. Arjun Singhs life is also in danger. Mamata Banerjee cannot rule the state with terror, said BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, who was in Kolkata.

TMCs Panihati legislator, Nirmal Ghosh, said the ruling party had no role in the attack. This is a fallout of rivalry inside the BJP, he said.

BJP national secretary Arvind Menon, who was also in Kolkata, rushed to the hospital with senior leaders.

Barrackpore police commissioner Manoj Verma deployed rapid action force (RAF) on the streets in view of the tension. We cannot say anything without conducting a proper investigation, he said.

BJP workers set up a blockade on BT Road, demanding the arrest of the culprits. The party also announced a 12-hour bandh along the entire stretch from Kanchrapara to Titagarh on Monday.

Shukla was also an outgoing councillor of the Titagarh municipality where the term of the elected civic body has ended. Elections are due in around 110 civic bodies in the state.
"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
India has over four million coronavirus cases and an explosive border standoff with China, but the story dominating television news for months is the death of one of Bollywood's top stars - Sijit Jaiswal

One of Indias most famous stars has broken the silence about Bollywoods drug issues, as police continue a massive narcotics investigation which has exposed the industrys seedy underbelly.

Akshay Kumar, a Bollywood actor and martial artist, made the remarks online following the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, another high-profile figure in Indian showbusiness.

Mr Rajputs body was found in June in his apartment in Mumbai and Indian police have said he took his own life.

The investigation into the 34-year-old's death expanded into a major drugs probe, with his former girlfriend, actress Rhea Chakraborty, arrested earlier this month for allegedly buying cannabis for him, which she denies.

Ms Chakraborty was interrogated for several weeks after being arrested, but has been cleared of murder allegations after evidence showed her partner had suffered mental health problems.

In an almost four-minute video about the case posted on his Twitter account on Saturday, Mr Kumar called on the industry's fans not to tar everyone in Bollywood with the same brush.

"With a hand on my heart, how can I lie and say that this (narcotics and drugs) problem doesn't exist in our industry," Kumar, 53, said in Hindi in a video watched more than 2.5 million times.

"It exists in our profession the same way problems exist in every other profession. But to say that everyone in every profession is involved in all its problems would be wrong."

Indian media has also joined calls for a wider investigation into the multibillion-dollar film industry's so-called "drugs mafia".

Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty (C) leaves the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office after being questioned in relation with the investigation of the suicide case of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput - AFP

Several high-profile actresses including 34-year-old superstar Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Shraddha Kapoor and Rakul Preet Singh have been taken in for questioning. All deny any wrongdoing.

Wider national interest in the Bollywood case peaked last month after TV channel TimesNow broadcast sections of WhatsApp conversation about procuring hash, alleging that the two people chatting were Ms Padukone and her manager.

Story continues

Mr Rajput's family, meanwhile, has disputed reports the actor suffered from depression and have accused Ms Chakraborty of stealing his money and harassing him.

They also claim that she controlled his movements and his finances by the use of witchcraft.

Ms Chakraborty's lawyer, Satish Maneshinde, has said the actress is the victim of a literal witch hunt.

Her supporters say the case has also exposed a misogynistic streak in Indian society as many assumed that she was responsible for Rajputs death, rather than mental health issues.

Ms Chakraborty, 28, who has been hounded for months by the media along with her family, has denied any wrongdoing.

She was accused of everything from murder to stealing huge amounts of money, Karuna Nundy, a Delhi-based human rights lawyer, told Deutsche Welle last month. Now she has been accused of being part of a drug syndicate because she allegedly bought some marijuana at some point.
Prakash Javadekar on Sunday said in reality farmers across the country have welcomed the laws passed in the Parliament and the Opposition will be defeated as the reason behind their protest is purely political.

Farmers across the country have welcomed the laws passed in the Parliament and the Opposition will eventually be defeated as the reason behind their protest is purely political, said Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Sunday.

Speaking at a press conference here, Javadekar said that now there are no more cases of protests happening across the country over the reforms, except Punjab, adding that in the northern state it is happening because of the Congress government holding power there.

Where are protests happening in India other than in Punjab? That too is happening because of their government otherwise it has ended everywhere. In reality, farmers have welcomed the farm Bills, Javadekar said. PM Modi has a bigger thought for the nation. Due to GST we got One nation, One tax, with farm Bills well get One nation, One market, National Testing will give us One nation, One exam and we have announced One nation, One ration card too, he added.

These three reforms were brought to ensure that the farmers income increases, he added. Stating that despite Congress and the rest of the Oppositions claims, MSP was still being provided and that too at an increased rate by the government in the paddy purchase and the APMCs were still functioning till date. He added that the e-Mandis has proven to be a huge success with transaction worth Rs one lakh crore happening from them and said that the government will help 10,000 farmers producers association in the days ahead.

The farmer should be given justice, the freedom to decide the sale price of their produce. This is the aim. That is why I believe the Opposition will fail because the truth always wins in the end and it is with us, Javadekar said.

The Parliament has recently passed the three Bills which have come into effect from September 27 after President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent.

Also Read: India and China to hold Corps Commander-level talks on October 12

Earlier, Rajya Sabha member of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Manoj Jha, Congress MP from Kerala TN Prathapan and Tiruchi Siva, MP from Tamil Nadu from Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party had moved the Supreme Court against the Farmers Acts.

Also Read: MP farmer leader DP Dhakad moves SC against farm laws
Spend the weekend in Hell, Mich., at this Airbnb. (Photo: Airbnb)

A spooky Airbnb listing is inviting guests to be the mayor of Hell this Halloween season and spend the night in a setting straight out of a horror film.

Located in Hell, Mich., an unincorporated community about 15 miles northwest of Ann Arbor, this Airbnb host will have you crossing over the gates of hell  literally  as you journey to a spooky-themed destination for an overnight stay. `A pumpkin-lit pathway leads to a tiny, wooden, Gothic-style house owned by John Colone, the self-proclaimed mayor of Hell.

The gates of hell, which welcome you to the property. (Photo: Airbnb)

A pumpkin-lit pathway leads to the tiny house. (Photo: Airbnb)

Im excited to welcome you to my little slice of paradise, where youll lord over the ghouls and goblins that call this haunted inferno home, the listing reads. Ever been to Hell and back? Nows your chance. This month, Im handing over the keys to the Gates of Hell and appointing you mayor for the night.

Limited to two guests, the one-bed, one-bath house isnt big on space, but has plenty of character. And at just $31 per night, its budget-friendly, and comes equipped with Wi-Fi, free parking, a fireplace and complimentary breakfast.

The bedroom. (Photo: Airbnb)

A cozy outdoor fire pit is perfect for curling up under a blanket, or carving a pumpkin. Theres even an outdoor movie screen for watching your favorite thriller under the stars.

An outdoor movie screen area and fire pit. (Photo: Airbnb)

Food is included in your stay in Hell. (Photo: Airbnb)

Beyond the goosebumps, theres a good cause: In a celebration of the Halloween-enthusiastic community, Airbnb will make a one-time donation to North Star Reach, a local nonprofit organization that provides free camp experiences for children with significant health challenges and their families.

Booking opens on Oct. 14 for three different stays this month, if youre interested in spending the night hiding under the covers. Unfortunately, out-of-staters will have to sit this one out: Due to COVID-19 restrictions, its only open to Michigan residents who come from the same household.

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Joe Biden was not tested for COVID-19 on Saturday, and will not be tested until Sunday, he has said.

The 77-year-old is considered at high risk if he contracts the virus, given his age, and was with Donald Trump four days ago at the presidential debate in Cleveland. Trump has since tested positive for the virus and is in hospital.

On Saturday morning Biden was at Mass inside a church in downtown Wilmington, Delaware - his hometown.

As he left the church, he was asked whether he had been tested today.

'No - but I am tomorrow morning,' he said.

He then got into his motorcade without answering other shouted questions.

Joe Biden on Saturday attended Mass in Wilmington, and said he had not had a COVID test

Biden, pictured leaving the church on Saturday, was last tested for coronavirus on Friday

Four days ago, on Tuesday, Trump - who has tested positive - was in close proximity to Biden

Biden is continuing to campaign, despite the scare with the Trump campaign.

They have, however, taken down the personal attack ads.

On Monday the former vice president is scheduled to travel to Florida with his wife Jill.

On Friday, when news of Trump's diagnosis was confirmed, Biden gave a message of unity, declaring in his speech from Grand Rapids that this cannot be a 'partisan moment'.

Americans, he said, must 'come together as a nation'.

Biden offered sympathy to Trump following his COVID-19 diagnosis saying: 'Jill and I send our thoughts to President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for a swift recovery. We will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family.'

Biden has taken a low-key approach in his in-person campaigning, hosting small, socially distanced events while adhering to state and local public health recommendations regarding masks.

Trump has repeatedly mocked him for being 'stuck in his basement' as he shunned mass rallies.

Biden, photographed leaving the church on Saturday, has been mocked for wearing a mask

Biden only recently began in-person canvassing, after hosting mostly virtual events due to the pandemic.

Trump on the other hand continued to hold controversial large in-person rallies where attendees were seen packed together and going mask-less.

Biden's in-person campaign comes at a crucial time in the presidential race, just weeks away from the election.

Earlier this week he ramped up his trail with a seven-stop train tour of Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Next week, in addition to the Florida visit, he has his first campaign event in Arizona.
Wildfires have burned an unprecedented swath of destruction in California this year, scorching nearly 4 million acres  an area larger than Connecticut  and killing 31 people, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Previously, Californias worst year of fire was 2018, when more than 1.8 million acres were burned and more than 100 people were killed, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center.

Fires this year have destroyed more than 8,200 structures and, as of Friday, had displaced more than 53,000 from their homes.

The property damage toll has not yet approached that of 2018, when more than 17,000 homes and 700 businesses were destroyed.

Still, the sheer magnitude is staggering. Of the 20 largest wildfires in Californias history, five burned within the space of a couple of months this year, consuming a combined total of nearly 2.4 million acres.

Lightning in August ignited many of Californias biggest blazes, but scientists say climate change has also contributed to the conflagrations. August was the hottest month on record in California, and trees and brush were already abnormally dry and combustible from the drought that plagued California from 2012-16.

On Friday afternoon, two inmate firefighters were injured fighting the Zogg fire in Shasta County.

The firefighters were flown by helicopter from a steep area in the northern zone of the fire to a local hospital, incident commander Sean Kavanaugh said Saturday at a press conference.

One was released Friday night, while the other remained hospitalized Saturday, Kavanaugh said. Cal Fire declined to provide more information about what happened.

Crews reported little growth on the 56,305-acre fire overnight but were bracing for west-northwesterly winds to pick up later Saturday, said Christina Barkdull, public information officer for Cal Fire.

Weve put a lot of resources out there on certain divisions, just to be on the safe side, she said.

People have returned to their homes in many areas at the southern edge of the fire over the last couple days, as containment rose to 57%, she said.

The north end of the fire, thats kind of the priority right now because its burning in a lot of chaparral, the oak woodlands, she said. But we put in a lot of contingency lines, where if something were to happen were able to box that fire in.

The fire ignited early Sunday near the community of Igo, about nine miles southwest of Redding, and spread rapidly, killing four people and destroying at least 179 structures.

About 140 miles south in Northern Californias wine country, crews battling the Glass fire were breathing a sigh of relief Saturday morning after expected strong winds failed to materialize overnight.

Other than a small spot fire that was quickly extinguished, the 62,360-acre fires footprint remained largely unchanged overnight, said Donna Sager, public information officer with Cal Fire.

Help also arrived Saturday from Oregon, where wetter conditions have permitted fire crews to get the upper hand on several blazes, freeing up resources to be sent elsewhere, she said.

Crews reported 10% containment of the Glass fire, which started Sunday and quickly spread, gaining a foothold in a wedge of land north-northeast of Santa Rosa that hadnt burned for 70 years. The blaze has destroyed at least 173 homes and 264 commercial buildings in Napa County and 120 homes and eight commercial buildings in Sonoma County, Sager said.

The largest fire in the states history continued to burn in Mendocino County, prompting new evacuation orders Saturday, nearly 50 days after it was sparked by lightning in mid-August.

The August Complex fire was 979,386 acres and still just 51% contained.

About 2:30 a.m. Saturday, flames made an aggressive downhill run in a rural area north and east of the Round Valley, spurring officials to change an existing evacuation warning to an order out of an abundance of caution, said A.J. Lester, public information officer with Cal Fire Team 5, which is handling the west zone of the massive blaze.

The area is not densely populated but is dotted with farms and ranches, he said.

Although a red-flag warning for the area because of the possibility of high winds expired Friday at 8 p.m., winds and the terrain were continuing to push the fire toward containment lines, particularly above the Round Valley area, Lester said.

Were really trying to reinforce those containment lines to make sure we dont get any jumps or breaches, he said.

Crews were also working to protect the community of Zenia, to the north, after the fire made a run in that direction, he said.

Firefighters have strengthened containment lines along the fires northern flank, allaying some of the concern that the blaze could merge with the Zogg fire and form a monster conflagration well over 1 million acres in size, said Cody Norris, public information officer with U.S. Forest Service, on Saturday.

Im not going to say never, but right now things are looking pretty good on those two fronts, he said

There were more than 3,500 firefighters battling the fire, including firefighters from Montana, Texas, Washington and New Jersey, as well as 138 National Guard personnel, Lester said.

With such a large operation, theres a lot of moving parts as far as evacuations go and trying to educate the public, he said.

Fire officials have reported 100% containment of two other large complexes of fire that were sparked by lightning in mid-August  the 396,624-acre SCU Lightning Complex fire in Santa Clara, Alameda and Stanislaus counties, and the 363,220-acre LNU Lightning Complex fire in Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Yolo and Solano counties.

Fire crews on Saturday reported progress against the Creek fire burning in the Sierra National Forest, which was 312,063 acres and 49% contained.

The North Complex fire, which killed 15 people after it raced into the towns of Berry Creek and Feather Falls, was 317,459 acres and 83% contained.

In the Los Angeles area, crews fighting the Bobcat fire in the Angeles National Forest said they were mostly focusing on mopping up and strengthening containment lines Saturday. Fire officials said a 300-acre internal island of unburned fuel northeast of Mount Wilson was expected to burn throughout the day Saturday, possibly sending up a large cloud of smoke.

The fire had burned 114,963 acres, was 84% contained and had destroyed 87 homes and 83 other structures Saturday, though that number could rise as teams continue to perform damage assessments, officials said.

The fire was continuing to wreak havoc on the regions air quality, with officials forecasting it would be unhealthy Sunday for those in parts of the San Gabriel and San Fernando valleys, as well as the San Gabriel Mountains, and unhealthy for sensitive people in many other places in Los Angeles County.

Those with heart disease, asthma or other respiratory conditions were advised to limit outdoor activities, the county Department of Public Health said in a news release.



By Alex Wigglesworth of the Los Angeles Times wrote this story.

2020 Los Angeles Times

Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has explained the difficulty in any further reduction of tuition fees in tertiary institutions in the state.

The issue of tuition fees has been a strong point of political campaigns among the opposition parties ahead of the October 10 governorship election.

On assumption of office in 2017, the governor hiked the fees by over 200 per cent, claiming that the fees being paid at the time were unsustainable and unable to provide quality education at the institutions.

Following promises by both the Peoples Democratic Party and the Zenith Labour Party to slash the fees to an affordable amount, the governor, fearing a backlash from the voting youth, quickly reviewed the fees downwards.

With the downward review, returning students of the Faculty of Sciences had their fees reduced from N150,000 to N120,000.

The same cut applies to returning students in the Social & Management Sciences.

Students in Agriculture will now pay N100,000 instead of N150,000.00; Arts also will pay N80,000 instead of N100,000.

In Education, students will pay N80,000 as against N100,000 earlier scheduled.

However, the governor did not reduce the fees of those in Law, as it still remains N150,000.

But the opposition parties have insisted that when voted into office, they would further slash the fees.

But Mr Akeredolu told the youth that promises by political opponents to reduce tuition fees in the state-owned tertiary institutions were meant to deceive them.

While speaking Sunday at an interactive session with youth and students in the state, the governor said it would be difficult for the state to operate three state universities successfully without increment in tuition fees.

He said his focus in his second term would be job creation through entrepreneurship, skill acquisition and agriculture.

The Ondo governor said he already created over 20,000 direct jobs through the various industries operating at the Ore industrial hub.

Mr Akeredolu said an investor had paid the first instalment for the moribund Oluwa Glass at Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area.

He said he planned to ensure more students take interest in studying agriculture.

Very soon, the College of Agriculture will depend less on government funding. They want to focus on cultivating mushroom for export, he said.

They built universities without getting accreditation for any courses. We had a Medical School without a teaching hospital. I am building two teaching hospitals in Akure and Ondo town. We are turning Ondo State to a medical hub.

We are earning less and doing much. There was a time we earned big but all the money went down the drain. My concern is to move ahead. We will need the best to manage the three universities.

When I was sworn in 2017, the first executive bill I sent to the Ondo State House of Assembly was the establishment of Ondo State Development and Investment Promotion Agency (ONDIPA) to see to the policy of investment promotion, business development and wealth creation in our state.

Today, through ONDIPA, Ondo has moved from number 34 to number 16 in the ease of doing business in Nigeria. By the grace of Almighty God, the Ore Industrial Park is a creation of ONDIPA under the leadership of Boye Oyewumi.

Mr Akeredolu is seeking reelection on the platform of the All Progressives Congress(APC) and he is facing 16 other candidates, particularly the candidates of the PDP, Eyitayo Jegede and ZLP, Agboola Ajayi.
The peace agreement represents a decisive step towards establishing comprehensive peace throughout Sudan, the Egyptian cabinet said in a statement

Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said on Saturday that the peace deal signed between Sudan's transitional government and rebel groups reflects "the rational African will" that aspires for stability, justice, and democracy, adding that it also ushers in a new era of hope and prosperity for Sudan.

Earlier today, an Egyptian delegation headed by the prime minister arrived in the South Sudanese capital Juba to witness the breakthrough deal that is meant to put an end to decades-long regional conflicts that have left millions displaced and hundreds of thousands dead.

Sudanese paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo  best known by his nickname "Hemeti"  signed the deal on behalf of Khartoum.

The deal was also signed by the Sudan Revolutionary Front, which comprises rebel groups from the war-ravaged western Darfur region, as well as the southern states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan.

Representing Egypt, Madbouly signed the deal as a guarantor. The deal was also signed by Chad, Qatar, the African Union (AU), the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN), who also put their names to the agreement as guarantors.

The Egyptian PM said in a speech during the event that "Egypt appreciates the serious and good efforts exerted by Sudan since the launch of the Juba negotiating platform, which has culminated with the inking of the final agreement."

Egypt has supported this platform since the beginning, Madbouly said, noting that it participated in its establishment by inviting the Sudanese armed movements to sort out their affairs and demonstrate their intention to achieve peace during the conference Egypt hosted in Ain Al-Sokna city in 2019.

Madbouly stressed that "the enforcement of the deal is more important than signing it."

He added that political, economic, developmental, security, and social responsibilities oblige all signatories and regional and international parties to support post-peace entitlements.

He assured that today's gathering affirms the potential for surmounting every dispute and building cooperative relations based on the common interests of all African leaders to achieve prosperity on the continent.

Madbouly expressed Egypt's keenness to continue working with Sudan to boost the various aspects of the partnership between both countries.

The summit was attended by Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, head of the Transitional Sovereign Council General Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, and South Sudanese President Salva Kiir.

Also in attendance were several foreign officials including the US Special Envoy for Sudan Donald Booth, African Union Chairman Moussa Faki, and the heads of state of Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, Uganda and Chad.

Egypt hails mediation by South Sudan

The Egyptian cabinet said in a statement on Saturday that Egypt welcomes the final signing of the peace agreement and praises the sincere and tireless mediation efforts by South Sudan.

The signing of the peace agreement represents a decisive step in the efforts exerted over many decades to establish comprehensive peace throughout Sudan, the Egyptian cabinet statement said.

Egypt also affirmed that it stands by Sudan and asserts its full solidarity with the brotherly country during this defining stage in its history, the Egyptian cabinet said.

Within the framework of the unified destiny and the bonds of brotherhood and solidarity that have brought the two countries together since ancient times, Egypt will spare no effort to work to support stability, prosperity and development throughout Sudan, in order to meet the legitimate aspirations of the brotherly Sudanese people for a better tomorrow, the statement said.

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Byrd was known for his work in films but had a handful of TV roles

Director Spike Lee announced on Sunday that actor Thomas Jefferson Byrd, who starred in several of his films, was murdered last night.

Thomas Jefferson Byrd attends the Spike LeeYa Dig! career retrospective and celebration during the 2014 American Black Film Festival at Metropolitan Pavilion on June 21, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Mireya Acierto/Getty Images)

According to TMZ, cops from the Atlanta Police Department responded to a call of a person injured at 1:45 a.m.

After Byrd was found unresponsive, emergency medical workers pronounced him dead from multiple gunshot wounds to the back.

Read More: Spike Lee releases short film as love letter to New York during COVID-19

Im so sad to announce the tragic murder of our beloved brother, Thomas Jefferson Byrd last night in Atlanta, Georgia, Lee said in a post on social media.

The famous director shared a photo of Byrd as the character Errol Barnes in his 1995 film, Clockers. Lee also posted a clip from Clockers, which he felt highlighted Byrds talents.

Fans flooded the comments section of Lees post with condolences and prayers for Byrd, and many asked for a more detailed account of the actors demise.

At present the story is still developing, and a full report has not been provided by the Atlanta Police Department.

Oh no!!! 2020! Whaaattt!!! Loved working with you Byrd. What a fine actor you were. So sorry your life ended this way. Praying for your family. So very sorry.https://t.co/R9YxP4gNW4  Viola Davis (@violadavis) October 4, 2020

Along with Clockers, Byrd also appeared in Get on the Bus, Bamboozled, He Got Game, Red Hook Summer, Chi-Raq and more.

A successful theater actor, Byrd was nominated for a 2003 Tony Award as Best Actor for a revival of August Wilsons Ma Raineys Black Bottom.

Story continues

According to Film Reference, Byrd grew up in Griffin, Georgia and got his Bachelors degree in education from Morris Brown College, a historically Black institution. He received a masters degree in dance at the California Institute of the Arts.

Read More: First look at Chadwick Boseman in final film Ma Raineys Black Bottom

After completing his education, he went on to begin his career in theater. Although most of his on-screen work was with Lee, Byrd had a handful of TV roles that included a role in the series, In the Heat of the Night and Law and Order: Criminal Intent.

Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now!

The post Thomas Jefferson Byrd, actor in Spike Lee films, murdered appeared first on TheGrio.
Sri Lanka on Sunday imposed an indefinite curfew on two western provincial towns to contain the spread of the coronavirus following the detection of a community case after a gap of nearly six months, officials said.

The island nation has so far recorded 3,395 coronavirus cases and 13 fatalities due to the disease.

An indefinite curfew has been imposed on Divulapitiya and Minwangoda towns in the suburbs of Colombo after a COVID-19 positive patient was detected on Sunday, Army Commander and COVID-19 prevention task force head Shavendra Silva said.

He said a female from Divulapitiya who works in an apparel factory was found positive for coronavirus after she was admitted to a hospital in Gampaha for fever. Nearly 50 people from her workplace and the hospital have been sent for home quarantine after she was detected positive for COVID-19.

According to officials, this is likely the first COVID-19 community case detected since April. Recent infections have come from foreign returnees.

The Sri Lankan government on June 28 completely lifted the curfew imposed to contain the spread of the coronavirus after no new case of community infection was recorded for nearly two months.

However, international flights are yet to be resumed.

The island nation was under a continuous lockdown since March 20. Initially, a nationwide blanket curfew was imposed but it was later eased for about two-thirds of the country and was mostly confined to nighttime. The government had ordered the partial opening of offices and businesses mid-May. From early June, the restrictions were further relaxed with public transport being allowed.

The government further relaxed the COVID-19 curfew, which was in force from 11 pm to 4 am, to only four hours from midnight to 4 am daily from June 14 onwards.

This story has not been edited by www.republicworld.com and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.
Spike Lee mourned the death of actor Thomas Jefferson Byrd, who the director says was murdered in Atlanta on Saturday night.

Brother Byrd also did his thang in my joints CHI-RAQ, SWEET BLOOD OF JESUS, RED HOOK SUMMER, BAMBOOZLED, HE GOT GAME, GET ON THE BUS, GIRL 6 and CLOCKERS. May we all wish condolences and blessings to his family. Rest in peace Brother Byrd, Lee wrote in a Sunday Instagram post.

Lee also shared a picture of Byrd in his 1995 crime film Clockers, one of eight films by Lee in which Byrd appeared.

Related: Clockers trailer

Also Read: Helen Reddy, 'I Am Woman' Singer, Dies at 78

Byrd, also known as T-Byrd, debuted on-screen in the 1992 mystery crime series, In the Heat of the Night. He went on to appear in the TV movie Ill Fly Away: Then and Now and, by 2019, added numerous films to his resume, including Clockers, He Got Game, Bamboozled, Ray and Chi-Raq. He also appeared on TV in Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Lackawanna Blues and Shes Gotta Have It. He was seen this year in the Tracy Morgan-Tiffany Haddish sitcom The Last O.G.

Born in Griffin, Georgia, Byrd attended Morris Brown College, where he graduated with a Bachelor of science degree in education. He later went on to earn a masters degree in dance at California Institute of the Arts. In 2003, he received a Tony Awards nomination in the Best Actor category for Ma Raineys Black Bottom.

Details on Byrds death and no news reports from local media in Atlanta have surfaced of his alleged murder. TheWrap has reached out to Atlanta police for comment.

Read original story Spike Lee Collaborator Thomas Jefferson Byrd Murdered in Atlanta, Director Says At TheWrap
Falun Gong practitioners take part in a candlelight vigil commemorating the 20th anniversary of the persecution of Falun Gong in China, on the West Lawn of Capitol Hill on July 18, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

For Survivors of Persecution, Time of Reunion Invokes Sorrow

NEW YORKThe day marked the Mid-Autumn Festival, the second-most important Chinese celebration of the year, when families gather to share mooncakes and marvel at the harvest moon at its fullest. But Xiao Ping wasnt in the mood for festivities.

In front of a small booth furnished with banners, flyers, and booklets in Flushing, New York, she showed up as usual, smiling to passersby with a flyer in hand. Sometimes mainland Chinese hurled insults or called her a traitor.

On top of her little booth, the characters read Falun Dafa Is Good and Truth Compassion Forbearance.

It was Xiaos second Mid-Autumn Festival in New York. An adherent of the spiritual discipline, the 47-year-old from Chinas southeastern Nanchang city left the country in August 2019 with her teenage son to escape the incessant persecution targeting their spiritual belief.

Her voice quivered as she spoke of loved ones she left behindher husband, her sister, her mother (whos in her 80s), and friends who have also been persecuted because of their faith.

You made the right choice to go to America, but we cant bear to part with you, Xiaos sister once told her on a phone call.

Falun Gong practitioner Xiao Ping in front of a booth where she raises awareness about Chinas persecution of the spiritual practice, in Flushing, New York, on Oct. 1, 2020. (Provided to The Epoch Times)

Arrests

Rooted in ancient Chinese traditions, Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, consists of moral teachings and a set of gentle exercises. It surged in popularity in China in the 1990suntil the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched an expansive campaign in 1999 to eradicate the practice.

An estimated 70 million to 100 million Chinese who took up the practice have since become targets for torture, imprisonment, forced labor, and live organ harvesting. Meanwhile, the regime has deployed widespread propaganda designed to stigmatize adherents and incite hatred against the group.

Read More INFOGRAPHIC: How Falun Gong Is Persecuted in China

Between 1999 and 2001, Xiao was detained three times at the same local detention center, on each occasion in wintertime when the temperature had dropped below freezing. She remembered the acrylic towels that would harden into an icy block and the meager amount of boiled greens they ate every day, with maggots floating at the top and a layer of sand at the bottom.

Theres sand in every bite, she said. Its impossible to eat the meal if you want to spit out the sand.

Inside the tiny prison cell, she had to sleep squeezed in with as many as a dozen detainees on a hard wooden plank meant to hold half that number. The plank was inclined, forcing everyone to sleep head-to-head with no space to move or change position.

When it became tiring, we all  turned our body the other way in sync, Xiao said. During the day, they would sit on a concrete bench next to the bed.

Because of the lack of nutrition, the prisoners suffered from constipation lasting for weeks, which often ended with days of diarrhea after their monthly treat of porkfrom pigs raised by the prison.

Taking showers was a luxury and an ordeal due to the scarce water supply, which was cold and would usually cut off before they could finish. To avoid directly touching the cold water, she sometimes used a wet towel to clean herself. The dirt would rain down after you rubbed your skin, she said.

In 2001, she was transferred from the detention center to a labor camp. She spent five months there making dog sweaters that she suspected were for export. When not working, the detained practitioners were made to sit on low stools to watch propaganda videos that vilified Falun Gong. The guards would not allow their relatives to visit them unless they shouted insults about the practice, Xiao said.

In 2015, Xiao and dozens of other local practitioners filed lawsuits against Jiang Zemin, the former Chinese leader who unleashed the persecution campaign, drawing retaliation from authorities.

The vice director of the local 610 Office, the extrajudicial body assigned to execute the persecution of Falun Gong, went to each practitioners workplace to pressure for their dismissal. Xiao was one of around 10 practitioners who lost their jobs in the subsequent two years.

Everyone says you guys are good people, but so what? You arent allowed to practice, the man told her shortly before she was fired. If you practice Falun Gong, you are the enemy, enemy, enemy, he said, pointing a finger at her nose.

The authorities even attempted to interrogate Xiaos son, then in sixth grade, and eventually sent a note through his teacher asking what he knew about the practice.

Healing

The traumatic years have left a mark on her son. When their New York landlord came to help them set up the internet not long after they settled down, his first reaction was to hide their Falun Gong books into a drawer so the landlord wouldnt see them.

That small act gave a sting in my heart, she said. She explained to her son that theyre now in America and no longer need to hide the books.

Like many new immigrants, Xiao juggles odd jobs; she also needs to take care of her son, and she finds time to meditate and spread awareness about the ongoing persecution, now in its 21st year. The daily toil is nothing compared to the extremes shes seen in China, she said.

A practitioner from Xiaos home city who is the same age as her was recently handed another 9 1/2-year jail sentence after having previously spent nine years in prison. How many nine years are there in ones life? Xiao said.

Falun Gong practitioner Xiao Ping at the Kissena Corridor Park in Flushing, New York, on Sept. 26, 2020. (Linda Lin/The Epoch Times)

Ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Xiao joined hundreds of Falun Gong practitioners in New York to send holiday greetings to the founder of Falun Gong, Mr. Li Hongzhi.

The change of environment has made Xiao feel lighter, and even breathing feels easier, she said. She recalled an event at Times Square in September 2019, when about 100 practitioners joined for a session of sitting meditation.

It was the first time in years she was able to fully relax and completely forget where she was, she said.

Do you know how loud the surrounding area was? Xiao said, noting the banging sound of loudspeakers as people sang and danced about. But after 30 minutes, all she heard was the serene meditation music, as if she had been transported to a different world.
If you spend hours scrolling through cat videos online, theres a scientific explanation for why thats a hard habit to kick: A new study has found that watching footage of cute animals can reduce your anxiety, blood pressure and heart rate.

The study, led by the University of Leeds in Britain, Singapore Airlines and Western Australias tourism agency, featured videos of a quokka  a cuddly-looking wallaby native to Australia that the internet dubbed the happiest animal on earth. But footage of other wildlife can also elicit positive emotions like adoration, awe and love, said Dacher Keltner, a psychology professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who studies how nature impacts the human psyche. We are a visual species, he said. We derive a lot of health and happiness from our relationship to the natural world.

If you cant get out into the natural world, let it come to you. The internet has dozens of smile-inducing animal feeds from around the world.
The report also pointed out there is no single fare card for public transit in Chicago, even though the Ventra card has been adopted by the CTA and Pace. The card is not compatible with Metra, although Metra officials say they are working toward that goal.
Course Content and Planned Excusions

Understanding the politics of protecting the GBR requires a breadth of knowledge about the reef and the wider region. This course builds that knowledge base through a mix of active-learning activities that includes excursions and personal meetings with experts, stakeholders, and public officials. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) Headquarters is located in Townsville, and we are pleased to be partnering with them for purposes of this course. Fred Nucifora, Director of Reef Education and Stewardship, and his staff will introduce students to the challenges facing the GBRMPA and provide an overview of how the Park is managed. We are also working closely with a local provider to organize various overnight excursions and day-trips. The itinerary will be finalized in the coming weeks, but for now, heres whats in the works.

Experience Australia's Flora and Fauna

The Australian continent is home to a wide range of flora and fauna. This course offers students multiple opportunities to learn first-hand about Australias fragile ecosystems and the unique species that inhabit them. It does so by taking advantage of some of the regions premiere ecotourist attractions. Importantly, these excursions also serve a key pedagogical purpose. All provide time for students to meet the people who run the businesses that manage these attractions and discuss with them the sustainability strategies that they employ in order to strike a balance between the profit and environmental-protection imperatives that face the ecotourism sector.

A visit to Billabong Sanctuary Australian Wildlife Experience, a leader in conservation, affords an opportunity for hands-on learning about Australias iconic species, such as koalas, crocodiles, and kangaroos. Students will also learn how the companys corporate management practices support the business long-term sustainability while meaningfully contributing to environmental causes. And, they will participate in a service-learning project.

SeaLink Travel Group, Townsvilles most experienced marine tourism operator, will escort students to some of the best sites on the GBR for snorkeling. A GBRMPA Education Team Reef Guide will accompany the class and introduce students to key features of the reef as well as to the GBRMPAs Eye on the Reef Rapid Monitoring Program, a citizen-science tool that enables community members to help monitor the reefs health. Students will learn how to collect data for the Program. A management representative from Sealink Travel Group will discuss business operations and concerns as well as the practices that local operators use to minimize their impact on the environment and help rehabilitate the GBR.

A second trip onto the GBR will take students, along with a GBRMPA Education Team Reef Guide, to Magnetic Island, where they will apply their knowledge by participating in a Reef Health Assessment under the supervision of marine experts and experienced crew. The class will overnight on the Island, staying at Bungalow Bay Koala Village, where a Ranger will educate students about the diversity of Australias terrestrial ecosystems and species and facilitate a hands-on introduction to Australian wildlife.

In addition to exploring the GBR, students will travel 64 miles to an inland region northwest of Townsville. During their three-night stay at Hidden Valley Cabins, an award-winning, eco-friendly resort, students will meet the owner-operator and learn how the remote, family-run business incorporates sustainable practices (like using solar power to meet all of its energy needs) into its operations. A visit to Hands on Wildlife will educate students about the dangerous animals that inhabit Tropical North Queensland, provide opportunities to see these animals in a safe and secure environment, and instruct students on how to respond to these animals should they encounter them during their trip. Students will explore the Paluma Range National Parkand Girringun National Park. Professional guides will explain the local ecosystems and lead hikes along the Running River Gorge and Witts Lookout Trails, the latter of which features beautiful views of the coast and Queenslands World Heritage-listed Wet Tropics. Students will also visit Wallaman Falls, an area that has been targeted for further ecotourism development. Plummeting 1,000 feet into Stony Creek Gorge, Wallaman Falls is the largest sheer-drop waterfall in the southern hemisphere. And finally, students will also go platypus spotting!

Learn about Natural Resource Sustainability and Management

While tourism plays a significant role in the regions economy, it is only one of several important economic sectors. Agriculture, commercial fishing, mining, and international shipping are also vital to Queenslands economy. Each is a key stakeholder in terms of GBR policymaking. Coexistence of these industries alongside the GBR raises distinct sets of policy challenges. The course takes students into the field to tour key agricultural sites as well as the Port of Townsville, and it enables students to talk with representatives from each economic sector about their business interests, the challenges they face, and their GBR policy preferences.

Queensland accounts for roughly 95 percent of sugar produced nationally. Australia is the worlds second largest raw sugar exporter, sending over 80 percent of its production overseas, mainly to Asian markets. Locally, the sugar industry generates nearly 10,000 direct jobs and AU$379 million in wages and incomes. The class will visit the Herbert Valley sugar-growing district and tour a sugarcane plantation in Ingham, where they will learn how world-leading techniques are being implemented in an effort to protect the regions delicate ecosystems. Students will learn firsthand about the sugar industry, its diversification, and how its being affected by rising demand from Asia.

Townsville is home to a high-value, commodity port that annually handles over 11 million tons of cargo worth over AU$10 billion to the Queensland economy. Seventy-five percent of this trade occurs with Asian countries. The Port of Townsville is the largest container and automotive port in Northern Australia as well as the countrys biggest exporter of copper, lead, zinc, and sugar. The class will tour the Port to gain an understanding of its importance to the local economy and consider how such a large shipping operation can coexist alongside the GBR.

Commercial fishing is the largest extractive activity within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, and its an important contributor to Australias seafood industry, with over 8,000 tons of seafood harvested each year. The class will learn about different types of fishing and sustainable practices from Tom Hatley, a Project Manager of Sustainable Fishing at Reef Education and Stewardship at the GBRMPA.

Mining activity comprised 11.8 percent (AU$38.8 billion) of Queenslands economy in 2017-18. The states coal and bauxite reserves are among the largest in the world and possess a high-grade quality that makes them sought-after products overseas. In June 2019, the Queensland government greenlighted a controversial new thermal-coal mine, known as the Adani Carmichael Mine, in Central Queenslands Galilee Basin. The #StopAdani campaign claims that the mine will increase shipping traffic through the GBR and generate over 4.6 billion tons of carbon pollution over its lifespan. Students will explore these issues with a representative from the mining industry.

Meet the Scientists and Policy Experts

Learn directly from experts about the challenges facing the GBR and the strategies being developed to manage those challenges. Students will visit the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), where they will tour the National Sea Simulator, billed as the worlds smartest aquarium, and meet with researchers. In these meetings, students will learn about the current state of scientific knowledge on pressures on the reef from the Port, mining, fishing, agriculture, tourism/ecotourism, and human habitation. Researchers will also offer their perspectives on the politicization of science and the challenges that they confront in disseminating accurate information and combating misinformation.

Developments on land can have important and often adverse consequences for the GBR. Paul Groves, a Marine Scientist with the GBRMPA, will educate students about the GBR catchment, explain the important role played by the GBR catchment in maintaining the reefs health, and discuss how protecting the GBRs long-term health depends on the restoration and enhancement of adjacent coastal ecosystems. Mike Nicholas, a private consultant formerly of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), will discuss landscape ecology and natural resource management.

Talk to Local, State, and National Politicians

Like the United States, Australia is a federal system. The GBR is located off the coast of Queensland, one of Australias six states. Yet, the GBRMPA is a national body. This makes for a complicated policymaking process. Students will meet with a range of elected officials and public servants tasked with making and implementing GBR policy. In these meetings, they can explore the various factorspolitical influence, economic imperatives, scientific evidence, etc.that shape policy outcomes.

Learn from Australias Indigenous Peoples

Over 70 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Traditional Owner groups maintain long, continuing relationships with the GBR region. Australias Aboriginal people are widely recognized as the oldest, continuing civilization in the world. Human habitation near the GBR began tens of thousands of years before Captain Cook struck a reef near the current site of Cooktown. Yet, despite the obvious presence of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, British colonization began in 1788 on the legal premise that the land was terra nullius or land belonging to no one.

Eddie Koiki Mabo, the man whose 1992 court case (Mabo v. Queensland) jettisoned terra nullius and revolutionized land tenure in Australia by recognizing Native Title, had a longstanding connection to Townsville, as evidenced by the Mabo Memorial Sculpture located there. The course uses Mabos life as a lens through which to understand the history of Indigenous-settler relations in Australia. Desecration of Mabos grave in Townsville led to his reburial on the island of Mer. Thus, even in death, Mabo offers insights into Australian race relations. Dr. Evans will lead students on a visit to the Mabo Memorial Sculpture.

In addition to introducing students to the history of Indigenous-settler relations, the course examines the contemporary role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the local economy. To that end, we will meet with Scott Anderson, a Nywaigi Birriah descendant, Chair of the Mungalla Aboriginal Business Corporation, and Chair of the Townsville Region Indigenous Business Network. Anderson will discuss the pre-colonial culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, regional history post-European contact, and issues concerning Aboriginal business operations.

Traditional practices of the regions Indigenous Peoples are being used to rehabilitate coastal land and protect the GBR. Mike Nicholas, a private consultant formerly of the CSIRO, will introduce students to re-vegetation processes currently undertaken by the Nywaigi traditional owners of Mungalla Station with whom he has worked closely over the years. An expert on landscape ecology and natural resource management, Nicholas has investigated the use of alternative methods for restoration and repair of coastal wetlands in northern Australia.

Students will also visit Mungalla Station, where they will be introduced to Nywaigi Aboriginal culture and learn stories of the ancestors of the Aboriginal people from Mungalla Station and surrounding areas; learn about the Nywaigis Traditional Use of Marine Park Resources Agreement with the GBRMPA; and, undertake a service-learning project in which they will remove rubbish from the beach and mangrove system.

Give Back through Service Learning

The course will offer multiple service-learning opportunities. In addition to those provided by the Billabong Sanctuary Australian Wildlife Experience and Mungalla Station, students will participate in a beach clean-up project coordinated by the Tangaroa Blue Foundation, a charity that focuses on the health of the marine environment. They will learn about the problem of marine debris and the Australian Marine Debris Initiative, a national volunteer network that monitors marine debris and develops data-driven strategies to address the problem. Students will count and catalogue the debris that they collect from a stretch of coastline so that it can be entered into the Initiatives database.
A British holidaymaker is fighting for his life on a ventilator in Greece after contracting acute pancreatitis at his sister's dream destination wedding.

Peter O'Malley, 33, from Leeds, flew to sunny Rhodes to attend the wedding of his NHS nurse sister Steph Burton, 26 - after her June nuptials were cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis.

But, just two days after the ceremony, Mr O'Malley started struggling to breathe and was rushed to Rhodes General Hospital in agonizing pain.

His condition - which is not related to Covid-19 - got rapidly worse overnight. He was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis and placed on a ventilator.

Although doctors in Greece say he's 'just about well enough to fly back', his insurance have not yet agreed to cover the cost of an emergency flight.

They claim this is because his condition could be 'caused by the alcohol he had on the all inclusive' but Mrs Burton fears they are using a 'loophole to get out of paying'.

British holidaymaker Peter O'Malley, 33, is fighting for his life on a ventilator in Greece after contracting acute pancreatitis at his sister's dream destination wedding. Left: Mr O'Malley with his sister Steph Burton, 26, at the wedding. Right: Mr O'Malley, Mrs Burton and their mother Tracie Seaward

The family have since launched a desperate appeal to raise 28,000 for a private flight to bring him home to the NHS themselves.

Mr O'Malley's mother Tracie Seaward told MailOnline: 'It's so hard seeing him like this. He's my baby and as a mum I feel powerless seeing my baby on a ventilator.

'We were only able to see him for five minutes. When I saw him like that I was too upset to even speak.

'All I could do was stroke his feet and will him to pull through. It's awful seeing your baby in pain like that.'

Mr O'Malley has an older brother Martin, 36, who's sons Lucas, nine, and Max, five, are adored by their uncle.

Ms Seaward continued: 'Martin was saying "come on Peter, pull your finger out and get better", but I knew I'd break down if I tried to say something.

Mr O'Malley has an older brother Martin, 36, who's sons Lucas, nine, and Max, five, are adored by their uncle (pictured together)

'I just sat there stroking him and crying. I'm not going to fly back without him, not unless I have no choice.

'I was so proud to see one child get married the other day, and now I feel like my world is ending because another might die.'

Mr O'Malley has always been close to his sister Mrs Burton - a nurse at Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust who worked on the coronavirus frontline this year. She named her two-year-old son Blake after her brother - whose middle name is Blake.

Ms Seaward added: 'When Peter first got sick the other day, Steph was great at keeping him calm.

'I was standing in the corridor listening to her help him breath.

Mr O'Malley, 33, from Leeds, flew to sunny Rhodes to attend the wedding of his NHS nurse sister Mrs Burton, 26 - after her June nuptials were cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis. Pictured: Jordon Burton (Mr O'Malley's brother-in-law), Mr O'Malley's nephew Blake, Mr O'Malley and Mrs Burton

But, just two days after the ceremony, Mr O'Malley (back centre with friends) started struggling to breathe and was rushed to Rhodes General Hospital in agonizing pain

'I'm not a medical professional so I didn't want to interfere, I was just standing there willing him to stay alive for the ambulance.

WHAT IS ACUTE PANCREATITIS? Acute pancreatitis occurs when the pancreas - an organ behind the stomach which aides digestion - becomes inflamed in a short amount of time. Sufferers usually see an improvement in symptoms in about a week - however things can get serious in some cases. It can be caused by excessive alcohol drinking or gallstones - but the cause can remain unclear. Symptoms include diarrhoea, nausea and sudden, intense pain in the middle of the abdomen. Advertisement

'Growing up, Pete always stuck up for Steph, he never let anyone pick on her  so it's a bit of a role reversal now with her looking after him.

'It's an awful situation, but it makes me so proud to see how much she's doing for him.'

Mrs Burton opted to stay in Greece to be with her brother instead of flying back with her new husband and son earlier this week.

She said: 'He's a joker, not got a serious bone in his body. He's like a big kid. He's amazing with Blake, he absolutely adores him.

'I was always the annoying little sister following him around when he was out with his mates, but he looked after me regardless.

'I've worked through the pandemic so I know what ventilators are like, but when it's your big brother it's a different world. Seeing him like that was a punch in the gut.

'I feel awful already, he's over here because of my wedding and now he's fighting for his life.

'The June wedding was cancelled because of Covid so this was supposed to be a new start.

'Everyone's had a tough year and we were hoping for a nice time so we could move on.

'I didn't expect it to become a nightmare like this. If something happened to him while I was flying home I couldn't forgive myself.

Mr O'Malley has always been close to his sister Mrs Burton (pictured as children) - a nurse at Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust who worked on the coronavirus frontline this year

'My mum's lost, she's on the verge. She's very upset and just wants to get him home.

'The health system over here is really different and the language barrier is a challenge.

'The doctors say he's just about well enough to fly back, but the insurance company won't pay for it.

'They say he's not covered because it might have been caused by the alcohol he had on the all inclusive.

'But the Greek doctors don't know what caused it. They said they can't know for sure, but somehow the insurance company know what's wrong. I feel like they're using a loophole to get out of paying.'

To donate to the family's appeal to bring Mr O'Malley home, click here.
Laying out a realistic roadmap of Covid-19 vaccine distribution, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday announced that by July 2021 India would receive and utilise 400-500 million doses for 20 to 25 crore people. The race for an effective Covid-19 has been hotting up with Russia and China already announcing their vaccines, which they are even administering to people. While India in working towards developing indigenous vaccines, it is also looking to source vaccines from outside.

Here is everything you need to know about the latest developments regarding Covid-19 vaccine

1. As several human trials of Covid-19 are still going on, the rolling out of the vaccines will only be possible in 2021, several experts have pointed out earlier. The Union health minister on Sunday set a deadline in the third quarter of the next year.

2. The minister clarified that this July timeline is not for all people. About 25 crore of Indias 1.3-billion population are likely to get vaccinated by this time.

3. The Centre has asked states to send list of priority population who will be receiving the vaccine shots first. This includes all doctors, nurses, health care staff, ASHA workers etc.

4. The Centre had earlier said that the pricing of the vaccine will not be a hindrance. Those who need the vaccine will get the vaccine first.

5. Reports said the Centre may also allow corporates to get vaccines directly from manufacturers.

6. States have been asked not to sign any deal with manufacturers as Centre is monitoring the entire process.

7. Dr Reddys Laboratories, which entered into an agreement with Russias sovereign wealth fund for trial and distribution of Sputnik V, has sought permission from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to conduct the phase 3 human clinical trials.
So has Christine Abernathy.

They wake him about four in the morning. He said he didnt know why," she writes of one detainee. "He said it was hard to sleep in a room with 60 other men. People were loud. They talked through the night. Theyre supposed to have an hour outside, but hed gone nine or 10 days in a row without being let outside.

And Sofia Mosquera.

Stewart Detention Center, she writes, is a "concrete box wrapped in wire and intimidation."

Operated by a private company, the 1,752-bed facility opened in 2004.

"I believe we cannot call ourselves good people and allow the kind of inhumane treatment that goes on in detention centers to continue," said Mary Coyne Wessling, one of the book's editors. "I want people to know that the conditions of these detention centers, and Stewart in particular, are worse than American prisons and those are awful enough. I want people to become educated about immigration policies and how we can find more humane, more effective ways to give people asylum when they so desperately need it."




By Kim Se-jeong







Car accidents and domestic violence usually increase during holidays in Korea, but this Chuseok saw both down  possibly due to COVID-19  according to the National Police Agency (NPA), Sunday.







The NPA released a report Sunday summarizing their activities during the Chuseok holiday from Sept. 21 to midnight Oct. 3 across the country.







According to the report, a total of 898 cases of domestic violence were reported during Chuseok, down approximately 14 percent from last year.







Commonly a higher number of domestic violence cases are reported during the traditional Korean holidays  Seollal and Chuseok  as family stress levels increase due to deeply embedded cultural expectations.







An average of 331 car accidents were reported each day between Sept. 30 and Oct. 3, down 28.5 percent from last year's 463 accidents.







The death toll also decreased to an average five per day from 6.7 last year during the same period. The average number of injuries also dropped from 861.7 per day to 453.8.







Chuseok is the most significant holiday in Korea and more than half of the population travel during it to visit family. But this year saw the number of travelers decrease due to the pandemic and government suggestions to avoid unnecessary travel. To discourage travelers, the government imposed highway tolls during the holiday, which are usually waived for the period.







The government also placed additional regulations on highway rest area operators. It ordered food courts and restaurants to serve only take-away to customers. Also all people arriving at these outlets had to have their temperature checked and leave their personal information.










On Sept. 30, the Knesset voted 46-38 to amend the coronavirus law to limit the right to demonstrate only at a place within a kilometer (0.6 mile) from ones home and only in small groups of up to 20 persons. Blue and White members Miki Haimovich and Ram Shefa voted with the opposition and opposed the stance of the government and their own party.

The law allows the government to declare a special state of emergency due to the coronavirus for a week, if it is convinced that there is a widespread proliferation of the virus that could cause severe harm to public health, and on the condition that a lockdown is in force at the time. The declaration of the state of emergency could be lengthened for additional periods from one week up to a total of 21 days.

But despite the new limitations on demonstrations, protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have continued throughout the country. Hundreds marched in Tel Aviv when Public Security Minister Amir Ohana criticized police for enabling the march and demanded that the law be enforced.

We have become a dictatorship, said Knesset member Eli Avidar of Yisrael Beitenu in his Knesset speech during the process of voting on the law. He said, The State of Israel has been undergoing a process of deterioration for a period of several months already. If this law passes, none of us will be able to claim that we are the only democracy in the Middle East; we will have become a dictatorship. The very next day, Avidar said he would petition the High Court against the legislation.

Those who have been tracking Netanyahu's responses to the demonstrations against him will recall how the prime minister created a confrontation in a government meeting in June when he said, Freedom of demonstration is not relevant here.

This was in response to Defense Minister Benny Gantzs statement, The right to protest is a holy right in the State of Israel, following the arrest, during a demonstration, of former Brig. Gen. Amir Haskel.

At the time, Netanyahu tried to transmit indifference toward rallies and protests and even argued that these helped him politically. But in recent weeks Netanyahu has changed direction and he is now determined it seems to stop the protests at any price. At first, Blue and White opposed the adoption of emergency regulations to limit protests. Ultimately, however, they crumbled under Netanyahus resolve.

On the heels of the new legislation, activist Shikma Schwartzman Bressler of the Black Flag protest movement told Al-Monitor, The events of recent days and the new limitations have made it clear to everyone that that the prime minister is not worried about coronavirus issues as much as he is in trying to wipe out the protest movement  because the protests reveal his failures.

When asked whether Black Flag will continue its struggle despite the law limiting rallies, Schwartzman said, We will continue our legal protest and struggle for the future of the State of Israel and Israeli democracy with all the tools we have at our disposal, while safeguarding public health. Israeli citizens deserve a prime minister who cares about them and is not busy from morning to night inciting the public, creating rifts and giving himself tax breaks. The protest will not end until Netanyahu resigns.

On the other hand, right-wing journalist Yinon Magal of 103 FM told Al-Monitor, When there is an epidemic, all forms of assemblies are forbidden. Thus, despite my religious beliefs, I think that synagogues must be closed, too. I expect all citizens to realize this and not feel above the law, or more privileged than others.

There is, however, one group that found creative ways to demonstrate while still adhering to government directives: the nonprofit organization Darkenu. Darkenu, which means "Our way," is a civil political movement with more than 300,000 supporters and views itself as the moderate majority movement. On Sept. 26 the group organized a virtual demonstration against the prime minister and the coronavirus crisis (Disclosure: I was the moderator). The rally was very successful: Over 700,000 people viewed it on Facebook alone, and it was aired on Twitter and YouTube as well.

Darkenu CEO Yaya Fink told Al-Monitor, The 700,000 viewers of the virtual protest that we organized last week is additional proof that the moderate majority is not willing to swallow the failed way in which the coronavirus crisis is being managed, and the incessant blows to democracy. Israeli democracy must be strong even on the day after the coronavirus. If the criminal defendant [Netanyahu] prevents us from demonstrating in Balfour [Netanyahus Jerusalem residence], then well find other, creative ways to make our voices heard.

This was not the first time that Darkenu organized a virtual demonstration; a similar rally took place in March during Israels first lockdown, under journalist Lucy Aharish, and it was viewed by more than half a million people. However, Aharish lost her job appartenly due to her participation: She was fired by Israels public broadcasting corporation.

What are the next steps to be taken by the protest movement following the new regulations? Shany Granot, Darkenu's vice president of field operations, said, Every night, opposite the prime ministers Balfour home, we will project on screen the total number of coronavirus victims together with the number of new deaths, those added in the last 24 hours. In the filming we will call for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry to examine the coronavirus crisis in Israel. In addition, we will create a computer interface in which people can feed in their addresses, in order to enable us to tell them about demonstrations and protests taking place within a kilometer from their homes  in accordance with the law.

The last time a poster listing numbers of victims was hung opposite the prime ministers residence was in the 1980s. The prime minister at the time was Menachem Begin, the first Lebanon War was in progress, and demonstrators kept a large, public list of Israeli victims of that war that was continually updated. Ultimately, Begin resigned. He never gave the reason for that. Still, Begin noted his unforgettable sentence, I cannot go on any longer. Will Netanyahu come to the same conclusion? Time will tell.
Some of President Donald Trumps most ardent supporters have gathered outside Walter Reed to express their support for the commander in chief. But for Americans at large, there doesnt seem to be much sympathy for the president, and the vast majority believe he could have avoided contracting COVID-19 had he only taken the appropriate precautions. Almost 3 in 4 Americans72 percent to be exactsaid that Trump neither took the risk of contracting the virus seriously enough nor the appropriate precautions when it came to his personal health, according to an ABC NewsIpsos poll.

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A Reuters-Ipsos poll, meanwhile, found that 65 percent of Americans agreed with the statement that if President Trump had taken coronavirus more seriously, he probably would not have been infected. Even though there is a big partisan split in the answers to the question, with 9 in 10 registered Democrats agreeing with that statement, 5 in 10 Republicans also said they see it that way.

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As Trump continues to battle the virus, Americans are increasingly concerned about the possibility of contracting COVID-19. Overall, 81 percent of Americans say they are very or somewhat concerned about contracting the virus, an almost 10-point increase from two weeks ago. That increase is largely evident among Republicans, whose concern soared 18 points, according to the ABC-Ipsos poll. Amid that growing concern, there seems to be little trust in what the president is saying about the pandemic. Only 34 percent of Americans said they thought Trump was telling them the truth about COVID-19, compared with 55 percent who said the opposite, according to the Reuters-Ipsos poll. Along those lines, only 35 percent said they approved of the way the president has handled the pandemic, according to the ABC poll.

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Amid the growing concern about the pandemic, Joe Bidens lead nationally appears to be widening. Among registered voters, Biden now has a 14-point lead over Trump53 percent to 39 percentaccording to a Wall Street JournalNBC News poll that was taken after Tuesdays presidential debate but before Trump tested positive for COVID-19. That marks a sharp increase from the 8-point lead Biden enjoyed before the debate and is higher than the 11-point lead in July that marked a high point for the poll. Trumps sharpest drops in support came from senior citizens, who are backing Biden 62 percent to 35 percent, and suburban women, who are siding with Biden 58 percent to 33 percent. Women in general favor Biden by a whopping 27 percentage points.

The debate seems to have also made voters in two key states reconsider their votes for Trump as Biden leads in the swing states of Florida and Pennsylvania. According to a New York TimesSiena College poll, Biden leads Trump by 5 points in Florida47 percent to 42 percentand 7 points in Pennsylvania49 percent to 42 percent. Only 21 percent of likely voters in the two states said Trump won the debate.
Tens of thousands of Britons have been 'put at risk' by a computer glitch that meant thousands of new cases were missed from the government's coronavirus infection figures and were delayed in being passed on to NHS Track and Trace, according to reports.

Public Health England last night admitted nearly 16,000 cases had been missed off its dashboard system in the space of a week  most of them in the past few days.

The agency said in a statement that all those missing cases had been informed that they had the virus, as normal.

But PHE did not address the possible impact on NHS Track and Trace - with The Telegraph today reporting that the 'stall' in the system meant the missing cases were delayed in being passed on to Track and Trace call handlers.

According to the paper, the issue left health officials desperately trying to hunt down contacts of the positive cases - some of which date back 10 days - in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Tens of thousands of close contacts are only being reached now, reports the paper, meaning that many of them could have been unknowingly carrying the virus, when they should have been told to self isolate.

It comes as a furious row last night erupted over the UKs daily Covid figures, as the country recorded 22,961 new coronavirus infections following the 'technical glitch' .

The daily totals rocketed over the weekend after the glitch resulted in officials adding on thousands of cases that were missed last week.

The admission by PHE that the figures had been missed suggests the pandemic is growing faster than previously thought.

On Friday, the daily tally stood at 6,968 positive cases, comparable to the level it had been all week.

But on Saturday, it rose abruptly to 12,872, and today's tally was more than three times higher  a record 22,961 new cases.

The Department of Health said the October 3 and 4 figures were 'artificially high' in England and the UK due to the technical issue.

A further 33 deaths - the figures of which were not impacted by the technical issue - were also confirmed today.

The daily totals rocketed over the weekend after the glitch resulted in officials adding on thousands of cases that were missed last week.

A further 33 deaths - the figures of which were not impacted by the technical issue - were also confirmed today

Public Health England last night admitted nearly 16,000 cases had been missed in the space of a week  most of them in the past few days. Pictured: People in face masks on the street of London

Meanwhile, experts have raised concerns following the glitch, as the accuracy of the figures is essential for determining the way ministers respond to the pandemic  particularly in local areas.

The localised lockdowns that cover a quarter of the UK population are already the subject of controversy, with many claiming they are unfair and arbitrary.

In other developments:

Boris Johnson warned Britons of bumpy months ahead and a tough winter as he dramatically rowed back on his previous optimism about Christmas;

He also admitted he was frustrated with delays in the NHS Test and Trace system;

Ministers were putting the finishing touches to a new traffic-light system which could pave the way for harsher restrictions such as the closure of all pubs in a certain area;

Reports suggested that next years school exams would be delayed by three weeks;

Trials of an air passenger testing regime are expected to begin within weeks in a victory for the Mails Get Britain Flying campaign;

A hard-hitting report claimed the Governments pandemic policies had made vulnerable care home residents expendable and violated their fundamental human rights;

Health minister Lord Bethell claimed Britain will look back at its Covid-19 response like the Olympics and be extremely proud

Professor Paul Hunter, an epidemiologist at the University of East Anglia, said last night: Clearly in the management of any epidemic you need good-quality data  without that data it is very difficult to respond. It is a real problem.

Leaked document reveals possible pub closures and ban on ALL social contact outside your household under proposed red, amber, green 'traffic-light' system Ministers are planning tough new 'red alert' lockdowns, with a leaked document revealing that all social contact outside homes could be banned under the most extreme part of a proposed 'traffic-light-style' system, according to reports. The new three-tier system includes an Alert Level Three which will include tough new restrictions - which almost parallel the complete lockdown measures imposed in March. These include closing all hospitality and leisure business and banning contact with anyone outside a person's household in any setting. Non-professional sports will also be stopped - though places of worship will still be allowed to stay open - which was not the case during the original coronavirus lockdown. It comes as the UK recorded 23,000 new coronavirus infections on Sunday following a 'technical glitch' which meant thousands of cases were initially missed off the official data. The tough new red measures, outlined in a leaked document seen by The Guardian, will only be imposed either nationally or in a specific area if the virus cannot be controlled by measures in Alert Level Two or if an area sees a 'significant increase in transmission'. Measures for 'Alert Level Two', amber in the traffic light system, include limiting social gatherings to people within a household and support bubble, while travel will be limited to essential purposes. Alert Level Two will be triggered when there has been a rise in infections and local measures cannot control it. Meanwhile Alert Level One, green, will include the measures that are already in place, such as the 'rule of six', the 10pm Covid curfew on hospitality businesses and the wearing of face masks in public places such as supermarkets and public transport. According to the Guardian, A Whitehall source said the levels were intended to be 'minimum standards'. The source added that specific local circumstances in each area would also be taken into account. Advertisement

Government adviser Professor Graham Medley, who sits on the Sage emergency panel, said: Reporting delays play havoc with data streams and make them very difficult to analyse in real time. If the delays change or vary by group then they can distort a lot. I wonder what these will do to the R estimates next week?

Dr Duncan Robertson, an expert in modelling and policy analytics at Loughborough University, added: It is important to understand the reason for the delay.

If this is a reporting delay, that is bad enough, but if there have been delays in putting these cases into the NHS Test and Trace database, that can have serious implications for spreading the disease.

Critics said if there was a real spike in cases in the coming days it could be missed, because it is impossible to tell which infections are new and which are simply the backlog filtering through.

Mr Johnson and his scientific advisers have repeatedly pointed to rising case numbers to justify tighter regulations.

Local restrictions are dependent on infection data.

A swing of a dozen cases in a week in a small town or borough is enough to be the difference between lockdown being imposed or businesses and families being allowed to continue as normal.

Public Health England interim chief executive Michael Brodie said last night: A technical issue was identified overnight on Friday, October 2, in the data load process that transfers Covid-19 positive lab results into reporting dashboards.

After rapid investigation, we have identified that 15,841 cases between September 25 and October 2 were not included in the reported daily Covid-19 cases.

Every one of these cases received their Covid-19 test result as normal and all those who tested positive were advised to self-isolate.

Earlier, in separate hospital data, 28 people were recorded as having died from coronavirus in Britain.

The figure - ten more than last week - brings the UK's total death toll during the pandemic to 42,345.

Scotland has reported 758 new cases and no new deaths. Wales has 432 further cases but its death toll remains the same as no new fatalities were reported.

All 28 deaths were recorded in England, with 25 in hospitals in the North East, Yorkshire and the Midlands.

Patients were all aged between 69 and 94 years old and had underlying health conditions.

The figure comes after a 'failure in the counting system' was blamed for coronavirus cases nearly doubling yesterday - as Boris Johnson hinted contact tracing might have been delayed.

Earlier, the PM dodged giving a fuller explanation as he was grilled on the extraordinary spike reported yesterday, with just under 13,000 new cases.

Boris Johnson (pictured arriving for an appearance on the BBC's Andrew Marr show today) dodged giving a full explanation as he was grilled on the extraordinary spike reported yesterday, with just under 13,000 new coronavirus cases

Amid alarm at the increase, the Department of Health said there had been a 'technical issue' in adding a number of the cases to the total in England.

But appearing on the BBC's Andrew Marr show this morning, Mr Johnson suggested that the issue might have gone deeper and affected crucial efforts to track down contacts of those who tested positive.

'The reason for that is there was a failure in the testing system... It was a computing issue,' he said.

Boris Johnson denies bungling coronavirus lockdowns as he says he hopes science will allow 'different approach' to be taken 'in the next few weeks and months' Boris Johnson today denied bungling coronavirus lockdowns as he warned there is no guarantee the situation will improve by Christmas. The PM admitted people were 'furious' with him over the 10pm pubs curfew, the Rule of Six, and chaotic local curbs, but defended his handling of the crisis amid growing disquiet on his own benches. As the virtual Tory conference gets underway, Mr Johnson urged the public to be 'fearless but use common sense' to help manage the outbreak without destroying the economy. He said he was working 'flat out' and hoped that 'in the course of the next few weeks and months the scientific equation will change' and that would allow a 'different approach'. But in an interview on the BBC's Andrew Marr show, he cautioned that the restrictions could drag into 2021. 'I know people are furious, and they are furious with me and furious with the government.,' Mr Johnson said. 'But, you know, I've got to tell you in all candour, it's going to continue to be bumpy through to Christmas, it may even be bumpy beyond. But this is the only way to do it. He added: 'This could be a very tough winter for all of us.' Advertisement

The premier added that 'all the people who had a positive test have now been notified'.

The government released its daily figures five hours late last night, showing a total of 12,872 new lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases across the UK reported in the 24 hours to 9am Saturday.

In the 24 hours to 9am on Friday, there were 6,968 lab-confirmed cases in the UK.

However, the figures refer to the date the case was recorded, rather than the date the specimen was taken.

The Department of Health warned the infection statistics could also be inflated 'over the coming days' after the problem meant potentially thousands of cases were previously missed off the official figures.

Carl Heneghan, Professor of Evidence Based Medicine and Director of the Centre for Evidence Based Medicine at Oxford University, said the more-telling seven-day average showed a 'small rise'.

He said England's data could still reflect a levelling-out of the virus, though he raised concerns over the direction of the data in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

While the infection data saw a sharp rise, the number of deaths stayed largely in line with figures from the the rest of the week.

The latest Department of Health figures were sent out five hours later than the usual 4pm release, came with a warning that additional data will be added to the totals in the 'coming days' due to a 'technical error'.

In a statement issued on the website today, the department said: 'Due to a technical issue, which has now been resolved, there has been a delay in publishing a number of COVID-19 cases to the dashboard in England.

'This means the total reported over the coming days will include some additional cases from the period between 24 September and 1 October, increasing the number of cases reported.'

Saturday's figure brought the total number of cases in the UK to 480,017.

The Government also said a further 49 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Saturday. This brings the UK total to 42,317.

Separate figures published by the UK's statistics agencies show there have now been nearly 57,900 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

Other figures show there were 2,194 Covid-19 patients in hospital in England as of Saturday, up from 1,622 a week ago, while 307 Covid-19 hospital patients were in ventilation beds, up from 223 a week ago.

A total of 368 patients with confirmed Covid-19 were admitted to hospitals in England on Thursday, compared with 288 a week earlier.

The announcement was issued on the Department of Health and Social Care's website today following the announcement of the figures

Professor Carl Heneghan stressed the importance of looking at seven-day average data, which he said better reflects the infection trend compared to the daily data

Long Covid could become a bigger public health issue than excess deaths, academic warns So-called 'Long Covid' - which causes victims to suffer symptoms months after falling ill with the virus - could be a bigger public health problem than excess deaths, an academic has warned. It comes as a new report by King's College London revealed that around 10 per cent of coronavirus patients who took part in its survey showed Long Covid symptoms such as breathlessness and chronic fatigue for a month after infection. As many as two per cent were still experiencing such symptoms after three months. In a report from Tony Blair Institute of Global Change, Tim Spector, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King's College London, warns Long Covid could become a bigger public health issue than excess deaths due to Covid-19. The professor has pointed the statistics showing that Long Covid is most prevelant in women in their 40s, while deaths due to coronavirus are most among the elderly. The report calls on the government to raise awareness of the issue. The authors of the paper, titled Long Covid: Reviewing the Science and Assessing the Risk, say they believe awareness campaigns 'would help drive compliance with containment measures such as the use of masks'. In the report's foreword, Professor Spector said that in the first few months of the pandemic, little attention was paid to the infected population who were not sick enough to go to hospital, who made up 99 per cent of cases. He said it turned out that Covid-19 was not just a bad flu, but in many people it behaved more like an autoimmune disease, affecting multiple systems in the body. Prof Spector said the app launched in March by his group at King's College London and the health-science company ZOE to capture the wider range of symptoms people were experiencing received data from more than 4 million people. Researchers learned that 'a great many people didn't get better after two weeks as expected', Prof Spector said, adding: 'We kept following them and found out that a significant number still had problems after months. 'This is the other side of Covid: the long-haulers that could turn out to be a bigger public-health problem than excess deaths from Covid-19, which mainly affect the susceptible elderly.' Advertisement

Commenting on today's figures, Professor Heneghan stressed the importance of looking at seven-day average data, which he said better reflected the infection trend compared to the reported data.

The latest figures show England's seven-day average saw a rise from 4,600 to 5,400 from September 18 to September 25, compared to Northern Ireland where the figure nearly doubled from 144 to 263 over the same period and Scotland too saw a rise from 294 to 540.

He said 'England still looks like it is stabilising, but it looks worse in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

'It is still going up as we go into winter, but this is what happens at this time of year with respiratory infections.

'If you look at the moving seven-day average (for England) it is mostly staying level.'

Asked why the direction of the infection rates could be worse in both Scotland and Northern Ireland, Professor Heneghan said it may have been due to the success of the two countries stemming coronavirus during the first wave - meaning there is still a large group of people who could still catch the virus.

Britain's second wave of coronavirus showed signs of slowing down on Friday, as the number of new positive tests were just 1.4 per cent higher than last week.

Another 6,968 cases were announced yesterday, only marginally higher than the 6,874 last Friday.

This small rise comes as most days in September saw a week-on-week increase of more than 35 per cent.

Friday's was the lowest weekly increase since August 25, suggesting last month's resurgence in cases has hit its peak.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) also backed up signs that the outbreak is slowing and estimated there were 8,400 daily cases of the disease in England in the week ending September 24.

This marks a 12.5 per cent fall from the 9,600 infections thought to have been occurring every day the week before.

The ONS described its findings as 'limited evidence' transmission of the virus 'may be levelling off following steep increases during August and September'.

The estimate is based on 300,000 tests sent to homes across the country over the past six weeks - they produced 400 positive swabs and mathematical modelling is used to apply the result to the whole population.

Meanwhile, patients who were told by their GPs to get a Covid test 'have been turned away at testing sites' even when there is enough capacity due to lab processing problems.

Up to 200 people a day were refused a test at a centre in Stoke after Whitehall officials limited the number they could administer.

Officials there said even people who were referred by their family doctor were told they could not be tested when the quota had been reached.

Meanwhile some sites are working at just a fifth of their capacity as testing laboratories struggle to process the results.

It comes as more people than ever are having to wait three days or more to find out if they have coronavirus after an in-person test in England.

Patients who were told by their GPs to get a Covid test (pictured in Leeds) 'have been turned away at testing sites' even when there is enough capacity due to lab processing problems

Some sites (pictured, Burnley) are working at just a fifth of their capacity as laboratories struggle to process the results

More people than ever are having to wait three days or more to find out if they have coronavirus after an in-person test in England (pictured, the Burnley testing site)

NHS Test and Trace data on Thursday showed members of the public taking swab tests at drive-through sites or pop-up local and mobile centres face growing waits.

The Stoke site saw swathes of people being turned away because only a few who did not book online could be tested.

One member of staff told the Times: 'Sometimes when we get to that threshold  ie the maximum even if they came with that GP letter, we couldn't let them in.'

Another said if a family came with a sick child 'you really should say ''well I appreciate that I can see he's not particularly well, have you tried booking a test on the internet''?'

'Lighthouse lab' delays opening for a month A super-lab expected to process 50,000 tests a day has had to delay opening. The site at Charnwood near Loughborough, which is one of the 'Lighthouse laboratories', will not open for at least another month. The labs are at the focus of the government's plans to ramp up testing and processing the results. The Department of Health and Social Care had bragged in a press release last month the lab would be open 'by the end of September'. But the site has no workers and those interviewed were told they will not be needed until at least the last week of October, according to the Times. Meanwhile another Lighthouse lab in Newport is also yet to open after being earmarked for August but likely to only open this month. Public Health Wales pointed the finger at recruitment problems and not enough tests to check the lab's processing works. A Department of Health spokesman said: 'NHS Test and Trace is providing tests at an unprecedented scale  240,000 a day on average over the last week  more than all major countries in Europe with more testing per head of population. 'We are expanding testing capacity rapidly with new Lighthouse laboratories in Newport, Newcastle, Bracknell and Charnwood as we drive towards our target of 500,000 a day by the end of October.' Advertisement

They added even if the person claimed to have been trying for a test for three days they should be turned away.

The Stoke site was performing 500 tests a day a one point, but are now following a quota.

On one day last week just 100 people were tested by 5pm, with 260 the following day.

Whitehall's cap at testing sites - which started last month - appears to be reflected across the system as social media users also reported being turned away from sites.

Liz Martin from London tweeted: 'Tests are unavailable and people are being turned away. I couldn't get one recently even as a key worker.'

Barking and Dagenham Council posted: 'We've been told covid testing sites in B&D are really busy with only a few walk in slots available daily.

'Don't get stuck in a queue or waste your time walking down there, only to be turned away - you're best to book online or call 119.'

Another account wrote: 'I've had at least 4 different people tell me the same story where someone they know has gone to a testing centre, given their details and then is turned away because it's ''too busy''.

'One week later, they all get a letter saying they're positive for Covid. No swab was ever taken.'

Canary Wharf counsellor Andrew Wood added: 'Serious problems at Watney COVID testing centre I observed a number of people being turned away as had not booked in advance I asked the nice security guard how many he had to turn away (30% he said).

'He said and GPs were telling people incorrectly that they could just turn up and be tested.

'He was telling them to go online Somebody has to put up a poster reminding people how to book including calling 119 outside to help him and give the security guard a proper mask (security guards have one of the highest infection rates in the country).'

Mike Stripling from the East Midlands commented: 'Felt the full frustration of the covid testing facilities today. 10 people with full Poe doing SFA. my wife booked app this am for 3.30 got there after 1.5 hours of traffic to be turned away. Pathetic!'

Another man from Brighton posted: 'People being turned away from the mobile testing centre in Brighton - they had a QR code for the nearest test centre they could get in ABERDEEN! Staff couldn't help though...and had to tell them to go back to the online booking system.'

The cap on testing capacity is reportedly being used to relieve pressure on the floundering Lighthouse labs.

One of the network's new sites in Charnwood, Leicestershire, has delayed opening by a month.

It was due to open at the end of September but will not be functioning until at least later this month.

But when the site - run by US firm PerkinElmer for the UK government - opens it will process 50,000 tests a day.

Meanwhile another Lighthouse in Newport missed its August opening date and will not be running until November.

In a bid to ramp up the number of tests being processed, the government has now said it will work with universities and smaller private laboratories.

But it has renewed doubts the Prime Minister's target of 500,000 tests a day by the end of October can be reached.

NHS Test and Trace data shows 1.7million tests were processed in the week up to September 23, which rose from 1.6million the week before.

The five Lighthouse labs and NHS sites are expected to be able to process 1.8million at full capacity.

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care told MailOnline: 'These claims do not reflect the huge amount work underway in a system that we have built from scratch into the largest diagnostics network in British history.

'New booking slots are made available daily for those who need them and we are rightly targeting testing capacity at the areas that need it most, including those where there is an outbreak, and prioritising at-risk groups.

'NHS Test and Trace is continually increasing capacity, with the ability to now process over 320,000 tests a day, but we have seen a significant demand for tests including from people who do not have symptoms.

'We recently announced new facilities and technology to process results even faster, expanding UK testing capacity to 500,000-a-day by the end of October.'

Meanwhile, Government sources today revealed a Covid-19 vaccination could be just 'three months away' in Britain.

The preliminary hospital death total saw an increase of 122 per cent on the figure recorded last Saturday, when 23 people were confirmed to have died in hospital. Pictured: Oxford Circus on Friday

Close to half of England's hospital deaths were in the North West, where 1,603 people tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours despite localised Covid-19 restrictions. Pictured: London

Every adult in the country could be vaccinated against Covid-19 as soon as Easter as plans are put in place to train an army of careworkers to administer the jab.

It coincides with Boris Johnson's hint last night that the Rule of Six could be suspended on Christmas Day to ensure a family of five can have both grandparents round for festive lunch.

The Prime Minister stressed the Government would do 'everything we can to make sure Christmas for everybody is normal as possible'.

Mr Johnson has often identified a vaccine as the key to being able to lift many of the restrictions imposed on the public since March, but has insisted 'we must never cut corners' or 'sacrifice safety to speed' in the search for one.

It comes just days after it was claimed that Britain's rising coronavirus infection rate may actually speed up vaccine trials and move the world one step closer to eradicating the disease.

But scientists are sceptical and say it could be much longer before full vaccination can be carried out, reported The Times.

Earlier this week, a Royal Society report warned there would be significant challenges in distributing and producing the vaccine on such a mass scale.

Nilay Shah, head of the department of chemical engineering at Imperial College London, and a co-author of the report, said: 'Even when the vaccine is available it doesn't mean within a month everybody is going to be vaccinated.

Boris Johnson, pictured last night, has often identified a vaccine as the key to being able to lift many of the restrictions imposed on the public since March, but has insisted 'we must never cut corners' or 'sacrifice safety to speed' in the search for one

'We're talking about six months, nine months... a year. There's not a question of life suddenly returning to normal in March.'

Oxford University has been running human trials on a vaccine since April and there are hopes it could be approved by regulators by Christmas.

Care home residents and staff will be first to get a Covid-19 vaccine ahead of NHS staff and all over-80s Care home residents and staff will be the first to get a Covid-19 vaccine when one is approved, according to fresh government advice. Everyone over the age of 80 and NHS staff will be second in line, updated guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation states. The body, which consists of 20 top scientists, advises ministers on all vaccines. It admitted its guidance for any UK Covid-19 vaccination scheme is likely to change in the future. Matt Hancock previously pledged that Britons with underlying conditions would be near the front of the queue for any jab. But millions living with heart disease or other ailments that raise their risk of dying of Covid-19 won't be vaccinated until everyone over the age of 65 is inoculated, according to the new guidance. WHO WILL GET A COVID-19 JAB FIRST? Under the proposed ranking by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, the vaccines will be rolled out in the following order: older adults' resident in a care home and care home workers

all those 80 years of age and over and health and social care workers

all those 75 years of age and over

all those 70 years of age and over

all those 65 years of age and over

high-risk adults under 65 years of age with underlying health woes

moderate-risk adults under 65 years of age with underlying health woes

all those 60 years of age and over

all those 55 years of age and over

all those 50 years of age and over

rest of the population (priority to be determined) Advertisement

Government sources involved in the much-anticipated vaccine said it would be less than six months before a full programme, excluding children, would be ready.

Plans to speed up the process include the creation of drive-thru vaccination centres and rules allowing more staff to give the jabs.

The armed forces could even be drafted in for extra help.

'We are looking at closer to six months and it is likely to be far shorter than that,' a government source said.

To administer two doses of a vaccine to 53 million adults in the six-month time period would involve 600,000 jabs a day.

Those who need the injections most are first on the list, meaning care home residents and staff will get it as soon as it's ready.

Those aged over 80 and NHS staff are next, followed by all over 65s, younger adults at higher risk and people over 50.

Some care home managers were asked for a list of eligible frontline staff last month.

Around 100million doses of the Oxford vaccination, which is yet to be proved successful, have already been ordered by the Government.

It is hoped scientists will know if it prevents at least 50 per cent of infections, the threshold for success, by the end of this year.

Britain is currently bound by the European Medicines Agency until January, meaning it can't administer the drug even if approved by UK regulators.

But Ministers have revealed plans to change the law to allow vaccinations to start sooner.

The Department of Health said: 'We are confident we have adequate provision or transport, PPE and logistical expertise to deploy a Covid-19 vaccine across the country as quickly as possible.'

Several challenges had been highlighted in the Royal Society report, including the need to inject people with RNA, a type of genetic material, in some of the most promising studies, even though an RNA vaccine has never been produced at a large scale.

Questions also remain over supply chains, with some vaccines having to be kept at -80C while being transported.

Furthermore, as much as 80 per cent of the population may have to be innoculated to achieve herd immunity, even if a vaccine proves to be 90 per cent effective in reducing transmission.

Prof Shah added that some 20,000 people would need to be recruited by the NHS to deliver the drug and that field hospitals may have to be built for the mass vaccination programme.

It comes after it was revealed New York-based company Codagenix plans to begin experiments of its vaccine in London by the end of the year.

The jab will be of a type called a live attenuated vaccine, meaning people will be given a genetically-modified version of the coronavirus that is weaker than the real thing but still infectious.

People enter Oxford Circus underground station in London after the 10pm curfew that pubs and restaurants are subject to in order to combat the rise in coronavirus cases in England

Live attenuated vaccines  such as the MMR jab  work by stimulating the immune system in the same way that real Covid-19 would, but by relying on viruses unable to cause severe illness.

Codagenix says its vaccine was successful after a single dose in animal trials and is designed to produce immunity against various parts of the coronavirus, rather than just the 'spike protein' on the outside that many others have focused on.

This could mean it would still work even if the virus mutated. Using a live virus may enable medics to create a type of immunity that is similar to what the body would make naturally.

Oxford University's front-runner vaccine candidate was supposed to be rolled out this autumn but trials came to a standstill when infection rates petered out over summer.

Studies had to be moved abroad to the likes of Brazil, the US and South Africa - where coronavirus was still rife - to test if the jab can prevent infection.

In order to prove beyond doubt a vaccine works, scientists need to inoculate tens of thousands of people then send them back into the community and wait for some to get infected.

This has been a sticking point for the Oxford team because there was barely any Covid-19 transmission for months in the UK.

But experts have told MailOnline the one 'silver lining' to Britain's climbing Covid-19 rates is that it could speed up this process.
A nine-year-old girl was killed and a woman and six-year-old boy were rushed to a local hospital after they fell victim to a drive-by shooting in northern California on Saturday.

Sacramento police said the shooting took place at around 1:10pm during a family gathering near Mama Marks Park in the Del Paso Heights section of the state capital.

The woman is in critical condition while the child is listed in stable condition, investigators told KXTV-TV.

Sacramento police responded to reports of a drive-by shooting on Haywood Street in the Del Paso Heights neighborhood at around 1:10pm on Saturday

A nine-year-old girl was killed and a woman and a six-year-old boy were wounded. Sacramento police are looking into whether the shooting was gang-related. The image above is a file photo of a Sacramento Police Department vehicle

Police are trying to determine a motive for the shooting. Investigators are also looking into whether the shooting was gang-related.

Police are also looking into whether there was another shooting victim linked to the incident in Del Paso Heights.

According to investigators, a man who was shot drove himself to a local hospital. He is listed in stable condition.

No suspects have been arrested as of Saturday evening.
Greene King has revealed it will launch a programme to raise awareness about slavery after admitting it was 'inexcusable' that its founder profited from the transatlantic slave trade.

The pub company, which has more than 3,000 pubs across the country, is teaming up with the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool to 'educate people about the shocking human exploitation which took place.'

The Suffolk-based business was founded in 1799 by Benjamin Greene who went on to own sugar plantations in the West Indies where he was a slave owner.

Now all of Greene King's 38,000 employees will be given a chance to take part in online workshops on 'Understanding Transatlantic Slavery.'

Greene King, which has more than 3,000 pubs across the country, will launch a programme to raise awareness about slavery

The pub company said it was 'inexcusable' its founder Benjamin Greene profited from the transatlantic slave trade

The brewer is also backing the Black History Month programme at the Liverpool-based museum this month.

Greene King chief executive Nick Mackenzie said: 'There is no place for racism or discrimination anywhere in society.

'We are working hard to build a more inclusive and diverse workforce with increased opportunities for people from minority ethnic backgrounds, but equally we don't want to lose sight of the past.

'It is inexcusable that one of our founders profited from slavery and while that was nearly 200 years ago we can't pretend it didn't happen.

'We want to educate and work with the International Slavery Museum to learn more about the past and better inform our choices for the future.'

Richard Benjamin, who heads the International Slavery Museum team, said: 'This is a positive step.

'Reparative justice must acknowledge past abuses and respond to their continuing legacies. We hope that more institutions and businesses in the UK with the same historical links to slavery can be equally as transparent about their origins.'

Greene King was founded in 1799 by Benjamin Greene who went on to own sugar plantations in the West Indies. Pictured: The pub headquarters in Abbot House in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

The pub group is teaming up with the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool to 'educate people about the shocking human exploitation which took place'

Born in 1780 in Northamptonshire, Benjamin Greene, went on to own three cane sugar plantations in the West Indies after he handed over his brewery company to his son Edward in 1836.

During the 1880s, the brewery founder, who profited from the labour of enslaved Africans, wrote columns in his own newspaper the Bury and Suffolk Herald where he defended his actions against campaigners for the abolition of slavery.

Despite his protestations, MPs finally passed the Slavery Abolition Bill in 1833, on the condition that slave-owners be given compensation for freeing their slaves.

Greene, who had at least 231 slaves, was among 47,000 people who benefited from the compensation and received the equivalent of 500,000 in today's money.

In July, the pub group said it had invested 15million into pub safety as it prepared to open to customers once more from July 4.

The pub confirmed tables would be spaced out in line with government regulations and said customers would have to pay using a new Order and Pay app.

The business also said customers would be provided with one-time-use menus that could be disposed of in a sustainable way at the pub and cutlery would be wrapped.
Celebrity The Daily Beast

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
Russia and the United States will hold talks on strategic stability in Helsinki on Oct. 5, the TASS news agency reported on Sunday, citing the Russian foreign ministry.

A nuclear arms control pact between Russia and the United States is in focus as it expires in February. Russia sees minimal chances of extending the New START treaty - the countries last major nuclear arms pact - as it does not accept conditions set out by Washington.

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Boris Johnson insisted Donald Trump is 'going to be fine' today as he dismissed 'balderdash' rumours about his own coronavirus scare.

The PM said the President had been getting the 'best possible care' and he was 'sure' he will overcome the disease.

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Mr Johnson also batted away speculation that he has not fully recovered after having the disease in April.

He flatly denied suffering 'long Covid', joking that he was 'fitter than several butchers' dogs'.

And the premier bluntly blamed his own weight for having to go to hospital - although he stressed he was not making a point about Mr Trump's condition. 'I was too fat,' Mr Johnson said.

The comments came after Mr Trump said he was feeling 'much better', despite conflicting reports over his condition.

The president's medical team said he was doing 'very well' and was in 'exceptionally good spirits' in an update yesterday, less than 24 hours after he was taken by helicopter to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre near Washington DC.

However, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows briefed reporters soon afterwards that Mr Trump had gone through a 'very concerning' period on Friday and the next 48 hours would be critical.

The president himself then posted a video on Twitter from his hospital suite, saying he was feeling 'much better now' and hoped to 'be back soon'.

Boris Johnson (pictured arriving at the BBC studios today) said the President had been getting the 'best possible care' and he was 'sure' he will overcome the disease

Mr Trump posted a Twitter video yesterday saying that he was 'starting to feel good'

PM denies bungling coronavirus lockdowns as he says science could allow 'different approach' soon Boris Johnson today denied bungling coronavirus lockdowns as he held out hope that scientific developments could mean a 'different approach' in the next 'few weeks and months'. The PM defended his handling of the crisis amid growing criticism and disquiet on his own benches. As the virtual Tory conference gets underway, Mr Johnson urged the public to be 'fearless but use common sense'. He said 'in the course of the next few weeks and months the scientific equation will change' and that would allow a 'different approach'. But in an interview on the BBC's Andrew Marr show, he cautioned: 'it will continue to be bumpy through to Christmas. It may even be bumpy beyond.' He added: 'This could be a very tough winter for all of us.' Advertisement

Asked about Mr Trump's condition, Mr Johnson said: 'I'm sure that President Trump is going to be fine, he has got the best possible care.

'The most important thing to do is follow his doctors' advice.'

Asked if that should mean fewer cheeseburgers for the president, Mr Johnson said: 'This is an important point, obesity  I'm not making any comment on President Trump  but obesity, since you mention cheeseburgers, is one of the problems that this country needs to address.

'Not just because it threatens all our health but in the long term we need to tackle it to reduce the pressures on the NHS.'

Pressed on persistent rumours that he himself is still struggling to shake off the after-effects of the disease - known as 'Long Covid' - Mr Johnson said: 'No, no, not in my case.

'This is total tittle tattle, it is drivel. It is not tittle tattle, it is balderdash and nonsense.

'I can tell you I'm fitter than several butchers' dogs.'

He went on: 'The issue is when I got this wretched thing I was, alas, too fat.

'If I may say so, this is a teachable moment for our great country because we are one of the greatest places on Earth but, alas, as a nation we are slightly too fat.'

Nigel Farage, an ally of Mr Trump, said he thought the US president looked 'robust' in his video from hospital which was shared on social media.

The Brexit Party leader told Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme: 'He has got Covid-19, he has been ill, he's been put into hospital, he's been put on oxygen.

'But considering all of that, he looked pretty robust.'

He said there was still a wait to find out whether his virus would 'bite hard or not' but added: 'He doesn't drink, he doesn't smoke, he's carrying a few extra pounds but he is generally in pretty robust health, so my guess would be he is going to be OK.'

Mr Farage said the president's illness was likely to be 'bad for his campaign' for re-election in the 'short-term' but not a terminal factor.

'It is bad because it puts Covid at the centre, it is bad because the accusations are he was too lackadaisical and it is bad because he can't do what he is good at which is rallies, campaigns and rallying the troops which he really is brilliant at,' said Mr Farage.

Sir Christopher Meyer, the UK's former ambassador to the US, said Mr Trump's explanation for going to hospital was 'astonishing'.

Speaking to the Sophy Ridge On Sunday show on Sky News, Sir Christopher said: 'I don't think they're being terribly open at all.

'You're right about conflicting messages. You've had one apparently from the White House chief of staff Mark Meadows giving a run-down to the White House pool of reporters which was much more pessimistic than anything that Donald Trump himself was saying or even his personal doctor Sean Conley who came out with a bunch of white-coated people today.

'So there's a good deal of scepticism about what his private doctor is saying and what he, Trump, himself is saying.'

Responding to a video posted to Mr Trump's Twitter account showing him in hospital, Sir Christopher said: 'I'm astonished at the reason he has given... it's pretty flagrant even by Trump's standards, that the reason he went to hospital and didn't stay in the White House was because he 'wanted to join the American people and share their suffering and show leadership'.

'This is rubbish. The reason he is in hospital is because he needs to for medical reasons.'

White House physician Dr Sean Conley sent a letter to press secretary Kayleigh McEnany saying that the president and first lady were 'well' and promising to keep a 'vigilant watch'

In a press conference outside the hospital, Dr Sean Conley had said the president was fever-free, was not on oxygen and was not having difficulty breathing.

Dr Conley refused to say whether Mr Trump had ever been on oxygen despite repeated questioning, but said the president's symptoms, including a cough and nasal congestion, 'are now resolving and improving'.

A source familiar with Mr Trump's condition told the Associated Press the president was administered supplemental oxygen at the White House on Friday before going to hospital.

Dr Conley's optimistic appraisal contrasted the subsequent assessment delivered by Mr Meadows, although Mr Trump himself said in his video message he was feeling better, although the 'next few days' would be telling in his battle against the disease.

'I came here, wasn't feeling so well, I feel much better now,' Mr Trump said.

'You don't know over the next period of a few days, I guess that's the real test. So we'll be seeing what happens over those next couple of days.'

There was also confusion over when the president tested positive, as Dr Conley initially suggested Mr Trump was 72 hours into the diagnosis.

Dr Conley later clarified he meant to say 'day three' instead of 72 hours, and said the president had been first diagnosed with Covid-19 on Thursday evening.

The White House said the 74-year-old would work from the hospital's presidential suite, which is equipped to allow him to continue his official duties.

Soon after Dr Conley's update on Saturday, Mr Trump tweeted: 'Doctors, Nurses and ALL at the GREAT Walter Reed Medical Center, and others from likewise incredible institutions who have joined them, are AMAZING!!! Tremendous progress has been made over the last 6 months in fighting this PLAGUE. With their help, I am feeling well!'.
"People love to go to the beach when it's sunny but there's a global pandemic on, and we're very close to beating the second wave," he said. "The numbers are coming down. Once we get them low, we can keep them low and we can open up again. And if you want to spend summer at the beach, then that will be the time to do that, if we don't do anything silly or anything selfish right now." Crowds of people were filmed at St Kilda beach on Friday, mingling in large groups without masks and mobbing a TV news reporter. Police made several arrests at Melbourne beaches on Saturday. In vision obtained by Nine News, one man was arrested on the St Kilda foreshore. The man tried to break the hold of four police officers before being dragged to the ground and handcuffed. A police spokesman said the alcohol-affected man allegedly struck a police vehicle and then refused to give his details. After a short scuffle, the man, 32, was arrested and charged with resisting arrest, assaulting police, drunk and disorderly conduct and breaching the Chief Health Officer's directions.

A man was arrested by police on the St Kilda beach foreshore on Saturday evening. Credit:Nine News Another man who allegedly assaulted officers in St Kilda on Saturday was also arrested. The 24-year-old is expected to be charged with assaulting police, a police spokesman said. In a separate incident that was widely circulated on social media, a woman at Altona beach was arrested by police and walked off the sand in handcuffs. As police tried to put a mask on the woman, people filming the incident could be heard yelling: "Why are you arresting her? What did she do?". Loading

A police spokesman said the woman was allegedly aggressive towards police, refused to provide her details and was found to be more than five kilometres from home. "Victoria Police was pleased with the behaviour of the vast majority of Victorians [on Saturday] but disappointingly there were still those who put lives at risk by not adhering to the directions of the Chief Health Officer," the police spokesman said. Mr Andrews warned on Saturday that police could close beaches around Melbourne if beachgoers did not adhere to social distancing. Loading "Victoria Police have powers. They have a steely determination to make sure people are following the rules," he said.

A number of bayside council leaders said they would close the beaches if social distancing was continuously ignored or if instructed to by the state government or police. City of Bayside mayor Clarke Martin said there had been far fewer instances of people breaking COVID-19 rules at beaches on Saturday and Sunday, blaming a group of "provocateurs" for Fridays shenanigans. He said the council would comply if police or the state government asked them to close the beaches in hopes of stamping out unlawful behaviour. Loading "I dont think we will get to that point, because as soon as the police turned up, those people were gone," he said. "The Victoria Police presence has transformed the idea that you can just come to Bayside beaches and do what you want, it has been very successful.

"The vast majority of people using our parks and beaches are doing the right thing. Fridays scenes appeared to be similar sort of people to (anti-lockdown protesters) at Elsternwick Park and later Elwood Beach." City of Port Phillip chief executive Peter Smith said the overcast conditions and increased police presence had led to "a welcome improvement" in behaviour across the municipality on Sunday. He said the council would repeat its March decision to close beaches, including the popular St Kilda beach, if asked to do so by the Chief Health Officer. "We have been pleased with the number of people who safely accessed our public spaces yesterday and would like to recognise the many people who have done the right thing this weekend. Kingston Council mayor Georgina Oxley called for Melburnians to do the right thing and said closing beaches was "very much a last resort and we don't want to get there".

Data released by Victoria Police shows that at the height of the first wave of the pandemic, the police assistance line received about 100,000 calls during the month of April, 66 per cent more than during an average month. Nearly four in 10 were people dobbing in other Victorians for breaching coronavirus restrictions. Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said flouting the rules at this point was "a bit of an insult to everyone who has done it tough for months".
Pakistans major opposition parties on Saturday named Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman as head of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), the newly-formed alliance, aimed to oust the Prime Minister Imran Khan.

In a virtual meeting attended by leaders from major political parties, JUI-F chief was elected after several days of consultations, The Express Tribune reported.

Pakistani Muslim League (N) supremo and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Balochistan National Party (BNP) chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal and Maulana Fazl, were among the attendees.

Mohsin Dawar, the leader of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement congratulated Fazlur Rehman on Twitter.

Participated in PDMs meeting. Congratulations to Maulana Fazlur Rehman Sb for being elected president of PDM. We hope the forum will continue with its struggle against the hybrid regime and for the strengthening of democracy with the same clarity as during its inception at All Parties Conference (APC), Dawar tweeted.

The leaders of 11 Pakistani opposition parties, prominent among which were the PPP, PML-N, Awami National Party, and JUI, at the conclusion of the APC on September 20 announced the formation of a joint platform, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

The PDM proposes to launch a mass protest campaign comprising public gatherings, political rallies, no-confidence motions, en masse resignations from assemblies and, finally, a long march in January that will culminate in a sit-in in Islamabad until their demands are met.

As opposition parties in Pakistan have formed a new united front with an aim of restoring genuine and undiluted democracy in the country, a European think tank said the opposition parties will need to stick together if they really intend to loosen the stranglehold that the military establishment has had over governance and indeed the economy.

In the backdrop of these positive indications, the opposition will need to stick together if it really intends to loosen the stranglehold that the military establishment has had over governance and indeed the economy, of the country ever since its inception in 1947, the European Foundation of South Asian Studies (EFSAS), said in a commentary.
04.10.2020 LISTEN

The world had begun seeing the African been born as its first humans but as trapped in witchcraft not able to move ahead in life. The white man in his corner of the world set himself free from evil darkness and enjoyed religion to get on the innovation trail and move above the black man. Intelligence and the working impact of it of the white man were finally confronted with the overpopulation of the world coming from Africa. The gigantic numbers of Africans pushed intelligence of the white man aside and pushed some of us up and up to dominate and control our societies enabling us to dominate the world once more as we did at the beginning of the human race the way we know it.

It was the visionary leader of Ghana, its first President Kwame Nkrumah, who had envisioned us today on the African continent and our relation to the countries of the white man. Yes, it is true, Ghana is to be called `The World Ruler` in the humblest yet powerful way determined to make it possible for all nations to live its birth right of happiness in peace. Happiness is never without challenges rather a constant process to find the best ways to turn misfortune and injustice around and come out over time stronger and stronger, a society that can truly be a witness on the inclusiveness of all their citizens to participate in nationwide progress and strive for even higher accomplishments. Our globally reaching diversity in races, cultures, hopes and ambitious is a needed and very good basis for the human race to reach higher and higher levels in all its aspects never to turn back and make cycles of poverty and poor mindset over and over again rather write new chapters into history books of glory and glory.

We as Ghanaians see ourselves as the focal point of new development, not as a powerful force that dominates and rules the world by ignorance and dangerous misunderstandings. The world has truly come from far and made a great cycle from the beginning to the handover to the white man and now back into our own hands. As history will never stand still, just like life never rests but is constantly in the making and running forward, we must be always aware what has been given back to us now this is what we must preserve for hundreds of years before the cycle will spin again and we lose our fortune back into the hands of the white man. So, let us all realize this historic moment and ensure, as long as Africa is dominating the world again, to do so for generations without ending and show ourselves as good stewards of human creation and the given tools to make this world a human-dominated place. Let us all set another great and historic example of a great civilization and improve on the various ideas and concepts of humanity to bring the human race on earth closer and closer to its final destiny."

"Your Excellency, your Royal Highness," whispered George Afriyie, personal Assistant to the King of Ghana, into the ears of his boss with great concern in his voice. His eyes were dark, his facial expressions of the one that fears evil in any corner of the continent of Africa at any time. Unlike his boss, George was not all that confident that Africa had finally overcome its evil spirits. He only knew his people too well. But he was of great admiration of the German who got crowned as King of Ghana a few years back, a man who rather preferred internally to be called Mr President if not by his first name, Thomas; Mr Thomas for outsiders. His full given names were Thomas Andreas, George Weinberger.

"Yes, what is it?" did King Thomas not turn around his head wanting to see the reaction on his speech given addressing the General Assembly of the United Nation that had come to Addis Ababa for their first of several meetings to pay the African continent its respect. He sat comfortably in his chair next to the General Secretary of the United Nation. What his eyes saw before him was pleasing his mind and he smiled at people smiling at him.

"The Military...I mean, the army overthrow the government in Bamako," reported George Afriyie to the King of Ghana.

"Mali again?" took King Thomas a deep breath and listened more carefully to what his Assistant had to say. "I mean, they are always troublemakers among so many peaceful countries here in Africa. Then I better come with you to look into the matter," did King Thomas follow George Africa. On the way out of the fully packed auditorium did he signal Jorn Muller, his Foreign Secretary and Justice Alooma, Minister for Defence, to follow him into a nearby conference room for intense discussions. The room was secured from intruders that could listen to their secret talks by bunker-like thick walls and a special layer of foam at all walls.

King and Ministers were instructed with further details about the situation in Mali. Live video conferencing was established in no time with the representative of the African Union on the ground giving latest updates about what was developing in the country of Mali. Everyone in the room was greatly concerned but not surprised as intelligence received by various agencies from multiple countries had indicated this event would eventually unfold in the not too far future. The African Union and its military arm were well prepared with plans in office drawers to be implemented immediately when necessary.

Jorn Muller, a slim man born in a village at the outskirts of Munich in Bavaria, the south end of Germany; a man in his late fifties, glasses, hardly any hair on his head left, sharp eyes, always on the jump to strike and fight the unwanted: "Thomas, what we have to do is to send our peacekeeping forces immediately into Bamako...no time to waste. I know the situation on the ground is complex and very critical that many people might dy. As we all know the group around General Abdul Mazur, the old guard that resist accepting new dawn of a better Africa has come, is popular with some of his men. But we also know that he has no support in the population of Mali and not the support of a number of other strong men in the Military Forces of the country. France has only a few soldiers, mostly for training purposes, stationed there. To ask them to intervene and help to oust General Abdul Mazur and arrest him... we must act now and now swiftly. Let us ensure that no innocent blood in the streets of Bamako and other cities will be ahead because of that bastard!"

Justice Alooma, a man from Nigeria, born one hundred kilometres outside of Abuja in a small village, his big nose prominent sitting in his face much to the delight of his wife and people around him, strong, big lips supporting his impressive structure like a born Athlete, the type of a Weight Lifter categorically stated with a forceful voice: "Thomas, we are ready when you say so!"

King Thomas looked around the room waiting for further suggestion on how best to deal with the crisis arising. As he saw no hands up to contribute further information and advice, King Thomas was certain and ordered the deployment of the African Union Peacekeepers with immediate effect. "We must stop blood from flowing by any means...peaceful means that is for me...Justice and Jorn!"

In a chorus, both Ministers addressed responded: "We will do our most certain best!"

To manage the crisis more effectively King Thomas board his plane that had been chartered for him and his team. Normally when flying he would use regular normal commercial flights having sold all government-owned aeroplanes regarding them as a waste of money and a shame to a country highly in debts with foreign nation making Ghana as a serious borrow the slave to so many lenders. He had made sure the public purse was well protected by getting a reasonable price for the two aeroplanes used by Presidents of the former Democratic setting of the fourth Republic of Ghana. While seating in his seat on the plane and looking outside the window crossing the African continent at lowest possible altitude King Karl said to his team: "You see how beautiful this continent truly is?"

"Yes, your Royal Highness," responded George Agbo, Minister for Interior, educated in Japan at Tokyo University born originally in Ho, the northern part of Ghana. "God made Africa a paradise and I am so proud to be a member of your team...very proud indeed!"

"My Prime Minister, Mawuena Trebarh, she was the one who had suggested you to me and as I trust her good judgement, I agreed with her suggestion, Sir. I have a close eye on you always as your Ministry I vital for the further positive development of our nation and I greatly admire your ideas and determination. I can see in you that you are a man with a good heart and understanding of not only the situation in Ghana but all over the continent. As you have been exposed to many countries prior to your assignment here with us in Ghana, you have seen it all how countries mature out from poverty into riches and what it takes to achieve just that. You are not only a very good observer but learner and use your brain to implement good things into our society from which the rest of Africa can learn well."

George Agbo looked out of the window feeling a bit ashamed and said: "This is too much honour, your Royal Highness...I mean, I just do my job, that is all!"

King Thomas wanted his Minister too to look straight into his eyes, paused and waited for George Agbo to turn around and face him. When both eyes met King Thomas continued praising his Minister: "You do not need to be so shy and cautious as I know you much better these days. What I mean is when someone does a great job for Mother Ghana he needs to be applauded."

"Your Royal Highness, I appreciate your kind words so much," said George Agbo and took a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice while seeing below them the very eastern part of Mali under the wings of their aeroplane. "I try not to repeat the mistakes the Ministers in the fourth Republic made."

"You mean asking the citizens to worship them and go down on their knees when getting small tokens like rice, sugar and oil during election time crisscrossing the country in V8 SUVs in their numbers while knowing that cars procured were rotting away behind their Ministries?"
Donald Trump has a public image he has worked very hard to maintain  that is, if talking about it a lot counts as work. Hes strong, he tells us. Hes tough, hes smart, hes competent. As with so many things about this flawed, pernicious and disturbing man, there is more than a little bit of the psychological concept of compensation in these pronouncements.

Compensation is when a person, feeling insecure about ones abilities in a certain area, compensates by talking loudly about ones prowess in it. This last month we have seen this compensation exposed for what it is, and the dismantling, piece by piece, of the construction of Trumps image, however false it was to begin with.

Feeling "much better now" ... US President Donald Trump speaks from hospital in a four-minute video. Credit:Twitter/@realDonaldTrump

In its place is something much different: the infantilisation of a figure and, even more disturbingly, his office.

Any pretense to competence is gone to anyone who has heard the tapes that reporter Bob Woodward released about the President. In these, Trump confesses in some detail to his understanding of the coronavirus, its severity, and his deliberate underplaying of it. The result: the worlds most advanced nation boasting the worlds most severe outbreak. Even today, cases are spiking in wide swaths of the United States.
A man from Harlem who was arrested for driving whilst on drugs had in actual fact suffered a stroke, but the NYPD ended up keeping him shackled to his hospital bed for several days after being diagnosed.

Frank Brandon, 54, is now suing the city and the NYPD officers who arrested him for the treatment he received.

The incident happened in November last year after the dad of five had just dropped off his son and grandson when his face suddenly began to droop.

Frank Brandon, 54, is suing the city and the NYPD officers who arrested him. He suffered a stroke and was then shackled to his hospital bed for four days as a result

Brandon's arrest came after he crashed his car after suffering a stroke He didn't realize at the time what had happened but police assumed it was drugs

'I said, "Son, don't forget your phone." When he turned back to get his phone, he said, 'Dad, are you all right?' Brandon explained to the New York Post.

His son did not mention to him that his face had begun to slump and Brandon says that he also did not feel any different.

He ended up slamming his head during the impact and the driver with whom he collided with accused him of being under the influence.

'I had no clue I was having a stroke,' said Brandon. '[But the officers] very much knew I had a stroke, and very much didn't care,' he added.

The officers asked him to take part in sobriety test to prove that he had his faculties.

After his arrest Brandon was taken to hospital where doctors diagnosed him

'I'm scared of police, but I don't want to be nobody's statistic,' he said. 'I don't want to be on anybody's news. I'm going to be compliant, whatever you want from me is what I'll give you.'

Brandon was subsequently arrested and was breathalyzed. After the instrument showed a zero reading he was then told to give a urine test and take a lie detector test.

An officer then accused him of having white powder on his face.

While he was in custody, Brandon's condition began to worsen as he became cold and dizzy.

He was taken to Harlem Hospital by ambulance where similar tests that were performed confirmed the absence of any drugs or alcohol.

The doctors quickly deduced that the symptoms Brandon was displaying was as the result of having had a stroke.

Charges against Brandon were subsequently dropped and he is now suing the officers and city

'If you were making a mistake, you could have undone your mistake right there, but no, they kept me locked up. They were very hostile to my family,' Brandon said to the Post.

After the hospital confirmed his diagnosis to police, Brandon still remained shackled to a hospital bed for four days, with his every move being watched by a police officer.

The shackling went against the advice of doctors who said that stroke victims should be up and about, walking around to aid recovery.

'I was very angry, and very upset and very scared. I'm thinking, "They know I had a stroke, why am I still here?" said Brandon.

'They had no probable cause at that point. The situation should have been clear cut,' added Alex Padilla, Brandon's lawyer.

Brandon was given a desk appearance ticket and the charges were later dropped.
(Newser)  A police officer and a suspect were killed Saturday night when shooting erupted after police were called to a home in Myrtle Beach. When the shooting stopped, both were found dead, and a second officer was found to be wounded; he was hospitalized with injuries that weren't considered life-threatening, a South Carolina official said. "PFC Jacob Hancher was killed in the line of duty while responding to a call for service," the city's police chief announced Sunday. Hancher was a police officer for less than a year and a community officer for four years before that, WMBF reports. Chief Amy Prock added, per WBTW, "He cared about the people that he served, served with, and absolutely loved Myrtle Beach."

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A woman who was stuck in traffic when the shooting startedwith three children in the cardescribed the chaos. Officers were "running every which way," Brittany Ezell said, firefighters rushed into the street, and she saw "cop cars just coming from every direction." As cars going the other direction sped away from the shooting, she thought, "Oh my God, what do I do?" A firefighter appeared, per WBTW, and told people to "get down in your car." Soon after that, he told Ezell to turn her car around and get out of there. She took the children to McDonald's, but they were too upset at first to eat. Once they did, Ezell said, they were asleep in about 30 minutes. (Read more police shooting stories.)
The real winner from the Tokyo Stock Exchange outage last week? Bitcoin!

When Asia's biggest equity bourse suddenly has the same transactional opacity and questionable security as the famously shadowy asset class, investors almost have to figure, why not place a bet? Ethereum, Binance Coin, Zcash, TSE-listed shares -- what is the difference when trading can be halted so suspiciously?

Yes, some hyperbole here. But it is quite a feat to generate simultaneous trending in cyberspace with Monty Python ("It is just a glitch!"), Trading Places ("Turn those machines back on!), The Simpsons (D'oh!) and The Matrix ("Woah!").

Still, this bull market in unfortunate metaphors is well earned.

The glacial and murky way TSE officials explained how one of the world's top exchanges had failed the same day the Bank of Japan released major data was a terrible look for a Tokyo trying to restore its status as a global financial center. The best Yoshihide Suga's new government, one pledging a financial Big Bang, could muster was a perfunctory "it is regrettable."

Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato attends a press conference on Oct. 1: the best Suga's new government could muster was a perfunctory "it is regrettable." (Photo by Uichiro Kasai)

What is really regrettable is how Japan has squandered the past eight years of supposed reform under Shinzo Abe. Or, depending on your perspective, the past 15 years.

Investors could not help but channel 2006, when Tokyo exchange computers got overloaded, halting trading. That came just months after a four-and-a-half-hour shutdown in 2005 thanks to a botched system upgrade.

Onward and upward, was the zeitgeist. In January 2010, the exchange shifted to Fujitsu's Arrowhead system. That did not keep a 2012 computer snafu from stopping dealing in nearly 250 securities, or a system crash that knocked out derivatives trading later in the year.

The name of Fujitsu's matrix would prove ironic as Abe came to power promising to fire three policy arrows at Japan's chronic deflation and dysfunction. One of the few to hit the target was tightened corporate governance. That matters little, though, if the most prominent expression of Japan Inc.'s health -- stock indexes -- can still fail in spectacular fashion in the year 2020.

Nor does the "was-TSE-hacked" chatter in financial circles help. Context and timing are important parts of this tale. The context is that earlier this year New Zealand's exchange was halted by cyberattacks. The timing could not be worse with Japan mired in recession.

BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda cannot be happy either. Because Abe's arrows went off course, the onus is now on the central bank to boost growth and confidence. Its primary avatar was stocks, with Kuroda setting the public mood via epic purchases of exchange-traded funds.
Noida, Oct 4 : The Noida police on Sunday regretted the manhandling of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at DND Flyway while she was on her way to meet the Hathras gang-rape victim's family in a standoff between the police and Congress workers. An inquiry into the matter has also been initiated.

"Noida police profoundly regrets the incident @priyankagandhi while handling an unruly crowd at the DND. The DCP HQ has taken suo moto cognisance of it and ordered an inquiry to be conducted by a senior lady officer. We Noida police are committed to ensure safety and dignity of women," Noida Police tweeted.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was pushed and manhandled on Saturday while she came to the rescue of a party worker, who was being lathi charged by Uttar Pradesh police at the Delhi-Noida Direct (DND) Flyway when Priyanka, Rahul Gandhi and several Congress workers were trying to go to Hathras to meet the family of the victim.

The videos captured during the commotion shows Priyanka jumping a police barricade to shield a Congress worker as cops with lathis surround the man. Both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka later went on to meet the victim's family at Hathras.
Sometimes adversity can bring opportunity.

Thats exactly what happened back in the summer of 2019 to the 24 Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers operated by the U.S. Forest Service across the country.

In June of that year, the situation for many of those centers looked bleak.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue had announced the closure of nine and the remaining centers would be transferred to the Department of Labor.

The Bitterroot Valleys Trapper Creek Job Corps center was slated to remain open, but all of its staff would be forced to find new jobs or retire with the proposed change in the centers mission.

Bitterroot National Forest Supervisor Matt Anderson remembered the news hit everyone associated with the center hard.

When I first landed here, I was new to Job Corps, Anderson said. Real quick, I learned about the unique relationship the forest had with the center. The value to the young people it served was just incredible.

The first time I visited the center, I choked up when I heard their stories, he said. I found that these young men and women were really proud to be part of the Forest Service.

Anderson and Trapper Creeks director, Jesse Casterson, met with Perdue and the Forest Service chief to talk about the relationship that Trapper Creek and the Bitterroot National Forest.

Jesse and his predecessors have created a culture of accountability and relationships of working within communities and the national forest in the valley, Anderson said. Its a special thing.

Almost anyone who spent time on the Bitterroot National Forest had benefited from that relationship. Nearly every fire ring in its campgrounds was made at the center. Every year, miles of trail are cleared by Trapper Creek crews. When wildfires flared, the Forest Service knew it could call on Trapper Creek to provide trained firefighters and camp crews.

And that doesnt even begin to touch on all the work that Trapper Creek crews accomplished in Bitterroot Valley communities.

The order to close some of the centers and transfer the rest to the Department of Labor was reversed, but it didnt end there.

Federal officials took note of what was happening at Trapper Creek. And they decided they wanted that same thing at the other 23 Forest Service operated Civilian Conservation Centers in the country.

They hired Casterson to lead that effort. He recently started his new position as realignment coordinator based out of the Department of Agricultures Forest Service office in Denver.

The Bitterroot National Forest has a memorandum of understanding with Trapper Creek. Anderson receives calls from other centers from all parts of the country wanting to know more about how theyve integrated the centers program into the agency's mission of managing the national forest.

In his new role, Casterson will be showing other centers across the country whats possible, Anderson said. Every time you go to Trapper Creek, you see that its providing a second chance to a lot of folks. And you see the benefits that it has for the Forest Service. Jesse believes in that mission to his core.

Casterson came to Trapper Creek a little over 12 years ago as the centers addiction counselor. Before being named the centers director, he served as its academic manager.

I got into counseling because I wanted to help young people, Casterson said. I wanted to be in the trenchesIf you want to help people get the opportunity to make a change and you want to help rehabilitate young lives, theres nothing like Job Corps.

Ive been a therapist and I know theres no therapist in the country who can do what we do for these young people, he said. We have them 24/7. We have the opportunity to give them a purpose. We give them a chance at a new life.

And every single day, you get to see the fruits of your labor, Casterson said.

It takes a like-minded community to make that happen.

Its amazing when everyone is working with the same vision and same goals in mind, he said. Not everyone gets it right all the time, but we all have the same intentions.

Casterson sometimes asks students: Whats my job.

They often reply that hes the director. And Casterson will tell them thats not his job, thats his position.

Ultimately, my job is to make you the best person that you can be, Casterson said. The miracle at Trapper Creek is that we all have the same job. Were all working together to give people those opportunities. Were all paddling in the same direction.

Hard work equals good prizes, he said. Being nice wins above all else. When thats the culture and community that you build, its so rewarding and enriching. People show up because theyre curious. I think they stay because of the relationships they build.

We spend up to two years working with these students, Casterson said. They change right in front of us. They become these young people with promise and potentialHollywood has got nothing on us. Some of the things theyve had to overcome are horrible. They could easily sit on the couch and eat bonbons and be happy on welfare and food stamps, but theyre not satisfied with that. They have this desire to be somebody.

Casterson believes to secure the future of the program, it needs to become fully integrated into the Forest Service. It will be his job to make sure that happens.

The legacy of Trapper Creek is a history of working with the Bitterroot Forest and finding ways to offer support through all the trades taught at the center.

We are the most integrated program in the Forest Service, Casterson said. Our hours of conservation work and fire numbers are by far the strongest in the country.

Before students were sent home in the spring due to coronavirus pandemic, Trapper Creek has historically been the center that stays the fullest. It also has a strong record of turning out students who find good jobs and continue to work after they graduate.

To me, thats what this is all about, he said. This program isnt about handing out high school diplomas or certificates. Were not a factory. Whats important is did it work. Did this young persons life change in a positive manner. Our long term placement numbers are fantastic.

Casterson said theres still room for growth toward becoming fully integrated with the Forest Service.

I think right now, were in the third gear of a five gear transmission, he said. Trapper is being looked as the tip of the spearits being looked as the model to follow.

The Bitterroot National Forest has missed its Trapper Creek crews this summer.

Weve felt it big time, Anderson said. From fire to recreation to maintenance and signs, weve felt the impact of them not being here this summer.

Anderson agrees theres still work that needs to be done to fully integrate the Job Corps into the Forest Services natural resource mission.

The way that I see it, this is the Forest Service and Job Corps second chance to integrate in such a way that they become such a part of our organization that they cant be pulled away in the future, Anderson said. Theres no guarantee that theyll be there forever. Its in everyones best interest that they succeed.

Anderson has confidence that Casterson is the perfect fit for that job.

The thing that impressed me the most about Jesse was that when I walked around at Trapper Creek with him, he knew everyones name, where they came from, their story and what their trade was, Anderson said. Those human relationships are important to him.

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C ineworld is reportedly set to close all its 128 cinemas in the UK and Ireland.

Britain's biggest cinema chain is said to be writing to Boris Johnson and culture minister Oliver Dowden this weekend to say that the industry has because "unviable" due to delays in film releases.

It comes after the new James Bond film No Time To Die's release date was delayed until spring , just weeks before it was meant to be screened.

The new Fast and Furious film was also pushed back by Universal, now set for release in May 2021.

According to the Sunday Times, Cineworld is planning to close all its screens in the UK and Ireland as soon as this week, which would put up to 5,500 jobs at risk.

The newspaper reports that Cineworld will look to reopen next year in line with the big film releases, which could mean many employees will be offered redundancy with incentives to rejoin when the chain reopens.

Late last month, Cineworld warned further global coronavirus restrictions or film delays may force it to raise further cash as it revealed half-year losses of 1.6 billion US dollars (1.3 billion).

It said it was still in talks with lenders over breathing space for upcoming banking agreements, while it alerted over the potential need to boost finances again if it had to close its cinemas once more or if film releases were delayed.

Cineworld warned: There can be no certainty as to the future impact of Covid-19 on the group.

If governments were to strengthen restrictions on social gathering, which may therefore oblige us to close our estate again or further push back movie releases, it would have a negative impact on our financial performance and likely require the need to raise additional liquidity.

The group said 561 of its 778 sites worldwide have reopened, with 200 cinemas in the US, six in the UK and 11 in Israel still closed.

Cineworld said if the cinemas still closed in the US do not open before the end of October or there are further delays in the forecast significant movie releases to 2021, then extra financing would be needed.

In a severe but plausible scenario where a second wave of the pandemic caused further lengthy cinemas closures, then it would breach banking agreements in December and June 2021 and need further financing to continue to operate from early next year, it said.

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Cineworld has already raised an extra 360.8 million US dollars (284.1 million) to help it weather the crisis so far.
Douglas Friedman

Rainn Wilson's real-life home is nothing like Schrute Farms  but there are some barnyard animals on hand!

The actor, best known for his role as Dwight Schrute on The Office, 54, and his wife, writer Holiday Reinhorn, 56, moved into a 1974 Spanish-style hacienda in Southern California earlier this year and recently opened the doors to the newly renovated space to archdigest.com.

We were looking to get a little farther away from Los Angeles, somewhere close to the ocean but still in striking distance of the city, Reinhorn says. The first time we saw this place, we fell in love. The pair  who share son Walter, 16  visited the home three or four times before they bought it, and say they were drawn in more and more each time until they never wanted to leave.

They also share the five-and-a-half acre property  which boasts citrus groves, macadamia trees and Pacific Ocean views  with their pets, including two rescue pit bulls, Poe and Diamond, as well their pigs, Amy and Snorty, who live in the barn out back but are still very much considered part of the family.

RELATED: See Inside J Balvin's Two Stunning Colombian Homes That He Says 'Feed My Soul, Not My Ego'

Douglas Friedman

They decorated with the help of designer Tammy Randall Wood, whose interiors reflect Wilson and Reinhorns unique bohemian tastes, with subtle nods to their travels in Morocco and Haiti. (The latter is where they established their charity, Lide Haiti.)

Moroccan rugs cover the terracotta tile floors, antique wood doors were brought in from Mexico, and leafy palms decorate nearly every room. An abundance of reading material can also be found throughout the home. Theyre both avid readers and writers, and they wanted books everywhere, Wood shares.

Douglas Friedman

We didnt want the house to feel too formal or overly designed. We are two creatives sharing a home, and we wanted it to be a place where we can write and make music and tell stories, Reinhorn says of the purposeful design, with Wilson adding, I would describe the look as global bohemian.

Story continues

RELATED VIDEO: 'Grace and Frankie' Star Marsha Mason Shows Off Her New Art-Filled Connecticut Home

'Grace and Frankie' Star Marsha Mason Shows Off Her New Art-Filled Connecticut Home

The actress takes us on a tour of her eclectic country home.

The home is also filled with plenty of art precious to the couple. Art is really one of the things we bonded over, Wilson says, "even when we were dirt broke living in New York City." He explains that he and his wife tend to be drawn to works with an absurdist flair.

Some of their most sentimental art pieces were created by Rainn's late father, Robert Wilson.

RELATED: See Inside Marry Me's Casey Wilsons Farmhouse-Style L.A. Home: The House of Our Dreams

Now that the house has been fully renovated into their dream home, the couple is thrilled that they have a space that feels so personal to hunker down in.

We designed this house to foster creativity, Reinhorn says. We intended it to be a gathering place for other artists, friends, and collaborators, but by the time we moved in, the pandemic was in full swing. Still, I cant imagine a more inspiring place to be in lockdown.

Wilson agrees: Each room has its own creative vibration, its own energy. Were blessed to live in a place with genuine soul and character.

Read the full feature and see more photos on architecturaldigest.com.
Its a month before Election Day and President Donald Trump is in the hospital, infected with a virus that has killed more than 209,000 Americans. What happens in the election already well underway should his condition take a turn for the worse?

If the president is unable to serve, through illness or death, the 25th Amendment makes clear the powers of the presidency transfer to Vice President Mike Pence until the president regains the ability to perform his duties.

But what happens if a candidate for president dies before Election Day? Or right after? What happens if the winning candidate dies before Inauguration Day?

Its never happened in a country with a long transition between Election Day at the start of November and the start of a presidents new term on Jan. 20. The Constitution, as well as state and federal election laws, would help guide the country through the process. But with no precedent, the outcome is far from certain.

The House of Representatives has the final say on who wins the presidency. Before the House might have to take charge, there are roles for political parties, state legislatures, the Electoral College, the courts and, most importantly, voters.

Here are some questions and answers about what might happen if a presidential candidate dies, before or after the election:

CAN POLITICAL PARTIES REPLACE A CANDIDATE WHO DIES?

Yes, but not this close to Election Day. Nearly 63 million ballots have already been sent to voters, with nearly 3 million votes already cast. The deadline for candidates to withdraw has passed in all but two states South Carolina and Connecticut and their deadlines are a few days away.

The date of the election is set by federal law the Tuesday after the first Monday in November which falls this year on Nov. 3. Only Congress can change the date of the election.

It would be impossible to change ballots at this time without delaying the election and starting the voting process over again," said Richard Hasan, a law professor at the University of CaliforniaIrvine School of Law. I dont think Congress is going to do that."

But its important to remember that in a presidential election, voters arent actually casting ballots for candidates. Instead, they are voting for slates of electors who will pick the president and vice president as members of the Electoral College. To win the presidency, a candidate must win the backing of a majority of electors 270 in the Electoral College.

In modern U.S. elections, the meeting of the Electoral College is essentially a ceremonial confirmation of the choice made by voters. This year, it will take place on Dec. 14. But if the winning candidate is no longer alive, it would be anything but routine.

The question is, Who would the electors support? said Richard Pildes, a constitutional law professor at New York University.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE WINNING PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE DIES AFTER THE ELECTION?

The 20th Amendment says the term of the current president and vice president ends at noon on Jan. 20. There is no provision to extend it. The amendment also says if the president-elect dies, the vice president-elect shall be sworn in as president at the start of the new term.

However, the winning candidate doesnt become president-elect until a joint session of Congress counts the votes from the Electoral College and declares a winner, Pildes said.

By law, Congress is scheduled to formally receive the votes from the Electoral College on Jan. 6. The new Congress, which will be elected in November and sworn into office on Jan. 3, will preside.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE WINNING CANDIDATE DIES BEFORE CONGRESS DECLARES A WINNER?

Thats the worst, most confusing time, said John Fortier, director of governmental studies at the Bipartisan Policy Center. They are going to have to figure out what to do with (Electoral College) votes cast for a candidate who has died.

If the winning candidate dies before the Electoral College meets, the electors could coalesce around a replacement candidate recommended by the party, perhaps the vice presidential candidate.

For the most part, these people are picked because they are loyal party people," Fortier said. You could have a few stray here or there, but they are not rebels.

A partys electors would have an incentive to coalesce around one candidate, he said, because they wouldnt want to risk throwing the election to the other party. But there is no guarantee they would all agree on a replacement candidate.

Some states have laws that require electors to vote for the presidential candidate who won the statewide vote; other states could quickly pass laws governing the electors in the event that a candidate dies.

The party can say what the party wants, but the states would decide what to do with those electors, Hasan said.

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in July that states may require electors to support the candidate picked by voters in the election. However, the court left open what would happen if the candidate dies.

Nothing in this opinion should be taken to permit the states to bind electors to a deceased candidate," Justice Elena Kagan wrote in a footnote to her majority opinion.

If this happens, expect litigation.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF CONGRESS?

The 12th Amendment to the Constitution gives Congress the final say on who is elected president and vice president. Congress decides whether to accept or reject slates of electors from the Electoral College and to determine whether a candidate has won the required 270 electoral votes to become president.

As a check on this power, both the House and Senate must agree to reject a slate of electors. If the two chambers dont agree, the electors get counted under federal law, said Michael Morley, an assistant law professor at Florida State University.

If no candidate reaches 270 electoral votes, the House chooses the president and the Senate chooses the vice president, in a process spelled out in the Constitution.

In the House, each state delegation gets one vote for president, and they must choose among the three candidates who received the most votes in the Electoral College. Currently, Republicans have a majority in 26 state delegations, but the numbers could change after the November elections and a new Congress takes office.

The Senate would choose the vice president by a simple majority vote.

Election experts said they wouldnt expect the courts to play a role at this point because the Constitution clearly grants Congress the authority to resolve a disputed election for president.

The Supreme Court did effectively decide the 2000 presidential election in favor of Republican George W. Bush by ending the recount in Florida. But the courts ruling came before the Electoral College votes were presented to Congress.

It is really in Congress hands after the electors have voted, Fortier said.

HAS CONGRESS EVER HAD TO DECIDE THE OUTCOME?

Congress has decided three presidential elections, but its been almost 150 years, according to a history of the House published by the chamber.

In 1800, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr tied in the Electoral College vote, with 73 electors apiece. After six days of debate and 36 ballots, the House chose Jefferson as the nations third president.

In 1824, Andrew Jackson won a plurality of the popular vote and the most Electoral College votes. But he failed to reach a majority in a four-candidate race, and the House chose one of his opponents, John Quincy Adams, to become the nations sixth president. Jackson won the presidency four years later.

Congress also helped choose the president following the election in 1876 between Republican Rutherford B. Hayes and Democrat Samuel Tilden. Tilden won the popular vote and the electoral count. But Republicans challenged the results in three Southern states, which had submitted slates of electors for both candidates, according to the House history.

To resolve the dispute, Congress set up a bipartisan commission of House members, senators and Supreme Court justices. After cutting a deal to remove federal troops from the South, ending Reconstruction following the Civil War, the commission voted along party lines to award the presidency to Hayes.
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The Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies concluded the conference on The Constitutional Issue and Democratic Transition in the Arab Countries, held via Zoom 24-29 September 2020 in cooperation with the Arab Association for Constitutional Law, on Tuesday 29 September.

Constitutions, Identity and Democracy

The first session of the conferences fourth day (comprised of three sessions total) dealt with the relationship of constitution to identity as illustrated by the cases of Sudan and Morocco, and presented by each of Abdelwahab El-Affendi, Professor of Political Science and Acting President of the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies and Mohamed Blilid, a researcher specializing in issues of identity and cultural diversity in Morocco.

El-Affendi, presenting his paper The Constitutional Dilemma in Sudan: Identity, Law and Politics, stated that the chronic political crisis in Sudan has remained a constitutional crisis with an absence of consensus around a constitutional framework that strengthens democratic stability. The roots of this crisis go back to the beginning of colonial rule, which anchored a state of impasse concerning constitutional guarantees that should have immunized the democratic system against instabilities and turmoil, but instead themselves remained contentious during the countrys four transitional periods.

Blilid reviewed dimension of identity in the Moroccan constitutional trajectory, contrasting Amazigh and Islamic roles in the development of the constitutional document in 2011; differences relating to language and culture reflected their opposing perceptions regarding a civil and a religious state. The absence of a democratic culture among these actors turned their participation into a factor for further undermining democracy. The moment of constitutional review was an opportunity for them both, through alliances within their ideological circles, to intensify pressure on the legislature to recognize and meet the demand for a constitutional document, and this was reflected in the pragmaticism of the emergent constitutional document.

The Tunisian case

Mehdi Mabrouk, Director of the Arab Center branch in Tunis, then moderated the conferences discussion of the Tunisian case, with presentations by Mohamed Chafik Sarsar, professor of law and former president of the Independent High Authority for Elections in Tunisia; by Chaker Al-Houki, professor of public law at Al-Manar University; and by Omar Al-Boubakri, professor of public law at Sousse University.

Chafik Sarsar outlined the milestones and the limits of consensus evidenced during the creation of the Tunisian constitution, during which national dialogue and consensus among political forces, along with the support of civil society, contributed to crises in constitutional establishment being successfully overcome. Presenting the key contents of the achieved constitutional consensus, Sarsar concluded that six years after the constitutions drafting, opinions are still divided in its evaluation, to the point of calls for constitutional reform without a precise diagnosis of its defects, their causes, or suggested reforms.

Al-Houki addressed the feature of internationalization in the Tunisian constitution, through its incorporation international law, and explicated the democratic import of that: the constitutional legislators preference was to adopt the traditional concept of sovereignty as the supreme law of the state, without submission to international standards or taking into account the proposals of international governmental and non-governmental organizations, except within the limits of what legislators deemed appropriate and in conformity with the legislatures perceptions.

Al-Boubakri discussed the choice of political regime in the Tunisian constitutional path and considered its repercussions, notably debate over the nature of the political regime, in which deliberations ended with the adoption of the formula of a pseudo-presidential system, meeting the aspirations of different ideological parties, to varying degrees. While this signaled consensus, the pseudo-presidential system soon came under criticism for the tensions that it created within the executive branch.

Constitutions and Combating Corruption

Director of the Arab Center Paris branch Salam Kawakibi then chaired sessions devoted to comparative approaches to Arab constitutional problems, featuring contributions from Adnen Nouioua, Professor of Law at the Higher Institute for Technological Studies in Bizerte, and Nidhal Al-Mekki, a researcher at the Canadian University of Laval. Nouioua reviewed new rules, procedures and institutions for governance and combating corruption seen in Arab constitutions, and emphasized that

the regimes suspicion and reservations about international human rights law. this new entry in the texts had encountered quite a few difficulties upon implementation, linked to weakness of the rule of law and gaps between text and actual practice. He underlined the importance of linking anti-corruption with democracy and strengthening institutions of constitutional oversight, to ensure a sound interaction between constitutional text and political practice in the fight against corruption.

Al-Mekki discussed the impact of international human rights law on new Arab constitutions, citing the cases of Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco, with disparities observed between the three constitutions in terms of the foundational paths of their constitutions. There is a causal connection between foundational democratic path and the concentrated effort seen in a more open and democratic system; distance from this varied according to the country and the extent of its misgivings regarding international law and human rights.

The Case of Morocco

Two sessions were held on the fifth day of the conference (28 September 2020). The first, headed by researcher and editor-in-chief of the Centers journal Istishraf for Future Studies Mourad Diani, focused on the Moroccan constitutional experience. Speakers included Professor of Common Law and Political Science at Universite Moulay Ismail Abdellatif Al-Moutadaine; Professor of Higher Education at Universite Ibn Zohr Mohamed Al-Mesaoui; and Professor of Constitutional Law at Universite Cadi Ayyad in Marrakesh Mohamed Baske Manar.

Al-Moutadaine brought up the issue of sovereignty of the people in the provisions of the Moroccan Constitution, and its formation through power relationships, making note of the powers granted to political actors within the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. He stressed that, in spite of the constitutions adoption of the principle of separation of powers, the wide-ranging prerogatives it grants the king have yet to bring that principle into effect; in this sense, the constitution has become a mere tool for constitutionalizing the kings powers rather than a mechanism for regulating the exercise of political authority.

Al-Mesaoui spoke on restricting the kings executive powers; the opposition has hedged its bets, historically speaking, on transforming the kings wide authority into symbolic powers in accordance with the idea of constitutionalism. However, the researcher elucidated that the constitutional legislature employed the idea of parliamentary monarchy so as to limit the executive authority reserved for the king, most especially the appointment of presidents and prime ministers. This measure, nevertheless, left room for interpretation; the constitution, during the implementation phase, became a mechanism for crisis management, not a means of limiting the kings powers.

Baske Manar offered a critique of the institutional and legal activation of the 2011 Constitution, highlighting disturbances in institutional stability between a ruling royal establishment and subordinate institutions reined in by an unwritten constitution. He critiqued the loose phrasing and use of a conservative constitutional interpretation, together forming to a dual constitutional barrier that preserves the hierarchy of power in its past particularities, despite the constitutions more progressive contents, along with the barrier of a conventional, administrative constitution [dustur makhzaniyy urfiyy] offering resistance to the democratic values imposed by the need to adapt to a context of ongoing protests.

The Other Arab Cases

In a session reopening discussion of the Arab cases and of Arab constitutional development led by Lebanese attorney and Member of Parliament Ghassan Moukheiber, speakers included Professor of Common Law at Qatar University Hassan Abdelrahim Al-Sayed and Professor of Common Law and Political Science at Universite Cadi Ayyad in Marrakesh Omar Ihrchane.

Abdelrahim Al-Sayed brought up the matter of the democratic standard for constitutions, using the constitutions of the Gulf states as a case study. He divided his paper into three focifirst, the preparation of constitutions and the related procedures for introducing amendments; second, the particularities of the democratic constitution as relates to rights and general freedoms; and third, probing the depths of public authoritiesin order to highlight the particularities of democratic constitutions.

Ihrchane, on the other hand, dealt with the dimensions of the relationship between the political context and legal text, and its impact upon the process of democratic transition in Morocco. The researcher examined the movement of actors, the impact of the balances of power in drafting of the Moroccan Constitution, and whether or not the constitution meets the demands of democratic transition. He concluded that the constitution might well constitute an entry point for strengthening authoritarianism, whether because it did not include any real guarantees or the fact that its provisions were tainted by so-called grey areas that open the door for challengers to offer an interpretation at odds with the desires of those in power.

The Constitution in Algeria

On the sixth and final day of the conference (29 September 2020), business began with the issue of Arab constitutional development. In a session headed by professor at the Arab Center and Editor-in-Chief of the Centers journal Ostour for Historical Studies Ayat Hamdan, among those who spoke were Professor of Law at University of Sharjah Simon Badran and law researcher Rashad Tawam.

Badran presented a gateway to strengthening systems of representation through the ballot box, as a means of preserving the paradigm of democratic representation and avoiding the slippery slope into the trap of direct democracy, attempting to apply it to the Lebanese political regime. He offered a solution to the arbitrary selection of members of the Lebanese Senate and emphasized the possibility that the Lebanese political system may transform, in accordance with this solution, into a representative case of carrying out legislative appointments through the ballot box in states whose societies are vertically divided.

Tawam offered a comparative proposal for the implications of constitutional engineering upon the transitional process, posing the question of what effect the transitional establishment might have in shaping the foundational authority and the legacy of its smaller constitutions within the larger constitution. The researcher concluded that this consolidation can be attributed to the very moment of the constitutions drafting, dominated by the transitional establishment, and that the mini-constitutions in the Egyptian casecompared relative to the Tunisian experimentwere utilized in a way contrary to the recommendations offered by the literature on0 democratic transition.

In a session devoted to discussing the constitutional developments in Algeria, headed by Arab Center researcher Mohammed Hemchi, speakers included Professor of Constitutional Law and Institutions at Universite de Djelfa Kamal Djealab; lecturer and researcher in the Department of Political Science at Universite Kasdi Merbah in Ouargla Mouslem Babaarabi; and Professor of Constitutional Law and Political Regimes at Universite Mustapha Stambouli in Mascara Abbes Ammar.

Djealab examined the issues related to the notion of the democratic state of law and what must be done to constitutionalize itjoining together the state of law and democracyby searching for the value the two have in common, sufficient to serve as a constitutional tool in service of the process of democratic transition. The researcher concluded that reconciliation between the power of the majority, as derived from democratic principles, on one hand, and the exercise of rights and individual freedoms on the other, is considered to be one of the essential challenges any democratic transition process might face in constitution-forming.

Babaarabi discussed the idea of constitutional management of the Algerian political transition, making use of the transitional constitutionalist approach as an gateway through which to probe the ongoing experience and find out to what extent it may be possible to achieve peaceful political change through constitutional mechanisms, or structures, derived from inherited texts. He concluded that the Algerian experiment stood out in comparison to similar Arab cases, in that the military establishment imposed a political blueprint for managing the transitional stage based on constitutional measures derived from current documents, viewed by the opposition as a hindrance in the path toward change tending toward reproducing the old regime at the expense of any possibility of achieving peaceful political change.

Ammar discussed the issue of expanding notification of the Algerian Constitutional Council to members of parliament, which he described as a rationalized opening. The researcher argued that amending notification measures will contribute to activating the constitutional committees oversight role and strengthening its interference in making the authorities respect the rules of jurisdiction and procedure along with protecting the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the constitution. The researcher argued that the conditions of notification and its difficult procedures have prevented MPs from passing any notification related to the unconstitutional nature of some legal texts which sparked controversy within the halls of parliament.

Conference Closing

The conference closed its business in a concluding session headed by Radwan Ziadeh, researcher at the Arab Centers Washington Office, discussing many issues including how the process of constitution drafting is impacted by the nature of ruling regimes; constitutions as a reflection of power dynamics through the conflicts that accompany the process of democratic transition; the important role played by the Constitutional Court; the Francophone impact upon Arab constitutions; the relevance of political culture and political elites awareness of the success of constitutions and democratic transition; the question of when these constitutions are to be written and the reality of amending existing constitutions or, in some cases, reviving old ones; the relevance of the time factor, the continuing peaceful exercise of politics, and of avoiding the resort to weapons or foreign intervention in the success of the democratic-constitutional transition; and taking note of the goals of the constitution and the ways to empower the rule of law and institutions.

The conference concluded with experts and researchers recommendation of the imperative of continuing investigation into the topic of constitutional reform in the Arab world and related issues and challenges.


- A police constable, Etim Israel has been detained by JAMB over his alleged involvement in exam malpractice

- Israel was accused of paying someone to write the UTME for him

- JAMB said it would prosecute the police officer for the offence

A police officer, Etim Israel has been arrested by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for allegedly hiring another person to sit for him in the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The officer was said to have registered for the exam with his name while the impersonator used his picture and other biometric details to sit for the exam.

Etim Israel is accused of hiring a mercenary to help him write the UTME. Photo credits: Getty Images

Source: UGC

According to the Nation newspaper, Israel who is a constable in Akwa Ibom the police command, allegedly confessed that he paid N30,000 to the teacher to sit for the exam.

However, he said he was told that he wont be able to use the 240 he scored in the exam because of the disparity in the picture.

He said he came to the JAMB office to correct the issue when he was arrested.

In his reaction, the registrar of JAMB, Prof Is-haq Oloyede, said Israel will be prosecuted in accordance with the law.

In another news, a Borno State High Court has sentenced one Allen Abel to a cumulative term of 125 years in prison over a fake school feeding contract.

Abel and three other suspects were accused of fraudulently obtaining food items from Lele Foresight Construction Company valued at N12, 879,800.00.

The EFCC disclosed that the four suspects had pretended to execute a school feeding contract for the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development (FMHDSD).

Abel pleaded guilty to the charges against him and was convicted.

Meanwhile, Ciara Antwi, the wife of founder and leader of Anointed Palace Chapel (APC), Francis Antwi, popularly known as Reverend Obofour, has dazzled in a photo with her triplets.

In the new photo sighted by YEN.com.gh on the Instagram page of the pastor's wife, Ciara Antwi, popularly known as Bofowaa, was dressed like an angel.

She was seen showing off her triplets, Jesse, Jeremie and Jeremiah once more in the angel-themed photo.

The photo was to mark 3 months of the triplets' birth and they slayed in the photo perfectly with their pretty mom.

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
 Flash

After a full year of negotiations, the Sudanese government and armed groups on Saturday signed a final peace deal in South Sudan's capital Juba to end armed conflicts.



The signing ceremony, which was broadcast live by Sudan's official TV, was attended by South Sudan's President Salva Kiir, Chairman of Sudan's Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.

The participants also included representatives from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Chad and Egypt in addition to regional and international organizations such as the United Nations, the African Union, the Arab League and the European Union.

Deputy Chairman of Sudan's Sovereign Council Mohamed Hamdan Daqlu signed the deal for the Sudanese government, while leaders of nine armed groups, under the Revolutionary Front Alliance, signed for the alliance.

Al-Burhan, addressing the signing ceremony, vowed that there will be no return to war, saying "we will not deviate from the peace. We reiterate our keenness to implement what has been agreed on."

Meanwhile, Al-Hadi Idris, chairman of the alliance, urged the international community to support implementation of the peace agreement.

The deal included protocols of security arrangements, power and wealth sharing, compensation for the displaced people and refugees, land ownership, and realization of justice and development.

Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Moussa Faki, reiterated the AU support for the peace deal in Sudan.

"Implementation of the deal is harder than its signing. The AU will support this deal," he said.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, addressing the signing ceremony, voiced Egypt's support to Sudan's peace deal.

"I reaffirm Egypt's firm determination to continue working with the brothers in Sudan to enhance the aspects of the standing partnership between our two countries," said Madbouly.

Since October 2019, South Sudan has been mediating between the Sudanese government and the armed groups from Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions.

Sudan's Justice and Equality Movement, led by Jibril Ibrahim, the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) /Minni Minnawi faction, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM)/northern sector (Malik Agar and Abdelaziz al-Hilu factions) and opposition groups from eastern, central and northern Sudan, took part in the talks with the government.

However, the SPLM/northern sector led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu has not yet signed the peace deal after the mediation suspended the negotiation between it and the Sudanese government, while the SLM/Abdul Wahid Mohamed Nur faction refused to join the peace talks.
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Linkedin Tri Indah Oktavianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, October 5 2020

President Joko Jokowi Widodo has claimed that the countrys COVID-19 control efforts are going well, as the nation enters its eighth month of the outbreak and exceeds 300,000 cases.

Lets judge this based on facts and data, not based on estimates, Jokowi said in a video posted on the Presidential Secretariats YouTube channel on Saturday night.

I can say that COVID-19 handling in Indonesia is not that bad. In fact, it is quite good.

He said the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths in Indonesia was significantly lower than that of other countries with large populations. The video displayed the case counts of countries such as the United States, India and Brazil, whose numbers are in the millions.

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London, Oct 4 : UK Home Secretary Priti Patel is to commit to delivering the "biggest overhaul" of the country's asylum system in "decades".

She will tell a Conservative Party conference that the system is "fundamentally broken" and is expected to promise a "firm and fair" asylum system.

The changes in the system include expediting the deportation of those "who have no claim for protection", Patel will say.

The Home Secretary said she would bring forward legislation to deliver on her commitment, in what she said would amount to "the biggest overhaul of our asylum system in decades".

"After decades of inaction by successive governments, we will address the moral, legal, practical problems with this broken system. Because what exists now is neither firm nor fair." Patel will pledge to introduce a new asylum system that would welcome people through "safe and legal routes" and stop those arriving illegally, "making endless legal claims to remain".

This comes after it emerged this week the government has considered building an asylum processing centre in Ascension Island, a remote UK territory in the Atlantic Ocean.

Patel asked officials to look at asylum policies which had been successful in other countries, the BBC was told.

The main opposition Labour Party said the "ludicrous idea" was "inhumane, completely impractical and wildly expensive".

The promise to rebuild the asylum system comes after a record number of migrants made the journey across the English Channel to the UK in September which the Secretary has vowed to stop.

Patel said the UK would make more "immediate returns" of people who arrive illegally "and break our rules, every single week".

"And we will explore all practical measures and options to deter illegal migration."
Tropical Storm Gamma leaves Cancun, Riviera Maya behind with only minor damage

Cancun, Riviera Maya, Q.R.  Tropical Storm Gama slowly crawled away from the Cancun, Riviera Maya region Saturday night, heading over the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula before it will make its way into the Gulf of Mexico where its expected to dissipate next week.

The storm arrived with the anticipated heavy rains and strong winds, generating a hurricane warning Saturday afternoon just before officially making landfall between Tulum and Playa del Carmen.

While the storm did not develop into a hurricane, Gammas strength was felt. Residential areas along a majority of the coast were affected by the storms power with Tulum being the hardest hit. Emergency shelters were set up and 40 people evacuated from around the municipality.

Along the coast, downed electric poles, scattered furniture and felled trees were a common sight as were flooded streets and general material damage.

Officials were out in full force attending to emergencies that arose during the passing of the storm. State police helped relocate stranded people in rural areas of Tulum, while elements from the Secretaria de la Defensa Nacional (SEDENA) patrolled roadways also offering their assistance to those in need.

City workers from Tulum to Cancun battled the wind and rain to tend to flooded areas, while others were busy dealing with felled trees and downed power lines. Power outages were felt in various areas around the region with some lasting from several minutes to several hours.

Gamma overturned chairs on Cancun beaches

People are moved to emergency shelters

A palapa church collapsed in Punta Sam due to the heavy rains

The heavy rain made its way through the roof of some stores

Firemen attended to fallen trees blocking roads at Puerto Morelos

Cancun mayor patrols streets just before Gamma makes landfall

Felled power lines during Gamma

Military personnel patrol streets offering help

Isla Mujeres streets were left flooded

Police evacuated approximately 40 people from rural Tulum areas

Riviera Maya highway road signs were torn from poles

Police help families deal with the cold wind and rain

Gammas winds are felt in Puerto Morelos as the mayor tours for damage

Dozens of trees were toppled in and around Playa del Carmen

People were evacuated and placed in emergency shelters during Gamma

A boat at Puerto Morelos fills with sea water

A downed hotel sign along the highway in Playa del Carmen

An elderly woman is evacuated from her home in the southern portion of the state

Some Holbox streets were also left underwater

A tree weakened by the heavy rains topples onto a passing car

A total of 39 flights scheduled to land at Cancun International were canceled Saturday, while another 20 were delayed. Cozumel City Council said they had 1,528 tourists on the island as Tropical Storm Gamma passed. At least two flights scheduled to land at Cozumel were affected by the storm.

The Cozumel-Playa del Carmen and Cancun-Isla Mujeres ferry routs were suspended until further notice, while all maritime terminals closed to vessels, according to information issued by the Port Captain and the Port Administration of Quintana Roo. Nearly 30 small vessels were either fully or partially sunk at Tulum due to high waves.

Mexicos National Meteorological Service (SMN) had warned of 250 mm of rainfall with the passing of Tropical Storm Gamma. According to the National Hurricane Center, maximum sustained winds were close to hurricane strength at 70 mph. Tropical Storm Gamma is the third storm of the hurricane season to rely on the Greek alphabet after having used the 21 designated storm names for the 2020 Atlantic season.
New Delhi, Oct 4 : The business fraternity expects a steady recovery in the Indian economy during the second half of the financial year 2020-21, shows a poll of CEOs done by CII.

A statement by the industry body said that India Inc is estimating a capacity utilisation of over 50 per cent during October-March in FY21.

"A steady recovery of the Indian economy is on the anvil as corporate India restarts business and economic activity with lockdowns being increasingly relaxed in many parts of the country. For the first time since the advent of the pandemic in the country in early 2020, India Inc is now estimating a capacity utilisation of more than 50 per cent in the second half of this financial year," it said.

CEOs of top 115 companies who met at CII's National Council recently, indicated revival of positive business sentiment and gradual rise in expected corporate performance.

The CEOs of top companies who took the poll included representatives across sectors from metals and mining to manufacturing, auto, pharmaceuticals, health, energy, infrastructure, construction and leading services sectors including ITeS, health, hospitality, tourism and e-commerce.

The apex body also had a large representation of the medium and small sector apart from start-ups, it said.

The statement said that the unlocking of almost all economic activities, along with the reform and revival measures announced by the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have contributed to the gradual improvement in business sentiments in the second half of the current financial year.

"While in most cases, the performance - revenue or capacity utilisation - is estimated to be lower than the comparative figures in 2019-20, a large percentage of the CEOs polled have shown confidence in the days ahead indicating that the worst may be behind," it said.

On consumer demand, while 32 per cent of the CEOs are hoping for better prospects, another 27 per cent of them expect no change when compared to the second half of the last financial year.

However, only 31 per cent of the CEOs expected their revenue growth to be in the positive territory in the second half of the current financial year compared to last year. Regarding exports, 40 per cent of the CEOs expect better prospects on exports and 24 per cent of them expect no change in prospects during the second half of the current fiscal when compared to the same period last year.

Apart from the agri-sector that has been in the positive territory there are now clear indications of a smart recovery in some sectors like automobiles, FMCG, consumer durables and construction equipment, the CII statement said.

According to CII, both the Centre and State governments would need to focus on livelihoods in addition to lives and hence efforts need to be made to stall the practice of sudden and ad hoc lockdowns announced by states as well as districts.

These not only further disrupt the revival of economic activities but also do not yield the desired results on lives either, it said.
The family of a Laois Fine Gael councillor who is recovering from illness, has written to give public thanks to his colleagues and Laois County Council staff for their support to him.

Cllr Tom Mulhall from Emo was taken ill suddenly last June and is receiving care as he continues to recover at Peamount Hospital in Dublin.

His family Brigid, Una and Niall Mulhall wrote a letter to Laois County Council which was read out at their September meeting.

On behalf of Cllr Tom Mulhall we would like to thank you all most sincerely for your support over the past eight weeks.

Tom has received so many get-well wishes from his colleagues and those he worked closely with every day and we as a family are very appreciative of this.

We have been sharing these messages with him and they are helping him keep focussed on his recovery. He regularly enquires about his council colleagues and is keeping up to date with news from home through the local papers.

Anyone who has spent time with Tom will know that he is very strong-willed and we are happy to say that he is making a steady recovery with the help of wonderful healthcare staff.

We are looking forward to welcoming him home to Emo soon. Thank you again for your support and kindness, they said.

Well wishes to Cllr Mulhall were sent by the Laois Garda Chief Superintendent at this Septembers Joint Policing Committee meeting, which Cllr Mulhall chairs.

Best wishes to Tom Mulhall, he has been a stalwart of support to the Garda Siochana and a very fitting chairman. I wish him and his family well in the future, Chief Supt John Scanlon said.

The quarterly meeting was chaired in his absence by Cllr Padraig Fleming. He had begun the meeting by paying tribute to his colleague.

This time three months ago Tom was chairing the meeting. We pass on our best wishes to him to recover as quickly as he is able to in Peamount, he said.




The number of international visitors to South Korea plummeted by more than 70 percent during the first half of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a lawmaker Sunday.







The number of inbound foreign travelers during the January-June period reached 2.14 million, marking a 74.7 percent plunge compared to the 8.44 million tally from a year ago, according to Rep. Lim O-kyeong of the ruling Democratic Party.







Lim cited data submitted by the culture ministry ahead of the annual parliamentary audit of the government.







"The government should prop up domestic spending by developing various tourism projects, such as healing-themed programs, cultural heritage visit campaigns and region-specific travel courses," Lim said. (Yonhap)


Adulteration of Ceylon Tea hurts industry By Sunimalee Dias View(s): View(s):

The tea traders industry is faced with a grave crisis of adulteration of Ceylon Tea by factories.

Adulteration is one of the most serious problems we are facing, Colombo Tea Traders Association (CTTA) Chairman Jayantha Karunaratne said at the 126th AGM of the CTTA on September 25 at the Cinnamon Grand in Colombo.

He hoped that once this issue is resolved they could obtain better and improved prices in future.

Mr. Karunaratne also raised the issue of the issues faced by the major importers of Ceylon Tea in terms of the economic sanctions by the US against one of the key markets Iran that is severely impacting Sri Lanka.

Moreover, he pointed out that there is a campaign by non-governmental organisations against Ceylon Tea by highlighting that tea workers are being exploited on the plantations.

The Colombo Tea Convention that had been scheduled to be held next year will not take place as planned due to the COVID-19 concerns, he said.

He noted that they had established an e-platform and is currently in the process of developing software to be launched soon.

Plantations Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana addressing the gathering said that the industry needed to improve production, productivity and quality. Moreover, he commended the support extended by the CTTA to establish nurseries for the development of the plantations and crop.

He pointed out that we should be able to produce little more than what we do now adding that 2013 recorded the highest yields of 330 million kg.

The minister also recognised the difficulties faced by the factory owners and said that they were ready to provide subsidies for replantation and grants and loans to farmers.

State Minister Kanaka Herath also spoke at the event.

Sri Lanka Tea Board Chairman Jayampathy Molligoda pointed out that automation of the auction had been proposed seven years back.

He noted that last year they had temporarily suspended issuing licences and said that the board had placed a good action plan for the registration of Ceylon Tea.
Dr Martin Feeley changed the course of the national conversation when he said we'd lost perspective on the threat of the virus and needed to take a different approach at this stage of the pandemic. The brutal social and economic costs are outweighing the public health benefits, he believes.

He called for an end to "draconian" restrictions to allow the young to be free to: "Live a life, rather than just exist a life."

Dr Feeley's controversial view came at a heavy personal cost - he lost his role as clinical director of the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group, when the HSE said his position was untenable. Of that, he says he has "no regrets".

His much-talked-about appearance on RTE's Prime Time on Tuesday was powerful, as his stance had an intelligence and kindness at its core - a streak of what Martin Luther King called "tough-minded tender-heartedness".

One stark truth hit home like a missile. "I can tell you, the mood of the country is depressed," he told Miriam O'Callaghan. "Someone has to stand up for these people."

What exactly did he mean by that assessment of the country's psyche?

"The country is depressed," he explained in an interview with the Sunday Independent. "They're depressed - and what is even worse, individuals are scared, they are frightened. It's partly fear. People are living in abject fear. We are in a panic.

"If the Spanish Flu was sweeping across the country, it would be good to be frightened, it would mean people would mind themselves. But the Spanish Flu is not sweeping across the country. This is not an indiscriminate killer - we know now it is a condition that discriminates heavily against people we can identify."

Originally from Co Roscommon, the doctor says he has heard reports from the north-west of concern about the rate of suicide in the region. "Suicide is the ultimate metric of depression. The real picture of it won't emerge for another two years. This is the tip of the iceberg that doesn't accurately describe what is under the water.

"I am just saying: we should look at the cost - no-one is looking at the cost. Not just money, although that's a part of it. It's the lifestyle, the cost to quality of life, to youth.

"We're saying to 19-year-olds: 'Stop your life, you can start living again when you're 21.' No one took my youth off me and I'd have been marching down the street if they'd tried."

He was incensed at calls to "bring in the Army" to deal with students gathering at Galway's Spanish Arch.

"I regard that as a peaceful protest by young people to the present restrictions on their lives.

"The reaction of elected politicians and media is very worrying. I think it was a peaceful protest and it is just the beginning. Unless someone does something, maybe we're looking at anarchy. Maybe we need anarchy, almost - I am that frustrated with it. For God's sake, let these people live their lives."

He believes we should look behind such authoritarian reactions: "They are manifestations of the absolute panic and fear in the community, which is evidence of the scaremongering by Nphet. How else can you describe official warnings to stay away from your nearest and dearest, as contact with them could prove lethal?"

Dr Feeley is calling for a fresh debate on strategy now we know Covid is not a universally lethal condition, as was first thought. He says he enjoyed the chance to discuss it with Professor Sam McConkey - who advocates a zero-Covid policy - on Prime Time. "He's a nice fella - it's great to talk to these people. You'll learn more from people you don't agree with than people you agree with.

"He absolutely believes this virus could be eradicated by Christmas, which is pie in the sky - although that's just my opinion. These people have never been challenged. They speak ex-cathedra. Nobody has ever turned around to them before and said: 'This is a load of rubbish.'"

One point he wants to raise is the use of case numbers to dictate the country's policy. "The fallacy of it - testing is a debacle, like the rest of it. There is a 1pc false positive rate. They do 15,000 tests and 150 are false positives - and you shut down the country on the basis of those extra false tests? The idea of national and county or city lockdowns is lunacy - we need to manage clusters locally."

Following Dr Feeley's breaking of the collective consensus, other senior public voices have aired similar views. Tanaiste Leo Varadkar is of the same mind about taking the focus off cases and on to deaths, hospitalisations and ICU admissions when it comes to deciding on policy, and said last week: "The object was to make sure our health service did not get overwhelmed, not to lock down the country and the economy until there is no Covid at all. That is not realistic."

Professor of Immunology Paul Moynagh warned against "ultra-caution", saying: "It's OK if there is no risk in terms of restrictions. But there are significant risks on the other side."

Why then, have we not heard from any other HSE doctors? "When you buy into something completely, it's much harder to come off track later and come out and say it. That's my excuse for people from the medical side not putting their head above the parapet, instead of saying: 'We need to think about this again.'

"The profession is left wanting - everyone seems to be afraid to question national policy, and a bunch of public health doctors seem to be running the country. I lost my job for speaking up but look at all the others who have lost work, salaries, maybe businesses and can't pay their mortgages and no one is talking about them.

"Me losing my job is nothing compared to that," said Dr Feeley.
STAMFORD  A federal judge last week threw out a suit by a Stamford man claiming his free-speech rights were violated when he was arrested for holding up a sign saying Cops Ahead just down the street from where city police were conducting a distracted-driving detail in 2018.

Judge Alfred Covellos decision to close the case Wednesday provided a win for the citys police department as well as the arresting sergeant, Richard Gasparino.

Im obviously very happy with the outcome of the case and I publicly want to thank Assistant Corporation Counsel Barbara Coughlan and Attorney Elliot Spector for all their hard work, Gasparino said. The two of them believed in the case from the very start and never doubted my actions. I took a lot of criticism for this arrest publicly and professionally, but like the legal team I never second guessed my decision on that day.

Spector said, The judge rightly found that if a police officer is performing an act to protect the public, people don't have a right to interfere with the performance of those duties. We all know and Judge Covello recognized that there is a serious safety issue with distracted drivers and many people are being killed or seriously injured and the government provides grants for distracted driving operations to deter people from committing those motor vehicle violations. And the way you deter people is to fine them.

Spector said Gasparino used great discretion and restraint by giving Michael Friend the opportunity to stop holding up the sign and warned that he would be arrested if he returned.

We were confident that our police acted appropriately and did not engage in unconstitutional conduct, said City Corporation Counsel Kathryn Emmett. We're gratified that the court agreed.

ACLU Legal Director Dan Barrett, who brought the case on behalf of Friend, said the two were disappointed in the ruling.

We remain of the opinion that everyone has the right to protest the police, Barrett said. And so as it happens, we are studying our options and considering what to do next.

The incident happened on April 12, 2018, when Friend was spotted on Hope Street near Cushing Street holding up the Cops Ahead sign, two blocks from where police were ticketing distracted drivers. Gasparino took the sign and warned Friend he would be arrested if he did not move.

Friend walked away, went to his car and found another piece of paper to make another Police Ahead sign and stood next to the Food Bag on Hope Street, this time three blocks from where the operation was running and held up the sign.

About 30 minutes later, Gasparino took the second sign away, along with two cell phones and charged him with interfering with police.

Later that year Friend and the Connecticut ACLU filed suit against Gasparino and the police department claiming Friends free speech rights had been violated. Almost a year later they expanded the suit by claiming the city engaged in unconstitutional bail-setting practices.

While Friend and Barrett argued that he cannot legally be punished for his dissemination of public information on a matter of public concern, Covello found it was of little public concern.

Friend also argued that the police departments interest was only of generating ticket writing opportunities, but Covello said the officers that day were doing more than just writing tickets. The police operation sought to stop and cite violators in order to deter not only current behavior, but also future distracted driving and, therefore, save lives, the judge said in his decision.

The judge also found that the only way the operation could effectively continue was without Friends interference.

Covello also found that Gasparino had found probable cause to arrest Friend and therefore could not be found to have maliciously prosecuted him.

Specifically Friend was preventing the police from conducting effective enforcement of distracted driving violations by warning drivers of the presence of police officers in their vicinity, Covello wrote.

The judge also found that Friends case did not bring with it sufficient evidence to prove any constitutional violations when it came to setting Friends bail of $25,000 in the case.

There is simply insufficient evidence that in setting bail at $25,000 and holding Friend for several hours that the city of Stamford violated Friends constitutional rights, he said in the decision.

jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com
PATNA: Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda chaired a meeting over Bihar assembly election at the latter's residence in New Delhi.

Also present at the meeting were Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi, MoS MHA Nityanand Rai and BJP's in-charge for Bihar Bhupender Yadav.

Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrives at the residence of BJP national president JP Nadda. A meeting over #BiharElections is underway here. https://t.co/PLkRiKZAfa pic.twitter.com/KTtzkLI1Jv  ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2020

BJP and Nitish Kumar's JD(U) have not yet announced the seat-sharing agreement for the Bihar Assembly elections. However, according to sources, they have reached a seat-sharing agreement in principle with an almost even split - days before the October-November state election. An announcement on the same is expected soon, said sources.

According to sources, the JD(U) will contest on 124 seats in the House of 243 whereas BJP will fight on 119 seats. The Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) of former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi will be accommodated seats from the JD(U) quota; whereas BJP will give seats to LJP from its share if they remain in the alliance, sources added.

According to sources, the JD(U) has also asked BJP to take a call on Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party. Paswan is currently admitted to a Delhi hospital where he underwent heart surgery on Sunday.

Confusion seems to exist within NDA over seat-sharing agreements in Bihar assembly elections. While the BJP had earlier said that it will fight the elections under the leadership of JD(U) leader and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, the LJP, another NDA ally, has been demanding a larger number of seats, from what was offered by the JD(U).

On October 3, the LJP postponed a meeting that was scheduled to take place on Saturday to decide on whether to accept the BJP-led NDA offer of seats in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, owing to the ill health of Paswan senior.

Bihar has 243 Assembly seats and elections will be held in three phases  October 28, November 3, and 7. The counting of votes will begin on November 10.

Live TV
A local BJP leader in West Bengal was on Sunday shot dead by two bike-borne assailants near Titagarh in North 24 Parganas district. The duo opened fire at Manish Shukla on B T Road in the evening, following which he was taken to a private hospital, where he succumbed to injuries, police said.

Sources in BJP said a 12-hour bandh has been called in Barrackpore area on Monday in protest against the incident.

A central team comprising general secretary Sanjay Singh, MPs Arjun Singh, Saumitra Khan, Jagannath Sarkar and Shanku Deb Panda will visit Shuklas residence at 9:30am on Monday. West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankar has summoned CM Mamata Banerjee and state police over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

ACS Home @MamataOfficial and DGP @WBPolice have been summoned at 10 am tomorrow in the wake of worsening law and order situation leading to dastardly killing of Manish Shukla, Councillor, Titagarh Municipality in political party office. Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) October 4, 2020

The BJP said that Bengal is now being turned into place where murders are normalised. Bengal is now being turned into place where murders are normalised! Manish Shukla, BJP councillor from Titagarh was shot by TMC goons. These series of murders clearly indicates towards your inevitable end TMC," the party tweeted.
Rajesh Kumar Thakur By

PATNA: The Lok Janshkati Party (LJP) under Chirag Paswan appears all set to break away from the NDA in Bihar and contest the assembly polls on its own.

Chirag, who on Saturday sought peoples blessings for his partys Bihar first Bihari first vision document and heaped praise on PM Narendra Modi, has made it amply clear that his main grouse is against Bihar CM Nitish Kumar-led JD(U).

The seat-sharing talks in the NDA have been stuck because Chirag has proved to be a tough bargainer and has been adamant on contesting 130 seats and fighting against JD-U contestants.

The LJP, which survives on Dalit politics, had won only two of the 42 seats in contested in 2015. Yet, the party has been surprisingly assertive under Chirags leadership.

D M Diwakar, political analyst and former director of AN Sinha Institute of Social Research, said smaller parties in both the NDA and the Grand Alliance are showing unbridled ambitions.

The stand taken by the LJP or the VIP on seat-sharing is nothing but manifestation of excess ambition to acquire power without expanding the base on the ground, Dr R K Varma, another political observer and president of Patna unit of Political Administration Association said.

In Bihar, voters belonging to Dalits, extreme backward castes and other backward classes constitute 56% of total electorate. While the BJP in a fix over the seat-sharing stalemate, some leaders feel the LJPs exit would benefit the party vis-a-vis JD-U.

The ultimate loser will be JD-U against which the LJP seems to have gone all-out, said a leader.

The ties between the LJP and the JD-U nosedived when Chirag started getting vocal against law and order under Nitish rule.

JD-U MP Lallan Singh, in turn, accused the LJP scion of being a Kalidas and chopping the branch on which he was sitting.

The LJP retaliated and now seems to have taken it as a personal issue and a matter of prestige, said Bal Raam, a political researcher.

Bihar BSP president quits party, joins RJD

The BSP which is part of a three-party alliance headed by Upendra Kushwaha of RLSP for Bihar polls, suffered a setback when its state unit president Bharat Bind quit and joined RJD.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav gave party membership to the BSP leader. Yadav released a picture admitting Bind into the party on his Twitter handle.
Thebe Magugu is trying to school the world on South Africa

It's been a whirlwind four years for Thebe Magugu. Given his global profile, it's hard to believe that he didn't even launch his own label until 2016, but Magugu is still within the first five years of his glittering headline career in fashion when it comes to managing his own brand. We've seen some visionary looks in that time, and some trail-blazing designs that have put him at the forefront of the world fashion scene. Magugu is more than just a fashion designer, though. He's a man on a mission, and right now, his mission is educating the rest of the world when it comes to South African culture.

It doesn't take a genius to work out that the western world's view of African culture is dated and misplaced. You only have to look at an online slots website to get confirmation of that. Log in to any online slots website of your choosing, search for the word 'Africa,' and you'll be confronted by page after page of UK slots featuring lions, tigers, and jungles. When people abroad think of the continent of Africa, their first thought isn't the vibrant countries and cities, the emerging tech companies, or the cutting-edge fashion - it's still the same old safari tours and wild animals their grandparents visited the continent to look at fifty years ago or more. We don't necessarily blame the people who make these online slots for perpetuating the stereotype - they're only following the money - but it's clear that the wider world could do with an education. Thebe might just be the man to do it, and he's doing it through the launch of a new website.

The ace designers motives arent entirely altruistic - his website contains a shop, and it exists primarily as a place where people can place orders and buy his clothes, but theres more content on the site than just his fine designs. This new website, which launched earlier this month, doesnt only tell you what hes made, and what fabrics he used to do it. It also explains how he came up with the ideas, and the inspirations he drew upon during the design stage. To be more specific, Thebe tells his audience about his personal experience of South African culture, his personal heritage, and how those factors combine to influence his highly distinctive sense of style.

This connection between fashion and education is a recurring theme when it comes to Magugus eye-catching career. The collections hes launched so far have all been named after the subjects that he studied in college. His Spring 2019 collection, for example, was called Art History. In Fall of the same year, his collection was called African Studies. His first-ever headline collection, way back in Spring 2017, was called Geology. Curiously he doesnt appear to have taken the same approach with his recently-launched Fall 2020 collection, although that particular collection has caught the attention of Vogue and looks set to take his career to new heights. When he launched his Spring collection for this year, he deliberately made the landing page of its dedicated website look like the spine of a book. Magugu is clearly a man of reading and learning, and hes keen to impress that knowledge upon anybody who happens upon his website. In the process, he hopes to contribute to the rehabilitation of South Africas image in international eyes.

All of the images on Magugu's new site were shot by Travys Owen, and feature objects and traditions from the designer's upbringing along with his clothes. One of them, featuring women dancing around a pot, is an interpretation of the "Gift of the Gods" ancestral ritual known as "Mpho Ya Badimo." A whole section of the website entitled 'Faculty Press' offers nothing for sale at all, but instead offers a collection of essays from prominent South African writers and voices that Magugu considers to be significant. The biography page on the website speaks more about South African culture and bold visions of the future than it does about Magugu's personal history - in fact, virtually nothing of that is said at all. The longer you spend on a page, the more South African coins appear on it, obscuring your field of view. It's bold, immediate, and challenging. In a lot of ways, the website is a highbrow work of fashion-meets-art in its own right.

As laudable as Magubu's intentions are, highbrow fashion isn't known for being a great means of communication. It's likely that the majority of visitors who reach the website will find it complex to navigate through and difficult to understand. Education is never supposed to be easy, though, and perhaps challenging people who have an overly simplistic understanding of South African traditions and beliefs is the whole point. If one of the continent's most promising and experimental designers can sell a few clothes in the effort, then more's the better.

For those who are more interested in the man's clothes than his interest in promoting South Africa to the world, the Fall 2020 collection doesn't disappoint. There's a trench coat with a printed carnation design that, according to Magugu, was inspired by his grandmother's tablecloth. There's a feather-trim button-down made from distressed denim that's said to be based on the design of his aunt's old corrugated roof. An otherwise standard-looking collared shirt features a photo print of two women consoling each other, which Thebe intended as a comment on the rising rate of violence against women in his home country. Even when he's focusing on designing clothes, it would seem that Magubu can't stay away from social commentary.

For many people, fashion and politics are two separate things, and we respect that. There's enough political angst in the world already, and fashion designers weighing in on the issue isn't necessarily helpful. For those who are open to designers with big ideas, though, there's plenty in this latest Magubu collection that should delight you. The fact that his website is also a larger-scale promotional tool for the whole South African nation doesn't change that. You should expect to pay a premium if you intend to buy anything from the collection for yourself - but when isn't that the case when we're dealing with fashion at its best?
Ash was in year 12 when someone created a fake Facebook profile in her name.

The pretend Ash started messaging boys she was friends with and asking if they wanted to have sex with her.

That was horrifying to find out  my friends didnt know what to do, Ash, now 22, says.

Ash says the online harassment she received when she was 18 messed with her self-esteem and body image. Credit:Penny Stephens

The largest-ever global study of girls experiences on social media, released on Monday, has revealed endemic abuse and harassment, with Australian girls faring worse than the global average.
PARIS - Kenzo Takada, the iconic French-Japanese fashion designer famed for his jungle-infused designs and free-spirited esthetic that channeled global travel, has died. He was 81.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 4/10/2020 (475 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FILE - In this Saturday Oct. 8, 2005 file photo, models pose at the final of the presentation of the Kenzo Spring/Summer ready to wear 2006 collection by Italian fashion designer Antonio Marras in Paris. Fashion designer Kenzo Takada dies from COVID-19 complications at age 81 near Paris, spokeswoman and reports said Sunday Oct. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere, file)

PARIS - Kenzo Takada, the iconic French-Japanese fashion designer famed for his jungle-infused designs and free-spirited esthetic that channeled global travel, has died. He was 81.

The family said in a statement to French media Sunday that Takada died from complications from COVID-19 in a hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris. A public relations officer for Kenzo's brand confirmed that Takada died, but didn't give a cause of death.

It is with immense sadness that KENZO has learned of the passing of our founder, the fashion house said in a statement. "For half a century, Mr. Takada has been an emblematic personality in the fashion industry  always infusing creativity and colour into the world.

Takada's death came at the tail end of Paris Fashion Week, whose nine-day calendar is undertaking an unusual fashion season for spring-summer 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. It was only days ago that the Kenzo fashion house unveiled its bee-themed collection here.

Though Takada had been retired from his house since 1999 to pursue a career in art, Kenzo remains one of the most respected fixtures of high Paris fashion. Since 1993, the Kenzo brand has been owned by the French luxury goods company LVMH.

FILE - In this Saturday Oct. 7, 2006 file photo, models take the runway at the end of the presentation of the Spring-Summer 2007 ready to wear collection by by Italian fashion designer Antonio Marras for Kenzo, in Paris. Fashion designer Kenzo Takada dies from COVID-19 complications at age 81 near Paris, spokeswoman and reports said Sunday Oct. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere, file)

"His amazing energy, kindness, talent and smile were contagious," said Kenzo artistic director Felipe Oliveira Baptista, who unveiled the bee-themed collection to fashion editors Wednesday. His kindred spirit will live forever.

Kenzo's styles used bold colour, clashing prints and were inspired by travels all over the world.

Kenzo Takada has, from the 1970s, infused into fashion a tone of poetic lightness and sweet freedom which inspired many designers after him," said Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive of LVMH.

FILE - In this Tuesday, March 24, 2009 file photo, Japanese fashion designer Kenzo Takada sketches in his Paris house. Fashion designer Kenzo Takada dies from COVID-19 complications at age 81 near Paris, spokeswoman and reports said Sunday Oct. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Jacques Brinon, file)

Takada was born on Feb. 27, 1939, in Himeji, in the Hyogo Prefecture in Japan to hoteliers, but after reading his sisters fashion magazines his love of fashion began.

Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Studying at the Bunka College of Fashion in Tokyo, Kenzo Takada had a brief stint working in Japan, before relocating to Paris in 1965, to work as a freelance designer.

In Paris, he took over a boutique in 1970 and crystallized his future ready-to-wear esthetic inspired in its decoration by the jungle scenes of painter Henri Rousseau, which he merged with Asian styles. It became influential.

FILE - In this Tuesday, March 24, 2009 file photo, Japanese fashion designer Kenzo Takada poses outside his Paris house. Fashion designer Kenzo Takada dies from COVID-19 complications at age 81 near Paris, spokeswoman and reports said Sunday Oct. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Jacques Brinon, file)

But it was lowly beginnings: Takadas first collection at the store called was made entirely out of cotton because he had little money. But the clothes spoke for themselves and a model of his was put on the cover of Elle magazine. A short time after, pioneering shoulder forms, large armholes, dungarees, smock tent dresses, innovative shoulder shapes, and his store was featured in US Vogue. Kenzo showed collections in New York and Tokyo in 1971.

Yves Saint Laurent was an important inspiration, in his work, Takada has said. Takada shared Saint Laurents penchant for theatrics. in 1978 and 1979, he showed in a circus tent, and it featured himself riding an elephant, and performers rode horses wearing see-through uniforms.

Takadas love of travel and use of ethnic influences were strong features in his three decades atop his house.

His contribution to style was significant. He championed a youthful esthetic and unstructured form, and did away with zippers to liberate silhouettes. His signatures were of wider sleeves and arm holes, that harked to historic styles in his home continent of Asia.
A man has died after he was repeatedly stabbed in the legs following a dispute on a lower Manhattan subway station in New York City on Saturday, officials revealed.

The attack unfolded just before 3pm on the northbound J/Z train platform in Chambers Street Station, near to City Hall, where the victim, in his 20s, had been ensnared in an argument with another man, said to be in his 30s.

The cause of the dispute is unknown, but the altercation quickly turned violent.

During the scuffle, the suspect pulled a knife and stabbed the victim multiple times in each of his legs, according to the NYPD.

Police were called but the attacker fled before officers arrived on scene.

Scroll down for video

Images of the suspect were released by police on Sunday morning. He was described by police as a man with long black hair who is believed to be about 30 years old and is roughly 5'5" tall and 150 pounds

Footage of the suspected attacker was released by police on Sunday morning. The NYPD are appealing to the public to help identify the individual depicted.

The attack unfolded just before 3pm on the northbound J/Z train platform in Chambers Street Station, near to City Hall, where the victim, in his 20s, had been ensnared in an argument with another man, said to be in his 30s, who is shown on a stretcher

Images captured by the NY Post paint a grisly scene, with a pool of blood seen at the foot of a stairwell, and an incapacitated man on the floor being attended to by a group of officers.

The victim was rushed to the Beekman Downtown Hospital where he was later pronounced dead around 40 minutes after arriving. He suffered numerous stab wounds to both of his legs.

Police have not yet publicly identified the victim as they reportedly attempt to locate his next of kin.

The attacker was described by police as a man with long black hair who is believed to be about 30 years old and is roughly 5'5" tall and 150 pounds.

He was last seen wearing a brown hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans, according to police.

After the stabbing, police detained a man at the scene who identified himself as the victims cousin.

He had blood on his face, appearing to be from a cut, and on his shirt, the New York Daily News reported.

The man resisted as cops attempted to detain him and put him in the back of a patrol vehicle.

Officers reportedly assured the man he wasnt under arrest, but said they needed to handcuff him before driving him to a police precinct.

The circumstances around the temporary detainment were not immediately clear. His handcuffs were removed before officers drove away, the Daily News reported.

No arrests have so far been made in the case as of Sunday morning, police said. A motive is not yet known.

EMS tend to the wounded victim before transporting him to the hospital, where he died

EMS and police carry the victim from the subway platform on a stretcher

The victim was rushed to the Beekman Downtown Hospital where he was later pronounced dead around 40 minutes after arriving. He suffered numerous stab wounds to his legs

Police have not yet publicly identified the victim as they reportedly attempt to locate his next of kin

Footage of the suspected attacker was released by police on Sunday morning. The NYPD are appealing to the public to help identify the individual depicted.

Commuters told CBS New York that news of the stabbing was concerning and unnerving.

Weve got a 20-year-old, 14-year-old, 12-year-old, and I worry about that because they are my grandkids, Andrea Rodriguez said to the network.

This is the world we live in. Its getting crazier, stressful day by day, Selina Tricoche said. For that to happen, thats scary.

Just over 12 hours later, in the early hours of Sunday morning, a second stabbing occurred at 260 W 40th Street, outside the AC Hotel in Times Square at around 4:29am.

Police remained at the scene investigating throughout the early hours.

The NYPD told DailyMail.com that the circumstances surrounding the stabbing are not immediately clear, though the victim was assaulted and then stabbed.

The extent of the victim's injuries were not immediately disclosed, but an NYPD spokesperson said the victim is 'not likely to die'.

Footage from the scene shows an overturned City bike overturned out the front of AC Hotel, next to what appeared to be a discarded carrier bag.

Police do not have a description of the attacker and no arrests have been made, police said.

Violent crime in the Big Apple continued to surge throughout September and into October, data shows.

The number of September shooting incidents in the city increased 127 percent year-over-year from 67 shootings in 2019 to 152 shootings in 2020; September murders spiked 40 percent from 246 people killed in 2019 to 344 people killed in 2020.

Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting www.nypdcrimestoppers.com, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Megan Thee Stallion turned the Saturday Night Live stage into the perfect platform for political discourse during the show's 46th season premiere hosted by Chris Rock.

In her SNL debut, Megan performed her March release "Savage" alongside four dancers in a room enveloped by the words "Protect Black Women." The words disappear from sight into darkness midway through the song as gunshots take over the chorus, the black screen replaced by bullet holes.

"The most disrespected, unprotected, neglected person in America is the Black woman," an audio clip of Malcolm X's famous 1962 speech, "Who Taught You to Hate Yourself," says. "Who taught you to hate the texture of your hair, the color of your skin, the shape of your nose? Who taught you to hate yourself from the top of your head to the soles of your feet?"

Megan also echoed the words spoken by activist Tamika Mallory against Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who handling of the Breonna Taylor case has been heavily criticized.

"Daniel Cameron is no different than the sellout negroes that that sold our people into slavery," the clip from Mallory's reads.

After using words from Malcolm X and Mallory, Megan used her own.

"We need to protect our Black women and love our Black women," she said. "Because at the end of the day, we need our Black women. We need to protect our Black men and stand up for our Black men. Because at the end of the day, we're tired of seeing hashtags about our Black men."

Taylor was fatally shot on March 13 by Louisville Metro Police Department who entered the premises with a "no-knock" search warrant tied to an ongoing drug investigation. After a lengthy investigation, only one of the officers who were on the scene was charged with wanton endangerment for shooting into her apartment, which affected a neighboring unit. No one was charged for the murder of Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT. Taylor's family was awarded $12 million in a civil suit against the City of Louiseville, though no justice was granted through the legal process.

Story continues

Megan later hit the stage with Young Thug for a performance of "Don't Stop," below.

Related content:
In Italy, a 53-year-old firefighter died during a rescue mission in the Aosta Valley, and a 36-year-old man died after his car was swept away by a river in Piedmont

French Prime Minister Jean Castex has deployed the army as 20 people on his side of the border remain unaccounted for after the flash floods washed away houses and triggered landslides

In northwestern Italy the 'historic' flooding destroyed a section of a bridge over the Sesia river

Houses were buried in mud and turned-over cars stuck in the riverbed in the French village of Breil-sur-Roya

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The army has been deployed in France and rescue teams are hunting for survivors in Italy after torrential rain and winds from Storm Alex left two dead and 20 missing.

Breil-sur-Roya, a French village close to the Italian border, was a scene of devastation with houses buried in mud and turned-over cars stuck in the riverbed.

In northwestern Italy the 'historic' flooding destroyed a section of a bridge over the Sesia river.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex has deployed the army as 20 people on his side of the border remain unaccounted for after the flash floods washed away houses and triggered landslides.

A pile of vehicles on a street in Breil-sur-Roya, south-eastern France, on Sunday after extensive flooding caused widespread damage in the Alpes-Maritimes departement

A partially submerged hatchback in mud and debris in Breil-sur-Roya, south-eastern France on Sunday

People arrive at Nice airport after being rescued by the 'Armee de Terre' from floods in the south of France on Sunday

A worker digs out a vehicle from mud on a street in Breil-sur-Roya, south-eastern France, on October 4, 2020, after extensive flooding caused widespread damage in the Alpes-Maritimes departement

People walk across washed-up tree branches after Storm Alex swept through Europe, causing damage to many areas in France and Italy

Residents clean a shop following a mudslide on October 4, 2020 in Garessio, Piedmont, after storms lashed the region. Two people died after storms lashed southern France and northern Italy, with roads and bridges damaged or destroyed and thousands left without power

The huge deluge caused severe damage to a number of properties, with aerial photos showing the extent of the flooding

A man walks past a pile of vehicles on a street in Breil-sur-Roya, south-eastern France

An army helicopter carried residents from Saint-Martin-de-Vesubie from the affected areas on Sunday after the extensive flooding

A number of cars were washed up and submerged in mud in Breil-sur-Roya in the south east of France as floods caused devastation

An aerial view of an Alpes-Maritimes valley shows how the extensive flooding has caused damage to many homes in France

'There are very many people of whom we have no news,' Castex said.

On the Italian side of the border several villages were also still cut off, and many roads blocked.

A 53-year-old firefighter died during a rescue mission in the Aosta Valley, and a 36-year-old man died after his car was swept away by a river in Piedmont.

French rescue efforts were concentrated on the Roya valley where around 1,000 firefighters backed up by helicopters and army units resumed their search hoping to find survivors, and giving assistance to people whose homes were destroyed or inaccessible.

A gendarme stands near a vehicle partially submerged in mud in Breil-sur-Roya, south-eastern France

Tourists have a drink while sitting at the table of flooded street cafe in Riva dell'Erbaria in Rialto, while the waters of the canal rise, in Venice, Italy

This general view shows a partially submerged vehicle in mud in Breil-sur-Roya, south-eastern France

People stand near a car partially submerged in mud in Breil-sur-Roya, south-eastern France, on October 4, 2020 villages and triggering landslips. (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP) (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images)

A worker looks at a mud covered street in Breil-sur-Roya, south-eastern France, on October 4

Storm Alex barrelled into France's west coast on Thursday bringing powerful winds and rain across the country before moving into Italy, where regions across the north suffered an onslaught on Saturday.

'What we are going through is extraordinary,' the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes region said Bernard Gonzalez.

'We are used to seeing images of such disasters on other continents, sometimes with a lack of concern, but this here is something that affects us all,' he said.

France has declared the region a natural disaster zone.

A gendarme stands amongst debris including vehicles in Breil-sur-Roya, south-eastern France

Residents look at a mud covered street in Breil-sur-Roya, south-eastern France, on October 4

A resident looks at a mud covered street in Breil-sur-Roya, south-eastern France

Local authorities gave shelter to some 200 people overnight, while food and thousands of bottles of water were being airlifted into remote villages cut off by the storms.

Gonzalez called on the families of the missing people not to give up hope.

'Just because their loved ones haven't been able to get in touch doesn't mean that they have been taken by the storm,' he said.

Residents clear a street following a mudslide on October 4, 2020 in Garessio, Piedmont, after storms lashed the region

Residents clean a street following a mudslide on October 4, 2020 in Garessio, Piedmont

A soldier carries packs of bottled water for residents in Breil-sur-Roya, south-eastern France

A police officer walks amongst vehicules submerged in mud in Breil-sur-Roya, south-eastern France

The shore area of Locarno is under water after the water level of Lake Maggiore rose to 195.47 meters due to the heavy rainfalls of the last few days, in Locarno, Switzerland

Many landline and some mobile phone services were disrupted, with some villages using satellite phones to communicate with rescue services.

Despite forecasts of more rain, rescue efforts were to continue throughout Sunday, Gonzalez said.

'The helicopter procession will continue all day long,' he said, adding however that the prospect of more heavy weather was 'a worry'.

Nearly FOUR INCHES of rain leaves parts of UK underwater with torrential downpours flooding roads, businesses and homes as forecasters warn of MORE wet weather to come by mid week

Parts of Britain were left underwater this weekend after a month's worth of rain fell in just one day leaving homes, roads and businesses destroyed.

Marking the bitter end to a sweltering summer, parts of the UK were drenched by 3.5 inches of rain which fell in 24 hours as Storm Alex wreaked havoc for a third day.

It's not all doom and gloom, however, as while Machrihanish in Scotland saw today's lowest temperature of 0.9C, parts of Sussex bathed in a balmy 16.6C.

The wet weather is unlikely to ease off into next week as 'persistent rain' is set to hit in the southwest of England on Monday.

The rest of the week will bring 'longer spells of rain' across the country - most frequently in the north and west - with heavy showers in parts on Thursday.

Firefighters and water utilities workers are seen at a flooded area in Hemel Hempstead following last night's heavy rain

A resident clears out water from her flooded house on Sunday. The flooding was due to last night's heavy rain in Hemel Hempstead

A resident in Rothbury in Northumberland bails water from their vehicle after the River Coquet burst its banks

On Millennium Bridge in London, people walked under umbrellas during the huge torrent as the UK experiencedhuge downpours

South Wales, Bristol and Gloucestershire all fall into the Met Office's amber weather warning, meaning the downpour could cause fast flowing or deep floodwater putting lives at risk. Right: A UK rainfall map

Earlier today, South Wales, Bristol and Gloucestershire fell into the Met Office's amber weather warning, meaning the downpour would cause fast flowing or deep floodwater putting lives at risk.

The warning level - last issued before the pandemic - also meant Britain could see mass transport chaos with dangerous driving conditions, road closures and delays and cancellations to public transport all expected.

These warnings were in place until midday. There is now a yellow weather covering Northern Ireland only.

The poor weather was no doubt a disappointment for the 45,000 people hoping to run or walk the 40th London Marathon along their own 26.2-mile route after the usual mass event was scrapped due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Only elite athletes were allowed to brave the pouring rain to compete in the central-London race today due to social-distancing restrictions.

The Met Office said in the 42 hours running up to 6pm on Saturday, there had been 4.6 inches of rain at Blackpitts Gate in Somerset, and four inches at Princes Marsh in Hampshire.

Flooding has hit train services in London and Scotland, with services between St Pancras and Finsbury Park being cut as journey times are taking longer due to flooding on the track.

The adverse weather conditions mark the third day of chaos brought to Britain by Storm Alex.

A family of four had to be rescued by firefighters from a road in Billericay, Essex, yesterday after their car became trapped in floodwater, while police issued warnings to drivers after a number of crashes on waterlogged roads.

ScotRail said following yesterday's bad weather, affected areas will need to be checked first thing this morning to make sure routes are safe for services to run, resulting in some lines being closed.

RAC Breakdown spokesman Rod Dennis said that road conditions would be 'miserable if not downright dangerous' for drivers this weekend. He added that drivers need to be prepared for 'an ugly mix' of surface spray, gusty winds and more than likely some disruption on the roads.

A woman was rescued by her husband after driving into four-foot-deep water in Essex this morning while train lines have becomes submerged as Britain is battered by heavy downpours and 90mph gales from Storm Alex.

Water utilities workers talk with residents from flooded houses in Hemel Hempstead. Last night's downpours caused chaos for several households

Emergency services rescue drivers whose vehicles are stuck flood water in Kirkliston, West Lothian, after heavy rain on Sunday

The water was so deep in Kirkliston, West Lothian, that car tyres were entirely submerged. Emergency services had to rescue trapped cars

A driver of a car stuck in deep flood water speaks to emergency rescue officials as they tried to get him out. Britain has been battered by torrential rain

Flash flooding wreaked havoc in Hemel Hempstead. Sand bags were put out in a bid to stop water damaging houses and cars

A desperate resident tries to clear out the influx of water from her home in Hemel Hempstead following flash flooding last night
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 18:00:54|Editor: huaxia

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WELLINGTON, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand recorded five new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, said the Ministry of Health in a statement.

The five new cases were all imported cases from managed isolation facilities in New Zealand, while there was no new case in the community, said the ministry.

The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country reached 1,498, which was the number New Zealand reported to the World Health Organization.

The total number of active COVID-19 cases stayed at 41, while there was no COVID-19 patient in the New Zealand hospital, it is said.

Laboratories across New Zealand processed 3,616 tests on Saturday, bringing the total number of tests completed to date to 979,985.

New health requirements for air crew will take effect from 11:59 p.m. Sunday night according to the Changes to Orders made under the New Zealand COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020, said the ministry.

New Zealand's biggest city Auckland is now at COVID-19 Alert Level 2, while the rest of the country is at Alert Level 1. Public gatherings are limited to 100 people at Alert Level 2. Enditem
By PTI

PANAJI: Union minister Prakash Javadekar on Sunday alleged that parties opposing the newly enacted farm laws were acting as "middlemen for middlemen".

Talking to reporters on the second day of his visit to Goa as part of the ruling BJP's initiative to create awareness about the farm laws, Javadekar said the actual situation is that farmers earn less for their produce and customers have to buy it at higher rates.

The middlemen hike the prices and the farm laws deal with this problem by eradicating these middlemen, he said.

"Sometimes I feel the opposition parties have become middlemen for middlemen," he alleged.

Claiming that the agitation against farm laws will die out on its own, the minister said, "Falsehood has limited life while truth lives forever."

"The Congress and NCP launched their campaign to protest against the farm bills. I am going to ask them to look at their manifesto. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh has spoken about such (agricultural) reforms in his speeches. But, the Congress has now done a u-turn," he said.

He alleged that the opposition parties were spreading a "myth" that APMCs (agriculture produce market committees) will be shut down under the new laws, and government will stop purchasing the produce or the minimum support price (MSP) would be stopped.

"All these are lies," Javadekar said.

The BJP leader also said the conduct of opposition leaders in the Rajya Sabha over the passage of these bills was "condemnable and shameful".

Referring to a protest by a group of people on his way to Mapusa town on Saturday, Javadekar said he doubts that those who were protesting were real farmers.

He said 60 per cent population of the country is involved in the farming sector, but their contribution to the GDP (gross domestic product) is 15 per cent.

There is a need to increase the productivity and also give them markets outside the country so that their standard of living improves, he said.

Javadekar said when he was in school, the country's population was 30 crore, which has now increase to 138 crore, but despite that, theres no shortage of food.

"We are thankful to farmers who have been feeding our country," he said, adding that it is the responsibility of the government to increase their income.

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 became law after getting the presidential assent recently.

Javadekar refused to comment on the issue of diversion of the Mahadayi river water, considered as the lifeline of Goa, by neighbouring Karnataka.

Goa and Karnataka are locked in a dispute over sharing of the Mahadayi river water.

Goa has been strongly opposing the Kalasa Banduri project proposed to be built by Karnataka on the river, which is aimed at providing drinking water to three north Karnataka districts by diverting the Mahadayi water into the Malaprabha river.

Asked about the Centre's silence over the issue, Javadekar said, "The matter is before court and I will not comment in it. There is nothing which is pending with us because nothing comes to us. CM will answer questions on it."

The Supreme Court in an interim order in February this year allowed the plea of the Karnataka government for implementation of the final award by a tribunal for sharing of water between Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra from the Mahadayi river.

It also said the interim order is subject to the final outcome of the petitions filed by the three states against the tribunal's award.

The Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal passed an order in 2018, allocating 13.42 TMC water (including 3.9 TMC for diversion into the depleted Malaprabha river basin) from the Mahadayi river basin to Karnataka.

Maharashtra was allotted 1.33 TMC water while Goa was given 24 TMC in the final decision of the tribunal.
Whether you live in Black Hawk or Bremer counties, whether youre a Democrat or a Republican, panelists at a recent League of Women Voters virtual meeting agreed: In a year when a viral pandemic has upended nearly everything, it is important to make sure everyone had the tools to vote.

Our goal as election officials is to provide you with every opportunity and resource to be successful as a voter, said Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate. We encourage our citizens to put together a vote plan to be successful.

Looking to put together your own vote plan? Heres what you need to know to vote successfully in this years general election.

When is Election Day?

The general election is Nov. 3. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Who and what is on the ballot?

The presidential candidates, candidates for U.S. Senate (Sen. Joni Ernst is up for re-election), U.S. Houses First District (Rep. Abby Finkenauer is up for re-election), and state House and Senate candidates.

Youll also see, depending on where you live, candidates for county sheriff, county auditor, county supervisors, soil and water commissioner, county agricultural extension, and whether to retain some Iowa Supreme Court justices as well as judges from the court of appeals and district court judges.

Voters also are being asked whether theyd like to authorize a convention to revise the Iowa Constitution. The yes or no question is on the ballot every 10 years as required by law.

How can I register to vote?

If you already have an Iowa drivers license or nondriver identification, you can register on the Iowa Department of Transportations website; find that link at sos.iowa.gov, and click on Register to Vote, then Online Voter Registration and fill out the form.

You can also register to vote by mail by printing out the form at sos.iowa.gov/elections/pdf/voteapp.pdf, or by going to your county auditors office.

Iowa law also lets you register to vote on Election Day. Youll need some form of photo identification and proof of residency.

Photo identification includes a drivers license, U.S. passport, U.S. military ID, an ID card issued by your employer, a student ID issued by your high school or college, or a tribal ID. Proof of residency includes a residential lease, utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check or any other government document with your address.

Barring that, you can have someone attest to who you are at the polls.

Check if youre already registered to vote here: sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterreg/regtovote/search.aspx

How can I request an absentee ballot?

If you havent received an absentee ballot request from the state, your county auditors office or a number of political parties or special interest groups (all of which you can use to request an absentee ballot), you can download an absentee ballot here: sos.iowa.gov/elections/pdf/absenteeballotapp.pdf.

Black Hawk County Auditor Grant Veeder said his office is predicting a record number of absentee votes.

We already have about 29,000 ballots requested with a month to go, so we know were going to break our record, he said.

Bremer County Auditor Shelley Wolf said she doesnt expect all 17,000 registered voters in her county to vote absentee, but shes ready in case they do.

Our vault is definitely going to be full to its capacity this fall, but Im prepared, Wolf said.

The last day to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 24.

I requested an absentee ballot. When will I receive it?

The first absentee ballots will be mailed starting Monday, Oct. 5.

Auditors stress following all of the instructions to the letter. If you dont sign the ballot or dont put it in the secrecy envelope, your vote might not count. Double check youve followed all instructions before mailing it back.

You can track your absentee ballot here: sos.iowa.gov/elections/absenteeballotstatus/absentee/search.

Can I vote early? When and where can I do that?

In Black Hawk County, you may vote in person beginning Oct. 6 and through Oct. 20 at select locations in Waterloo and Cedar Falls; find a list of locations and times here: co.black-hawk.ia.us/DocumentCenter/ View/5628/2020 0922-News-Release-Satellite-Voting-Locations

You may also vote in person at the Black Hawk County Courthouse from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday starting Oct. 5 through Nov. 2. On Oct. 14, you may vote until 7 p.m. and on Oct. 29 you may vote until 5 p.m. The courthouse will also be open for voting Saturday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 31, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In Bremer County, you may vote in person at 124 Second St. N.E., two blocks west of the Bremer County Courthouse, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; Saturday, Oct. 24, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 31, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Voters may vote until 5 p.m. on Nov. 2.

Do I have to show ID to vote?

Yes, Iowa law requires photo identification at the polls. Those without drivers licenses or non-drivers licenses should have gotten a Voter ID card for free in the mail. Youll need to sign your Voter ID card for it to be valid.

Where do I vote on Election Day?

Your polling place may not be the same as the last time you voted. Black Hawk County has cut the number of polling locations to 43, and in Bremer County some have moved.

Find your polling place at sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterreg/pollingplace/search.aspx. If youre in Black Hawk County, youll get a postcard in the mail around Oct. 21 letting you know where your polling place will be.

Should I be worried about voter fraud or election hacking? What about voter intimidation?

Iowas Voter ID law, post-election audits, bar codes on mailed ballots and on-site security measures make fraud extremely rare.

As far as voter intimidation, Veeder said poll workers have the power to order arrest if someone feels threatened. Voters should tell poll workers if theres a problem.

I have a felony conviction. Can I vote this year?

In most cases, yes. Gov. Kim Reynolds signed an executive order Aug. 5 restoring the right to vote for those with felony convictions who had completed their sentences, regardless of whether theyve paid their fines.

The law excludes those convicted of homicides. They still must appeal to the governor for restoration of their voting rights. The link to that application can be found at the bottom of the page at this link: governor.iowa.gov/services/voting-rights-restoration

If you have a felony conviction but arent sure of whether youve completed your sentence, call the Iowa Department of Corrections at (515) 7255701.

Theres nothing special those with felony convictions need to do to vote; simply register to vote as normal.

Im in the military or living overseas. How do I vote?

Register to vote and request an absentee ballot by completing the Federal Post Card Application here: fvap.gov/uploads/FVAP/Forms/fpca2013.pdf, then emailing it to uocava@sos.iowa.gov.

If you want to vote by e-mail (yes, those overseas get this option), your request must be received by the close of business Monday, Nov. 2. You must send it back by the close of polls, or 9 p.m., on Election Day, Nov. 3.

Im a college student. Do I vote here, or in my hometown?

You can register to vote at either, but you may only pick one.

I need help reading or filling out my ballot. Can I still vote?

Yes, you may request assistance with filling out your ballot if youre blind, cant read the English language or have another physical disability that requires assistance with voting. You can bring someone to help you or ask a precinct worker to help.

Each polling place will also have a voter assist terminal with a touch screen available to any voter. The terminal may have features like a touch screen, an audio component or a sip/puff component.

If youre unable to leave your vehicle, you may ask precinct workers bring you a ballot. If youre aware ahead of time youll need to request this, contact your county auditor.

What if Im hospitalized or living in a care facility?

If youre admitted to a hospital or care facility by 5 p.m. Friday before Election Day, you can ask your county auditor to send an absentee ballot.

If you were admitted to the health care facility or hospital on the Saturday, Sunday, or Monday before Election Day, you may contact the county auditor directly to request an absentee ballot. You can have someone assist you in marking your ballot if its necessary.

Does Iowa need more precinct workers? How do I sign up?

Iowa needs approximately 10,000 precinct workers across the state. Precinct workers get paid. Those wanting to sign up can do so here: pollworker.iowa.gov.

What is a poll watcher, and what do they do?

Up to three poll watchers, which have a connection with a candidate or a political party, are allowed at each polling site, Veeder said.

They must wear identification and present themselves as poll watchers to precinct workers. They cant interfere with voting, disrupt the polling location or have conversations with precinct workers while theyre working, Wolf said.

They can observe the process, receive printed reports of voters who have signed in, and can challenge specific individuals if they dont believe they should be voting, Veeder said.

Theyre usually recruited by the political parties, according to Republicans of Black Hawk County chair LeaAnn Saul, who has recruited and trained poll watchers each election.

We do work with them quite extensively  what the dos and donts are, how to behave, how to present themselves, Saul said.

Black Hawk County Democrats chair Vikki Brown said she hasnt recruited poll watchers during her tenure, though Veeder said the Democrats have had poll watchers in the past.

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate noted hed rather have precinct workers than poll watchers.

I have appealed to both the Democratic and Republican parties of Iowa to put a stronger focus on helping county auditors identify (precinct) workers so we have enough to staff the sites, he said. Quite frankly, I cant think of a better way for the parties to feel better about the process.

I heard voting results may be delayed this year. Why?

A record number of absentee ballots could pose challenges for some counties. The postal service, with recent federal cuts, also may have trouble delivering ballots on time in some locations.

Pate stressed vote totals are never final on election night, noting theyre not official until a canvass is done days later, when all properly postmarked ballots come in and provisional ballots are accepted or thrown out.

I know everybody wants to hear election night results  and, as a candidate, youre darn right I wanna know too  but youre not gonna have the final ones for a few days, he said. I want to underscore that Im comfortable with the feedback from county auditors that we will have the preliminary count on election night.

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It was an action-filled day at the otherwise sleepy village of Boolgarhi, under Chandapa police station of Hathras district in Uttar Pradesh. There was elaborate security arrangement at the spot where the road bifurcates for the village.

Permission was being granted for political delegations to enter the village to meet the gang-rape and murder victims family. However, when an RLD delegation was about to enter the village and a Samajwadi Party (SP) team was leaving on Sunday, chaotic scenes were witnessed when the police resorted to lathi-charge.

A large number of SP supporters had gathered at the barricading outside the village, waiting for their party delegation. Five SP leaders had gone inside the village. The anxious SP workers soon went out of control and jumped the barricade, and amid the chaos, RLD vice president Jayant Chaudhary and his supporters arrived at the spot.

Also read: Bhim Army chief wants Y security cover for Hathras gang-rape victims family

Soon there was stone-pelting from some unidentified people gathered there and police resorted to lathi-charge while Chaudhary was interacting with a reporter. The RLD workers rushed to rescue Chaudhary as police went out of control.

The RLD leader downplayed the incident but criticised the police for the lathi-charge on his peaceful delegation. When the news reached Agra, the RLD workers condemned the lathi-charge on their leader.

This lathi-charge on Jayant Chaudhary reflects the jungle raj in Uttar Pradesh. He had gone to condole the death of the Hathras girl and was targeted in a planned manner, said Kaptan Singh Chahar, former spokesperson of the RLD.

Some RLD workers, including Pradeep Chaudhary, sustained major injuries, Chahar said.

Sub-district magistrate Prem Meena denied any planned lathi-charge and said that it was done to bring the situation under control after the SP and the RLD workers pelted stones on police.

The entry to the village was banned on Friday and not even media was allowed inside. However, on Saturday, additional chief secretary (home) Avanish Awasthi said delegations of five members can enter the village and meet the victims family members.

The first to meet the victims kin were Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi on Saturday evening.
Residents evacuated amid fears of a catastrophic dam collapse at Torquay have been allowed to return to their homes after a large volume of water was removed from the dam.

Authorities ruled that it was safe for the more than 100 residents from 41 homes to go home from 5pm on Sunday, after they were ordered to leave in the early hours of Saturday.

Killian and Alice O'Rourke with children Seamus, 3, and Connor, 7 months, and residents of 40 other houses were allowed home late Sunday afternoon. Credit:Paul Jeffers

The alarm had been raised about 6pm on Friday after water from an unknown source started coming up from the ground in two properties near the corner of Pintail Drive and Horseshoe Bend Road.

Most residents spent the rest of Saturday with family or friends, and about six people stayed in accommodation paid for by the Surf Coast Shire Council.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 19:44:25|Editor: huaxia

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A view of the Nile River and the Cairo city is seen from the Cairo Tower in Cairo, Egypt, Nov. 24, 2019. (Xinhua/Wu Huiwo)

"The flooding situation in Egypt is different and the society here will not be seriously affected," says an Egyptian official as floods in another downstream Nile basin country Sudan have caused damage and casualties.

by Mahmoud Fouly, Abdel-Meguid Kamal



CAIRO, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing Nile River flooding poses no serious threat to Egypt despite the damage and casualties it caused to fellow downstream Nile basin country Sudan, said an Egyptian official.

"The flooding situation in Egypt is different and the society here will not be seriously affected as it happened in other Nile basin states," Mohamed al-Sebai, spokesman of the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, told Xinhua.

The ministry's monitoring and forecasting center said that the Nile flooding is rather useful to Egypt this year, since there is an opportunity to use quantities of the flood water to refresh and improve the quality of the Nile water as well as reduce its pollution and the amount of ammonia in Egypt's Nile delta Rosetta branch, the spokesman added.

Photo taken on Nov. 25, 2018 shows the scenery of the Nile at sunset in Luxor, Egypt. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

The Nile River is the main source of fresh water in Egypt, providing the country with 55.5 billion cubic meters of water annually.

Sebai pointed out that the flooding will continue in Egypt until the end of October, in light of the continuous rainfalls in upstream Nile basin countries.

The ministry has recently announced that the Nile flooding this year is "high and likely to continue increasing," while the government assigned the ministry to set up an "emergency plan."

Egypt has 13 riparian provinces along the Nile River that would be first affected by the flooding, located between Aswan in the south and Damietta in the north.

The biggest issue about these provinces is their encroachments in the course of the Nile, whether through construction or plantation on adjacent lands, making them the most vulnerable.

The encroachments lead to bottlenecks in the course of the river, and thus the incoming amount of water cannot be absorbed.

However, the water ministry's spokesman told Xinhua that "any possible damage will be limited in the Nile islands and riparian lands of the river, which are considered an integral part of the river's course itself."

Experts expect the Nile water level in Egypt to rise by about 120 centimeters, overwhelming the lowlands including islands and riparian buildings and crops.

Photo taken on Sept. 6, 2020 shows houses hit by Nile River's flood in Khartoum, Sudan. (Xinhua/Mohamed Khidir)

Abbas Sharaqi, a professor of water resources at Cairo University, emphasized that the current flooding is not the most violent in the history of Egypt compared with those occurred in 1999 and 2000.

"But the difference is that Nasser Lake, the reservoir of Egypt's Aswan High Dam, has been filled early this year during the current flooding," said the Egyptian professor, attributing the current rise of the Nile water level in Egypt to the increasing water flow coming from the Ethiopian high central plateau.

Although Egypt and Sudan are the two downstream Nile basin states, this year's flooding caused deadly damage in Sudan while Egypt is likely to pass it safely, mainly due to its giant High Dam that helps contain a large quantity of the flooding water.

A resident walks on a flooded path in Al-Kadaro area, north of the capital Khartoum, Sudan on Aug. 31, 2020. (Xinhua/Mohamed Khidir)

"Sudan was exposed to a greater flooding that submerged some states due to the heavy rains there amid increasing water flow coming from upstream Ethiopia," Sharaqi told Xinhua.

He explained that the capabilities of Sudanese dams are limited that they cannot reserve large quantities of water.

The Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation has other ways to deal with such a flooding, as it can resort to using the Edfina Barrage on the Rosetta branch of the Nile, which releases excess water to the Mediterranean Sea, or other northern barrages in case of continuing water flow.

"The situation is under the control of the ministry, because it can increase or decrease the Nile water level, which is still at a safe level, or increase the amount of water discharged into the sea when necessary," said the Egyptian professor. 
More than 200 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers of Diva and Thane, including Thane BJP president Niranjan Davkhare, took to the streets on Sunday to protest the poor condition of roads in Diva.

The protest started at 10am in different areas of Diva and headed towards Diva turning point. Protesters were carrying sign boards and shouting slogans against the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) and the Shiv Sena, which is n power in TMC, for the bad condition of roads.

Rohidas Munde, a BJP member, said, The Shiv Sena gave us assurance that there would be development in Diva, but nothing that happened so far. Diva has always been treated like a step-child. We are a range of issues, from water problem to lack of basic road facilities. TMC has sanctioned certain amount for road repair works in Diva, but its still on the paper.

TMC deputy commissioner Sandip Malvi said, Our team has been busy in dealing with the pandemic situation. We are looking into the road issues of Diva.
NEW DELHI: All covid-19 vaccines that have been proven to be safe and efficacious in clinical trials outside India will need to undergo bridging studies to prove their safety and immunogenicity in the Indian population as well, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said on Sunday.

These studies though can be conducted with much smaller sample size and end quickly, the health minister said in his virtual interaction in the fourth episode of Sunday Samvaad.

All proposed clinical trials in India are designed using set principles and are stringently reviewed by the Subject Expert Committee set up by the Drug Controller General of India (DGCI), the health minister said.

Recently, the DCGI has also formulated draft guidelines on regulatory requirements for licensure of covid-19 vaccines in India," said Harsh Vardhan.

About phase 3 clinical trial of Russias Sputnik-V" vaccine in India, the health minister said the matter is still under consideration, and no decision has been taken as yet.

The health minister said India is not planning to venture into human challenge experiment trials until the method is proven to have an established benefit as per global experience.

India has robust processes in place to ensure the vaccines that successfully complete the clinical trials are safe and effective against the novel coronavirus," the health minister adding that when conducted, human challenge studies should be undertaken with abundant forethought, caution, and oversight. The value of the information to be gained should clearly justify the risks to human subjects, he added.

Union health ministry has started preparing a format in whichstates will submit lists of priority population groups to receive vaccine, especially health workers engaged in the management of covid-19, the health minister said.

The Centre is also working on plans for building capacities in HR, training, supervision etc on a massive scale and roughly estimates to receive and utilise 400-500 million doses covering 20-25 crore people by July, said the health minister.

A high level committee under the chairmanship of Niti Aayog Member (Health) V K Paul is drawing up the entire process.

Harsh Vardhan said the vaccine procurement is being done centrally and each consignment will be tracked real time until delivery to ensure it reaches those who need it most.

The total tally of covid-19 cases on Sunday crossed 66 lakhs. Maharashtra contributed more than 14,000 to the new cases. Karnataka and Kerala reported 9886 and 7834 new cases, respectively.

Around 940 deaths have been registered in the last 24 hours taking the toll tally to 102,251. Around 80.5% of new reported fatalities are from 10 States and UTs. About 29.6% of deaths reported yesterday are from Maharashtra with 278 deaths followed by Karnataka with 100 deaths. Maharashtras contribution to the death toll has been on a decline, the health ministry said.

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Baku (Azerbaijan), Oct 4 (AP) The fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces continued on Sunday over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, with Azerbaijans second-largest city coming under attack. Azerbaijani officials said Sunday that Armenian forces attacked Ganja, the countrys second largest city. Hikmet Hajiyev, an aide to the Azerbaijani president, tweeted a video depicting damaged buildings, and called it the result of Armenias massive missile attacks against dense residential areas" in Ganja.

It wasnt immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the video. Hajiyev said in another tweet that attacks on Ganja and other areas in Azerbaijan were launched from territory of Armenia. Armenias Defense Ministry said that no fire of any kind is being opened from the territory of Armenia in Azerbaijans direction. But Nagorno-Karabakhs leader, Arayik Harutyunyan, confirmed on Facebook he ordered rocket attacks to neutralize military objects in Ganja. His spokesman, Vahram Poghosyan, said the territorys army destroyed a military airport in Ganja, a claim Azerbaijani officials denied. The attack on the city killed one civilian and left four others wounded, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry tweeted. Harutyunyan said he ordered his forces to stop the attacks on Ganja to avoid civilian casualties. Nagorno-Karabakhs leader added that proportionate and crushing strikes targeting the opponents forces would continue, if Azerbaijan fails to draw appropriate lessons. The fighting, which broke out on Septembr 27 and has continued for eight straight days, is the biggest escalation in years in the decades-long dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh. The region lies within Azerbaijan, but is controlled by local ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia. Both sides said the hostilities have spread beyond the breakaway territory and accused each other of attacking areas outside Nagorno-Karabakh.

Ganja, with a population of more than 330,000, is located roughly 100 kilometers (about 60 miles) north of Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakhs capital. Opening fire on the territory of Azerbaijan from the territory of Armenia is clearly provocative and expands the zone of hostilities, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov said in a statement Sunday.

As the fighting resumed Sunday morning, Armenian officials accused Azerbaijan of carrying out strikes on Stepanakert and targeting the civilian population there. Nagorno-Karabakhs leader Harutyunyan said that in response, his forces would target military facilities permanently located in major cities of Azerbaijan. In a statement issued later on Sunday, Azerbaijans Defense Ministry rejected accusations of targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure. Nagorno-Karabakh officials have said nearly 200 servicemen on their side have died so far. Azerbaijani authorities havent given details on their military casualties, but said 22 civilians were killed and 74 others were wounded.

Nagorno-Karabakh was a designated autonomous region within Azerbaijan during the Soviet era. It claimed independence from Azerbaijan in 1991, about three months before the Soviet Unions collapse. A full-scale war that broke out in 1992 killed an estimated 30,000 people. the war ended in 1994, Armenian forces not only held Nagorno-Karabakh itself but substantial areas outside the territorys formal borders, including Madagiz, the village Azerbaijan claimed to have taken on Saturday along with several others.

This weeks fighting has prompted calls for a cease-fire from around the world. On Thursday, leaders of Russia, France and the United States co-chairs of the so-called Minsk Group, which was set up by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe in 1992 to resolve the conflict issued a joint statement calling for an immediate cease-fire and resuming substantive negotiations  under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. Azerbaijani President Ilkham Aliyev said that Armenias withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh is the sole condition to end the fighting. Armenian officials allege that Turkey is involved in the conflict and is sending fighters from Syria to the region. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said earlier this week that a cease-fire can be established only if Turkey is removed from the South Caucasus. Ankara has denied sending arms or foreign fighters, while publicly siding with Azerbaijan in the dispute.

On Sunday, Turkeys Foreign Ministry condemned the attack on Ganja, saying it was proof of Armenias disregard for the law. Ankara accused Armenia of attacking civilian residential areas, and claimed that Armenia could commit crimes against humanity. Armenia is the biggest barrier to peace and stability in the region, the ministry said.(AP) .

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
Energy exchanges IEX and PXIL have expressed hope that renewable energy certificate (REC) trading will resume after three months on October 28 as electricity tribunal APTEL has concluded hearing on the REC pricing issue.

Trading of RECs is done on the last Wednesday of every month on the (IEX) and the Power Exchange India (PXIL).

The green certificates trading was stopped in July this year after the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) decided to postpone the trading by four weeks, while hearing three separate petitions related to an issue of fixing floor and forbearance prices of RECs by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC).

Talking to PTI on the issue, PXIL Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Prabhajit Kumar Sarkar said, "APTEL has concluded the hearing expeditiously and reserved its judgement. We hope that the order on case would be issued soon and REC trading may resume this month only, on October 28."



IEX Corporate Communication Head Shruti Bhatia said, "The REC trading should be resumed at the soonest. We really hope that APTEL gives its final order soon so that green certificates trading can be resumed this month only on October 28 without any further delays."



According to the latest update on the case available on the APTEL portal, the arguments on the three petitions are concluded and judgement is reserved.

It also says that the interim order, if any, shall continue till the judgment is pronounced.

That means the REC trading would not be done till the final judgement is pronounced because APTEL had postponed the green certificates trading in its interim order.

Earlier in July, the APTEL had postponed the trading of REC scheduled on July 29 by four weeks till August 26, after hearing three separate appeals filed by the Green Energy Association, the Indian Wind Power Association and Techno Electric and Engineering Company Ltd against the CERC order issued on fixing REC floor and forbearance prices.

REC trading was not done on August 26 as well as September 30, consequently.

In the order issued on August 26 after hearing the three appeals again, APTEL said, "Interim order, if any, shall continue till the next date of hearing... List the matter for hearing on September 4 and 5."



According to a CERC order in June, the floor price of solar and non-solar RECs has been reduced to zero from Rs 1,000 earlier.

Similarly, the forbearance (ceiling) price of solar and non-solar was reduced to Rs 1,000 for both from Rs 2,400 and Rs 3,000, respectively.

The forbearance price and floor price fixed by the CERC are effective from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 or until further orders of the Commission.

In June, the Supreme Court had refused to entertain Green Energy Association's (GEA) appeal on stopping REC price revision by the CERC.

Industry experts were of the view that higher REC prices put additional burden on consumers in power tariff.

Under the renewable purchase obligation (RPO), bulk purchasers like discoms, open access consumers and capacitive users are required to buy a certain proportion of RECs. They can buy RECs from renewable energy producers to meet the RPO norms.

One REC is created when one megawatt hour of electricity is generated from an eligible renewable energy source.

Sales of renewable energy certificates declined over 29 per cent to 89.27 lakh units in 2019-20, compared to 1.26 crore units in 2018-19.

(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.)
Panaji, Oct 4 : Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Sunday said that the opposition was playing the role of a 'dalal' of 'dalals' or middlemen by opposing the new farm laws which he claimed were aimed at better productivity, more investment, new technology and better seeds, and more export of agricultural produce.

Addressing a press conference here, Javadekar said that nearly 60 per cent of the country's population was linked to agriculture sector, but their contribution to India's Gross Domestic Product was just around 10 to 15 per cent, which needed improvement.

"Only 'dalals' are at a loss because of the new laws. The biggest misfortune in the agriculture sector is that while the farmer gets low prices (for his produce), the consumer has to pay through the nose. The middlemen, who have no hand in production, tend to earn the most. They (opposition) are shouting because the 'dalals' are facing a loss. Sometimes, I feel the opposition has become a 'dalal' of the 'dalals'. This is the core issue," said Javadekar, who was in Goa on a two-day official visit to explain to farmers groups he importance of the new laws.

"The agriculturists have welcomed these new changes and it will be the case in the future too. The opposition will be defeated; they will not be able to do anything because lies have a short life and truth lasts. We are with the truth whereas the opposition stands with lies," the Union Minister claimed.

"The biggest advantage of contract farming is that the ownership of the land will not change. Only the crop grown (on the land) will be a part of the contract. The farmer will be able to sell his produce at a good price," he said.

"... agricultural productivity in India is half compared with global standards. It is important to improve productivity. It will only improve with advanced technology and new seeds and new investment. New investment will flow in because of these laws," the senior BJP leader said.

Javadekar said that the opposition to the new farm laws was political in nature, that too essentially in Punjab, but added that most farmer groups were supportive of the new statute.

"Farmer organisations are also with these laws. Where are the protests in the country? Only in a small way in Punjab, because they (opposition) are in power there. The rest of the protests have wound up. Some small sporadic protests are alright, because our country is a democracy," he remarked.
Chennai, Oct 4 : At a time when everything was going fine for Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and ruling AIADMK Joint Coordinator K.Palaniswami, the demand for announcing the Chief Ministerial candidate for the 2021 elections by his supporters has put him on a difficult wicket, said analysts and politicians.

They also said the threat of the party going back to the position where it was soon after the death of General Secretary J. Jayalalithaa also exists owing to the power struggle.

"The going was good for Palaniswami including the general public perception about the government handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. The only negative point was the reopening of liquor shops. The opposition had nothing much except complaining about corruption.

"All that Palaniswami had to do was to consolidate his position silently without precipitating any issue," a political analyst told IANS preferring anonymity.

But it was not to be. In an apparently wrong strategy Palaniswami's supporters raised the issue of the party announcing the Chief Ministerial candidate for the 2021 assembly elections.

"This gave the space for another Chief Minister aspirant and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam to raise the issue of forming a steering committee to guide the party," the analyst added.

"It was a wrong strategy on the part of Chief Minister supporters to rake up the issue of Chief Ministerial candidate for the 2021 elections," former Member of Parliament (MP) K.C. Palanisamy told IANS.

"Sitting Chief Minister will have to be the Chief Ministerial candidate and the party cannot project another person and fight the polls," a senior leader of AIADMK told IANS preferring anonymity.

"The focus should have been on projecting the good deeds of the government so that Palaniswami would have been a default Chief Ministerial candidate. Now a sitting Chief Minister fighting to be declared as the party's Chief Ministerial candidate. It is really a climb down for him," the analyst added.

"Even at the recent party's Executive Committee meeting the stage could have been managed better. Palaniswami could have agreed for a steering committee and asked Panneerselvam to give his list of nominees while settling the Chief Ministerial candidate issue then," Palanisamy said.

"If that had been done, the entire focus would be on the Chief Ministerial candidate and the steering committee issue could have been pickled. They didn't manage the stage well though it was laden with their supporters," Palanisamy added.

"With elections coming closer, it is the party that will gain importance and not the government. As per the existing legal structure, the AIADMK has two leaders -- Panneerselvam as Coordinator and Palaniswami as Joint Coordinator -- with equal powers. No one person can even call a party meeting on his own," the analyst said.

Negating that Palanisamy said: "The General Council can be called by party Presidium. Further a certain number of members of the General Council can demand calling of the Council meeting. Then a resolution can be passed to give the authorised signatory power to Chief Minister Palaniswami." According to the analyst, given this position, raising the Chief Ministerial candidate issue prematurely has rubbed Panneerselvam on the wrong side and is now asserting his position.

Without the signatures of Panneerselvam and Palaniswami, no one can file election nomination papers to contest under the party's two leaves symbol.

While Palaniswami could say that he had steered the government to safety by securing the requisite numbers, Panneerselvam contends that he saved and secured the party from V.K. Sasikala and family by fighting against her and agreed for the number two slot.

Panneerselvam said he had not demanded the Chief Minister post nor be declared as the Chief Ministerial candidate but his only demand was setting up a steering committee as agreed earlier.

"Agreeing for the steering committee would send a signal to the party members that Panneerselvam is gaining strength and fence sitters would wait and watch," the analyst added.

Keeping the party in a flux and delaying the critical decisions would strengthen Panneerselvam's hands.

Meanwhile, the BJP which was instrumental in the merger of Panneerselvam faction with AIADMK, years back, is keeping silent.

Political observers say that a phone call from BJP headquarters to AIADMK to sort out the issue would have settled the issue. But no such call is forthcoming.

According to an analyst, perhaps, BJP does not want a single strong leader to emerge in AIADMK. It is better to have a party that is weak and quarreling.

Further BJP's target would be 2024 and look at who can deliver the goods then.

"For the allies also a divided AIADMK is good as it gives them a better bargaining power for more number of seats to contest in the elections," political analyst Kolahala Srenivaas told IANS.

A weak AIADMK is also good for DMK as it can dole out a lesser number of seats to its allies.

"The scenario would change when actor Rajinikanth floats his party. While his movie brand equity is good, he is an unknown quantity in terms of vote share. Then the allies of DMK and AIADMK will have more options and gain seat bargaining power," an analyst pointed out.

Srenivaas wondered why Panneerselvam is raking up the steering committee issue now after remaining silent all these years.

"As per my information, a consensus is being reached on setting up a steering committee. Panneerselvam wants representation of all major castes in the committee," Srenivaas said.

According to former MP Palanisamy, if the steering committee is formed now, Panneerselvam's power will go up as he could insist that the selection of poll candidates will be done by the committee.

Even if the steering committee is set up and all the leaders are pacified, the AIADMK is not out of the woods.

There is a case in the Delhi High Court filed by former MP Palanisamy demanding the restoration of the powers to the party primary members to elect the General Secretary.

The duo -- Palaniswami and Panneerselvam -- had amended the party constitution enabling the members of the General Council to elect the Coordinator and Joint Coordinator.

Palanisamy contends that party founder M.G.Ramachandran framed the rule whereby the leader would be elected by the primary members and the rule was followed by Jayalalithaa.

"The case is coming up for hearing on October 14 in the Delhi High Court. The Delhi High Court had earlier held the change of electors disturbs the party constitution. The opposite parties may continue to dodge but ultimately the courts will decide," Palanisamy said.

According to him, BJP is perhaps backing Panneerselvam.

But as to the future of AIADMK depends on the emergence of a leader who will not put the party subservient to any other political party or to the central government, Palanisamy added.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in)
Dr. Sean Conley, physician to President Donald Trump, briefs reporters at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020. Trump was admitted to the hospital after contracting the coronavirus. Read more

As President Donald Trump remains hospitalized after testing positive for the coronavirus last week, a Doylestown-native and graduate of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine is overseeing his treatment.

This weekend, Dr. Sean P. Conley has emerged as the public face of updates on the presidents health and has thus far delivered an optimistic assessment of Trumps condition.

But his daily updates have also put him at the center of controversy on the accuracy of the information he has released. Asked on Sunday whether he had downplayed the seriousness of Trumps condition, Conley told reporters: I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude of the team, that the president, that his course of illness has had.

Flanked by a team of doctors outside the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Sunday, Conley, 40, said that if things keep on their current course Trump could be back at the White House next week.

The fact of the matter is hes doing really well, he said. Hes responding  and if everything continues to go well, were going to start discharge planning.

But Conleys remarks from the same podium a day earlier  when he appeared to indicate that the president had been sick for a full day and a half before announcing his infection Friday morning  stoked new questions about Trumps health and whether he knowingly exposed others to the disease, sending the White House scrambling to do damage control.

His assessment of the presidents condition also clashed with statements Trumps chief of staff Mark Meadows made shortly after that briefing that the president was not on a clear path yet to a full recovery."

Heres what we know about Conley:

 READ MORE: Doctors say Trumps blood oxygen level dropped suddenly, but health continued to improve

He grew up in Bucks County and earned his medical degree in Philadelphia.

Born in 1980, Conley was raised in Doylestown and graduated from Central Bucks High School East in 1998. He left the area to attend Notre Dame University but returned for medical school where he received a degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2006.

His wife, Kristin, with whom he has three children, is also a doctor and attended the same medical school. Before that, she graduated from Gwynedd Mercy Academy in Lower Gwynedd and from LaSalle University, according to their 2004 wedding announcement in the Doylestown Intelligencer.

The couple now lives in Maryland.

He became the presidents doctor two years ago.

Conley has served in the role of White House physician since 2018, after Trump picked his predecessor, Dr. Ronny L. Jackson, to become secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Jacksons nomination was later derailed amid allegations of inappropriate workplace behavior. Nevertheless, Conleys selection to replace him as Trumps personal doctor sailed ahead and he took over the position in May of 2018.

Before this week, he has rarely sought the public eye and only interacted with the press on limited occasions, including in the aftermath of an unannounced visit to Walter Reed Trump made last year, and which became public last month.

At the presidents urging, Conley issued a statement after that visit saying Trump had not suffered from or been examined for symptoms of a stroke or a heart-related emergency.

Since the presidents coronavirus diagnosis, he has led a team of doctors treating Trump that also includes heart and lung specialists.

He is an osteopathic physician.

Since Conley emerged as the face of Trumps coronavirus treatment, speculation has run rampant on social media about his qualifications, with some stating incorrectly that osteopathic physicians are not real doctors or are the equivalent of chiropractors.

But doctors practicing in the field are fully licensed, must meet the same standards as doctors in other fields of medicine, and can deliver conventional treatments and prescribe medicine.

According to the American Osteopathic Association, osteopathic physicians focus on prevention as well as a patients lifestyle and environment to improve their overall physical wellbeing.

Historically, the gap between D.O.s, or doctors of osteopathic medicine, and M.D.s, doctors of medicine, was wider. Osteopathic physicians focused on caring holistically for the patients health rather than only treating specific symptoms or illnesses.

But these days, most patients might not even notice a difference in the care or treatments they would receive, said Rick Pescatore, chief physician of the Delaware Division of Public Health and a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Theres zero difference," Pescatore said, in how a medical doctor and an osteopathic physician would treat many conditions, including the coronavirus.

Trained at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Conley completed his residence at the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth in Portsmouth, Va., and later served as the research director at the Portsmouth Navy Department of Emergency Medicine. He is board certified in emergency medicine.

The rigors of emergency medicine certification are not trivial," Pescatore said. Politics aside, I have every reason to believe hes an informed physician.

He approved of the president taking hydroxychloroquine.

Conleys first foray into the public arena came in May, when he issued a statement announcing that the president was taking the malaria-drug hydroxychloroquine as a preventative treatment against the coronavirus.

Though Trump has repeatedly touted the drug as an effective treatment, many doctors have questioned its effectiveness and safety, especially for elderly patients. A month before Trump started his course of therapy on the drug, the Food and Drug Administration warned it should only be used in hospitals or in clinical trials, and advised that it could trigger dangerous heart rhythms in patients.

Still, Conley said in a statement that he and the president had concluded the potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risks.

Conley did not say at the time whether he prescribed the treatment for Trump.

But speaking to reporters Saturday outside Walter Reed, Conley said that the president has not been treated with hydroxychloroquine since his diagnosis.

He served in Afghanistan in 2014.

While deployed to Afghanistan in 2014 as a lieutenant commander in the Navy, Conley served as an emergency physician with the International Security Assistance Force in Kandahar.

While there, he and a team of doctors were awarded the Romanian Emblem of Honor for their role in saving the life of a Romanian soldier who was injured by an improvised explosive device.
S Nagaraja Rao By

Express News Service

KADAPA: Fear of contracting Covid-19 among people has led to shortage of blood in blood banks and hospitals, much to the discomfort of those who are in urgent need of blood for surgery, blood transfusion for thalassemia patients, kidney patients and accident victims.

Under such circumstances, 31-year-old Pattupogula Pavan Kumar, an engineering graduate, took it upon himself to motivate people and volunteer to donate blood. During Covid-19 crisis, this young man, who is the founder of Kadapa-based Blood 2 Live, a voluntary organisation, succeeded in gathering 700 units of blood, which was provided to government hospitals and blood banks.

There is a strong reason behind Pawan Kumar, who studied engineering but chose to be a shop owner, to become a blood donation crusader. In 2007, when he was an 18-year-old, Pawans mother Parvathi suffered from ill-health and doctors advised spinal cord surgery. However, doctors asked the family members to arrange the blood needed for the operation themselves.

As he was from a poor family and his relatives werent aware of what blood donation means, no one came forward. Pawan donated blood to save his mother and the surgery was performed successfully. When he was pursuing engineering, as a student leader, he motivated fellow students to donate blood for those in need. Later, when Pawans wife Asha Jyothi alias Grace Mercy suffered from cardiac problems and underwent treatment in a private hospital in Vijayawada, where she was fixed with a pacemaker, Pawan saw the plight of several people including children undergoing treatment in need of blood.

He decided to take up blood donation campaigns as his lifes primary goal. Pawan, who had conducted thousands of awareness programmes in the last 13 years, and organised blood donation camps, was moved by the plight of people in need of blood post-lockdown. After Unlock 1.0, with resumption of road transportation, the number of road accidents has increased, necessitating the need for blood in the hospitals. However, people out of fear of contracting Covid-19, are reluctant to donate blood, which resulted in decrease in blood reserves in blood banks.

It is not only accident victims, but also those undergoing surgery for various ailments, particularly cardiac and orthopedic, need blood transfusion. Suresh Kumar, in-charge of New City Blood Bank in Vijayawada, where Pawan organised motivational programmes in the second week of September, says the three-day motivational programme saw 100 people coming forward to donate blood. Pawan touched upon various aspects of blood donation and its importance, Suresh says.

Donating drops of life



I understood the importance of blood and started a voluntary organisation - Blood 2 Live - and distributed 13 lakh pamphlets creating awareness till date. I myself donated blood 21 times and facilitated blood donation through blood donation camps, Pawan told The New Indian Express. His efforts fetched him the Red Cross Award and AISF Young Achiever Award
Tributes have flooded in for the 'well loved' doctor who was found dead next to the body of her badly burned daughter after a house fire which led to a double murder investigation.

Dr Saman Mir Sacharvi, 49, and her teenage daughter Vian Mangrio, 14, were found at the home they lived in together in Burnley, Lancashire, at 8.45am on Thursday.

Lancashire Constabulary received a report of concern for the mother and child's safety and also discovered evidence of fire and smoke inside the house.

Police yesterday revealed Dr Sacharvi had suffered an assault and died from 'pressure to the neck', while her daughter's corpse was found badly burned.

As investigators probe the suspected double murder scores of emotional tributes have poured in for Dr Sacharvi, who worked for Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust.

Dr Saman Mir Sacharvi (pictured with her daughter), 49, and her teenage daughter Vian Mangrio, 14, were found at the home they lived in together in Burnley, Lancashire, at 8.45am on Thursday

A trust spokesman said: 'Our thoughts are with Dr Sacharvi's family and friends at this time.

'She was a well loved and well liked colleague here at the Trust, described as 'brilliant' and a 'joy to work with'.'

Former colleagues and patients have also taken to social media to pay their respects.

Jacqueline Eastwood said: 'RIP Saman you were a lovely person and we had lots of laughs when we worked together.'

Julie Chapman added: 'Such a beautiful kind caring, lady. Words can't express how awful this is. RIP Dr Saman and your beautiful daughter.

'It was a privilege to have met you and been able to work with you. Thoughts and prayers are with your family and friends at this sad time.'

Police yesterday revealed Dr Sacharvi had suffered an assault and died from 'pressure to the neck', while her daughter's corpse was found badly burned

Helen Monk posted: 'Beautiful woman and an amazing Doctor. She was loved and well thought of on Edisford Ward. She will be sadly missed and fondly remembered.'

Christini Patini added: 'Our lovely, warm, funny gentle colleague.

'Only last week a service user asked if she was as lovely to work with as she was with her patients, and she was.'

Speaking yesterday Supt Jon Holmes, Lancashire Constabulary's Head of Major Crime, urged anyone with information about what happened to step forward.

As investigators probe the suspected double murder scores of emotional tributes have poured in for Dr Sacharvi, who worked for Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

He said: 'This is a truly harrowing set of circumstances and my thoughts are very much with the loved ones of Dr Sacharvi and Miss Mangrio.

'They have my deepest condolences at this awful time.

'We are now treating the investigation as a double murder inquiry and although we are still in the relatively early stages we have a dedicated team of detectives and staff working on it.

'They are following a number of lines of enquiry to piece together exactly what has happened.

Police received a report of concern for the mother and child's safety and discovered evidence of fire and smoke inside the house (pictured on Thursday as police investigated the scene)

'I would now appeal to anyone with any information about these two deaths to get in touch with us.

'Perhaps you have seen something suspicious close to the scene in recent days or weeks, maybe you have CCTV or dashcam footage taken in the area that you can share with us, or perhaps you think you know who may be responsible.

'Even if you think that the information you have is insignificant, please come and speak to us and let us be the judge.

'We also recognise that this will have caused concern in the local community and we would like to reassure residents that we have extra patrols in and around the area. If anyone has information or concerns they can approach any of our officers.'

Anyone with information is asked to contact police through the dedicated Major Incident Portal or on 101, quoting log 0429 of October 3.

Alternatively independent charity Crimestoppers can be reached anonymously on 0800 555 111 or at crimestoppers-uk.org.
New Delhi: In the aftermath of the brutal gang-rape of a teenage girl in Hathras, BJP MLA from Ballia has claimed that rapes can be stopped if girls are taught 'sanskaar'.

In a video released by ANI on Twitter, the legislator is heard saying that it is every parent`s 'dharma' to raise their young daughters in a cultured environment and teach them to behave decently.

He said in Hindi, "Yeh ghatnaye keval sanskaar se ruk sakti hain, shashan aur talwar se rukne wala nahin hain. Sabhi mata-pita ka dharm hai ki woh apni jawan aur yuvti beti ko ek sanskari vaatavaran mein shaalin vyavhaar karne ka tareeka sikhana chahiye."

Which roughly translates to: "Such incidents can only be stopped by good values, and not by governance or sword. It is every parent`s dharma to raise their young daughters in a cultured environment and teach them to behave decently."

WATCH:

#WATCH Incidents like these can be stopped with help of good values, na shashan se na talwar se. All parents should teach their daughters good values. It's only the combination of govt & good values that can make country beautiful: Surendra Singh, BJP MLA from Ballia. #Hathras pic.twitter.com/47AmnGByA3  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 3, 2020

"If it is the government`s 'dharma' to provide protection, it is the family`s 'dharma' to teach good values to their children. It is only the combination of government and good values that can make the country beautiful," he said.

In Hathras, a 19-year-old was allegedly gang-raped by four upper caste men. She was admitted to Delhi`s Safdarjung hospital on September 29, a fortnight after the incident where she succumbed to her injuries. All the four accused in the incident have been arrested.

Read | Hathras gang-rape: Victim's family refuses to undergo narco-test; this is what they said

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh government led by Yogi Adityanath has recommended the CBI investigation into Hathras gang-rape and murder case, the Chief Minister's office stated on Saturday (October 3). CM Adityanath also said that his government was determined to ensure the harshest punishment for those guilty in the entire incident.

Also read | Case against Swara, Digvijaya, others for disclosing Hathras victim's identity, if rape proved: NCW

On Friday, CM Yogi suspended Hathras SP and four other policemen over the incident. The action was taken on the basis of a preliminary inquiry report of the SIT which was constituted by the chief minister to probe into the case of alleged murder and gang-rape of a 19-year-old girl in Hathras.

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About 100 public schools and 200 private schools would have to close. Indoor dining, which just resumed a few days ago, would be suspended. Outdoor dining and gyms would shut down in affected neighborhoods, too. Houses of worship would be allowed to remain open with existing restrictions in place, he said.
Attorney general (AG) KK Venugopal on Saturday declined to grant permission for the initiation of criminal contempt of the Supreme Court (SC) proceedings against Digvijaya Singh, a Congress Member of Parliament (MP) and a former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh (MP), for his two uncalled for tweets.

In one of his tweets, Singh had criticised the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government for introducing the Special Security Force (SSF) Act, 2020, and another for expressing doubts on whether a court would strike down the law.

Venugopal wrote to advocate Sumant Sudan and agreed that the tweets were uncalled for but did not merit action for a criminal contempt of the SC.

I have given careful consideration to the tweets. The statements made are uncalled for. However, I do not believe that they merit action for criminal contempt of the SC of India, Venugopal stated in his letter.

The SSF Act, 2020 empowers the UP government to establish a special security force for the better protection of persons, their residential premises and vital and strategic installations belonging to the state.

Also Read: UP Assembly bypolls: Congress names candidates for Suar and Bangarmau seats

The law had come under spotlight for its provisions, which vests the special security force with sweeping powers.

Section 10 of the Act empowers the special security force to arrest any person without an arrest warrant if the person is suspected of having links to any cognisable offence concerning the notified establishments or if the authorities have reasons to believe that he is taking steps to commit such an offence.

Section 11 of the Act gives power to the special security force to arrest the person and seize his belongings without a warrant.

Does the Indian Constitution permit such a law? Will the countrys judiciary consider such a law unconstitutional? Or will it decide in favour of the government under pressure? Let us wait and watch, Singh had tweeted.

The tweet has the potential to shake the faith of the common public in the judicial process of the country, Sudan had said in his plea seeking AGs consent to initiate a criminal contempt of the SC against Singh.

As per Section 15 of the Contempt of Courts Act and Rule 3 of Rules to Regulate Proceedings for Contempt of the SC, the consent of AG or the Solicitor General (SG) is required before the apex court can hear a criminal contempt plea filed by an individual.

Earlier, Venugopal had declined to grant consent for an initiation of criminal contempt of the SC against journalist Rajdeep Sardesai and actor Swara Bhaskar.

The contempt action was sought against Sardesai for his tweets criticising the SCs handling of the contempt of court case against lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan.

Similar action was sought against Bhasker for her tweets criticising the SC and its judgement in the Ayodhya case on November 9, 2019.

Venugopals stance before the SC in the contempt of court case against advocate Bhushan was noteworthy, as the Centres top law officer had urged the apex court not to impose any punishment on the lawyer.

Venugopal had appeared in that case in his personal capacity at the apex courts request on August 20.

He had requested the SC to let Bhushan off with a reprimand.
Priti Patel today vowed to stop people 'taking our country for a ride' by overhauling the 'broken' asylum system and cracking down on migrant crossings.

The Home Secretary pledged the 'biggest overhaul in decades' as she warned that the current arrangements are not 'firm or fair'.

In her keynote speech to Tory conference, Ms Patel said that toughening enforcement and preventing abuse of the rules was the best way to 'protect the vulnerable'.

The Cabinet minister also lashed out at Labour MPs berating her over her strong stance on law and order issues, saying she would not change tack just because she did not 'conform' to their idea of the views ethnic minorities should hold.

Ms Patel told the conference, being held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic, that 'do gooders and lefty lawyers and the Labour Party' had to stop 'defending the indefensible' on asylum system.

'We will protect those most in need and put the rights of those who respect the rules above those who take our country for a ride,' she said.

The impassioned speech came after a furious row over the leaking of 'blue sky' ideas for reforming asylum arrangements and stemming migrant crossings.

Proposals have been floated including introducing a processing centre on Ascension Island, 4,000 miles away, and even using wave machines in the Channel.

However, government sources have insisted the ideas were only ever considered in brainstorming sessions, and complained that they are being leaked to damage ministers.

Border Force brings a group of would-be migrants back to shore in the Channel last month

In her keynote speech to Tory conference, Ms Patel said that toughening enforcement and preventing abuse of the rules was the best way to 'protect the vulnerable'

Patel hits out at 'disrespect' of Cenotaph during protests Priti Patel took aim at the tactics of Black Lives Matter and Extinction Rebellion protesters today as she criticised the 'hooliganism and thuggery' seen on the country's streets. Social media video clips showed police in Westminster having objects hurled at them by anti-racist campaigners earlier this year, while a statue of Sir Winston Churchill had to be boarded up to protect it from vandalism during the Black Lives Matter protests. In Bristol, those taking to the streets as part of the protests, sparked by the death of George Floyd in the US, tore down a statue of Edward Colston, who made his wealth through the slave trade. There was also widespread condemnation last month when Extinction Rebellion climate change protesters blockaded the printing presses of national newspapers. Ms Patel, addressing the virtual Conservative Party conference on Sunday, said there was 'no excuse' for the behaviour shown. She said police had the 'backing of the Government, backing of our party, our Government and our Prime Minister' in their efforts to police the demonstrations. She told members: 'This Government will always defend the right to protest. 'That right is a fundamental pillar of our democracy, but the hooliganism and thuggery we have seen is not  it is indefensible. 'There is no excuse for pelting flares at brave police officers, for throwing bikes at police horses, for disrespecting the Cenotaph or vandalising the statue of Sir Winston Churchill, one of the greatest protectors of our freedoms who has ever lived. 'It is not acceptable for mobs to tear down statues and cause criminal damage across our streets. 'And it is not acceptable for thugs to assault our police officers, just for doing their job.' She said the Government had already agreed to double the maximum sentence for assaults on emergency workers and confirmed she was working with chief constables to ensure their officers 'have the tools, support and the powers they need' to police such incidents. Ms Patel also paid tribute to 'hero' Pc Andrew Harper, who died when he became entangled in a tow rope as he tried to stop quad bike thieves, and Sergeant Matt Ratana, who was shot as he prepared to search a suspect who was handcuffed. She vowed to work with Pc Harper's widow, Lissie Harper, to 'ensure anyone who kills an emergency worker gets the sentence they deserve'. Advertisement

Ms Patel said that under the Conservatives the UK 'has and always will provide sanctuary when the lights are being switched off on people's liberties'.

'A fair asylum system should provide safe haven to those fleeing persecution, oppression or tyranny,' she said.

'But ours doesn't. Because our asylum system is fundamentally broken. And we have a responsibility to act.'

Ms Patel said: 'From the expulsion of Ugandan Asians from a repressive regime, to proudly resettling more Syrian refugees than any other EU country, to supporting campaigners fleeing political persecution in Hong Kong.

'Under Conservative leadership, the United Kingdom has and always will provide sanctuary when the lights are being switched off on people's liberties.

'So, I will introduce a new system that is firm and fair.

'Fair and compassionate towards those who need our help. Fair by welcoming people through safe and legal routes.

'But firm because we will stop the abuse of the broken system.

'Firm, because we will stop those who come here illegally making endless legal claims to remain.

'And firm, because we will expedite the removal of those who have no claim for protection.

'After decades of inaction by successive governments, we will address the moral, legal, practical problems with this broken system. Because what exists now is neither firm nor fair.

'And I will bring forward legislation to deliver on that commitment. I will take every necessary step to fix this broken system. Amounting to the biggest overhaul of our asylum system in decades.'

The Home Secretary promised 'accelerate' the operational response to illegal migration.

She said: 'We will continue to hunt down the criminal gangs who traffic people into our country.

'I will continue to use the full force of our outstanding National Crime Agency and intelligence agencies to go after them.

'We will make more immediate returns of those who come here illegally and break our rules, every single week.

'And we will explore all practical measures and options to deter illegal migration.'

Ms Patel went on: 'As for those defending the broken system  the traffickers, the do gooders, the leftie lawyers, the Labour Party  they are defending the indefensible.

'And that is something I will never do.

'If at times it means being unpopular on Twitter. I will bear it.

'If at times it means Tony Blair's spin doctor mocking my accent. So be it.

'And if at times it means Labour Members of Parliament attempting to silence me because I do not conform to their idea of what an ethnic minority woman should stand for. I will stomach it.

'Because as Conservatives, we do not measure the depth of our compassion in two hundred and eighty characters on Twitter, but in the actions we take and the choices we make.'

Ms Patel also took aim at the tactics of Black Lives Matter and Extinction Rebellion protesters, as she criticised the 'hooliganism and thuggery' seen on the country's streets.

Social media video clips showed police in Westminster having objects hurled at them by anti-racist campaigners earlier this year, while a statue of Sir Winston Churchill had to be boarded up to protect it from vandalism during the Black Lives Matter protests.

In Bristol, those taking to the streets as part of the protests, sparked by the death of George Floyd in the US, tore down a statue of Edward Colston, who made his wealth through the slave trade.

There was also widespread condemnation last month when Extinction Rebellion climate change protesters blockaded the printing presses of national newspapers.

Ms Patel said there was 'no excuse' for the behaviour shown.

She said police had the 'backing of the Government, backing of our party, our Government and our Prime Minister' in their efforts to police the demonstrations.

She told members: 'This Government will always defend the right to protest.

'That right is a fundamental pillar of our democracy, but the hooliganism and thuggery we have seen is not  it is indefensible.

Discarded clothes and and shoes were spotted strewn across the beach on Tuesday morning

'There is no excuse for pelting flares at brave police officers, for throwing bikes at police horses, for disrespecting the Cenotaph or vandalising the statue of Sir Winston Churchill, one of the greatest protectors of our freedoms who has ever lived.

'It is not acceptable for mobs to tear down statues and cause criminal damage across our streets.

'And it is not acceptable for thugs to assault our police officers, just for doing their job.'

She said the Government had already agreed to double the maximum sentence for assaults on emergency workers and confirmed she was working with chief constables to ensure their officers 'have the tools, support and the powers they need' to police such incidents.

Ms Patel also paid tribute to 'hero' Pc Andrew Harper, who died when he became entangled in a tow rope as he tried to stop quad bike thieves, and Sergeant Matt Ratana, who was shot as he prepared to search a suspect who was handcuffed.

She vowed to work with Pc Harper's widow, Lissie Harper, to 'ensure anyone who kills an emergency worker gets the sentence they deserve'.
As an Indian, I had many villains in my life, but the only ones I spoke to were autorickshaw drivers. As you know, they always demanded extra over the meter". So to annoy them, I would place ten rupees over" the physical meter. I imagined that the middle-class fury at their attempt to fleece us was a reasonable moral response. Until I visited a first-world nation for the very first timeJapan. The taxi fare from the airport to the hotel was my weeks wage; public transport was many times more expensive than Indian taxi fare. And the simple truth occurred to me that auto fares in India were ridiculously low and designed to keep the driver poor to the advantage of people who were richer than him, and his overcharging was a natural compensation for an economic design flaw.

Something is wrong with what we think is right. Many of our moral expectations are absurd. Why did Indians flay Sachin Tendulkar for seeking a waiver on customs duties on a Ferrari he received as a gift when most of us also seek tax exemptions? Wasnt the anti-corruption movement merely a war between bribe-takers and bribe-givers? Isnt there something unconvincing about our own self-loathing over bribery, corruption or being too broadminded" in other ways?

We have been trained to chant that all of Indias problems emerge from corruption. But the nation in plain sight tells us a very different story. That not all forms of corruption are the same, and some forms of it might even be beneficial. In an ideal world, there should be no corruption at all, but an ideal world wouldnt have human beings.

In her book Chinas Gilded Age: The Paradox of Economic Boom and Vast Corruption, Yuen Yuen Ang, who is a political scientist", says that there are four broad types of corruption. Petty theft, grand theft, speed money and access money.

Petty theft and speed money are committed by the non-elites, while grand theft and access money are monopolies of the rich. Petty theft is the corruption of low-level government officials and minor politicians. Grand theft is the much larger embezzlement of public funds by major politicians and powerful bureaucrats. Speed money is the bribe that citizens pay to access services that are meant for them. Access money, Ang says, are the massive bribes" businesses pay to get lucrative deals, approvals and bailouts.

In India, we have been trained to believe that access money is the worst form of corruption because it entails huge amounts and involves the most powerful people. But, Ang argues, China has continued to prosper despite corruption because its primary form of corruption is access money. In fact, Ang says, access money is beneficial to economic progress. While corruption is never good, not all forms of corruption are equally bad for the economy, nor do they cause the same kind of harm."

Ang says that access money has locked Chinas top bureaucracy in a competition to attract investment. A by-product of this system of greed is swift, wide and deep prosperity. Also, at times access money does not deny another persons right to do business or disadvantage others. Often, it is a price paid for the creation of something new, which may not have existed otherwise. A refinery perhaps, or a bullet train venture. This is why Ang says access money, while harmful, does less harm than other forms of corruption.

Petty theft and speed money rob the poor, make civil rights and entrepreneurship costly, and give low-level officials a powerful motivation to continue this unfair system. Grand theft conducts this at a much larger level. But access money, Ang says, brings huge investments.

In any system that works, there is a role for a thug. The thug ensures order by getting rid of other thugs. When the power of the prime thug is ambiguous, it means the system is not working well. Government itself is a benign thug. In a well-governed society, the government, in return for protection money, protects people who in turn are happy to pay up in the form of taxes. Even in the universe of bribes, there is a system of thugs. A superior bribery system can abolish all other competing modes of corruption. The access-money system is that primary thug of corruption in China, as it motivates powerful officials to terminate other forms of corruption. This is why, Ang says, compared to India, China has very little petty theft, grand theft or speed money.

This present condition of China, she says, is very similar to the gilded age of the US, the late 19th century, when it graduated from chaotic forms to a higher form of corruption, the system of access money. Parts of that system were legalized.

Many things that a nation terms bad may actually be useful to it. Private enterprise, for example, during our destructive socialist era of economic idealism. In 2003, Arun Shourie, who has battled corporate corruption all his life, said that Indians should thank industrialists like Dhirubhai Ambani not once but twice over" because by exceeding the limits in which those restrictions sought to impound them, they helped create the case for scrapping those regulations, they helped make the case for reforms."

Indias curse is that its access money system has not been able to abolish other forms of more harmful corruption. Across India, politicians and officials at lower rungs harm Indians through petty theft and speed money. Sophisticated politicians and officials who conduct grand theft or thrive on access money have not yet created order. In India, corruption is still in its chaos phase.

Manu Joseph is a journalist, and a novelist, most recently of Miss Laila, Armed And Dangerous

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RTHK: Cities under fire in Armenia-Azerbaijan fighting

Armenian and Azerbaijani forces exchanged heavy rocket and artillery fire as fighting intensified over Nagorno-Karabakh on Sunday, with the breakaway region's capital and Azerbaijan's second-largest city hit.

Armenia said that Nagorno-Karabakh's main city Stepanakert, which has been under shelling since Friday, was hit again on Sunday and journalists said there were regular explosions and clouds of black smoke rising in parts of the city.

Azerbaijan's defence ministry said Ganja, a city of more than 330,000 in western Azerbaijan, also came under fire, while Armenian-backed separatist forces claimed to have destroyed an airbase there.

The two sides accused each other of targeting civilian areas, as the conflict widened a week after heavy fighting broke out in the decades-old dispute over the ethnic-Armenian region.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have resisted international calls for a ceasefire and clashes have intensified in recent days, with both sides claiming victories on the front and saying they are inflicting heavy losses.

Sirens were sounding and explosions were heard at regular intervals in Stepanakert, where residents were taking shelter including several families in the basement of the city's Holy Mother of God Cathedral.

Sheltering with them, military chaplain Gor Yurjan said he had just returned from the front.

"I am very worried that they are firing on civilians," the 28-year-old said.

Armenia's foreign ministry said Stepanakert and other towns had been hit, accusing Azerbaijani forces of "the deliberate targeting of the civilian population".

There were reports of dead and wounded civilians in Stepanakert and the historic town of Shusha.

Azerbaijan said Ganja was under fire, including from areas outside of Karabakh, with at least one civilian killed.

"Armenian forces struck Ganja with rockets from Armenian territory," said Hikmet Hajiyev, an advisor to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

He said Armenian forces had also used heavy artillery and rockets against the Azerbaijan towns of Terter and Goradiz.

Karabakh's separatist forces said they had targeted and destroyed an airbase in Ganja, but Baku denied this as a "provocation".

Azerbaijan's ally Turkey accused Armenia of "targeting civilians" in Ganja and reiterated support for its fellow Turkic and Muslim country as "one nation, two states".

Karabakh leader Arayik Harutyunyan warned that it would now consider "military facilities in Azerbaijan's big cities" as legitimate targets.

"I call on the residents of these cities to immediately leave," Harutyunyan said in a post on Facebook.

Azerbaijani officials claimed on Sunday that Harutyunyan had been seriously wounded while in a bunker hit by bombing, but his office denied this.

Azerbaijan claims to have taken control of a string of settlements in recent days as well as a strategically important plateau.

On Sunday Aliyev said on Twitter that his forces had retaken the town of Jabrayil, part of an area outside Karabakh seized by the separatists in the 1990s as a buffer zone. Armenia denied the claim.

Authorities in both countries have reported nearly 250 dead since the fighting began, including almost 40 civilians.

Armenian separatist forces have reported more than 200 dead - including 51 on Saturday - while Azerbaijan has not released any figures on its military casualties.

Azerbaijan said on Sunday that two civilians had been killed in shelling on the southern town of Beylagan, where a journalist saw residents picking through the rubble of destroyed homes.

"I was baking bread when I heard explosions, I opened the door and saw that bombs were falling right into the yard," said one woman, showing journalists the blown-out windows and partially collapsed roof of her home.

In Armenia's majority-Christian capital Yerevan, residents gathered in churches for services on Sunday to pray and light candles.

"I came to ask God for peace, for our country and our soldiers," said Aytsemik Melikyan outside the Saint Sarkis Church.

Russia, the United States and France - who co-chair a mediation group that has failed to bring about a political resolution to the conflict - have called for an immediate halt to the fighting.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed concern over "the increase of casualties" among civilians in a call with his Armenian counterpart on Sunday.

Armenia has said it is "ready to engage" with mediators but Azerbaijan - which considers Karabakh under Armenian occupation - says Armenian forces must fully withdraw before a ceasefire can be brokered.

Karabakh's declaration of independence from Azerbaijan during the collapse of the Soviet Union sparked a war in the early 1990s that claimed 30,000 lives.

Talks to resolve the conflict have made little progress since a 1994 ceasefire agreement.

Armenia has accused Turkey of dispatching mercenaries from Syria and Libya to the fighting - an allegation confirmed and denounced by Russia and France. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2020-10-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
On a recent cloudy morning in Wolverhampton, England, Wesley Appiah was in his bedroom, reviewing a flight plan to the Canary Islands, cueing up an R&B playlist and greeting his "passengers."

Appiah, 20, is an accounting and finance student at the University of Warwick, but he's also an aspiring pilot who streams virtual flights on Twitch, the internet's most popular destination for video game streaming.

His software of choice is the new Microsoft Flight Simulator, released in August.

You can go anywhere around the world, Appiah said, as long as theres an airport to fly to.

Appiah is not exaggerating. In addition to a wide variety of airplanes to pilot, the 2020 simulator offers what is generally agreed to be the most realistic and complete digital representation of the world that has ever been made available to the public. It includes 1.5 billion rendered buildings and enough data to fill 1.7 million DVDs. For digital tourists, a trip to the Grand Canyon or Mount Fuji is now a flight away.

Like the real world, it's dynamic. The virtual planet continuously updates, complete with weather. When Hurricane Laura hit the U.S. coast of the Gulf of Mexico, people playing Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 chased the storm. Smoke from recent wildfires was also in the virtual world. There's even wildlife, spurring something of a digital safari niche on YouTube. Other people have re-created famous flights from movies.

Wesley Appiah sits in an Airbus A320 cockpit. An aspiring pilot, he streams flights on Microsoft Flight Simulator. (Courtesy Wesley Appiah)

That means flights around the globe can be a long haul. Two streamers even sat down for about 16 hours to re-create the journey from Los Angeles to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, which is one of the longest commercial flights available.

I can go from Birmingham to Dubai, real flight time. So its seven hours. Im sitting down for seven hours, Appiah said.

Mandy, another Twitch streamer who goes by TeaWithMandy, said the simulator has offered a crucial respite during the coronavirus pandemic.

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We've been literally doing sightseeing tours on my stream," said Mandy, who asked to omit her last name as many video game streamers do to maintain privacy. "It's been the perfect thing to do during a pandemic when no one can travel."

Microsoft has been making its signature simulator since 1982, predating even Windows, to make it the company's longest-running product. As Microsoft has grown and evolved, the simulator has, as well. The newest version taps Microsoft's Azure cloud computing services, which are now a major part of the company's business.

A still from

The software's longevity and attention to detail built up a fervent following over the years, with some fans developing an online air traffic control network called VATSIM. The software is detailed enough that it offers a nearly real-life experience.

You can use it as a game," said Edward Kjellen, a Swedish cargo pilot in Norway who also streams simulator sessions. "But then you can also use it as a tool to gain knowledge and experience and actually be taught a lot from it.

That's not meant to keep out casual players. Users can still play simpler game modes to hop around the globe without having to constantly check their airspeed.

Jorg Neumann, head of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, said his team had a "no pilot left behind" philosophy.

Even people who don't want to go through the trouble of learning their ailerons from their flaps can enjoy the landscapes. Like Mandy and Appiah, many people stream their digital trips on Twitch, offering tours of Japan and Norway.

A still from

The technology in the simulator advances gaming, but it also has applications for the real world.

The digital twin of the Earth was developed by Asobo Studio a company in Bordeaux, France, with the help of Blackshark.ai, a company in Graz, Austria. Simona Huebl, who works on strategic partnerships for the company, said the platform could be used to help guide autonomous cars or assist North American retailers experimenting with backyard drone deliveries.

For now, the digital world's primary offering is as a respite for the many people who aren't able to travel during the pandemic.

There have been certain games that pop up and are special during a pandemic. They offer something really unique in this really strange time, Mandy said. Youre getting some positivity and some joy from something that you're not finding elsewhere.
The move could put up to 5,500 jobs at risk, if the plans go ahead. Photo: Naomi Baker/Getty Images

Cineworld (CINE.L), Britains biggest cinema chain could close all its screens in the UK and Ireland, as soon as next week, following the news that the latest James Bond movie would be delayed until April next year.

The operator plans to write to prime minister Boris Johnson and the culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, to say that the industry has become unviable, according to reports in the Sunday Times.

The move could put up to 5,500 jobs at risk, if the plans go ahead. It will reportedly ask its staff to accept redundancy, with possible incentives to rejoin the company when theatres reopen  likely to be next year.

Like many others in the leisure and hospitality industries, Cineworld was impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen many blockbuster movies delayed as filming was postponed.

On Friday, MGM and Britains Eon Productions announced that No Time To Die, which was first scheduled for release in April 2020, would be pushed back for the second time.

Film industry bosses hoped the James Bond movie, which was due to hit UK cinemas on 12 November would boost cinema-goers and revive the sector.

Other blockbusters such as Marvels Black Widow and West Side Story have also been delayed until 2021.

Cineworld, which has 128 cinemas in the UK, started reopening its theatres in July after lockdown measure were eased. At the time, Cineworld Group Plc said that 561 of its 778 global sites had reopened, with 200 cinemas in the US, six in the UK and 11 in Israel still closed.

Cineworld Action Group, which is run by and represents Cineworld employees, tweeted: "The front page of tomorrows Times is announcing that Cineworld is planning to close all of its cinemas across the country as soon as this week putting all of our jobs at immediate risk.

The group also said that there has been no consultation with staff whatsoever."

The front page of tomorrows Times is announcing that Cineworld is planning to close all of its cinemas across the country as soon as this week putting all of our jobs at immediate risk. There has been no consultation with staff whatsoever. pic.twitter.com/16fKxGcNnG  Cineworld Action Group (@cineactiongroup) October 3, 2020

READ MORE: Coronavirus: UK government 'opening door' to more business insolvencies

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Last week, the worlds second-biggest cinema chain, warned further global COVID-19 restrictions or film delays may force it to raise further cash after it revealed $1.6bn (1.3bn) half-year losses.

The cinema chain had made a $139.7m profit in the same period a year earlier. The pandemic wiped out more than two-thirds of its revenues, which slid from $2.15bn in the first half of 2019 to $712.4m in the first half of this year.

There can be no certainty as to the future impact of COVID-19 on the group, it said.

If Governments were to strengthen restrictions on social gathering, which may therefore oblige us to close our estate again or further push back movie releases, it would have a negative impact on our financial performance and likely require the need to raise additional liquidity.

The group would risk breaching financial covenants in December in a severe but plausible scenario of further prolonged shutdowns in the US, UK and other markets, it said. Options include not only requesting extensions of existing loans, but also raising equity.
New Delhi, Oct 4 : The Delhi Police has arrested a man who was on his way to supply illegal arms and ammunition to his contacts in Delhi and NCR. The accused Aakash, a resident of Mathura, was nabbed by the Narcotics Squad, South District, from MB Road.

On a cursory search, five country-made pistols along with 8 live cartridges were recovered from his possession.

"On sustained interrogation, the accused disclosed that he was involved in supplying illegal arms and ammunition in different regions of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh in the last one year. He further disclosed that he used to supply illegal arms and ammunition in Delhi and NCR from another criminal in Aligarh UP and the same was to be delivered in Delhi and NCR," said Atul Thakur, DCP South Delhi.

In August this year, the alertness of Delhi Police led to the arrest of an arms supplier who developed an innovative way to dodge the police by placing 20 semi-automatic pistols, 40 magazines and and 50 live cartridges in a 15 litre refined oil can. The accused was arrested from Sarai Kale Khan ISBT after the special cell got suspicious.
A group of Allentown police officers next month will begin training in a national program aimed at preventing misconduct and error on the job.

The group then plans to train the entire Allentown Police Department sometime next year. The public can track the city police departments progress on the departments Facebook page.

The program, titled the Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement project, is part of Georgetown University Law Centers national training and support initiative for law enforcement agencies committed to building a culture of peer intervention that prevents harm.

Allentown Police Chief Glenn Granitz Jr. said the program reflects important priorities for the department.

Allentown Police Department officers and the community are always looking for new and meaningful training opportunities, Granitz said. "We are currently training in these areas, however being one of the first agencies in the country to be selected for this program is testament to the commitment of our men and women to policing with our community in Allentown.

Allentown police will join a group of 30 other law enforcement agencies, as well as statewide and regional training academies, chosen to participate in the ABLE Projects national rollout. To date, hundreds of agencies nationally have expressed interest in participating.

The evidence-based, field-tested program was developed by Georgetown Laws Innovative Policing Program in collaboration with the global law firm, Sheppard Mullin, to provide practical strategies and tactics for law enforcement officers to prevent misconduct, reduce officer mistakes and promote overall health and wellness. The program also has received the support of prominent civil rights and law enforcement leaders.

ABLE gives officers the tools they need to overcome the innate and powerful inhibitors individuals face when called upon to intervene in actions taken by their peers, program leaders said.

The city police departments application to join the program was supported Allentown Mayor Ray OConnell, The West Park Civic Association, The Riverfront Wards Association (covering the Citys 1st & 6th wards) and The Fairview Neighborhood Crime Watch, as well as members of the local faith community. All submitted letters of support.

Police administrators provided a presentation of the program to the citys Human Relations Commission prior to the application.

APD has been working hard to build relationships with residents across the city, OConnell said. The ABLE Project has a good reputation and our officers stand to learn a great deal which can be used to strengthen those relationships we are striving to build.

Christy Lopez, a professor and co-director of Georgetown Laws Innovative Policing program, said the project seeks to help agencies transform their approach to policing by building a culture that supports and sustains successful peer intervention to prevent harm.

Intervening in anothers action is harder than it looks after the fact, but its a skill we all can learn, said Jonathan Aronie, chairman of the projects Board of Advisors and partner at Sheppard Mullin. "And, frankly, its a skill we all need -- police and non-police. ABLE teaches that skill.

The Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement project is guided by a Board of Advisors comprised of civil rights, social justice, and law enforcement leaders. The panel includes Vanita Gupta, president of the Leadership Council on Civil and Human Rights; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; Commissioner Danielle Outlaw of the Philadelphia Police Department; and Ervin Staub, professor emeritus at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the founder of the Psychology of Peace and Justice program; as well as other police leaders, rank and file officers, and social justice leaders.

Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
An 11-year-old Kildare boy is having to do a disappearing trick as part of his magic act for tonight's Britains Got Talent semi-final.

Aidan McCann, who has been performing magic tricks since he was five, will take to the virtual stage of the shows semi-finals from his bedroom to wow judges Amanda Holden, Ashley Banjo, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams with his magic tricks.

Adapting to the confines of a bedroom rather than on a London stage meant Aidan had to create an entirely different performance.

I had my act all prepared for in London but I had to change it, Aidan says. It was such a massive illusion that we had ready for London and we had to change it to fit in my small room. I decided to do my act around mind-reading, which is one of my favourite types of magic with cards.

"We actually have an entirely new trick that we have never done before and I dont think anyone else would have seen the trick either so its going to be so amazing."

I want to do a fun act, one that everyone would hopefully enjoy, one that I hope young kids would really enjoy. It would be amazing to be in the final knowing that Ive done my magic tricks in my bedroom.

Aidan first appeared on Britains Got Talent in April when he auditioned in front of the judges, which included Simon Cowell at the time. Cowell since sustained a back injury and stepped aside to recover. Aidan says Cowell wasnt as mean as he is made out to be.

I never got to meet the judges backstage but they were all lovely onstage. When I met them they were really nice. I expected Simon Cowell to go harder on me but hes actually very nice.

Aidan may be familiar to Irish viewers as he appeared on Irelands Got Talent last year before flying to Los Angeles for an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show where he impressed the famous host with his skills.

Britains Got Talent is on Virgin Media One tonight at 8pm.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 15:00:52|Editor: huaxia

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PUL-E-KHUMRI, Afghanistan, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- The district governor of Jilga district of Afghanistan's northern Baghlan province has survived Taliban attack, bad wounded along with two of his bodyguards on Sunday, a local official Fiaz Mohammad Amiri said.

"Abdul Wali Sharifi the governor for Jilga district was on his way to provincial capital Pul-e-Khumri today morning but the Taliban rebels ambushed his vehicle in Kotal-e-Murgh area wounding the district chief and two of his bodyguards," Amiri told Xinhua.

With the arrival of police at the site, the militants fled away and the wounded district chief along with his injured bodyguards have been taken to hospital in Kabul for medical treatment.

Taliban militants have yet to make comment. Enditem
One state TV host, Dmitry Kiselyov, recently stayed in Navalnys room, filming himself shaving in a bathrobe in a baffling effort to prove that no poisoning could have occurred more than a month earlier. Another TV presenter, Vladimir Solovyov, argued that Alburov could not have been barefoot if there was poison in the room.
India is not averse to institutionalising the interaction between four major democracies committed to securing Indo-Pacific principles and the shared vision on maritime security, cyber, critical technologies, infrastructure, counter-terrorism and regional cooperation, people familiar with the development said ahead of external affairs minister S Jaishankars Tokyo visit on Monday for the crucial Quad security dialogue.

India has no objections to formalising the Quad dialogue with the US, Japan and Australia as the interaction has already been taking place since 2017 with a meeting of foreign ministers taking place on the sidelines of the UNGA in 2019. If the other three members want to institutionalise the dialogue, India is ready to participate, said a senior official familiar with the governments thinking on the matter.

While China has tried to drive a wedge between the four countries by calling it an exclusive group and even reaching out to Japan for bilateral economic revival, the vision of Quad was best summed up by US Assistant Secretary of East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell last Friday. QUAD seeks to establish, promote and secure Indo-Pacific principles, especially as Peoples Republic of China tactics, aggression, and coercion increase in the region, he said.

Also Read: China on their radar, India, Japan, US, Australia to hold Quad meet on Oct 6

Much as China may attempt to put diplomatic pressure on the group, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, on the eve of his visit to Tokyo, tweeted that Chinese Communist Partys reckless economic policies and its ruthless suppression of environmental activists have resulted in Chinas environmental disasters. The world cannot afford the CCP model of economic development. In a series of tweets on October 3, Pompeo said that China irresponsibly exploits natural resources around the globe, threatening the worlds economy.

Japans new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga also made his preference clear as spoke to Chinese paramount leader Xi Jinping after talking to US, Australia and Indian leadership in his first calls.

All the Quad countries have serious issues with China; India and Japan have territorial differences while Australia and the US are at the receiving end of Beijings trade wars.

It is understood that under the Quad critical technology rubric, the four ministers will discuss cooperation in 5G and 5G plus technologies as well as increase interoperability during military exercises in the Indo-Pacific.

India will also take a call on Australias participation in this years Malabar naval exercise in Bay of Bengal later this month, an official said.

The four foreign ministers will discuss the security environment in the region with India briefing the Quad partners about the stand-off with Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) in Ladakh region. China has deployed nearly 50,000 troops in occupied Aksai China, Tibet and Xinjiang to put pressure on India to accede to its maximalist 1959 LAC line.

The Modi government has noted the Chinese statement on Ladakh and Kashmir since Article 370 was abrogated on August 5, 2019. It finds Beijings suggestion that New Delhi should stay away from the US and by implication, remain a regional power most patronising, arrogant and coming from a rising power that does not understand the civilizational ethos of India.

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Conservatives and liberals are in agreement that Donald Trump had a dismal debate performance last week.

We just disagree on why.

The liberals bring up various policy issues. But I suspect the candidates' views on issue are not swinging any votes at this late date.

But then theres the question of tactics.

Trump, whos usually very good on TV, seemed to have forgotten that viewers find it irritating when the talking heads talk over each other.

It may be true that Democrat Joe Biden was the first to interrupt. But as president, Trump didnt have to respond.

Worse, many of Trumps interruptions came as Biden seemed to be about to put his foot in his mouth. Before Biden could lunch on his loafer, Trump would jump in and rescue him.

Meanwhile Trump let Biden get away with a lot of statements that should cost him support in those Rust Belt states that swung the last election and may well swing this one.

Typical was a long Biden answer on energy policy in which he stated, We can get to net zero in terms of energy production by 2035.

Net zero in terms of energy production? Trump would have been wise to calmly ask Biden how that could be accomplished without eliminating oil, coal and natural gas. But he let that remark pass.

Trump did get in some good digs on such subjects as the finances of Bidens son Hunter. But those attacks came in the midst of yelling matches that often made both candidates' responses unintelligible.

A conservative cant help but think back to Ronald Reagans famed response to Jimmy Carter in the 1980 presidential debates. Reagan would sit back as Carter listed his supposed shortcomings, and then calmly respond There you go again.

Carter of course was the president at the time, but Reagan wound up looking more presidential.

Somebody forgot to tell Trump to act presidential. Instead he acted in a manner most familiar to one of my go-to Trump observers.

Thats Cliff Rieders, an attorney in Pennsylvania who grew up in New York as the son of a contractor who worked on the type of projects Trump constructed back in his Art of the Deal days.

Rieders said his dad didnt mind working for Trumps father but drew the line at working for the son.

My dad did work for Fred Trump and I can recall when Donald came into the business, Rieders said. He said, Im not doing any more work for the Trump organization. I met Donald and I just dont want to deal with him. Hes a bully. Hes a loudmouth bully.

The funny part, Rieders recalled, was that Trump was a Democrat then and my dad was a Republican. He was a big Reagan guy.

Reagan was an actor, and acting presidential came naturally to him.

Trump is the product of a certain kind of culture where people are used to being very aggressive when in charge, Rieders said. Trump is your arrogant, obnoxious businessman whos gotta have control.

Not that theres anything wrong with that. Ive heard the same description from a lot of people who worked for Trump in Atlantic City. When it comes to politics, their attitude is He may be a bully. But hes our bully.'

That works for Trump when hes standing up to various foreign leaders. But in this debate it made him look foolish.

A classic moment came when moderator Chris Wallace of Fox New was pressing Biden over his failure to contact his fellow Democrats in cities like Portland consumed by rioting.

Youve never called for the leaders in Portland, and in Oregon, to call in the national office and knock off 100 days of riots? Wallace asked.

Biden was squirming to come up with an explanation when Trump jumped in over Wallaces protests. That gave Biden a chance to change the subject to what Trumps staff had supposedly said about how the riots benefit the Trump campaign.

It was a classic moment when the best thing for Trump to do was just shut up. But he seems congenitally incapable of shutting up.

(Getting in yet another fight with the debate commission over the format for the next two debates is not a good strategy; instead Trump needs to ask himself why he didnt finish off Biden when he easily could have. Perhaps his Covid-19 diagnosis will force a change in format.)

Trump actually scored some important victories despite himself. One came when Biden refused to say he would not pack the Supreme Court if elected.

That blunder gives Trump an opening to confirm Amy Coney Barrett immediately. Prior to Tuesday, he might have wanted to go slow on the nomination to make sure the Republican base got to the polls.

However now even if he confirms Barrett he can still fire up the base for Election Day with the prospect that Biden would reverse that hard-won victory by packing the court.

But on the whole it was not a good night for the Donald.

You can take the real-estate developer out of New York.

But you cant take New York out of the real-estate developer.

ADD - THE WAY A REAL PRO DOES IT:

Chris Christie is advising Trump on debating, but apparently the advice is not getting through. Check this 2016 debate in which Christie demolished Florida Senator Marco Rubio in what might be the best political hit job ever:
235. Twenty years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, world capitalism is in deep economic and political crisis. The financial collapse that began in September 2008 with the failure of the US investment bank Lehman Brothers ushered in the deepest world recession since the 1930s and drove numerous states to the edge of bankruptcy. This crisis was prepared over decades. Its roots lie in the contradictions of the capitalist system: the contradiction between social production and private ownership of the means of production and the contradiction between the global economy and the national state system. The situation recalls, in many respects, that of a century earlier, the eve of the First World War. At that time, the crisis of world capitalism opened up a 30-year period of violent class conflict and wars, during which relations between the classes and between imperialist powers were forcibly transformed. Likewise, the current crisis is the prelude to a comprehensive reorganisation of economic and social relations that will be no less tempestuous than in the first half of the twentieth century. If the capitalists retain the initiative in resolving the crisis, it will lead to mass poverty, oppression and war. The only alternative is the socialist solution: the seizure of power by the working class, the socialisation and democratic control of the banks and major industries, and development of economic planning that orients to the social needs of the majority, rather than the profit interests of a tiny minority.

236. The dissolution of the Soviet Union was a response to the growing contradictions of world capitalism, and further intensified them. As long as the Soviet Union existed, the imperialist powers felt compelled to suppress social and international tensions. Fearing an expansion of the October revolution, they granted concessions to the working class, and in the interests of a united front against the Soviet Union, curbed their conflicts of interest and military ambitions. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, that was no longer the case. In January 1991, a military alliance led by the US attacked Iraq. The International Committee emphasised that the war was not an isolated episode: The as yet incomplete, de-facto partition of Iraq is the beginning of a re-division of the world by imperialism. The former colonies are to be subjugated once again. It pointed to the striving by American imperialism to regain its world supremacy, as being one of the most explosive elements in world politics. The increasing belligerence of American imperialism represented an attempt to reverse its economic decline by the use of military forcethe only area in which the United States still maintains undisputed supremacy.[ 1 ]

237. This appraisal was confirmed in the ensuing years as US imperialism became increasingly aggressive. In 1999, a US-led military alliance bombed the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and forced the separation of Kosovo. This was followed in 2001 by the occupation of Afghanistan and the invasion of Iraq in 2003, a war that has cost more than 1 million lives with several million more turned into refugees. Iran and North Korea are potential targets for American attack. While the pretext for war may vary, the goal remains the same: the subjugation and control of regions of the world that are of strategic importance for the geopolitical and economic interests of the great powersin particular their energy supplies. American imperialism, confronted with strong rivals in Europe, China, Asia and South America, plays the leading role. But the other imperialist powers participate in these wars in one way or another, partly not to leave the field entirely to the US, partly to pursue their own imperialist interests.

238. After the defeat for Germany in the Second World War, the FRG took its place in the NATO alliance and stood at the head of the confrontation with the Soviet Union. It had a large conscripted army of 500,000 soldiers and permitted the stationing of US nuclear weapons on its territory. Until reunification, however, Germany limited its military activities to defensive operations within the sphere of NATO. From 1990 onwards, it has transformed itself into one of the most important military players worldwide. In 1999, the German army took part in the war against Yugoslavia in a combat mission for the first time. Eleven years later, there are approximately 7,000 German soldiers abroad, more than half of them in Afghanistan. While at first this took place under the pretext of a mission for peace and security, the German government now openly refers to the Afghanistan deployment as war. In Europe, the old national conflicts are re-emerging. Germanys refusal to financially support the Greek government, which faces bankruptcy, has turned the other EU members against Berlin and placed the common currency in doubt. Hopes for the peaceful unification of Europe from above are again proving to be a utopia. European unity on a capitalist basis means the domination of the most powerful financial interests, the walling-off of its external borders, increasing national tensions and endless attacks on the living conditions of the working class.

239. Pacifist appeals to the ruling class or demands for disarmament cannot halt deepening national tensions, war and militarism. These arise, as Trotsky wrote in 1940 in relation to the Second World War, inexorably from the contradictions of international capitalist interests. The chief cause of war as of all other social evilsunemployment, the high cost of living, fascism, colonial oppressionis the private ownership of the means of production together with the bourgeois state which rests on this foundation.[ 2 ] The fight against war and militarism is inseparably bound up with the building of an international socialist movement of the working class, whose goal is the overthrow of capitalism. The urgently necessary unification of Europe is conceivable only on a socialist basis, as the United Socialist States of Europe.

240. The Greek debt crisis is the starting point for a new offensive against the European working class. Governments have spent trillions to rescue the banks and now intend to retrieve these enormous sums at the expense of the working class. Under pressure from international speculators and the diktats of the Brussels commission, the Greek social-democratic government has decided on an unprecedented programme of cost cutting. When adjusted to German conditions, the planned budget cuts for the year 2010 correspond to a volume of 100 billion, almost twice as much as the 60 billion that the German government has pledged to save over the next six years, with its so-called debt brake. No other government has succeeded in forcing through such cuts on the basis of democratic methods. Ireland, Latvia and Hungary have decided on similar programmes, and the highly indebted Portugal, Spain, Italy, Hungary and Great Britain are next on the list. Germany and France plan their own draconian cuts to public expenditure.

241. These measures are being carried out despite the fact that social inequality has already reached levels not seen since the 1930s. In 2008, every seventh inhabitant of Germany, one of the richest countries in the world, either lived in poverty or was under threat of povertyone third more than 10 years ago. Every fourth young adult between the ages of 19 and 25 years, and half of all single parents with small children, lived below the poverty line. At the beginning of 2009, 3.5 million were unemployed. Ever more people work in precarious conditions. Meanwhile, just over half of all jobs carry social security and health care coverage. In Germany, Europe and worldwide, the attempts to reduce living standards even further must lead to a severe sharpening of class war.

242. The susceptibility of the world economy to crisis, the sharpening of geopolitical tensions, the growth of militarism, the undermining of democratic rights, the increase in welfare cuts and unemployment, as well as the alienation of broad layers of the population from the established political organisations, are unfailing signs of an approaching revolutionary crisis. One should not be deceived by the still relatively low level of class struggle that currently prevails. At present, the working class has no voice with which to express its interests. It has been completely abandoned by its traditional political parties, many of which still carry the old political labels social-democratic, socialist or communist, but these designations have long since lost any content. Politically speaking, they hardly differ from the traditional right-wing bourgeois parties, as has been demonstrated by the transformation of the British Labour Party, the Agenda 2010 programme of the German SPD and the cost-cutting programme of the Greek PASOK. Below the surface, the anger of the population is growing. It will break through the existing framework of official politics and come into open conflict with the SPD, the Left Party and the trade unions.

243. The demands of the coming revolutionary epoch can only be met by a party that bases itself on the working class, is led by the most advanced political theory, has drawn the lessons of the past struggles of the international working class and bases its programme on a scientific understanding of the objective tendencies of social development. The International Committee of the Fourth International is the only political tendency whose political work rests on historical principles and is able to present its entire history to the working class. The social democrats, Stalinists, Pabloite tendencies and trade unions do everything they can to avoid examining their past, which is full of blunders and crimes, and to avoid any disturbance of their opportunist manoeuvres by historical principles. The International Committee will win the most determined, courageous and principled elements among workers and youth to its banner.

244. The Partei fur Soziale Gleichheit will energetically promote the development of new and independent organisations for the working population and support them in the development of their programme and tactics. The growing social crisis will provoke numerous battles and forms of popular resistance. However, the decisive question remains the building of a new revolutionary leadership. Organising an international socialist movement of the working class, to bring the perspectives and history of Marxism to a new generation of workers and youth is the task of the Partei fur Soziale Gleichheit and its sister parties in the International Committee of the Fourth International.
Here are todays leading news stories:

Politics

-- The Patriotic Emulation Congress of Hanoi for the 2020-25 period was held in the capital city on Saturday with the attendance of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Society

-- Vietnam had no new COVID-19 cases to report on Sunday morning, entering the 32nd consecutive day without any infection in the community. The countrys tally stands at 1,096, with 1,020 having recovered and 35 deaths.

-- More than 350 Vietnamese citizens were taken home from the UK on a flight arranged by Vietnamese authorities, the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK, Vietnam Airlines, and other British agencies on Friday and Saturday.

-- A cold spell is entering northern Vietnam and is expected to bring downpours to the region from Sunday evening until the end of Monday, the National center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting reported, adding that rain will intensify in southern Vietnam from Tuesday.

-- Police in the northern province of Lao Cai are hunting for a man who was caught on CCTV beating a two-year-old girl at a local kindergarten, as he did not show up after being summoned by officers multiple times.

-- Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City are looking for suitable one- to two-star hotels that can offer paid quarantine services in order to provide more affordable options for arrivals in the metropolis.

-- The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport has proposed the pilot phase of a public bicycle system that includes 43 stations along major streets in District 1, as well as Dien Bien Phu and Vo Thi Sau Streets in District 3, where bus-only lanes are expected to be established in the coming time.

-- A ferry route connecting Can Gio District in Ho Chi Minh City and the southern beach city of Vung Tau is expected to be put into operation prior to January 1, according to the project developer.

Business

-- Standard Chartered Bank Vietnam and national carrier Vietnam Airlines have launched the co-branded Vietnam Airlines - Standard Chartered EliteFly Debit Card, the first of its kind in Vietnam, offering clients a number of benefits.

-- The construction of a VND8 trillion (US$345.15 million) wind farm was launched in the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu on Saturday.

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Since 1984, neighborhoods around the country have come together to celebrate National Night Out to bring neighbors out of their homes to meet each other, celebrate togetherness, promote community partnerships and support each other.

Last year, Family Service celebrated the grand reopening of its community center, the Neighborhood Place, and along with it, hosted its first National Night Out. We reintroduced what was formerly H.K. Williams Elementary School in the Edgewood School District to the neighborhood that connected to it as a school for several decades. Communities throughout the city and country hosted their own celebrations with food, music, games and dancing.

As we all know, 2020 is a very different year. Many National Night Out celebrations around the country were canceled due to the dangers associated with large gatherings. While it is very important to follow the rules of social distancing  such as wearing our masks and avoiding gathering in large groups, things we did not even consider a year ago  we also know social distancing can lead to social isolation. Family Service believes we need to maintain physical distancing while remaining socially engaged and supporting our communities.

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To continue to engage our communities this year, we created something unique to meet social distancing guidelines. Family Service hosted National Week In last week to provide ideas for at-home activities and discussions for families to strengthen their bonds and have fun together in a safe way. Our final event is at 6 p.m. Tuesday: a National Night Out Drive-Thru at the Neighborhood Place, where families can safely receive information, resources, school supplies, hygiene necessities and food from Family Service and other community organizations. People can register at family-service.org.

Family Service works to address the social determinants of health that have created barriers in the lives of the people we serve, which include: economic instability, education, health care, and providing strong social and community engagement. Many people in San Antonio struggle with one or more barriers, and COVID-19 has exacerbated their needs. Many do not reach out or do not know where to ask for help.

National Night Out helps to link people with resources and develop or improve community partnerships, all while enjoying an evening with family and neighbors. Although we cannot have the large fiesta we had hoped to host, we are still providing resources and connections at our National Night Out Drive-Thru.

Mary E. Garr is president and CEO of Family Service, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering individuals and families in San Antonio.
A programme held in Kolkata on Sunday afternoon to felicitate former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mukul Roy for his elevation in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hierarchy was marked by the absence of state president Dilip Ghosh and a host of other leaders. They were all in the districts, holding rallies in support of the new farm laws.

A member of the BJP central executive since joining the party in 2017, Roy was made a national vice-president during a big reshuffle on September 26. BJP national general secretary and election observer for West Bengal, Kailash Vijayvargiya, and national secretary and co-in-charge of West Bengal Arvind Menon were also felicitated on Sunday.

Rajya Sabha member Swapan Dasgupta addressed the audience among whom the overwhelming presence of leaders and workers who defected from the TMC was noticeable. They even gave large framed photographs of Roy and Vijayvargiya embracing each other to the two leaders as a gift.

I was born in West Bengal but now I am working for the central unit. If the BJP leadership wants to entrust me with any responsibility I will carry it out sincerely. Ousting the Mamata Banerjee government should be our only goal, Roy told the audience during a short speech.

This immediately stoked speculations that Roy might be made head of the election committee for the assembly polls due in around six months.

Dasgupta also stressed on the need to fight the TMC as one. It does not matter whether we want to approach from the left or from the right. We can have all kinds of opinion. The main objective is to establish a BJP government in West Bengal, he said.

Incidentally, by replacing former Bengal unit president Rahul Sinha with former TMC MP Anupam Hazra as national secretary, the BJP central leadership last week sent a strong message to its Bengal leaders as well as the ruling party in the poll-bound state.

The reshuffle was announced by BJP president JP Nadda in Delhi on September 26. Sinha immediately voiced his dissent, saying, after serving the party for 40 years he had to make way for leaders from the TMC.

As Sinhas emphasis on the entry of TMC leaders came under focus, Bengal BJP leaders maintained silence to avoid a controversy.

I served the party as a soldier since its birth and this is how I was rewarded. Nothing can be more unfortunate, Sinha said in a video message that went viral.

A senior BJP leader told HT last week that there was a growing feeling among TMC workers and leaders who joined the BJP that there was no scope for them to go up the hierarchy since they do not have a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) background. The reshuffle might counter this perception and encourage more people from TMC to defect, he said.

One should not read too much into Sundays incident. Almost all state BJP leaders were out of town. However, it is a fact that the felicitation was held at the initiative of people who defected from the TMC, a prominent leader of the Bengal BJP said on condition of anonymity. After all the central leadership also wants more defections so that it becomes easier to defeat the ruling party in 2021, he added.

When contacted by HT, some prominent state BJP leaders said they did not know who had organised the programme at the auditorium of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations at Ho Chi Minh Sarani in south Kolkata.

Ghosh toured East Midnapore and held four back-to-back rallies before returning to Kharagpur town on Sunday night.

I am 300 km away from Kolkata. I do not know who held the programme, said a leader known to be close to Ghosh.

Hazra, who has tested positive for Covid-19, could not attend Sundays programme.

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On Saturday, White House doctor Sean Conley stepped forward, ostensibly to provide some clarity on the condition of the coronavirus-stricken President Donald Trump. As with the doctors who came before him, though, what we got was decidedly not clarity.

Conley's comments combined with other conflicting signals to yet again provide a hazy picture of the president's health. This time we got it at a particularly precarious juncture in his presidency, when it's literally a matter of national security.

As with previous flaps over Trump's health, there is clearly tension between projecting the kind of strength he likes to see and providing actual, sober-minded details - a tension White House chief of staff Mark Meadows seemed to acknowledge in his own updates on Trump's situation.

Speaking to reporters Saturday, Meadows acknowledged Trump was likely watching him on TV and "probably critiquing the way that I'm answering these questions."

By the end of the day, both Conley's and Meadows's statements were at issue. Let's run down the major questions and contradictions.

Read more Trump's COVID treatments suggest a serious condition

1. The oxygen question

At the start of Saturday's briefings, Conley said that Trump "this morning is not on oxygen, not having difficulty breathing or walking around the White House Medical Unit upstairs."

But that seemed carefully worded. So he wasn't on oxygen that morning, reporters noted, but what about before?

Conley repeatedly avoided a direct answer, focusing on the present tense:

- - -

QUESTION: And he is receiving no - he has not received any supplemental oxygen?

CONLEY: He is not on oxygen right now, that's right.

QUESTION: He has not received any at all?

CONLEY: He has not needed any this morning today at all. That's right. Now he's -

...

QUESTION: Has he ever been on supplemental oxygen?

CONLEY: Right now, he is not on oxygen -

QUESTION: I understand. I know you keep saying right now. But should we read into the fact that he had been previously -

CONLEY: Yesterday and today he was not on oxygen.

QUESTION: So, he has not been on it during his COVID treatment?

CONLEY: He is not on oxygen right now.

- - -

When you keep dodging a question like that, it's for one of two reasons: a) You don't know the answer (which seems extremely unlikely given this is Trump's White House doctor), or the much-more-likely b) Trump was on oxygen at some point, but Conley was trying to avoid acknowledging that.

The White House later confirmed, anonymously, that Trump was given oxygen at the White House on Friday before going to Walter Reed hospital. But if that's the case, it contradicts one of Conley's answers, when he said, "Yesterday and today he was not on oxygen."

That alone should call the White House's candor on this stuff into extreme question. And Conley at the news conference repeatedly declined to provide specifics, including on Trump's fever and other things (some of which we'll get to).

It also bears noting that one of the experimental treatments Trump took, remdesivir, is generally used on and is most effective in patients who require supplemental oxygen.

2. When was Trump diagnosed?

That wasn't Conley's only flub. He described Trump as being "just 72 hours into the diagnosis now." Except 72 hours would've placed that diagnosis around midday Wednesday - before Trump traveled to Minnesota for a Wednesday rally and well before he traveled to New Jersey for a Thursday fundraiser. But Trump's diagnosis had been announced in the wee hours of Friday morning.

A reporter pressed Conley on that, and he adjusted the timeline:

- - -

QUESTION: When was the positive diagnosis made? You said 72 hours, that would put it at Wednesday.

CONLEY: So, Thursday afternoon following the news of a close contact is when we repeated testing and given clinical indications had a little bit more concern. And that's when - late that night we got the PCR confirmation that he was.

- - -

There were already questions about the decision to press forward with Thursday's event, given Trump's close aide, Hope Hicks, had fallen ill in Minnesota and tested positive Thursday morning.

Conley soon issued a memo cleaning it up - explaining that by "72 hours" he simply meant "Day 3," given Trump was diagnosed Thursday night. But in Conley's answer, he referred to "PCR confirmation," referring to polymerase chain reaction, a more sensitive method of detecting the virus. The word "confirmation" could be read as verifying a previous test.

Given the White House has access to rapid-response tests, was he given one of those earlier Thursday, after news of Hicks's diagnosis? That would seem like a very logical time to want to test the president.

It also bears noting that Trump's late-Thursday night appearance on Sean Hannity's Fox News show sounded a lot like he thought he had already contracted the virus, but he indicated at the time that he was still awaiting his results.

3. What's going on with Conley?

But even in that brief, two-sentence clarifying statement, Conley committed two more errors.

He misspelled the maker of the antibody cocktail Trump was given, spelling it "Regeron" instead of "Regeneron."

He also described the treatment as a "polyclonal antibody therapy." Regeneron clarified that's not actually the case.

"It is a combination of two monoclonal antibodies - meaning each was produced by making identical copies, or clones, of an antibody gene in a single B cell," Regeneron's Alexandra Bowie told NBC News. "Polyclonal antibody cocktails refer to antibodies made by mixtures of B cells."

These may seem like pedantic quibbles, but they yet again raise questions about how rigorous the White House's review of the situation has been, along with Conley's attention to detail when it comes to informing the public about it.

4. How bad was it Friday?

There are other reasons to believe Trump was in rough enough shape to need supplemental oxygen, including by the White House's own admission. But they don't really comport with what the White House was saying at the time.

Meadows said Saturday night on Fox News that there was a point in which Trump's blood oxygenation plummeted and repeated that there was plenty of "concern."

"Yesterday morning, we were real concerned with that," Meadows said. "You know, he had a fever and his blood oxygen level had dropped rapidly."

He added at another point, "The next 48 hours or so, with the history of this virus, we know, can be tough. But he's made unbelievable improvements from yesterday morning, when I know a number of us - the doctor and I - were very concerned."

But that doesn't sound much like what the White House was saying Friday. Its first statements on Trump's condition said he was experiencing "mild symptoms" and that he would remain at the White House while convalescing. But by Friday afternoon, that changed, with Trump being transported to Walter Reed.

Even at the time, though, the White House repeatedly said it was out of an "abundance of caution" and that Trump had only mild symptoms, suggesting it wasn't a reaction to serious issues.

"President Trump remains in good spirits, has mild symptoms, and has been working throughout the day," White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said around 5 p.m. Friday. "Out of an abundance of caution, and at the recommendation of his physician and medical experts, the president will be working from the presidential offices at Walter Reed for the next few days."

5. Is it safe for Pence to go about his business?

The White House decisions that have led to the growing outbreak have already been put under a microscope. In addition to the controversy over allowing Trump to travel to New Jersey after Hicks's diagnosis Thursday, it held a largely mask-free announcement for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett last weekend.

Several people who attended the outdoor event and then an indoor reception have now tested positive, including two GOP senators who sit on the committee that will consider Barrett's nomination. And another person who attended, University of Notre Dame President Rev. John Jenkins, has said attendees "were told that it was safe to remove our masks" because they had been tested beforehand. Health officials have long said negative tests are not guarantees that you are virus-free, given there is an incubation period of several days and tests may not be 100 percent accurate.

Despite all this and despite the growing number of infections among people who have been around Trump, though, the White House has determined one high-ranking official can continue business as usual: Vice President Mike Pence.

"Under the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control, the vice president is not considered a close contact with any individuals who have tested positive for the coronavirus, including President Donald Trump," Pence's doctor, Jesse T. Schonau, said Friday, noting Pence has tested negative. "Vice President Pence does not need to quarantine. Vice President Pence remains in good health and is free to go about his normal activities."

The CDC defines "close contact" as being within six feet of something who has been infected for at least 15 minutes, and it recommends quarantining for anyone who has been around an infected person in the two-day period before their symptoms begin or before they test positive.

Depending upon when Trump first developed symptoms - which is also the subject of uncertainty - that would require Pence not having been in close contact with him since early this week. It would also mean Pence wouldn't have been in close contact with anyone else. Pence also attended the events surrounding Barrett's announcement, including the indoor reception, though that falls outside the 48-hour window.

While perhaps justifiable under CDC guidelines, we're also dealing with a situation in which the number of infected people in the White House and around Trump continues to grow - a universe that could at some point include someone Pence has had more recent close contact with. Pence is also second in the line of succession, making his health paramount in the event that Trump can't carry out his duties.

The Trump campaign announced Saturday that Pence will proceed with a planned rally in Arizona on Thursday.
Boris Johnson has set an October 15 deadline for deciding whether a post-Brexit trade deal is possible as the UK and EU agreed to 'intensify' talks.

The PM told commission president Ursula von der Leyen that 'time is running out' to break the deadlock over fishing rights and state aid rules.

Amid fears that Brussels will try to run down the clock to secure concessions, Mr Johnson made clear in a phone call last night that Britain is ready to trade on 'Australian' terms - without any framework in place.

Unless the structure of a deal has emerged by the time of a summit of EU leaders on October 15, the UK has threatened to walk away and focus on preparing for that outcome.

Wrangling and rhetoric has escalated in recent weeks as the crunch moment in the trade discussions looms. The 'standstill' transition period is set to end on January 1 whether or not there is an agreement.

Boris Johnson (pictured last week) and Ursula Von Der Leyen 'took stock' of progress in the fraught negotiations in a call yesterday

Ms von der Leyen tweeted that she had a 'good phone call' with Mr Johnson yesterday

Farage says an 'unsatisfactory' Brexit trade deal will be done Nigel Farage today said an EU-UK trade deal will be agreed - but it will be 'unsatisfactory'. The Brexit Party leader said the 'language' over the past few days had suggested a breakthrough is coming. However, he refused to rule out stepping back into the political fray if it does not meet the hopes of Eurosceptics. Speaking on Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday, Mr Farage said: 'I sense from the Government's language from the last few days, one or two of the things they've said on fisheries, some of the comments from Ursula von der Leyen yesterday reminding Boris Johnson and the Government that we did sign a new European treaty last year called the Withdrawal Agreement. 'I sense there will be a compromise, I sense there will be a deal before the end of the year and it is one that will not fully satisfy many Brexiteers.' Asked whether he would be entering the political frame again if he was unhappy with a deal, Mr Farage replied: 'Let's see where we go with this but if they completely drop the ball on Brexit, if we finish up stuck with a level playing field, unable to be competitive then there are more battles to be fought.' Advertisement

On Friday, UK chief negotiator Lord Frost cooled hopes of a breakthrough by warning that the standoff might be 'impossible to bridge'.

Although he said the 'outlines' of a deal had been clear for a while, the EU 'needs to move further' and there was a major gap on fisheries.

Counterpart Michel Barnier admitted tensions remained over fisheries, governance and state aid. 'To reach an agreement, these divergences must necessarily be overcome over the next weeks,' he said.

'I am concerned that there is very little time now to resolve these issues ahead of the European Council on 15 October.'

However, other indications have been more positive. Angela Merkel said she believed there was a 'constructive path' towards a resolution.

If they can see a way through, the two sides could decide to enter 'the tunnel' - an intensive phase of negotiations where both sides work on the same legal text amid high secrecy.

In a joint statement after a phone call between Mr Johnson and Ms von der Leyen last night, the two sides said: 'They agreed on the importance of finding an agreement, if at all possible, as a strong basis for a strategic EU-UK relationship in future.

'They endorsed the assessment of both chief negotiators that progress had been made in recent weeks but that significant gaps remained, notably but not only in the areas of fisheries, the level playing field, and governance.

'They instructed their chief negotiators to work intensively in order to try to bridge those gaps.

'They agreed to speak on a regular basis on this issue.'

According to the Sunday Times, Mr Johnson made clear that the UK will abandon the talks unless a deal is all but completed by October 15. The process could continue beyond that point if only details remain to be thrashed out.

Ms von der Leyen tweeted that they had a 'good phone call'.

After a gathering of EU leaders last week, Mrs Merkel pointed to the UK's recent agreement with Norway on fishing rights.

'The agreement with Norway is at least an indication that [the British] are on a constructive path and I wouldn't interpret that as bad news for us but rather as sign that agreements can be found,' she told reporters.

Both sides will continue trade talks this week.

It comes despite Ms von der Leyen dramatically confirming last week that the EU is launching legal action against the UK for breaking the terms of the divorce terms in the Withdrawal Agreement.

Brussels had given Downing Street until the end of September to scrap the Prime Minister's controversial proposals which are contained within the UK Internal Market Bill.

But the UK Government refused to budge and Ms von der Leyen said this morning that as a result the bloc has now started legal proceedings.

It has sent a 'letter of formal notice' to Number 10 which is the first step in the so-called 'infringement procedure' which could ultimately result in Britain being fined - although it is unclear how the sanction could be enforced.

Lord Frost (left) and Michel Barnier (right) will continue trade talks this week and until a summit of the bloc's leaders on October 15-16

Downing Street has defended its approach.

'We have clearly set out our reasons for introducing the measures related to the Northern Ireland Protocol,' a Government spokesman said.

'We need to create a legal safety net to protect the integrity of the UK's internal market, ensure Ministers can always deliver on their obligations to Northern Ireland and protect the gains from the peace process.'
WASHINGTON  Democrat Joe Biden leaves little doubt that if elected he would try to scale back President Donald Trump's buildup in nuclear weapons spending. And although the former vice president has not fully detailed his nuclear priorities, he says he would make the U.S. less reliant on the world's deadliest weapons.

The two candidates' views on nuclear weapons policy and strategy carry unusual significance in this election because the United States is at a turning point in deciding the future of its weapons arsenal and because of growing debate about the threat posed by Chinese and Russian nuclear advances.

China, whose relatively small nuclear force is growing in sophistication, is cited by the Pentagon's top nuclear commander as a leading reason why the United States should go all-out on nuclear modernization.

"We are going into a very different world," Adm. Charles Richard, the head of U.S. Strategic Command, said Sept. 14. "We are on a trajectory, for the first time in our nation's history, to face two peer nuclear-capable competitors."

He was referring to Russia, which has long been a nuclear peer, and China, whose leaders Richard says have put a strategic nuclear buildup "next on their to-do list."
Toronto, ON, Oct. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, as Sisters in Spirit vigils are being held across the country, the Ontario Native Womens Association (ONWA) has released a detailed report outlining key areas of concern and recommendations for moving forward in ending violence against Indigenous women and girls. It comes after the one year mark since the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

The report, titled: Reconciliation with Indigenous Women: Changing the Story of MMIWG (2020), centers Indigenous women, their knowledge and experience, as not only the focus of the National Inquiry, but as leaders in solutions. It was informed by ONWAs membership, previous reports, community engagements, and programs that address ending violence against Indigenous women and girls. It also honours community submissions from Indigenous women and families. This critical information must be integrated into the development of the National Action Plan if it is to be successful.

Indigenous women experience intersecting social and economic marginalization in many areas that contribute to their exploitation and vulnerability to violence. The report outlines 13 key recommendations covering 28 systems that Indigenous women navigate throughout their lifetime and the forms of violence they face within them, including: healthcare, child welfare, education, food/income security, homelessness/housing, employment, social services, media/social media, etc.

Beyond physical violence, Indigenous women and girls also experience violence in the form of racism, discrimination, and a lack of sovereignty over their children, self and nations, as well as through misrepresentations in literature, education, and research, says Cora McGuire-Cyrette, Executive Director, ONWA. To address violence against Indigenous women and girls, the National Action Plan must focus on these social and economic systems and their root causes.

The report offers 13 recommendations based on decades of input from Indigenous women and previous reports, incorporating the traditional 13 Grandmother Moon Teachings. These strength-based recommendations and a wholistic approach foster independence, resilience, and environments in which Indigenous women and girls are respected, not dehumanized, and their safety is supported.

The reclaiming of Indigenous womens leadership and restoring of identity is key to addressing the crisis. Indigenous womens organizations play an important role as they bring critical knowledge, expertise, leadership, and community voice to the table. This is why ONWA is proud to participate as the federal governments 11th Indigenous Womens Working Group, to be comprised of Indigenous womens service providers and experts on specific safety issues impacting Indigenous women.

Grassroots Indigenous womens organizations are severely underfunded even though they provide safe spaces where Indigenous women feel comfortable disclosing the violence they are experiencing, says Cora McGuire-Cyrette, Executive Director, ONWA. There must be a commitment for the development of new funding relationships that include Indigenous womens organizations because they are best equipped to respond. ONWA is pleased to be working with both the federal and provincial governments on the National Action Plan.

Communities have the knowledge of how to begin the healing and reconciliation of the intergenerational trauma, oppression, and systemic racism that continue to affect overall health and safety. Having Indigenous women design, develop and deliver community-based programs with independence is where changed outcomes will occur.

The report includes many examples of Indigenous women developed solutions and best practices. For example, ONWAs Breaking Free from Family Violence Program has supported 286 children reunifications and the prevention of 414 children from being apprehended by a child welfare agency in Ontario in the past two years alone. Other examples include: Babaamendam Trauma-Informed Care Program, Ending Violence Against Indigenous Women Program, and the Indigenous Victim and Family Liaison Program.

At a traumatic time in my life, I needed someone to talk to and that would be there 24/7. I needed someone to convince me to make the right decisions instead of repeating my mistakes over and over again, says an ONWA Community Member. I endured a great amount of trauma. I could have grown in healthier ways learning from my aunties and from our culture.

Indigenous women must have easy access to inclusive, trauma-informed, culturally based social services that are informed by Indigenous women and their immediate needs. This will lead directly to improved safety and help address the systemic causes of violence that have resulted in Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

The Ontario Native Womens Association

The Ontario Native Womens Association (ONWA) is a non-profit organization that empowers and supports all Indigenous women and their families in the province of Ontario through research, advocacy, policy development and programs that focus on local, regional and provincial activities, since 1971. Ending violence against Indigenous women and their families and ensuring equal access to justice, education, health services, environmental stewardship and economic development, sit at the cornerstone of the organization. ONWA insists on social and cultural wellbeing for all Indigenous women and their families, so that all women, regardless of tribal heritage may live their best life.

www.onwa.ca|LinkedIn: Ontario Native Women's Association |Twitter: @_ONWA_| Facebook: ONWA7|Instagram: onwa_official

Video b-roll available here

Report is available here

Additional Quotes:

Being an Indigenous woman means we have to be more careful out there. We have to be 10 times better at everything we do in order to be taken seriously. To be an indigenous woman means to carry the world on our shoulders, together.  Raven Reid, ONWA Community Member.

Healing starts when the country we call home recognizes the harm they have caused. We stop MMIWG by standing up and protecting each other. We need support in order for change. Kayla Vecchio, ONWA Community Member

A big part of the problem stems from what residential school took away from the elders and consequently, the next generations. It was parental love and that needs to be reintroduced in floods.  ONWA Community Member

Lack of housing is a huge challenge. This will have long-term impacts on both the physical and mental wellbeing of not only Indigenous women but also their children. This population is growing exponentially and we do not have the resources to permanently house everyone. This will lead to homelessness, which will lead to health issues, mental health issues, lack of education and vulnerability to traffickers.  ONWA Community Member

I do know that we cannot approach intergenerational trauma and trauma in general, with a cookie cutter approach. Each community will have their own traditions and medicines for healing. I do believe in a two-eyed seeing approach that incorporates both traditional and indigenous ways of knowing, alongside Western ways of knowing.  Siggy Leslie, ONWA Community Member

Healing is the ability to demonstrate love, resilience, and strength as well as the ability to cope even when faced with triggers and future traumas. The healing needs to go deep and work on a community level as well as an individual level.  Siggy Leslie, ONWA Community Member

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Several young Vietnamese filmmakers have earned international acclaim, but theyve done so with sparse support and could do with more of it.

On October 2, "Rom", a movie by young director Tran Dung Thanh Huy, earned VND46.3 billion (over $2 million) domestically in its first two weeks. Prior to its Vietnam premiere, the film had graced the screen at several international film festivals.

It was honored with the New Flesh Best First Feature award at the 24th Fantasia International Film Festival in Canada last month. A year ago, it shared the New Currents prize at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea.

Huy is one of several Vietnamese filmmakers to have created high-quality productions and win global recognition in recent years.

A still from "Rom". Photo courtesy of "Rom".

Just this year, three Vietnamese movies: "Thien Duong Goi Ten" (A Trip To Heaven), "Giong Song Khong Nhin Thay" (The Unseen River), and "An Act of Affection" were featured in the "Pardi di Domani" category at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, a platform for new talents showing short and medium-length films from around the world.

"Thien Duong Goi Ten," directed by Duong Dieu Linh, was presented the Medien Patent Verwaltung AG Prize at the Swiss event. "Giong Song Khong Nhin Thay," directed by Pham Ngoc Lan, won the Asino d'Oro (Golden Donkey) award at Concorto Film Festival in Italy.

In September, "May Nhung Khong Mua" (Live in Cloud - Cuckoo Land) was nominated for the Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film prize at the 2020 Venice Film Festival, the oldest such event in the world.

At Locarno in 2019, five Vietnamese movies received awards in the Open Door category that explores cinema across Southeast Asia and Mongolia.

"Some international friends joked Vietnam had grabbed all the festival prizes," said director Bui Thac Chuyen, whose project "Tro Tan Ruc Ro" (Glorious Fire) scooped the CNC award at the festival that year.

Wheres the money?

One of the greatest challenges faced by many young Vietnamese filmmakers is funding, or the lack of it.

Vietnamese representation remains inadequate around the world since independent filmmakers enjoy little opportunity at home. Most local producers focus on making commercially successful movies, instead of artistic productions that generate next to no income, Huy told local media.

Many indie filmmakers have turned to crowd funding to bring their ideas to life, like "578", directed by Luong Dinh Dung, and "Ban Cung Phong" (Roommates), directed by Nguyen Le Hoang Viet.

Others tap sources like the World Cinema Fund, Hubert Bals Fund and Doha Film Institute Grants, but "it is a difficult journey with a lot of requirements," said Raymond Phathanavirangoon, executive director of Southeast Asia Fiction Film Lab (SEAFIC), a script lab for regional creatives.

Director Bui Thac Chuyen said another aspect of the problems faced by filmmakers in Vietnam is education, in terms of the official support it gets.

He noted that the Center for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents, founded in 2002, is yet to receive the support it deserves, even though several former students have gone on to achieve success.

A scene from "Nguoi Vo Ba" (The Third Wife), directed by Nguyen Phuong Anh, which won the Best Film award at the Kolkata International Film Festival in India and an award at the 43rd Toronto International Film Festival in Canada in 2018. Photo courtesy of "Nguoi Vo Ba."

Bui Thac Chuyen, director of "Song Trong So Hai" (Living In Fear), who won the best new talent award at the 9th Shanghai International Film Festival in 2005, said Vietnamese cinema needs some fresh blood to boost its international prestige.

Cinema, like culture and art, should be considered as a field requiring support and development, he said.

The government has approved a long-term plan (with vision until 2030) to develop the cinema industry that would prioritize available assistance to film directors, producers, and scriptwriters who need local and international training.

But according to director Phan Dang Di, whose first movie "Bi, Dung So" (Bi, Dont Be Afraid) won international acclaim, several indie filmmakers like him have yet to gain access to the government initiative.

After the success of "Rom," director Huy has plans for another movie, and he knows he will have to start from scratch.

"When I start a new project, I start from the ground. I first convince everyone the idea is good, then call for financial support."
Prominent industry leaders will be speaking in the webinar titled Dhofar  The Future Roadmap on September 30 on Zoom, organised by United Media Services (UMS).

Leading industry bodies including Madayn, Oman Chamber of Commerce & Industry (OCCI) and Oman Manufacturers Association are endorsing the webinar, a statement by UMS said.

The exclusive webinar dedicated on Dhofars future development is supported by Bank Dhofar, Raysut Cement Company, Dhofar International Development & Investment Holding Co., Port of Salalah, Dhofar Insurance Company, Octal, Transom and Muscat Overseas Group as the strategic partners.

The key speakers include Hussain Hathith Al Buthari, Chairman, Oman Chamber of Commerce & Industry - Dhofar Branch & Head of Industry Committee; Said Al Rashdi, CEO, Oman Manufacturers Association;

Mohammed Al Mashani, GM - Corporate Affairs, Port of Salalah; Omar Ahmed Abdullah Al Shaikh, Deputy CEO, Dhofar Insurance Company; Joey Ghose, CEO, Raysut Cement Company; and Himansu Mohapatra, Group General Manager - Investment, Muscat Overseas Group. The webinar will be moderated by Akshay Bhatnagar, Group Managing Editor, United Media Services.

The webinar will emphasize on how Dhofar is continuing to move ahead on the path of sustainable development with the expansion of the infrastructure and promotion of export oriented industries in alignment with Omans Vision 2040.

It will also address the challenges faced by Dhofar and how it could overcome them with its competitive environment and a host of attractive business opportunities to the investors. The industry leaders will be speaking on Dhofars growth roadmap and new investment opportunities. The focus of the discussion will be on tourism, ports & logistics, manufacturing, food and exports based industries.TradeArabia News Service
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 20:23:45|Editor: huaxia

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KABUL, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan government registered 44 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of patients infected with the virus to 39,341 in the country, said a statement of the Ministry for Public Health released here Sunday.

According to the statement, no patient died over the period.

The number of COVID-19 related deaths has reached 1,462 in the country, while 10 patients recovered over the past 24 hours, bringing the number of recovered ones to 32,852 since the outbreak of the disease in Afghanistan, the statement noted. Enditem
The Canadian predator targeting G4S will put the outsourcer's pension deficit at the heart of its fight to seize control.

Last week security firm GardaWorld, backed by the private equity company BC Capital, made a formal 3billion hostile takeover bid, saying G4S needed fresh management to deal with 'scandals, crises and lawsuits'.

The suitor's boss Stephen Cretier then riled the British security firm's shareholders by claiming they needed 'educating' about the true state of the company.

Under scrutiny: GardaWorld will now step up its charm offensive to win over G4S's major shareholders

GardaWorld will now step up its charm offensive to win over G4S's major shareholders. This week it will try to put the focus back on G4S and its management.

A source close to the bid said GardaWorld will 'throw light on the awful performance of G4S, not just financially but in the real world', adding that the company was 'concealing nasties' from shareholders.

'A big item is pensions, but there is a long list of other things,' the source added.

'Security service outsourcing is a vital and potentially growing sector that has lost the confidence of politicians and public  in large part because of the antics of G4S.'

G4S has been at the heart of several controversies, including its failure to deliver the security contract for the London Olympics.

Last month GardaWorld claimed it was being obstructed in its attempt to outline proposals to deal with G4S's 2.7billion pension liabilities, adding the scheme had been 'persistently underfunded'. G4S hit back saying the pension fund also has 2.4bn of assets meaning the liabilities are considerably smaller. The 3billion bid has been repeatedly rejected by G4S's management in recent months, and many shareholders are holding out for a bid of well over the firm's current 204p-per-share price.

Around a quarter of shareholders have publicly opposed the offer. Fund manager Schroders, the biggest shareholder in G4S with a 10.4 per cent stake, has already said it is open to a deal but only at a 'fair price'.

In comments published yesterday, Connolly, 70, said: '[GardaWorld] have clearly decided that the shareholders don't properly understand either our company, or their office assume that they will educate them, [but] I have no idea what that will be.

'I always think you've got to be careful not to be extremely negative about the business that you're saying you want to acquire.'

G4S said: There is not a pensions issue. We have an agreed plan. We have put 300 million into the schemes since 2013 and are contributing over 50 million a year, and have retained our investment grade credit rating.

The Board and Management team inherited a small number of longstanding, significant legacy issues. Through a systematic programme the vast majority of these legacy issues have been successfully resolved.
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Philadelphia police were searching Sunday for a driver whose vehicle hit a pedestrian and dragged him 500 feet down a street, killing him in the Juniata section of the city.

The victim, whose name and age have not been released by investigators, was found dead at the scene. They believe he was hit just after 2:30 a.m. while walking down the 4200 block of Whitaker Avenue, near its intersection with East Hunting Park Avenue.

Car parts littered the scene, leading police to suspect the vehicle is a dark-colored sedan.
Star character artiste Prakash Rajs humanitarian work needs no introduction. He had adopted a Telangana village a few years ago and transformed the lives of its people. Even during the lockdown, he offered help to the poor migrant workers who were left without a shelter or transport.

In a latest gesture thats winning everyones hearts, Prakash Raj is sponsoring the education expenses of a poor girl named Sirichandana from West Godavari district. Sirichandana is a merit student since her school days and she recently secured admission for a masters program in Information Technology at the prestigious University of Salford in Manchester, United Kingdom.

However, Sirichandana, who lost her father in her childhood and hails from a financially poor background, couldnt afford the foreign education. Her story went viral on social media and came to Prakash Rajs notice. The actor immediately reached out to Sirichandanas family and offered to bear the expenses for the young girls foreign studies. The jubilant young girl and her mother came to Hyderabad and personally thanked Prakash Raj for his kind gesture.

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They have both forged successful careers in media.

And now brothers Karl and Peter Stefanovic are to be recognised as two high-profile Australians of Serbian descent, by a South Western Sydney council.

As reported by The Sunday Telegraph, Karl, 46, and Peter, 38, whose father is half Serbian, will be honoured with their own public park, alongside other notable personalities.

Suburban thrill: Brothers Karl (right) and Peter (left) Stefanovic are to be honoured with their own PARK in Western Sydney, alongside other notable Australians of Serbian descent, as reported by The Daily Telegraph on Sunday

The location of the park and exactly how the brothers will be honoured, is yet to be made public.

In a pitch by Liverpool councillors, obtained by The Sunday Telegraph, the park 'would honour modern Australians of Serbian descent such as Rale Rasic, Jelena Dokic, Professor Ana Deletic, and Karl and Peter Stefanovic'.

It will, however, not be named the 'Stefanovic Park'.

Appearing on Nova's Kate, Tim and Marty radio show in May 2017, Karl revealed that his surname is often pronounced incorrectly.

Heritage: Karl, 46, and Peter, 38, whose father is half Serbian, will be honoured with a public park in Western Sydney, alongside other notable personalities including Jelena Dokic

'Is there a Serbian version of Stefanovic? Have we tidied it up for the Anglo world we live in?' radio host Marty Sheargold asked Karl.

'Yes - Stef-AHN-oh-VICH,' he responded, adding that after a few issues at school, his father 'changed it to Stefanovic' as it 'sounded more Australian'.

Karl began his career with the Nine Network as a reporter for National Nine News in Brisbane back in 2000.

The only final detail revealed: The park will not, however, be named the 'Stefanovic Park'. The brothers are pictured with their children, Harper May (Karl's daughter) and Oscar (Peter's son)

However, he is most known for his role on Nine's Today show, which he currently co-hosts alongside Allison Langdon.

Peter commenced his career at Nine as a reporter for A Current Affair and Nine News in 2004.

After a lengthy stint as a foreign correspondent, Peter returned home, landing roles on Nine's Weekend Today and 60 Minutes.

He now co-hosts Sky News Australia's First Edition alongside Laura Jayes.
China wants to align its strategies with Bangladesh and jointly promote the ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with Dhaka, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Sunday.

Xi said China is keen to take the China-Bangladesh strategic partnership to new heights.

The Chinese president stands ready to work with his Bangladeshi counterpart, Abdul Hamid, to better align the two countries strategies and jointly promote the construction of the Belt and Road, so as to take the China-Bangladesh strategic partnership of cooperation to new heights, official news agency, Xinhua quoted the Chinese President as saying on Sunday.

Xi made the remarks in an exchange of congratulatory messages with Hamid to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

China has emerged as Bangladeshs largest development partner in recent years and has pumped in funds for several infrastructure projects, a growth in ties that would be closely monitored by India.

Dhaka-based The Financial Express reported in June that Bangladesh had asked for Chinese funds for nine new projects worth US$ 6.4 billion, including for a new port and a bridge.

During Xis Dhaka visit in 2016, the two countries had signed MoUs for implementing several infrastructure projects worth over $25bn, the newspaper reported.

According to The Diplomat, Chinese investment plans announced in October 2016 included 27 MoUs, valued at $24bn while Chinese and Bangladeshi companies separately entered 13 joint ventures valued at $13.6bn.

In his message, Xi said the China-Bangladesh friendship has a long history and remains ever new over time.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 45 years ago, the two countries have always respected each other and treated each other as equals, enhanced political mutual trust and deepened mutually beneficial cooperation that brings tangible benefits to the two peoples, Xi noted.

The Chinese leader added that China and Bangladesh have stuck together during the Covid-19 pandemic through thick and thin, helped each other and fought against the pandemic side by side, writing a new chapter of bilateral friendship.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang separately exchanged congratulatory messages with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

China, Li said, is willing to deepen practical cooperation with Bangladesh in various fields and promote the steady and sustainable development of the China-Bangladesh strategic partnership of cooperation to better benefit the two countries and their people.

President Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had earlier send their greetings to Chinese President Xi Jinping on the occasion of the founding anniversary of the Peoples Republic of China.

According to media reports from Dhaka, in her message to the Chinese leaders, Hasina appreciated China as one of the most valued partners of Bangladesh for its socio-economic development and the continued Chinese aid and support to Bangladesh during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Birthday, which is unarguably synonymous with the independence day of any given nation is worth celebrating; irrespective of the political or economic challenges it is faced with. To this end, Nigerias independence which is yearly celebrated or marked on October 1 is not in any way an exception in this context, and celebrating it can never be said to be inexpedient.

Birthday only comes around once a year, and one of the reasons it is usually celebrated is to appreciate God for His mercy and faithfulness for keeping the celebrant alive. A birthday is a time when a person acknowledges the anniversary of his or her birth. In many cultures, birthdays are celebrated with gifts, parties, or other special activities. The reasons why it is celebrated or marked as such cannot be farfetched as it depicts the beginning that should be celebrated with an expression of thanks and an opportunity to refresh the outlook about what life has in the offing. Not only that, birthday opens door to new mercies and serves as a chance to acknowledge ones existence on earth. In any mans life; whether successful or not, birthday is a reminder of ones birth as the beginning of his or her life. God created everyone to serve a purpose in this world. Every time anyone has a birthday, it is an indication that he or she still have work to do in his or her earthly journey. Therefore, birthday is a sign that there is another chance to fulfill a unique mission.

A birthday is a momentous occasion to be commemorated just as a nation commemorates its birth or independence or as an organization celebrates its founding day. A birthday is much more than an occasion to receive gifts. It is an opportunity to remember the day that a major event occurred, and on that note celebrate it, give thanks, and thank God that one is still alive to witness the day he or she was born. The essence of birthday celebration is equally applicable to a nation that has in the past gained independence from an imperialistic country.

Simply put, birthday is a time to celebrate birth itself. It is an expression of thanks to God for being born and still being alive. It is also an occasion for the celebrant and his or her admirers to ruminate on events that have played out. It is a great time to reflect on the past, evaluate the present, and make plans for the future. It is a time when the past intersects with the present and future. Aptly put, it is a transition from what was to what is expected to be.

A birthday is not only a time to think about ones birth but also a time to think about rebirth. To recall ones birth is to reflect, and take action on how a new beginning can be ushered. No matter how things went yesterday or last year, there is always a second chance to try again. It goes without saying that birthday is a livener, a chance for renaissance.

Reiteratively put, birthday opens the door to new mercies. This is because, to have lived another year is an achievement. After all, there is another year's worth of blessings to thank God for.

To many Nigerians that have the erroneous notion that Nigeria is not worth celebrating at independence, particularly as exhibited few days ago at her 60th independence anniversary, they should not forget that many countries have gone into extinction. In a similar vein, many countries had merged, split, or changed their names. Without any scintilla of hyperbole, there are many countries that no longer exist. Such countries include Abyssinia, also known as the Ethiopian Empire. Abyssinia was a kingdom in northeast Africa. In the early 20th century, it split into the states of Eritrea and Ethiopia. In the same vein, Austria-Hungary, a monarchy established in 1867 was a country. It was also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and included not just Austria and Hungary but also parts of the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, Romania, and the Balkans. The empire collapsed at the end of the First World War.

In the ilk of Austria-Hungary was Bengal. It was an independent kingdom in Southern Asia that existed from 1338 to 1539. The county has since being divided into the states of Bangladesh and India.

Also known to be a country that has gone into extinction is Burma which officially changed its name to Myanmar in 1989. Unfortunately, many countries still have not recognized the change. As if the list is not long enough, Catalonia which was an autonomous region of Spain, and which remained independent from 1932 to 1934 and from 1936 to 1939 is another good lesson for Nigerians to learn from and understand that it is the mercy of God that has kept Nigeria as a nation together. After all, the June 12 debacle, and Nigeria/Biafra Wars were catastrophic enough for Nigeria to have gone into extinction or divided. But that was not to be.

Still in the same nexus, Ceylon was an island country located off the coast of India. In 1972, it changed its name to Sri Lanka. So also is Corsica. This Mediterranean Island was ruled by various nations over the course of its history but had several brief periods of independence. Today, Corsica is politically one of the 18 regions of France

In the same vein, Czechoslovakia, which was a country in Eastern Europe was peacefully split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993.

Also, East Pakistan, which was a province of Pakistan from 1947 to 1971 is now the independent state of Bangladesh.

Due to inadequate space to express my view in citing other countries that have gone into extinction or rather have become divided, it is expedient to say that Nigeria should always be celebrated at Independence because it still remained united despite the differences that appear to have divided it as a multi-ethnic nation.

To analyze this piece from our personal lives, I doubt if any Nigerian has ever sent an insulting birthday wishes to his father or uncle that did not achieve much on his 60th birthday. Contrariwise, we do that to Nigeria each time she celebrates her birthday without paying cognizance of the fact that there is power in the tongue. We should not forget that Nigeria is our collective roof in the same way it is proverbially said that the tortoise sees its shell as its roof, and for that reason protectively carry it about. We should for God sake mind what we say about Nigeria; irrespective of the situation and under whatever situation we have anything to say or comment about Nigeria. We all should not be seeing Nigeria as a Zoo as other are wont to.
(Alliance News) - Movie house chain Cineworld Group PLC is set to close its UK sites in the coming weeks.

The closures come as the release of the latest James Bond film was further delayed from November to spring 2021, the PA news agency understands.

As first reported in The Sunday Times, bosses will write to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden to tell them that cinema has become "unviable" as studios keep putting back blockbuster releases.

The closure of its 128 sites across the country will put up to 5,500 jobs at risk, and staff have voiced anger at how they have been treated by the company since screens were forced to close earlier this year.

A Cineworld staff member, who did not want to be named, said they feel "betrayed".

They told the PA news agency: "None of us have been told a single thing yet so me and my work colleagues are sort of in panic-mode right now, wondering what's going to happen to our jobs, especially this close to Christmas."

And Philippa Childs of union Bectu, which represents people in the cinema sector, said: "If these reports are true, then the first people Cineworld should be informing are their staff who will suffer as a result a not the Sunday newspapers.

"Whilst cinemas have been able to open since July and the experience of those who have visited since then has been an overwhelmingly positive one, the stark reality is that without new releases it is unlikely that footfall will increase to a level that makes opening financially viable.

"The delay in the release of the Bond film along with the other delayed releases has plunged cinema into crisis.

"Studios will have to think carefully when considering release dates about the impact that will have for the long term future of the big screen."

The head of the UK Cinema Association said he fears the Cineworld closure is "indicative of challenges faced by the entire UK cinema industry at the moment".

Phil Clapp told BBC Radio 4's Broadcasting House programme: "Although cinemas opened in July and have been able to deliver a safe and enjoyable experience, without major new titles then we understand we aren't able to get as many people out of the home as we'd like.

"What we're picking up from a broad range of our members is that business and trade has got increasingly difficult over recent weeks."

He added he believes "no-one will be untouched by the current challenges".

In July, the government promised a package of more than GBP1.5 billion to help the arts and culture industries forced to shut down earlier this year as a result of the pandemic.

According to analysis by real estate adviser Altus Group, there are 596 cinemas in England and Wales, which were allowed to start their reopening processes in the summer.

Daniel Craig's final outing as spy James Bond will not hit big screens until next April, it was announced on Friday.

No Time To Die was originally scheduled for release in April 2020, but was first pushed back to November as a result of the pandemic.

A statement on the film's Twitter account said: "We understand the delay will be disappointing to our fans but we now look forward to sharing NO TIME TO DIE next year."

By Caitlin Doherty and Megan Baynes, PA

source: PA

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Like all compromises, this was an imperfect solution to a problem for which no perfect solution was identifiable. The preamble to the U.S. Constitution implicitly acknowledges this by stating, "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union . . . ."

Note that the preamble says "more perfect" rather than simply "perfect."

Deciding how the president should be elected was even more complicated. Here the decision was to go with the Electoral College, rather than by popular vote. As specified by the Constitution, the number of electors each state has is "equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in Congress . . . ." Thus, based on the most recent census, Iowa has six electors while Illinois, which has a larger population, has twenty electors.

Abolishing the Electoral College would require a constitutional amendment. Both houses of Congress must approve amendments by a two-thirds vote (or a special constitutional convention requested by two-thirds of the states.) Proposed amendments that pass this hurdle then go to each state for consideration. Three-quarters of the states must ratify the proposed amendment for it to go into effect.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people of the so-called 'Upper Castes', including the family of one of the accused, gathered outside the homeof former BJP MLA Rajveer Singh Pehelwan, and claimed that the four arrested have been wrongly accused

The political storm over the Hathras gangrape intensified on Sunday with Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Jayant Chaudhary being lathi-charged on the outskirts of the victim's village and the accused being defended at a meeting outside the home of a former Bharatiya Janata Party MLA.

Meanwhile, as per NDTV, Bhim Army founder Chandra Shekhar Azad was also stopped twice on his way to visit the family of the teenager who was raped and assaulted allegedly by four men from her village on 14 September and later succumbed to her injuries on 29 September.

After being stopped for the first time, the Bhim Army chief marched for about five kilometres. Upon entering Hathras, Azad was stopped again and was told that not all the people accompanying him could go along.

After he managed to meet the victim's family, Azad demanded that Y-category security be given to them and a probe monitored by the Supreme Court be initiated into the gangrape.

"When Kangana Ranaut can be given Y-plus security, meetings are being held to back the accused... I demand that the government arranges Y-Plus category security for the victim's family. We have all seen that the CBI follows the government's orders," he said.

"Under the present leadership, the CBI is being used only to scare people. We want a probe monitored by a retired Supreme Court judge," he added.

On Saturday, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said he had recommended a CBI probe into the gangrape and assured that the strictest punishment will be handed out to those found guilty.

SP delegation stopped

A delegation of the SP too claimed on Sunday that it had been stopped briefly at a toll plaza near Agra by police at the behest of the government.

"This forcible stoppage is a murder of democracy.... Samajwadi(s) will stand with the aggrieved family in their fight for justice," the party tweeted in Hindi.

SP president Akhilesh Yadav had on Saturday set up an 11-member fact-finding team headed by the party's state unit chief Naresh Uttam Patel to visit the woman's village on Sunday and meet her family members.

After the delegation met the family, the party said in another tweet in Hindi: "A 'nyay yuddh' (struggle for justice) is going on to deliver justice to the deceased daughter of Hathras by the Samajwadis. On the directives of the national president, the SP delegation met the aggrieved family, expressed its solidarity, and assured all possible help. SP supports all the demands of the aggrieved family."

RLD leader baton charged

Meanwhile, the RLD in a press statement, alleged that its vice-president Jayant Chaudhary and party workers were lathi-charged by police when they were on their way to meet the victim's family.

Condemning the police action, RLD's UP unit president Masood Ahmed said, "The BJP is trying to suppress the voice of the Opposition." RLD members also staged protests and blocked roads in various parts of Muzaffarnagar district.

Hathras SDM Prem Prakash Meena however accused the party workers of breaking barricades and pelting stones, injuring one of the police personnel. He also accused them of misbehaving with women police personnel.

They broke the barricadding & pelted stones. One of our COs has been injured. To disperse the crowd we had to use minor force. Situation is under control: #Hathras Sadar SDM Prem Prakash Meena https://t.co/Se7XOvY9xA  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 4, 2020

As per news agency ANI, Chaudhary later met the victim's family. Rashtiya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Jayant Chaudhary meets family members of the alleged gangrape victim in #Hathras. pic.twitter.com/XU9gsLdEG1  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 4, 2020

According to a report in Hindustan Times, it was Samajwadi Party workers who had jumped the barricades while waiting for its delegation to come out of the village. Chaudhary and his supporters had reached the spot amid the melee.

The report states that stone-pelting was carried out by unidentified persons and the police resorted to lathi-charge while Chaudhary was interacting with a reporter. The RLD workers rushed to protect Chaudhary as the police continued to baton charge.

The visit of Azad, the SP delegation and the RLD workers comes a day after Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met the family of the Dalit teenager and declared that they would fight to ensure justice.

On Sunday, Priyanka tweeted: "According to the aggrieved family, the worst treatment meted out to them was by the district magistrate. Who is trying to save him? He should be immediately suspended, and his role in the entire matter should be probed. When the family is demanding a judicial probe, then why is noise over CBI probe and SIT probe is going on."

"If the UP government has even slightly woken up from its slumber, it should listen to the point of view of the family," she said in another tweet.

               

2/2  Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) October 4, 2020

As per a Hindustan Times report, the family members of the 19-year-old Dalit woman said they were against a CBI probe, and sought a Supreme Court-monitored inquiry instead.

We do not require a CBI probe, but want the proceedings to take place in a fast-track court under the supervision of a Supreme Court judge, the report quotes the victim's brother as saying.

Earlier, Opposition party leaders including the Gandhis and TMC's Derek O'Brien had been stopped from going to the village in Hathras. On Thursday, a Congress convoy had been stopped and the Gandhis had been briefly detained before being escorted back to Delhi. On Friday, a TMC delegation was allegedly manhandled and pushed by policemen outside the girl's village.

The entry of media persons, too, was restricted to avoid " any meddling in the investigation. The sub-divisional magistrate of the region had told ANI the restrictions were put in place as a Special Investigation Team was trying to collect statements and evidence in the village.

Editors Guild issues statement

The Editors Guild of India on Sunday released a statement condemning the blockade by the law enforcement agencies and demanded that the government create an environment in Hathras which does not obstruct journalists in any way.

The Editors Guild of India has issued a statement pic.twitter.com/mDegUOXEQ2  Editors Guild of India (@IndEditorsGuild) October 4, 2020

The Guild also referred to the alleged phone-tapping of journalists covering the case and asserted that this, along with stopping them from going to the village, undermines and obstructs the functioning of the media. The statement noted that this was part of the growing trend of attacks on media professionals in many states and demanded corrective action.

As per the Hindustan Times report, the SIT constituted by the state government continued its probe on Sunday and recorded the statements of the womans family members.

We are open to anyone who wants to present himself before SIT and get his or her statement (recorded), said senior IPS officer Bhagwan Swaroop who heads the three-member SIT.

Accused defended at meet

Meanwhile, hundreds of people belonging to the so-called "upper castes", including the family of one of the accused, gathered outside the house of former BJP MLA Rajveer Singh Pehelwan, and claimed that the four arrested have been wrongly accused.

According to news agency PTI, one of the organisers of Sunday's meeting and Pehalvans son Manveer Singh, however, denied that the gathering comprised members from the so-called upper castes and said they were from different sections of society.

Rajveer told PTI that a scenario was being created to blame the government and instead demanded that an FIR be registered against the complainants.

The entire scenario has been created to blame the government. The accused persons are in favour of any type of inquiry. But the victims are changing their stand every now and then. They do not want a narco test or a CBI probe. Now they want other kinds of inquiries, he claimed.

"Our demand is that a case should be filed against those people who had filed the case in the first instance," he said.

Rajveer also welcomed the CBI probe recommended by the Adityanath government, asserting that they had " full faith in the investigation."

Singh also said various legal options were being explored to defend the accused in the case. He asserted that the arrest of some of the accused persons from their homes was proof of their innocence.

Had they been guilty, they would have run away from their homes. Why would they be present in their homes, he asked.

As per a Quint report, members of the Bajrang Dal, RSS, Karni Sena, Rashtriya Savarna Sangathan, Kshatriya Mahasabha are among those who have been rallying in favour of the accused

As per an NDTV report, a gathering of so-called upper caste men was also held on Friday near the village where the teen lived. Large gatherings remain banned in the district amid public outrage over the brutality.

The report quoted Joint Magistrate Prem Prakash Meena as saying that he was not aware of Sunday's meeting. "There is no pressure on the victim's family. Political leaders can meet the family in groups of five," he added. The report noted that permission was not required as the gathering was held at a private residence.

However, one of the men present at the meeting said the police had been informed about the meeting.

As per PTI, heavy police deployment was visible in the vicinity of the former BJP MLAs house which is located around 8 to 9 kilometres from the victims village.

The demand for justice to the accused, who belong to the dominant Thakur community and have been arrested, comes days after the Uttar Pradesh Police's claim that the 19-year-old victim was not raped, based on the forensic report which said no semen was found, triggering outrage online and disbelief among activists.

The ADG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar had also claimed that the case was being stoked to stir up caste-based tensions.

MLC report notes signs of use force

As per several media reports, the provisional opinion by a doctor Department of Forensic Medicine of the Aligarh Muslim Universitys Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital (JNMCH) in a medico-legal certificate (MLC) from 22 September noted that there were signs of use of force.

"However, opinion regarding penetration and intercourse is subject to pending availability of FSL reports," the doctor had said.

As alleged by the informant, the survivor was sexually assaulted by four known persons of the same village when she was doing some work in the fields of village Bulgarhi on 14 September 2020 at 9 am. There is a history of loss of consciousness during the incident," The Quint quotes the report as saying.

As per a report in The Times of India, all sections marked for the presence of semen had do not know written against them. Also,a UV exam was not conudtced because the body (had been) wiped several times.

Evidence on the outside of the body and on materials like clothing can be collected even after 96 hours, the report notes. However, the girl's clothing had been changed at the time of admission, it said, adding that clothes worn at the time of incidence (sic) are collected and sealed".

As per the media reports, findings of the preliminary MLC stand in contrast to the final report prepared by the JNMCH on Saturday, which said there were no signs suggestive of vaginal/ anal intercourse but found evidence of physical assault.

As per The Hindu, this report is based on the Forensic Science Laboratory report quoted by the ADG while claiming that rape had not taken place.

However, Hamza Malik, president of AMUs Resident Doctors Association told The Hindu that the final opinion was based on the FSL report and denied intercourse, not rape.

He also observed that the forensic examination had been conducted on 22 September, eight days after the gangrape. The forensic examination was conducted on 22 September, eight days after the incident. In cases of rape, according to government guidelines, the forensic samples should be collected within 72 hours of the incident. Sperms cant survive after more than 90 hours, he said.

The referral slip of the Hathras hospital, where the girl was initially taken, prepared on 14 September said no MLC was conducted before referring her to JNMCH as the girl was in a serious condition.

According to The Times of India, the delay can partly be attributed to the fact that initially only attempt to murder charges had been filed and the rape charges were added later to the FIR, after the victim regained consciousness and hence the MLC was conducted later.

The Hindu report states that the family members said the mother had remained silent on that count to "protect the honour" of the girl.

Malik also said that if the observations in medico-legal case (MLC) report are read with certain findings in the autopsy report in the light of the amended rape law, the picture would be different.

Besides, how could you discount her statement before the magistrate which would be treated as the dying declaration of the victim and is crucial in such cases. Insensitive cases, nobody should reach a conclusion on half-truths," he said.

Protests continue

Meanwhile, in Srinagar, trade unions affiliated with the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) staged a demonstration near the press enclave. Carrying placards and banners, the protesters raised slogans against the perpetrators of the heinous crime and demanded the resignation of Yogi Adityanath, a CITU spokesperson said.

The protesters also called for the arrest of police personnel who initially refused to file an FIR and against those responsible for the cruel act of forcible cremation. They said the culprits responsible for the rape and murder should be hanged.

"This barbaric caste-based rape crime is reflective of the utter lawlessness in UP under the BJP government and the patronage given to casteist and reactionary forces leading to a big increase in crimes against Dalits and women. The recent NCRB report confirms this," the spokesperson said.

He also termed the burial of the gang-rape victim without her family's consent as a blatant denial of justice.

The teenager died of her grievous injuries a fortnight after the rape in a hospital in Delhi on Tuesday. She was cremated in the dead of the night near her home on Wednesday. Her family alleged they were forced by the local police to hurriedly conduct her last rites. Local police officers, however, had said the cremation was carried out "as per the wishes of the family".

As per the Hindustan Times report, safai karmacharis in Agra too continued their agitation. On Saturday, the sanitation workers had pelted the municipal corporations garbage removal vehicles with stones.

Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati expressed concern over allegations of Hathras district magistrate threatening the family of the Dalit woman who died after being allegedly gang-raped.

In a tweet in Hindi, Mayawati said, "There have been serious allegations of the Hathras DM threatening the family of the victim. Despite this, the UP Government is maintaining silence, which is sad and extremely worrying."

"The government has agreed for a CBI probe but with the DM staying there (Hathras), how can the matter be impartially probed? People are feeling apprehensive," she said.

Earlier, a woman member of the family had claimed they were being pressured by the district magistrate and feared "these people now won't let us live here", according to a purported video. Another video had also showed the DM purportedly meeting the family at their home, where he allegedly asked the womans father to reconsider if he wants to stick with the statement or change it.

With inputs from agencies
With state governments taking cautious steps in unlocking keeping in mind the states Covid-19 situation, it is not a uniform process across the country. Several new measures of unlocking will start from October 5  the first Monday after Centre announced its latest reopening guidelines.

Here is state/city/UT-wise list of what is opening on October 5

Maharashtra: Restaurants, bars, cafes will reopen in Maharashtra after being shut for seven months. Though the Centre allowed states to reopen restaurants, Maharashtra  the hotbed of the infection and still the highest contributor to the countrys caseload  took time before taking the decision.

Puducherry: The Union Territory has allowed schools to reopen from October 5 only for the students of class 10 and 12.

Tripura: Schools in Tripura are allowed tp reopen on a voluntary basis from October 5 for students between classes 9 and 12.

Bengaluru: The ISKCON temple of Bengaluru will open its doors for the public on October 5. The temple will remain open from 9.30am to 12.30 pm and from 4pm to 8pm on weekdays. On weekends, the temple will remain open from 9.30am to 8pm.

Kolkata: The Kolkata Metro will increase service time from October 5. The authorities will run more trains from tomorrow.

Chennai: Essential staff will be allowed to travel in workmen specials services in Chennai local trains from October 5. At present, only railways and central government officials are allowed to travel.
Community groups are mounting a combined push for more social and affordable housing for Aboriginal people in inner Sydney, as a wave of development and rise in property prices scatter the area's once-thriving population.

More than 20 local groups are lobbying the Berejiklian government to commit to a greater proportion of homes for Indigenous residents as it forges ahead with developments that are remaking swathes of publicly owned land in Redfern and Waterloo. The suburbs have long been the epicentre of Aboriginal politics and culture in Sydney.

Community leaders Warren Roberts, LaVerne Bellear and Nathan Moran in Redfern. Credit:Nick Moir

"It's about the ongoing connection of Aboriginal people to place," said Warren Roberts, of the Inner Sydney Aboriginal Interagency Network.

Mr Roberts is coordinator of the Redfern Waterloo Alliance of Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations and Allies, which brings together organisations across the housing, health, legal aid and youth services sectors.
Our colleagues from RTL 5minutes talked to Christophe Lambot, representative of ELA Luxembourg, about the ramifications of the sanitary crisis on humanitarian associations.

ELA Luxembourg dedicates its resources to the research of leukodystrophies and is currently planning to finance a clinical trial. Lambot explains: "Usually we rely on donations from businesses, which tend to be generous with their donations. However, since the beginning of the health crisis, we have seen a 70 to 80% decline."

A critical situation, not only for ELA Luxembourg, but also for the other numerous humanitarian organisations that have even higher expenses. Lambot conveyed that his team was able to cut rent costs since a volunteer offered to house the organisation.



Although such measures help ELA Luxembourg prevail over the crisis, it will not be possible for them to make a significant amount of progress in that same period.

Apps to increase donations

ELA Luxembourg has a number of important occasions coming up, like the nation-wide Diversity Day on 6 October, or the 5th edition of the MTB initiative on 15 October. Lambot thus used the opportunity to remind donors and volunteers to continue committing to the fight against leukodystrophies.

The association moreover developed an app to help organise donation events in the future: "The application counts the steps of users, 1 cent being donated for each single step accumulated over the course of an event. Naturally, businesses can also decide to set a maximum limit."



 ELA Luxembourg  ELA Luxembourg  ELA Luxembourg The photos published on this site are subject to copyright and may not be copied, modified, or sold without the prior permission of the owner of the site in question.



The application can also be used by private people on 15 October with the use of the following code: 62882. The step counter will be active from 8 am until 5 pm.

People can moreover use the application to create their own events, for which they will only have to get a new code from ELA Luxembourg. Christophe Lambot hopes that this method may increase both donations and awareness of the disease over time.

Video report in French:
HATHRAS: Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad on Sunday (October 4) visited the family of Hathras gang-rape and murder victim and demanded government to allocate Y-plus security cover to them.

He also demanded the government to order an investigation into case under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge.

Speaking to ANI, he said, "I demand Y security for the family or I'll take them to my house as they aren't safe here. We want an inquiry to be done under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge."

Azad's demand for a Supreme Court-monitored probe comes a day after the Uttar Pradesh government led by Yogi Adityanath recommended a CBI investigation into the case.

On October 3, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi visited Hathras and met the family of the 19-year-old girl who died after alleged gang-rape and brutal assault by four people belonging to the upper caste.

The 19-year-old girl was sexually assaulted and murdered by four men in Hathras on September 14. Nationwide protests and demonstrations were organised by various Opposition parties after her death a fortnight later in New Delhis Safdarjang Hospital.
A former heroin addict pleaded guilty to the theft of two bags from a train and two further counts of trespassing with the intention of committing a theft in Boyle.

James Cranny, 2 Meadowvale, Boyle, Co Roscommon pleaded guilty to the charges at Carrick-on-Shannon District Court last week.

On December 16, 2019 Gardai were called to Farm Relief Services Network, Elphin St, Boyle at 2.10am. The front door had been kicked in and the premises entered. Nothing was taken but the defendant was identified from camera footage.

On December 17, 2019, at 1.30am, a resident of a house at Station Road, Boyle, contacted the gardai after hearing a noise downstairs and finding the defendant in his kitchen. A sum of 164 cash had been taken from a wallet. There was no confrontation.

On September 16, 2019 at Boyle Railway Station the defendant stole a bag containing an i-Phone, clothes and a gold chain valued at approximately 350, property of Mary McCoole, and on December 15, 2019 at Boyle Railway Station, he stole a luggage case of assorted clothing valued at 365, property of Tess McTiernan.

The court heard Mr Cranny cooperated with the Gardai and endeavoured to recollect where some of the property was disposed of but the Gardai were unable to recover any of the items.

The defendant had previous convictions including a five year sentence for two theft offences at Wicklow Circuit Court in April 2016, and a two year suspended sentence for theft at Dublin Circuit Court in February 2016.

His solicitor, Gerry McGovern, asked Judge Kevin Kilrane to allow the Probation Service to see this man. Judge Kilrane questioned why he would need a probation report on him.

Mr McGovern said he has struggled with addictions and was in a bad place at the time.

The judge asked what the defendant has done about his addictions.

Mr Cranny said he was a heroin addict up to eight or nine months ago and is currently seeing a counsellor twice a week in Boyle.

Judge Kilrane said that, with some reluctance, he would seek a probation report but added that anything less than a prison sentence will not fit the justice of the situation.

He said unless the report contains something particularly impressive then actual imprisonment will be the result.

Judge Kilrane remanded the defendant on continuing bail until November 17 with liberty to re-enter if there is any allegation of re-offending.
Wales are awaiting clarification over whether Aaron Ramsey can join them for their fixtures against England, the Republic of Ireland and Bulgaria after the entire Juventus team went into fiduciary isolation.

Ramsey was named in Ryan Giggs squad for the triple header of fixtures between October 8 and 14 following injury but the former Arsenal midfielders situation is complicated by matters out of his control arising in Turin.

Just five days before Wales are set to take on England at Wembley, Juventus announced on Saturday that two members of staff, neither of whom were players or technical or medical personnel, had tested positive for coronavirus.

While Juve are confident they will be able to take on Napoli in their Serie A fixture on Sunday evening, the apparent quarantining of their entire squad means Ramsey linking up with Wales is not a certainty.

The PA news agency understands Wales are awaiting a response over the Ramsey issue.

Wales take on England in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Thursday in their first meeting since England won a Euro 2016 Battle of Britain clash 2-1 in Lens.

Aaron Ramsey was named in Wales squad for their triple header of games between October 8 and 14 (Nick Potts/PA)

Wales then travel to the Aviva Stadium in Dublin to take on the Republic in the Nations League next Sunday before a trip to Sofia for an encounter against Bulgaria a week on Wednesday.
Dubai's Museum of the Future has achieved a major construction milestone with the attachment of the last component to its facade, in the final preparations for completing the future landmark which embodies the UAE's unique urban achievements, reported state news agency Wam.

Located in the Emirates Towers area near Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai, the 30,000-sq-m and 77-m-high iconic building has an instantly recognisable shape, epitomised by its futuristic stainless steel facade with illuminated glazed Arabic calligraphy.

Seven floors of exhibition space will showcase innovative and futuristic concepts, services, and products for the future of cities.

Along with the Emirates Towers, the Dubai International Financial Centre and the Dubai World Trade Centre, the magnificent structure adds to the emirate's distinguished track record of architectural masterpieces, it stated.

The Museum of the Future is a global monument of urban excellence and a quintessential Emirati contribution to delivering a brighter future, remarked HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.

He was speaking at a ceremony to mark the attachment of the final piece to the facade of the Museum of the Future.

"These represents an innovation-driven area that will drive sustainability and advance the development process, he added, noting that the museum has already gained global fame even before its opening thanks to its one-of-a-kind design, he stated.

Sheikh Mohammed pointed out that the Museum of the Future represents a global architectural and engineering icon that would be harnessed to build human miracles capable of using the museum to shape a better future.

"We are not after architectural wonders, but we rather seek to unleash human potential to create a better future that abounds in miracles and testifies to the remarkable achievements made by the UAE. Dubai will continue to deliver architectural masterpieces as the world continues to be in progress for those who know exactly what they want," he added.

The museum, which stands encased in stainless steel adorned with Arabic calligraphy, will upon completion represent a showplace for a new era - a centre of creativity and hope where the visitor can see, touch and shape the country's shared future.

Combining elements of exhibition, immersive theater and themed attraction, the Museum of the Future invites its visitors to look beyond the present and take their place within possible worlds to come.

"A universal architectural icon, the Museum of the Future combines between our authentic Arab culture and far-reaching ambitions. It is a global engineering icon, but speaks the Arabic language," he added.

"The Museum of the Future will bespeak urban excellence upon its completion,"

Sheikh Mohammed affirmed while being shown around the progress of work at the landmark's facade.

He was briefed by the team of the Dubai Future Foundation, the body in charge of the project, on the key design techniques, architectural styles and state-of-the-art solutions wielded in accomplishing the cultural landmark which is set to be the one of the most beautiful architectures in the world.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai affirmed that Dubai and the UAE will continue on the path of creativity in various fields thanks to the talent and determination to lead in the field of creating the future.

"Today we stand before one of the most innovative buildings in the world. A testament to Dubai and the UAEs leadership in creative design, engineering, and architectural uniqueness," he stated.

"We are creating the future and developing future strategies that will mark the industry of the future. Our goal is to adopt new models for future governments by bringing about a comprehensive change in the system of governments, relying on our young national cadres who are able to take responsibility and turn challenges into opportunities," he added.
(Newser)  Dr. Sean Conley had made news before he stepped to the microphone Saturday outside Walter Reed Medical Center to provide a sunny update on President Trump's battle with COVID-19. In May, the White House physician disclosed that Trump was taking hydroxychloroquine, a treatment that Trump has endorsed while the FDA and other experts have warned it could cause problems in COVID-19 patients. Conley, who followed Dr. Ronny Jackson in the job, wrote at the time that he and his patient had "concluded the potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risks." Conley said Saturday that Trump is not taking the anti-malaria drug now, the New York Times reports, adding that "we discussed it."

story continues below

Trump made Conley White House physician in May 2018, after he'd held the "acting" title for two months. Conley, who is from Pennsylvania, went to Notre Dame for undergrad, then graduated from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He's been an emergency doctor for the Navy since 2006, per the Times, the year he graduated. Osteopaths take more of a "whole-person approach to treatment and care," than other doctors, according to the American Osteopathic Association, deciding on treatment with their patients. The doctors, who are fully licensed and can prescribe medication, undergo more training in the body's system of nerves, muscles, and bones. Conley also served as a trauma chief in Afghanistan and directed trauma research at Walter Reed. (Conley was involved in Trump's murky visit to Walter Reed last fall.)
California hit another astonishing wildfire milestone Sunday, eclipsing 4 million acres burned  more than double the states old record.

But good news came from the Napa Valley, where the Glass Fire fight was helped when expected wind gusts were mild and the fire moved eastward, away from the town of Calistoga  whose residents were allowed to return home Sunday.

Theres been no active fire spread for at least three days now, Cal Fire spokesman Jonathan Cox said at a community briefing Sunday night. We feel very confident.

Since it ignited overnight Sept. 27 in windy weather, the Glass Fire has ripped through a popular section of Wine Country, destroying 252 homes in Napa County and 235 in Sonoma County, as well as hundreds of other buildings. It has blackened nearly 65,000 acres and was 26% contained Sunday evening. Thousands have been evacuated so far, with new orders to leave issued Sunday in northern Napa County near Robert Louis Stevenson State Park and some new warnings in Lake County  even as evacuation orders in Calistoga and some other ares of Napa and Sonoma counties were reduced to warnings.

The blaze was actively burning in the east, largely in the hills and away from Calistoga.

Theyve got a lot of dozers up there and coordination with aircraft and hand crews to maintain that, Cal Fire spokesman Chris Valenzuela said Sunday.

Noah Berger / Special to The Chronicle

Wildfires burning this year in California eclipsed 4 million acres on Sunday. The milestone came with about two months to go in the traditional fire season. The old mark set two years ago was 1.97 million acres.

Disbelief  Im still trying to put words to it. You just cant grasp that number, Cal Fire spokesman Scott McLean said.

At 6 a.m. Sunday, the red flag warning for high winds was lifted from the Calistoga area. The fire line, which reached the town limits along the Silverado Trail earlier in the week, was 10 miles away and moving on, said Calistoga Fire Department Capt. Jeremy Campbell.

Because of the population density in this area, they have really focused a lot of resources to this area, as opposed to maybe an area that has no houses or businesses, Valenzuela said.

By Sunday afternoon, the sky above Calistoga was a lot brighter than a day earlier. The danger had eased, but concerns remained for the scenic town known for wine and mud baths.

Noah Berger / Special to The Chronicle

There are other dangers, said Campbell, from trees that are weakened to wires down.

Growers were able to get in and assess property damage for the first time in a week. Brian Lamborn expected the worst as he drove from his Sonoma County home to check on Lamborn Family Vineyards at the summit of Howell Mountain above Angwin.

Driving up Deer Park Road and down Sanitarium Road, Lamborn passed through surreal landscape. The Adventist Health St. Helena hospital had been saved, but most everything else he saw in Deer Park was gone  the school, homes, wineries.

The devastation there was heartbreaking, he said. It looked like a different planet.

As he reached the 40-acre property that has been in his family for four generations, Lamborn found a fire crew from San Diego mopping up. The barn with all the farm equipment was saved, as was the home of Lamborns brother, Matt. The crop of Zinfandel and Cabernet grapes still hung on the vines, but it was a total loss to smoke taint from the LNU Lightning Complex fire. That will cost Lamborn about 1,800 cases of wine due to come to market in 2023.

By late Sunday morning, Lamborn was back home in Sonoma County. Without a crop to harvest, there was no reason to be on Howell Mountain. Three engines and three trucks had been on his property, with crews from Texas and Montana. Also nearby were firefighters from Los Angeles, Menlo Park and Angwins own volunteer brigade.

Firefighters left Lamborns property strewn with fire hoses, he said, and hed like to be there to thank them when they return for them.

It could change in a minute, but the crews are really on top of this thing, Lamborn said. Until those rains come, we are not going to be sleeping well.

Firefighters hope for some reprieve late this week: A cooling trend is expected to bring rain Friday and Saturday. The North Bay could see up to an inch, according to the National Weather Service.

Even so, its looking unlikely to be a fire season-ending rainfall event, unfortunately, UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain wrote on Twitter Sunday.

An estimated 4,000 firefighters and 40 helicopters are battling the Glass Fire, Valenzuela said.

Evacuation orders were lifted Sunday afternoon in the Oakmont and Stonebridge areas of Santa Rosa. In Sonoma County, residents were allowed back into parts of Kenwood and Porter Creek Road.

Now Playing: Wildfires are once again ravaging Northern California's Wine Country. The Glass Fire threatens communities in Sonoma and Napa counties, including Santa Rosa, that suffered destruction from blazes in 2017. Video: San Francisco Chronicle

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Sonoma County sheriffs deputies arrested eight people who made their way into a Glass Fire evacuation area since the fire broke out a week ago but were unable to say why they were there. We determined that they were looking for crimes of opportunity, county Sheriff Mark Essick said at a news conference. They were up to no good.

Across the state, the acreage burned this year is about the size of Connecticut and amounts to 4% of California, which is about 101 million acres.

The Creek Fire, burning in Fresno and Madera counties and on both sides of the San Joaquin River, reached 316,673 acres by Sunday evening. Containment was at 49% as it burned near Mammoth Pool Reservoir, Shaver Lake and Huntington Lake.

The August Complex showed nearly no growth Saturday night, Cal Fire said. The complex of wildfires has scorched over 993,000 acres in seven Northern California counties and was 54% contained.

In Shasta County, the Zogg Fire containment was increased to 70% on Sunday evening, from 66% Saturday. The fire has burned 56,305 acres.

The unprecedented fire season is the result of on-and-off drought, which last abated in 2017, when weather brought a thick snowpack and hope, McLean said. But the rains didnt last, and now the state appears headed for a megadrought, researchers say.

This years massive fires have often been the result of dry lightning strikes that are even more intense than the infamous lightning-sparked fires of 2008.

Then, 1.5 million acres burned, and we thought that was horrendous, McLean said.

As to what the future holds, McLean can only look at the 150 million dead trees in the state, all potential fuel for future fires, and at the dry lands around the state.

It just takes one spark, he said, noting that 95% of wildfires are ignited by humans  sometimes causing a spark by dragging a chain from a car or blowing a tire.

This year, its not unusual for firefighters to work 50 days in a row, he said, though theyre getting help from Mexico, Canada and several states.

Tatiana Sanchez, Sam Whiting and Nanette Asimov are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: tatiana.sanchez@sfchronicle.com, swhiting@sfchronicle.com, nasimov@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @TatianaYSanchez, @NanetteAsimov


BEIJING (dpa-AFX) - Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMI) said in a regulatory filing on Sunday that it has undertaken preliminary exchanges with the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security regarding export restrictions. It will continue to actively facilitate communications with the relevant U.S. government departments.



In the filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the Chinese chipmaker said the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security had issued letters to the company's U.S. suppliers, by which the supply of certain U.S. equipment, accessories and raw materials to SMIC will be subject to further restrictions.



The company also said it is conducting assessments on the impact of BIS's export restrictions on the company's production and operation activities. The export restrictions could have material adverse effects on its future production and operations.



The company reiterated that it has been operating in compliance with the relevant laws and regulations of all jurisdictions where it performs its businesses.



Last month, Semiconductor Manufacturing International clarified that it had no relationship with the Chinese military. Any assumptions of the company's ties with the Chinese military were untrue statements and false accusations.



The clarification had came after the U.S. media reported that the U.S. government was consideration to add the company to a trade blacklist.



The Trump administration's move was part of a continued effort to put pressure on China's technology firms and would mark a major escalation in the tech battle between the U.S. and China.



Semiconductor Manufacturing had said that in and before 2016, it had been granted Validated End-User authorization by the Bureau of Industry and Security and the company hosted several visits from U.S. government officials.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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As mayor, Sanders cited her work to get better flood protection for Offutt Air Force Base as a top achievement. She also said her experience as a business owner is an asset, because she knows the blood, sweat and tears, and taxes that are required.

On the issues, Hester named affordable health care and adequate funding of public schools as the top two issues in her race, while Sanders named addressing high property taxes.

More needs to be done to reduce property taxes, Sanders said. But she said she wanted to talk to other senators whove spent more time on the issues before outlining specific steps that need to be taken.

Sanders also said shed take a look at allowing school vouchers, which allow families to use all or part of their tax payments to finance education at a private school. Hester is an opponent.

Hester, whose main financial supporters are the Nebraska State Education Association and state labor unions, said shed take a look at rescinding some sales tax exemptions to lower property taxes. The states overall tax system, she said, is out of whack and relies too heavily on local property taxes to fund schools.
Yang Hae-gue's "Silo of Silence  Clicked Core" is installed for exhibition "MMCA Hyundai Motor Series 2020: Haegue Yang  O2 & H2O" at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, through Feb. 28, 2021. Courtesy of MMCA



By Kwon Mee-yoo



Artist Yang Hae-gue attempts to capture the abstraction of reality in her exhibition "MMCA Hyundai Motor Series 2020: Haegue Yang  O2 & H2O" at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), Seoul.



The title of the exhibition comes from essential elements for life  air and water  perceived through the human-invented chemical symbols, reflecting Yang's interest in tracing sensorial experiences in the abstract language of art.



MMCA director Youn Bum-mo emphasized the importance of this exhibit of the prolific and celebrated artist.



"We hope that this exhibition as well as the anthology, an outcome of a collaboration over three years, will provide an opportunity to explore the oeuvre of Yang in depth," Youn said.



Yang's monumental blind sculpture "Silo of Silence  Clicked Core" is installed in the Seoul Box space of the museum. First unveiled at KINDL  Centre for Contemporary Art in Berlin, a brewery building-turned-exhibition space, the 10-meter-high sculpture consists of two structures  a black, fixed layer outside and a blue, rotating layer inside. While the cylindrical outer structure is reminiscent of silos, as a nod to the space where it was originally installed, the blue inner vortex represents the clicked and activated area in the digital world.



"Chroma Key Wall Body Passage" is Yang's interpretation of the museum's architectural traits with hidden staircases inside fake walls. Alternating two chroma key colors of blue and green, Yang invites the viewers into a different dimension.



In the center of the exhibition space are Yang's iconic "Sol LeWitt Upside Down" series, in development since 2015. Using white blinds, Yang reinterprets the works of the minimalist artist Sol LeWitt. The cubic structures maintain the same shape from different perspectives, showcasing Yang's idea of turning the original upside-down.





Yang Hae-gue's "Sonic Domesticus" / Courtesy of MMCA



Yang's longstanding interest in everyday objects is presented in "Sonic Domesticus." Familiar objects such as a pot, computer mouse, hair dryer and an iron are enlarged and turned into sonic sculptures with bells. The sculptures with handles can be moved around to make tinkling sound, arousing aural sensations in combination with their original ergonomic design.



"Mok Woo Workshop  108 Wooden Spoons" presents works and writings of carpenter Kim Woo-hee, questioning the importance of craftsmanship and daily life.



Yang also placed numerous door knobs on the wall of the museum for "Nonagonal Door Opening," juxtaposing their functionlessness and geometric arrangement.



"Sonic Ropes" and "The Intermediates" are inspired by the specificity and universality of different folk cultures. Yang employed traditional weaving techniques to create hanging sculptures that reminds viewers of the shape of "imoogi," the legendary serpent not yet transformed into a dragon.



"Five Doing Un-Doing" is Yang's talisman, shown in five banners representing the five elements of water, wood, fire, earth and metal. The piece is accompanied with "Genuine Cloning," an artificial intelligence voice avatar of the artist created from footage recorded at the inter-Korean summit at Panmunjeom in April 2018, which in fact included only the sound of birds and camera noises.





Artist Yang Hae-gue / Courtesy of MMCA



Yang, who ranked 36th in the Art Review's Power 100 list in 2019, is a globetrotting artist who works internationally frequently.



In addition to the MMCA exhibit, Yang has a handful of current and upcoming solo and group shows around the world  "Haegue Yang: Emergence" at Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, Canada; "Haegue Yang: The Cone of Concern" at MCAD in Manila, the Philippines; and "Haegue Yang: Strange Attractors" at Tate St Ives, U.K.



Usually, Yang lives a nomadic life, dividing her time between Berlin and Seoul as well as other cities where she holds exhibitions. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Yang has been staying in Korea since January, which is a rather refreshing experience for the peripatetic artist.



"I have been wandering around the world for professional reasons, but the pandemic changed everything. I am installing four exhibitions at the moment and I have to organize three of them far-off, except for the Seoul one. This was unthinkable before the pandemic," Yang said.



The artist said she is pondering the pandemic's effect on modern life but hasn't reached a conclusion yet.



"There are some inconveniences, but the pandemic also provided us some relief from excessive labor and production in the era of post-capitalism. However, I do wish that the pandemic does not kill passion," Yang said. "As an artist who started my career in the globalism of the 1990s, I am well aware of the toxicity of the result of globalism. However, we should not lose its achievement just because of the pandemic."



With a sense of self-criticism, Yang said this pandemic would provide an opportunity to contemplate on the role of art amid the rapid expansion of the international art scene and market for the past two decades.



"Art is useless, but society cannot abandon it since there are certain things that only art can do. Artists should reconsider their role as thinkers."



The museum also published "Air and Water: Writings on Haegue Yang 2001-2020," a collection of writings from critics, curators, journalists and artists who have engaged with Yang for the last two decades, offering insight into her artistic career.



The exhibit runs through Feb. 28, 2021. MMCA Seoul is currently available upon advance reservation. For more information, visit www.mmca.go.kr .




Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 21:55:43|Editor: huaxia

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BAGHDAD, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Health Ministry reported on Sunday 3,210 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the nationwide infections to 379,141.

The ministry also reported 52 more deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 9,399 in the country.

It said that 3,817 more patients recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 307,482.

Meanwhile, Ziyad Hazim, a member of the ministry's media team, told the official al-Sabah newspaper that when to reopen schools will be decided after the Shiite ritual of Arbaeen.

He said the authorities will possibly put the opening of the schools after the autumn, al-Sabah reported.

Hazim attributed the possible delay of the school year to the fact that COVID-19 infections in the autumn could rise to up to 10,000 cases per day, according to the newspaper.

"The secondary schools and universities can follow their studies online in order not to miss their school year," al-Sabah quoted Hazim as saying.

Iraq has taken a series of measures to contain the pandemic since February when the first coronavirus case appeared in the country.

China has been helping Iraq fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

From March 7 to April 26, a Chinese team of seven medical experts spent 50 days in Iraq to help contain the disease, during which they helped build a PCR lab and install an advanced CT scanner in Baghdad.

Since March 7, China has also sent three batches of medical aid to Iraq. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 10:20:36|Editor: huaxia

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KIGALI, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Rwandan military said Saturday it had captured 19 armed persons of a Burundian rebel group, Red Tabara, on the Rwandan territory for illegal entry.

The arrested rebels armed with guns crossed from Burundi to neighboring Rwanda on Sept. 29, and were apprehended in Nyungwe forest in Rwanda's southern district of Nyaruguru, the Rwanda Defense Force said in a statement.

The Rwandan military said it has informed the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM) under the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) about the incident and requested it to verify and investigate the case.

Rwanda has seen sporadic armed attacks in its southern region in recent years.

The illegal crossing of Burundian rebels to Rwanda came just one month after military intelligence chiefs from the two countries met at Nemba One Stop Border Post to improve relations, which have been on a downswing since 2015 after Burundi accused Rwanda of hosting and supporting perpetrators of the 2015 coup plot against late Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza. Enditem
Woowa Brothers founder Kim Bong-jin. / Korea times photo by Ryu Hyo-jin



By Kim Jae-heun



Woowa Brothers founder Kim Bong-jin, and Delivery Hero Korea CEO Kang Shin-bong will attend a National Assembly audit Thursday to answer questions on how food delivery service firms will seek mutual growth with small business owners.



The two leaders were selected as witnesses by the Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs, And Startups Committee to speak during the government audit of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. They were summoned for an earlier audit in 2018 as representatives of two leading food delivery players in the local market.



Woowa Brothers and Delivery Hero operate Baedal Minjok (Baemin) and Yogiyo, respectively. They are the dominant players with more than a 90 percent market share when combined.



Once the government approves a proposed billion-dollar merger between the two firms, the merged entity will have "absolute power" over restaurant owners who develop their businesses using Baemin and Yogiyo.



Woowa Brothers was already under scrutiny in June for violating some clauses legislated by the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) in four cases. Those included unilateral breach of contract with restaurant owners, suspending certain services, and adopting a new fee system disadvantageous to its customers without notifying them.



This year, the pandemic has raised demand for food delivery services even more and a number of online platform operators have been reported for allegedly making "unfair" profits from the situation.





Delivery Hero Korea CEO Kang Shin-bong speaks at a press conference at the company's headquarters in Seocho, Seoul. / Courtesy of Delivery Hero Korea
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the Hathras incident, arrived at the victim's residence on Sunday morning to record the statements of her family members.

IMAGE: Additional Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh Awanish Kumar Awasthi meets the family members of a 19-year-old Dalit woman who died after being allegedly raped two ago, at Bulgadi village in Hathras, on Saturday. Photograph: PTI Photo

On the basis of its first report, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has already suspended the Hathras superintendent of police, deputy superintendent of police and some other police officers.

Their polygraph and narcoanalysis tests have been recommended.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister on Saturday also recommended a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the case.

This comes amid protests by the Opposition parties and civil society against the UP government across the country.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also visited the family on Saturday.

The 19-year-old Hathras woman died at Delhi's Safdarjung hospital on September 29.

All four accused in the incident have been arrested.
Chrissy Metz recently found herself back on the market, not long after her split with Hal Rosenfeld was announced.

And it seems the two-time Golden Globe nominee has already caught a keeper, as they just took a big step in their relationship.

The This Is Us star made it Instagram official with her new beau Bradley Collins on Saturday, as she celebrated National Boyfriend Day with a set of adorable photos from their whirlwind romance.

Insta official: Chrissy Metz made it Instagram official Saturday with her new beau Bradley Collins, as she celebrated National Boyfriend Day with a set of adorable photos from their whirlwind romance

The 40-year-old wrote: 'Happy #nationalboyfriendday to my dreamboat! Bradley, from the first moment I laid eyes on you I wanted and needed to know you.'

She also had no issue dropping the 'L' bomb: 'Now I feel so lucky to love you. You can #Collinsmesmitten for sure! Thank you for being the absolute wonder that you are, I love you.'

Metz included some cute selfies from their romantic outings, including an ice cream run and an artsy desert snap.

It comes after Collins, 41, a Nashville-based commercial real estate broker and former music exec, posted a sweet birthday tribute to Instagram earlier this week, revealing they've been dating since May.

Boyfriend Day: The 40-year-old wrote: 'Happy #nationalboyfriendday to my dreamboat! Bradley, from the first moment I laid eyes on you I wanted and needed to know you'

In love: She also had no issue dropping the 'L' bomb: 'Now I feel so lucky to love you. You can #Collinsmesmitten for sure! Thank you for being the absolute wonder that you are, I love you'

Whirlwind romance: Metz included some cute selfies from their romantic outings, including an ice cream run and an artsy desert snap

Birthday girl: It comes after Collins, 41, a Nashville-based commercial real estate broker and former music exec, posted a sweet birthday tribute to Instagram earlier this week, revealing they've been dating since May

He wrote: 'Happy Birthday to my love, Chrissy. From our first date in May, you've had me #Metzmerized with love, laughter and kindness.

'You're not the best thing that's happened during quarantine; you're the best that's ever happened to me. I love you. You the Best!'

Page Six reported back in August that she and Rosenfeld, 27, broke up, following speculation over the winter, and she was 'back on the market and ready to date again.'

Calling quits: Page Six reported back in August that she and Hal Rosenfeld, 27, broke up, following speculation over the winter, and she was 'back on the market and ready to date again'

Long finished: She later took to her Instagram Story to correct them, writing: 'For the record, we actually broke up almost two years ago... can't believe everything you read. #latetotheparty'

Brief romance: The This Is Us star was first romantically linked to the music composer in November of 2018, later making their red carpet debut at the Golden Globes last January (pictured in January, 2019)

She later took to her Instagram Story to correct them, writing: 'For the record, we actually broke up almost two years ago... can't believe everything you read. #latetotheparty'

The This Is Us star was first romantically linked to the music composer in November of 2018, later making their red carpet debut at the Golden Globes last January.

They appear to still be friends, hitting the red carpet together once again back in March for the premiere of Mulan.

Metz previously married journalist Martyn Eaden in January of 2008, later finalizing their divorce in 2015, citing 'irreconcilable differences.'
A delegation from Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) led by Saeed Al Bahri Salem Al Ameri, Director General of ADAFSA visited and inspected Agthia Groups Grand Mills Factory and laboratory in order to discuss the procedures of how one of the regions leading food and beverages companies can continue supporting the UAEs food security agenda.

The visit reinforces the UAEs food security and agricultural sustainability priorities to enhance food quality in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and maintain its strong agricultural value chain, a statement said.

A tour of the facilities also took place which showcased the abundance of Grand Mills Flour silos and the high-quality animal feed operations which support the countrys food security ecosystem.

Agthia Group is part of ADQ, one of the regions largest holding companies with a broad portfolio of major enterprises spanning key sectors of Abu Dhabis diversified economy.

Al Ameri said: ADAFSA is committed to support and encourage sustainable agricultural development and doubling the agricultural sectors contribution to Abu Dhabis GDP, and Agthia plays a key role as part of the UAEs food security alliance. The contributions I have witnessed today by Agthia, strategically align to realise our leaderships vision. A vision which aims to make Abu Dhabi a leading global center for agricultural innovation, achieving agricultural sustainability, developing the domestic livestock sector, support our biosecurity system and strengthen the food security system.

In addition, Agthias R&D roadmap contributes to the agricultural and food investment strategy developed recently by ADAFSA, and will play a vital role to support the food security system and research into the agriculture and livestock sector, they will also help increase farmers and breeders income in these areas, Al Ameri noted.

Alan Smith, CEO of Agthia Group, said: "As one of the UAEs key players in F&B industry, Agthia is committed to providing the highest quality food, beverage and animal feed products in the market. This is underscored by our continued work to efficiently develop and introduce more brands in the market based on evolving consumer demands. Agthias Agrivita, the leading provider of animal feed solutions in the market is a testament to our efforts and contributes to the way in which livestock plays a vital role in nutrition. This essential sector can provide additional resources and higher productivity of food, as well as shrink the gap between the import of these products and local production.

The visit to Grand Mills also included a tour of the labs to understand the quality system in place and the analysis that goes behind developing premium animal feed and how Agthia diligently controls vitamins and minerals for optimal use.

Dr. Rabih Kamleh, Senior Vice President, Research and Development, Quality Assurance said: Agthias role in the UAEs F&B industry encompasses a holistic approach which begins with our diligent work in research and development through our labs. Onsite, technology powers the innovations we develop which elevates Agthia beyond a traditional animal feed provider, but more importantly, a total nutrition provider. At Agthia, we strongly believe in functional feed for functional food as this directly impacts the food we eat. Our animal feed is developed through our R&D capabilities and only includes clean ingredients. This underscores our aim to provide the most nutritious options to support the markets in which we operate across the region, as well as here at home in the UAE.

At Grand Mills Factory and Lab, research is conducted in order to improve the quality of nutrition and animal feed products, the statement said. The research laboratory produces and tests animal feed quality to ensure adequate nutrition that will advance animal production in the UAE by improving quality, increasing productivity and reducing animal mortality, which expands Abu Dhabis agriculture ecosystem and growing the supply of sustainable, high quality local food, it added. -TradeArabia News Service
Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs has acknowledged that Edinson Cavani must make an immediate impression at Old Trafford, ahead of his controversial deadline day arrival.

The Uruguayan is poised to complete a move to United on the final day of the summer transfer window, signing a lucrative contract after leaving Paris Saint Germain as a free agent.

Questions are already being asked regarding United's thought process behind acquiring the 33-year-old, and Giggs feels Cavani has the character to succeed where other South Americans have failed at Old Trafford.

Edinson Cavani is set to arrive at Manchester United under huge expectations to perform

Speaking in his official press conference ahead of Wales facing England next week, Giggs was asked for his thoughts on Cavani's imminent arrival.

'It goes without saying he's a world star,' Giggs said.

'My second game (as Wales manager) was against Uruguay and Cavani scored and I was really impressed with his work rate and quality.

United legend Ryan Giggs feels the striker has what it takes, but must hit the ground running

'It's about how quickly he beds in. We have seen South Americans who haven't really come and done it like (Radamel) Falcao, (Angel) Di Maria and (Alexis) Sanchez, but Cavani, with his work rate, you expect him to make it.'

Well accustomed to the pressure that comes with the famous red shirt, Giggs admits the scrutiny placed upon Cavani's move means the forward must make an immediate impression.

'I think Cavani will have no problem with the size of the club. He's got the experience to handle that.

'But eyes will be on him straight away and if he does come he'll have to hit the ground running because the pressure will be on.'

The transfer window is set to close at 11pm on Monday night, meaning all club business must be conducted and registered with the Premier League before this time.

United appear set to miss out on the signing of Jadon Sancho, despite pursuing the Borussia Dortmund star all summer.

Dortmund set United a deadline of August 10 much earlier in the transfer window, and the two sides have remained some way apart on transfer valuation ever since.
Food delivery services have been among the winners of the coronavirus lockdown, as large swathes of the economy ground to a halt. Photo: David Cliff/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Deliveroo is in the process of formalising plans for its London initial public offering (IPO), and has appointed investment bankers to underwrite it.

Goldman Sachs (GS) has taken up the challenge, according to reports by Sky News this morning. The float could raise more than 2bn ($2.6bn), and would take place in 2021.

Other banks are expected to be appointed in the coming months, the report said.

Rumours of listing talks were circulating in the last week of September, as Bloomberg reported people familiar with the matter had said discussions were in their preliminary stages.

Food delivery services have been among the winners of the coronavirus lockdown, as large swathes of the economy ground to a halt.

Although Deliveroo initially struggled under lockdown, it was boosted as the year went on, as customers avoided supermarkets, instead opting to order in food and groceries.

In August, investment from Amazon (AMZN) was cleared by regulators after a competition probe that lasted almost a year. It froze the majority of Amazons cash injection.

The CMA said in a statement on Friday 17 April that the decision was made in light of a deterioration in Deliveroos financial position as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19).

While the extent of Amazons stake has not been publicly disclosed, it was the lead investor in a $575m funding round announced by Deliveroo in May last year.

Investors in the company include T Rowe Price (TROW), Fidelity Management and Greenoaks Capital.

A spokesperson for Deliveroo declined to comment on the appointment.

READ MORE: Cineworld 'to shut' all 128 cinemas in the UK risking thousands of jobs

The company was valued at more than $2bn about three years ago but hasnt been forthcoming with an estimate since. Deliveroo has previously said that sales from the food-delivery business grew 72% in 2017, reaching 476m for the year.

Since 2013 the business has grown, competing with other services Uber Eats and Just Eat Takeaway (T5W.F) for market share.

These companies have been expanding into grocery delivery, as Deliveroo partnered with Waitrose to offer quick deliveries of goods.

The company is gearing up to offer a new range of features, including tipping riders. It also said last week that it would add 15,000 riders to its fleet by the end of year.
While many entrepreneurs were hesitant to undergo new ventures during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Wenday Cooper saw a time as the perfect opportunity to open shop.

Cooper welcomed customers into Wendays Kitchen Boutique, 500 Willow Ave., on June 29. Her mission, she said, was to present an environment to patrons that not only offered delicious eats, but also a calming, healing ambiance.

We specifically opened during this time, Cooper told the Nonpareil.  I always wanted to open a beautiful boutique with strong coffee, beautiful food, lovely desserts and beautiful shopping, and thats exactly what we did.

The pandemic has really devastated humanity, so me and the Lord said, We think the world needs some sunshine, it needs a beautiful place where people feel loved and pampered with beautiful food. So, thats what I did.

Cooper, a Harlan native, has spent most of her adult life in Council Bluffs. She operated In Jesus Name, a nonprofit focusing on counseling, life skills and family education, from 2004-2010. Shes also a longtime Iowa Western Community College professor, teaching human services, addictive studies and counseling classes.

In October 2018, Cooper left Iowa and spent some time in Pensacola, Florida, to get a grasp on her true direction in life.

I kind of just took a reprieve from life, she said. I was feeling a little burnout, so I went to Florida and just fell in love with myself and life in general again, and came home with a mission, a mission to do something really special here in Council Bluffs.

Wendays Kitchen Boutique provides an assortment of offerings.

We are a full coffee shop, full food, Im a French chef by nature, she said. Im a self-taught artist. I used to work for Catherines Catering  She (Catherine Underwood) taught me a lot. My mom, Thelma, I was sitting on her countertop at 3 years old just stirring and baking.

And she has just been instrumental in my life.

The business operates from 7 a.m. through 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 8 a.m. through noon Saturday and is closed Monday. Evenings, Saturday afternoon and Sunday Wendays is closed for private parties, cooking classes and an assortment of other gatherings.

To see class offerings, those interested are encouraged to visit the event calendar on Wendays Kitchen Boutiques website, wendayskitchenboutique.com.

Cooper said she views her business as much more than an eatery. She wants it to serve as a place where people can gather, chat and feel comfortable and safe. She wants the shop to exude a welcoming vibe.

We are unique because I am not a restaurant, I dont want to be a hustle-y, bustle-y, kind of place, she said. I want people to come in and sit in my Zen area, which is a beautiful couch area and take a nap, you know what I mean? I dont care if you have one penny or if you have $100 million, I am going to treat you the exact same way.

What you get here that is different is that this is really an experience, its not just food and a cup of coffee.

Everything is made and done with love.
Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh too has demanded that the CBI should make public its report in the Sushant Singh death case

Bollywood actress Shraddha Kapoor arrives at the NCB office for questioning in connection with a drug case related to late actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death, in Mumbai.  PTI photo

Buoyed by the reports that Sushant Singh Rajput died by suicide and not murdered, Maharashtra congress has alleged that Centre conspired to defame the state using the actors death case. Saying that the BJP stands exposed on the issue, it has demanded the Maharashtra government should form a SIT to nab the conspirators behind defaming Maharashtra. However, the BJP denied the allegation and said it wanted justice for Rajput.

After the official confirmation by Aiims panel head Dr. Sudhir Gupta that #SushantSinghRajput committed suicide, it is proved that investigation by @MumbaiPolice was honest and forthright. It is also clear that it was Conspiracy of Modi govt with help of their fake media allies to defame Maharashtra, State Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant tweeted.

Till yesterday the fake channels were peddling fake news of IPC 302 in the case. BJP leaders kept defaming Maharashtra. CBI & other agencies kept leaking fake information. In a night thousands of fake twitter, FB & YouTube acs were created by BJP IT cell, he said.

Now we demand the government of Maharashtra to form an SIT to nab the conspirators and their mastermind. Also to find the originators of social media racket by BJP IT team. And take appropriate action against the fake channels to save our democracy as their fake stories are harmful for our country, he further tweeted.

The AIIMS forensic panel has ruled out a murder claim in the Sushant Singh death case, dismissing the theories of poisoning and strangling. There were no injuries on the body other than hanging. There were no marks of struggle/scuffle on the body and clothes of the deceased, said Dr Sudhir Gupta, Chairman of AIIMS Forensic Medical Board formed in the actors death case.

BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye rubbished Sawant's allegations. Our objective is to ensure justice for Sushant Singh Rajput. What is the hurry in drawing conclusions? Let the detailed report come, he said.

Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh too has demanded that the CBI should make public its report in the Sushant Singh death case.

We want that the CBI inquiry report into the case should be made so that people get to know whether it was a suicide or murder, he said.

Sushant was found hanging in his Bandra apartment on June 14. The Mumbai Police had earlier registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) and launched an investigation. However, the CBI has taken over the probe from Bihar Police into the alleged abetment to suicide case filed by the actors father K.K. Singh in Patna against Rajputs girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and her family.
The ministry said that the new measure is part of a series of decisions marking World Senior Citizen's Day

Egypt's government started on Sunday exempting senior citizens over 70 years old from paying public transportation fares.

The social solidarity ministry had announced on Thursday, on the occasion of World Senior Citizen's Day, that senior citizens over 70 would be exempted from public transportation fares and that those aged 60 to 70 can pay half the usual fare.

The ministry said that the new measure is part of a series of decisions marking World Senior Citizen's Day.

The ministry also announced an increase in the aid provided by the Takaful and Karama programme from EGP 450 to EGP 550 in October for nearly 409,000 citizens aged 65 and above, at a cost of EGP 41 million.

According to a new social insurance and pensions law, pensioners in Egypt are to receive discounts on public transportation, especially those with pensions less than EGP 2,000 a month.

The special discounts also apply for entrance fees at state-owned clubs and museums, as well as for accommodations at public hospitals.

The new social insurance and pensions law was approved by the Egyptian House of Representatives in 2019 and was officially applied in 2020.

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Air quality index in the Delhi NCR regions has deteriorated to poor category ahead of winter season amid the coronavirus pandemic. Monitoring stations in Delhi located in Wazirabad, Vivek Vihar and Anand Vihar recorded poor AQI along with Ghaziabad, Greater Noida and Faridabad leading to major concerns among health officials.

Former Indian Medical Association (IMA) president, Dr KK Aggarwal said that while wearing of masks is a good practice that people have adapted themselves, he warns that some of these used against Covid-19 will not be useful against micro pollutants. While the usage of surgical and cloth masks may prevent the viral infection, these will not be able to filter the micro pollutants. Therefore, people must shift to medical masks. Universal masking is the key but the deterioration of air results in coughing and sneezing, which might catalyse the spread of SARS-CoV2 infection."

According to Dr Vivek Nangia, director and head of Pulmonology at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, said polluted air decreases the immunity of the respiratory tract leading to respiratory infections. Amid the ongoing pandemic situation, diminishing respiratory tract immunity due to poor air quality will have catastrophic effects. Covid-19 cases will go up substantially and the worst affected will likely be children, senior citizens and those who have diabetes, heart disease, liver and lung infections and cancer. Its advisable to wear masks and leave homes only if it is essential."

Air pollution has been a recurrent issue during winters in Delhi and neighbouring stated of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh due to the issue of stubble burning public health emergency was declared last year owing to the exponential rise in pollution levels. Major food staples, wheat and rice are cultivated in a short period of time. Soon after the rice crops are ready, the wheat crops need to be harvested. Since burning the crop residue has been the most economically viable alternative for farmers, the pollution has led to severe health issued to those in and around the capital.

The burning of the crop residue results in massive emissions of toxins as nitrogenous fertilisers are used. These pollutants get trapped in the dense fog, covering the states in a thick layer of smog and haze. Micro pollutants like PM 2.5 and PM 10 remain suspended in the air, causing respiratory ailments. This year, the trouble is likely to intensify as the country is reeling due to the novel coronavirus that typically affects the respiratory system.
The religious festival of the Mouride brotherhood, a powerful Sufi Muslim order, celebrates the date French colonial authorities exiled its leader Sheikh Amadou Bamba, known as Serigne Touba

Hordes of pilgrims in Senegal have begun to converge on the holy city of Touba, ahead of a giant traditional celebration on Tuesday known as the Grand Magal, despite the threat of coronavirus.

The religious festival of the Mouride brotherhood, a powerful Sufi Muslim order, celebrates the date French colonial authorities exiled its leader Sheikh Amadou Bamba, known as Serigne Touba.

It is one of the most important dates on the religious calendar in Senegal, and usually attracts hundreds of thousands of worshippers from across the West African country.

But this year's Magal marks the first mass festival of its kind in Senegal since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, raising fears of a potential superspreader event.

Religious authorities are confident they have the situation in control, however.

"We can be reassured because Serigne Touba will erect a shield between the disease and us," the brotherhood's spokesman told local media this month.

In contrast to previous celebrations, the Mourides will hold no official ceremony this year, and will stream conferences online.

Worshippers will also have to wear facemasks, and queue in single file to enter the lavish Great Mosque of Touba.

More than 90 percent of Senegal is Muslim and most of the faithful follow Sufi brotherhoods, which retain considerable economic and political clout in the nation of 16 million people.

- Holy city -

The Magal -- when means 'celebration' in the Wolof language -- celebrates the life and teachings of Sheikh Amadou Bamba, the Mouride Brotherhood's founder who died in 1927.

A peaceful opponent of colonialism, French authorities exiled him to Gabon from 1895 to 1902, and then to Mauritania from 1903 to 1907 before he was allowed to return to Senegal, where he was placed under house arrest at his home in the north of the country.

The religious leader founded the holy city of Touba, in the centre of Senegal, in 1888. It has since grown to be Senegal's second-largest after the capital Dakar, with some 1.5 million inhabitants.

As well as being a religious festival, the Magal has a political dimension too, with senior politicians often making an appearance.

Health officials will be keeping a close eye on the huge crowds this year, but the government has endorsed the brotherhood's ability to manage the event.

"If your recommendations are followed to the letter, we can hope for a risk-free Magal," local press reported Senegalese President Macky Sall as telling the current Mouride leader in Touba on Monday.

Health Minister Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr -- who is due in Touba on Thursday -- has also said he was "reassured," adding that he will deploy 5,000 ministry officials to the city.

Senegal's Sufi brotherhoods initially cancelled gatherings in March, when the coronavirus pandemic reached the country.

The move was in line with government anti-virus measures, which included a night-time curfew and a state of emergency. The restrictions were lifted in July.

-'Emotions aroused'-

There are still fears the virus will spread during the Magal, however, and some government departments adopted a more cautious approach.

Microfinance Minister Zahra Iyane Thiam, for example, last month instructed her staff to observe a two-week quarantine if attending the festival, to be taken from their annual holidays.

But the ministry on Friday reversed its decision "in view of the emotion aroused", according to a statement.

Senegalese authorities have recorded over 15,000 coronavirus cases to date, with 311 fatalities.

The Tidianes, another powerful Sufi brotherhood, has not yet decided whether to hold its own annual festival this month, known as the Gamou.
Toni Garrn and Alex Pettyfer have tied the knot in her hometown of Hamburg, ten months after their Christmas engagement.

The German model, 28, looked every inch the stylish bride in a silk slip dress and white wrap as she celebrated her nuptials at Berner Schloss palace on Friday.

As they enjoyed the occasion outside, a beaming Alex, 30, could be seen embracing the family and friends who were able to join them for the big day.

Congratulations! German model Toni Garrn, 28, and British actor Alex Pettyfer, 30, tied the knot in her hometown of Hamburg on Friday

The British actor, 30, cut a dapper figure during the day in a charcoal grey suit and light blue shirt which he left unbuttoned at the top.

New husband Alex and his bride Toni were seen grinning with happiness as they chatted outside with their guests.

Toni wore her long blonde locks down and accessorised her wedding day look with a large hat - which one of their guests was later seen sporting.

After sharing some celebratory champagne with their pals, the newlyweds were seen leaving together with Alex holding onto a love heart balloon.

Model Toni added a stylish beige coat as they left the schloss and hand her hands filled with gifts and her own leather handbag.

Introducing Mr and Mrs Pettyfer! Following the ceremony, the couple took to Instagram to share their first social media post as newlyweds

Following the ceremony, the couple took to Instagram to share their first social media post as newlyweds.

Alongside a snap of the pair kissing, Toni penned 'Now you really get to call me wifey ', whilst Alex wrote 'Mr & Mrs Pettyfer'.

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Toni Garrn and Alex Pettyfer for comment.

Happy day: The newlyweds could not stop smiling as they socialised with guests and looked at some flowers they had been given

Alex asked for the beauty's hand in marriage after just 10 months of dating, marking the third time he has proposed to one of his girlfriends.

While he popped the question on Christmas Eve, the lovebirds waited to announce the news on New Year's Eve.

The couple shared a photo taken just after the proposal, with Toni exclaiming 'I still can't believe it', while Alex added 'Ok now for real the last throwback to 2019. Onto 2020 as wifey.'

New beginning: Toni added a chic beige coat over her slip dress as she left the venue while Alex carried a love heart balloon

Celebrations: The couple embraced their family and friends after the nuptials

Days later, she shared a closer snap of her dazzling diamond ring.

Alongside the snap she penned: 'Christmas Eve the love of my life surprised me on his knees asking me to be his forever.

'He changed my life the day we met and showed me what love really is - so yes I cannot wait to spend every day (well almost) of my life with you @alexpettyfer.'

Toni and Alex were first linked in 2019 on February 24 when they attended Elton John's Oscar party together, but did not confirm their romance until later in the year.

Relationship: Alex asked for the beauty's hand in marriage after just 10 months of dating, marking the third time he has proposed to one of his girlfriends

Special day: Alex and Toni were seen chatting with some of their friends and family at the celebrations

Announcement: While he popped the question on Christmas Eve, the lovebirds waited to announce the news on New Year's Eve

Two weeks later, the couple worked together on the film Warning, alongside Alex's father Richard Pettyfer, Rupert Everett, Thomas Jane, Alice Eve and Annabelle Wallis.

This engagement is thought to have been third time Alex has popped the question, as he was reportedly engaged to Riley Keough and Marloes Horst.

Alex was also rumoured to have been engaged to Dianna Agron, who he dated for less than a year in 2010, but the couple denied the claims.

Toni also has a list of high profile exes, including Enrique Murciano, Alexander Skarsgard and Chandler Parsons.

The Vogue cover girl famously dated Leonardo DiCaprio for 18 months between May 2013 and December 2014, and the pair sparked reconciliation rumours in 2017 when they were spotted out together on several occasions.
Imperial Valley News Center

Nonprofit To Pay $1.9 Million To Settle Allegations Of False Claims And Kickbacks On Federal Contracts For Blind Workers

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Industries for the Blind and Visually Impaired Inc. (IBI) has agreed to pay the United States $1,938,684.09 to resolve allegations that IBI violated the False Claims Act and the Anti-Kickback Act in connection with certain federal contracts set aside to employ blind workers, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.

IBI is a nonprofit corporation headquartered in West Allis, Wisconsin that receives set-aside contracts from federal agencies under the federal governments AbilityOne Program. In exchange, IBI agrees to give jobs to workers who are blind or visually-impaired and comply with other contractual requirements.

The settlement resolves allegations that, between 2009 and 2018, IBI misrepresented to the U.S. AbilityOne Commission when requesting set-aside contracts for furniture design and installation services that it would maintain a 3:1 blind-to-sighted ratio of employees, and that furniture designers and sales representatives working for IBI took impermissible payments and gifts from manufacturers on certain contracts. It also resolves claims that IBI improperly subcontracted a set-aside contract for screen-printed clothing to an entity that did not generally use blind labor.

AbilityOne contractors have a duty to follow the law and meet their important commitments to employ workers who are blind or severely disabled, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Bossert Clark for the Department of Justices Civil Division. This settlement demonstrates our continuing vigilance to ensure that those receiving set-aside contracts under the AbilityOne Program comply with the conditions of their awards.

The AbilityOne Commission operates under the authority of the Javits-Wagner-ODay Act (JWOD ACT), which was passed in 1971 to increase employment and training opportunities for persons who are blind or visually impaired, or who have disabilities so severe that they are otherwise unable to work at competitive employment. More than 400 companies participate in the AbilityOne Program and receive set-aside federal contracts in exchange for employing approximately 45,000 people who are blind or have severe disabilities.

By its conduct, IBI thwarted the AbilityOne Programs goal of increasing employment and training opportunities for persons who are blind or visually-impaired, said U.S. Attorney Matthew D. Krueger for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. This settlement reflects our offices continuing efforts to combat violations of the False Claims Act and protect federal programs.

We are committed to preserving the integrity of the AbilityOne program. False claims on the program exclude blind and significantly disabled workers from opportunities and hinders law-abiding AbilityOne contractors, said Thomas K. Lehrich, Inspector General of the U.S. AbilityOne Commission. Working with DOJ and our partners, the Office of Inspector General protects the confidence and public trust in the largest employment program in the nation of blind and significantly disabled workers.

The conduct at issue in this case undermined the core purpose of the AbilityOne program  to provide jobs for the blind and disabled," said Carol F. Ochoa, Inspector General for the General Services Administration (GSA). "This settlement reflects our commitment to protect the integrity of the program and hold companies accountable for attempts to subvert it.

Among the allegations resolved by the settlement are claims asserted in a lawsuit filed under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the governments recovery. The lawsuit was filed by Paul Inzeo, formerly a marketing manager at IBI, whose share has not yet been decided.

The settlement also resolves conduct that IBI investigated and disclosed to the United States concerning the receipt of gifts and money by its furniture designers and sales representatives that was not alleged in the whistleblower complaint. It received credit in the settlement for its disclosure, cooperation, and remediation efforts in connection with this conduct.

The settlement was the result of a coordinated effort among the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin and the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Justice Departments Civil Division, with assistance from GSAs Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Command, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the Defense Contract Audit Agency, the AbilityOne Office of the Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of the Interior Office of Inspector General.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability. The lawsuit resolved by the settlement is captioned United States ex rel. Inzeo v. Industries for the Blind, Inc., et al., No. 15-cv-996 (E.D. Wisc.).
harlotte Johnson 'needed hospital treatment after she was hit by her husband'

Boris Johnson last night refused to comment on the explosive allegation that his father struck his mother and broke her nose.

Charlotte Johnson needed hospital treatment after she was hit by her husband when the Prime Minister was ten, according to a new biography.

Mr Johnson's spokesman refused to comment on the incendiary claim.

Author Tom Bower claims the astonishing secret, combined with the troubled relationship of Boris's parents, defined him as a man.

Boris Johnson last night refused to comment on the explosive allegation that his father struck his mother and broke her nose. He is pictured above yesterday on The Andrew Marr Show

'Boris agonised over his mother's fate,' he writes in The Gambler.

'Not only had he watched her suffer, but also saw his father blatantly deny the truth. Unwilling to confide in others about his father's violence, he became a loner.

'In his solitariness, his competitiveness was offset by self-doubt. To mask the misery and hurt, he demanded attention.

'Boris's bravado masked deep unhappiness. His parents' marriage had become irredeemably fractured. Charlotte found the pressure of her husband's neglect and philandering overwhelming.'

Doctors spoke to Stanley Johnson 'about his abuse' of his then wife, while the couple's four children were told a car door had hit their mother's face, it is claimed.

Friends said the incident took place in the 1970s when Mrs Johnson was suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder and had 'flailed' at Stanley, who broke her nose when 'flailing back'.

They added that Stanley, now 80, deeply regretted the incident and denied that he had been violent on any other occasion. He did not respond to requests for a comment yesterday.

Unhappy families: Boris is on the far left, his parents on the right. Based on interviews with hundreds of colleagues and family members, the book portrays Boris as a loner who struggled to cope with his parents' divorce in 1978

Mr Bower describes Stanley's marriage to Charlotte as violent and unhappy. In the book, she is quoted as saying: 'He broke my nose. He made me feel like I deserved it.'

Mrs Johnson's parents visited their daughter in hospital and confronted Stanley who denied any involvement, the book claims.

The author says Mrs Johnson 'confronted Stanley about the affairs she suspected him of having', which he denied.

In the book, which is being serialised in The Mail on Sunday, Mrs Johnson, now 78, says: 'Stanley wanted to be loved and wanted sex and he wanted power. And when I contradicted him, it threatened his power.'

Based on interviews with hundreds of colleagues and family members, the book portrays Boris as a loner who struggled to cope with his parents' divorce in 1978.

It also details Boris's intense desire to become Prime Minister, jostling for advantage with fellow Old Etonian David Cameron and feuding with George Osborne.
Elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, speaks about Nigerias 60th independence anniversary, current socio-political challenges, fiscal federalism and what needs to be done to get the country working

What do you think about the state of the nation as Nigeria celebrates its 60th independence anniversary?

At 60, we should be celebrating, despite the coronavirus pandemic. But when you look back at what Nigeria used to be in the 1950s up until 1966 when we had the first coup in this country, you would realise that things were very progressive. At the time, we had the Northern, Western and Eastern Regions and there was healthy competition among them.

Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who was the leader of the Western Region, was able to introduce free education in 1956 and build the University in Ife, Cocoa House, and the first television station in the country. Nnamdi Azikiwe in the East and Sir Ahmadu Bello in the North did similar things. At independence, we had what we called the Independence Constitution which was carried over from the colonial government and the constitution we had was what we agreed upon both in London, United Kingdom and Ibadan in the Western Region for Nigeria to be a federation. The revenues accruing from the various regions were shared according to the federal system.

You got 50 percent of what you produced in your area and the remaining 50 per cent went to the Federal Government, and other regions, including yours would benefit from the funds. This was how each region developed and they were not bitter, as far as I am concerned, up till 1966 when we had the coup.

I was part of the Midwest and the Federal Government from 1968 until 1975 when I was Federal Commissioner for Information. As of 1963, we still had a good constitution which was a carry-over from the Independence Constitution; it mirrored the same fiscal federalism (inherited from the British) and each region was developing at its own pace. But when we had the 1966 coup and counter-coup, that constitution was suspended. With the intervention of military regime, things changed and a unitary form of government emerged. All the constitutions that had been produced were abrogated.

We are 60 today but we cant compare ourselves with our contemporaries like Malaysia, Singapore and others. We have so much corruption, banditry, attacks by herdsmen on farmers and so on. Sometimes you believe that there is no rule of law. The kidnappers are not being tried. The government has so much work to do; the trial of one man is taking about five years. Then we have the issue of Fulani herdsmen who go about with AK 47 rifles, destroying farms, raping women, kidnapping and doing all sorts of things. Not a single one of them has been arrested, detained or tried. We are in trouble. Nigeria today is not united; we are divided.

The Vice President (Prof Yemi Osinbajo) was alleged to have said we have cracks in this country and that we must all do something otherwise we will break; I think that is the correct way of describing Nigeria today.

Comparing the current security situation with how things used to be, how bad do you think the security situation has degenerated?

The security of this country is in a very bad shape. For instance, Governor of Borno State, Prof Babagana Zulum, who went into service because of his love for his people, has been attacked three times by Boko Haram. The governor is doing a good job but unfortunately, our military has not been able to do enough to drive away these terrorists. Four years ago, we were told they were technically defeated but they are still there.

Today, in Kaduna; Katsina, where Mr President comes from; Kebbi; Zamfara; and Sokoto states, bandits attack people every time. The situation has become so bad that governors now go into the bush to negotiate with bandits. What type of country do we have? We are even surrendering to bandits. In the North-East, criminals are on the rampage. Our country today is very, very unsafe. The rate of kidnapping all over the country is terrible. What is there to be happy about? We are 60 as a country and we cannot say we are in a united and prosperous Nigeria.

You were in government in the 60s up till the 70s, how was the situation at the time different from that we have now?

Things were a lot better because the level of crime you see and hear about today didnt exist at the time. The economy was better managed and most citizens enjoyed a level of comfort. Public schools, transport systems and hospitals could compete favourably with their counterparts in other parts of the world. Dont forget that the roads, bridges and other infrastructure that were built during this time, most of them are still in use today. In fact, there is no basis for comparison with what we are seeing today.

Did you ever envisage that things could get this bad?

Never! We thought by now our country would be like Malaysia, Singapore and others which we were at par with in the 1960s. No leader would envisage a country that is not progressing; you dont create a country purposely for it to fail.

So, where do you think we missed the plot generally as a nation?

Right from when we had military regimes; states were created by heads of state despite some of these states not meeting the basic requirements. States and local governments were created even in some areas that did not have the population to deserve such. For instance, Kano State alone has 44 local government councils. Jigawa State was carved out of Kano and while Kano has 44, Jigawa has 27. During the military regimes, heads of states took decisions like creating states and local governments to favour certain areas, some of which did not meet the criteria of having the right population and other things to deserve such. We are still paying the price for such actions.

Meanwhile, Bayelsa State, which is one of the oil-rich states, has only eight local government areas while most other states have more local government areas. When state representatives come to Abuja at the end of the month, more money goes to Kano. Even the recruitment of policemen and women is based on the number of local government areas so, while Kano is recruiting 440 policemen and women, Bayelsa is recruiting 80. What type of country are we building?

How would you describe Nigeria at the time it got independence?

It was a land we all believed in. Our founding fathers took the task of nation building seriously. Our founding fathers, led by Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, fought against the Richard Constitution. That was the first time I heard the term  Obnoxious constitution. That was replaced by the MacPherson Constitution, which made it possible for the regions to be created to make us almost a federation. Fiscal federalism was what was in practice. Like I said earlier, each region was allowed to keep 50 per cent of revenues accruing from what it produced and the remaining 50 per cent would be shared by the Federal Government and the regions. There was a lot of money available for the development of these regions.

For instance, because of the Cocoa boom at the time, in Western Nigeria, Chief Awolowo had lots of revenue accruing to the West. He was able to introduce free primary education in 1955, establish the first television station in black Africa and build Liberty Stadium. Cocoa House was the tallest building in Nigeria at the time.

The Sardauna of Sokoto, with the money made from groundnuts, which enjoyed a high price internationally, was able to establish Ahmadu Bello University. Chief Awolowo had already established the University of Ife in 1962. They were competing without any bitterness; it was about Nigeria first. No one imposed their religion, population, tribe or politics on others. What do we have today to celebrate when Nigeria is currently the worlds capital of poverty? So many Nigerians are unemployed; our students come out of universities with no jobs. There are more Nigerian doctors who migrated abroad than those practising in Nigeria because the conditions are not good enough here. This is the state of the nation as it is today. Many of us rejoiced when we got independence in 1960 but we are sad today. People are not happy; people are grumbling.

It is difficult to differentiate between the situation we had during military regimes from 1966 to 1999 and the situation now. Our constitution made provisions for freedom of speech and freedom of movement but what is the government trying to do today? Our students cannot hold peaceful processions to air their feelings anymore. We now have a situation where if you express your views, the Department of State Services will invite you for questioning. Look at what happened to the former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr Obadiah Mailafia. He made a statement and he was invited and questioned by the DSS on two occasions. And when we thought it was all over, the Inspector General of Police invited him again. He is being harassed by the DSS and the police. Where is the fight against corruption, which this government says is one of its priorities? Today, there is more corruption in the country than before.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, they said the school feeding programme should continue even when there were misgivings. The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has told the nation that over N2.5bn was traced to private accounts. Today, the former Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, is in detention and is being probed. When you talk about the state of the nation, where do you start from? Those of us who are over 90 years old today cannot pretend that all is well. We are not celebrating, not because of the virus, but because of the state of our nation.

How excited and hopeful were you and others around at the time we were having the new beginning?

The motto of our founding fathers at independence was Nigeria first. They developed the regions, each going at its own pace. There was mutual trust to some extent. But today, it is different. You cannot compare our founding fathers with the type of leaders we have today. We suffer from lack of leadership today. We have religious bigots and some people want to lord it over others. Today, all the key appointments in the Federal Government are given people from to one section of the country. So, it is very difficult to have any growth. Calls by separatist groups have become louder. If you are making me a second-class citizen in my own country, then we dont have a country.

You spoke about how well Nigeria performed when we had regional governments but you served in the regime of Gen Yakubu Gowon, who created 12 states and by a decree amalgamated resources to the central government

That is part of what we are doing as members of the Southern and Middle Belt leaders. We formed an organisation known as Southern and Middle Belt Forum and we have been meeting here. We say this country should be restructured but some people are mischievously saying they dont know what restructuring is. We said okay; lets go revisit the 1963 constitution which was a federal system of government, but they said no.

In 2014, former President Goodluck Jonathan organised a national conference. I was a member and it had about 492 delegates drawn from all over the country. We had various segments of this country represented there; we made 600 recommendations to restructure the country so that everyone will have a sense of belonging. This administration, which promised change, dumped the report somewhere. The current ruling party (All Progressives Congress) set up a committee on the issue but nobody is talking about it; rather, the President has been signing executive orders. Thats why the 36 state governors recently went to court.

We want restructuring. If we do not restructure, agitations for self determination will not stop. Can you imagine a situation where two young boys in a primary school want to proceed to unity school and one had 80 per cent score while the other scored 40 and the one that scored 40 is admitted and the one that had 80 did not get admission? Or imagine a situation whereby someone who graduated with a second-class upper degree remains unemployed while the one with a pass or a third-class degree is employed? There is no equality in this country and that cannot continue. We supported the South Africans fight against apartheid but it is being practised here today.

Many people have blamed you and some others for being too quiet in the face of bad governance in the country, why is that?

Such people certainly dont have someone like me in mind. I have always spoken my mind on national issues. I dont pretend, I cannot say I am happy that Nigeria is 60. We still have a lot of challenges and the earlier we start dealing with them sincerely, the better. Otherwise, I am afraid that we will not make progress.

In our time, we contributed our quota; we fought for independence and laid a foundation. This generation also has a responsibility to contribute its quota. There is enough blame to go around but blaming the past will not solve our problems. We must take steps to make progress.

Many Nigerians blame your generation for not leaving the right legacy for the coming generations to follow and not showing good examples. How would you react to that?

Such people shouldnt blame my generation. They should blame themselves for not knowing their rights. Today, France has a president who was 39 years old when he was elected. There were older people who were as old as his father there and some were even former presidents of France. Ahead of the 2019 presidential election, all the youths in this country had the opportunity to become president of Nigeria and they joined various political parties to contest the election, but along the way, their plans fell through. How many of the Nigerian youths now blaming us voted for them?

They (the youth) are the architects of their own misfortunes; they are not prepared to challenge what is wrong in this country because some of them are also corrupt. So, why blame their fathers or forefathers? They are following in the same footsteps of the current leaders. They are not any better. We played our part in our time, we gave them education; universities and polytechnics were established. Once you are educated, you are expected to stand on your own. Graduates today are roaming around, following politicians as thugs. How do you become a leader the way you are going? They should not blame us.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Prof Wole Soyinka recently said the country was drifting towards a failed state and that the President, Major Gen Buhari (retd.) was divisive, do you agree with them?

That meeting Obasanjo presided over, I was part of it. We were very well consulted. I couldnt go because of my age and the coronavirus, but I was fully represented. When I said I was represented, I meant the people of the South-South were fully represented. Afenifere, Ohaneze Ndigbo, and the Middle Belt group were all there. When someone said the country was not sinking, we laughed and asked if it was because they were enjoying and dominating others. What about those who are at the base? What Obasanjo said was part of our communique.

Do you see any hope for the future of the country?

We are not hopeless. Hope is what is keeping most Nigerians alive today  the hope that tomorrow will be better. We must however take deliberate steps to turn that hope into a reality. We can still build this nation when we consider Nigeria first and not where we come from or what religion we practise.

Lets stick to the truth, return this country to true federalism as it was in 1963 where every state or region enjoyed some form of autonomy and regions or states controlled a reasonable amount of their resources and gave some to the Federal Government. We should be able to build trust among one another. Let us have a country where we are all equal citizens, where no one is superior to the other. Lets not impose one religion on people or consider it as superior to the other. We are a multi-religious country. Let there be respect for one another; let us practise justice and equity when we do that and we will see a progressive Nigeria. If we do not do that and continue the way we are going now, we will crash just like former President Obasanjo and Prof Soyinka have said.

No citizen must be treated as a second-class citizen; we should all be treated as equals before the law. The ordinary Nigerian must be able to get justice when they approach the judiciary or go for arbitration.

 Culled from Punch.


For the first time in its history, the annual conference of the country's top police brass will be held virtually next month amid the coronavirus pandemic, officials said on Sunday.

About 250 officers in the rank of DGP and IGP from all states, Union Territories and central government will take part in the two-day virtual meeting to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, NSA Ajit Doval among others. The key role played by police during a disaster and pandemic, new-age crimes like cyber terrorism, radicalisation of the youth and the Pakistan-sponsored militants in Jammu and Kashmir will be discussed during the conference, to be held in multiple sessions, a Union Home ministry official told PTI.

The conference will be held in the last week of November, the official said. As the role of police during the ongoing pandemic came under wholesome praise from all quarters, the meeting is expected to discuss how to enhance their knowledge and capabilities to handle natural disasters and such health crisis, the official said.

The state police chiefs will share their experiences in handling the pandemic and how the police have helped the distressed people and the migrant workers during the nationwide lockdown. The prime minister is likely to make special mention about the exemplary work done by the police personnel while fighting the coronavirus, the official said.

According to an estimate, about 75,000 police and paramilitary personnel were infected by coronavirus in the country and about 600 of them succumbed to the virus. Among those infected include about 32,500 paramilitary personnel and 24,000 policemen in Maharashtra, the worst hit state in India.

Among the deaths include 100 paramilitary personnel and about 250 in Maharashtra Police, almost all of them while playing different roles during the pandemic. This is for the first time in the history that the annual conference of the DGPs and IGPs, organised by the Intelligence Bureau, will be held virtually and all of them will participate from their respective headquarters, another official said.

The role of social media in instigating violence, violence perpetrated by Pakistan-based terrorist groups in Jammu and Kashmir, curbing of blackmoney and narcotics and a few other issues are also expected to be discussed in the meeting. The implementation and activation of decisions taken at previous conferences will also be reviewed during the meeting.

The DGPs and IGPs conference is an annual affair where senior police officials of the states and the Centre meet and discuss issues of importance. The Modi government has been organising it outside the national capital since it came to power in 2014.

The last conferences have been held in Guwahati, Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, Hyderabad, Tekanpur in Madhya Pradesh and Pune.
Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) general secretary Abhay Singh Chautala on Sunday said the BJP-JJP leaders will have to face the brunt of farmers in the Baroda by elections amid protests against the newly-enacted agriculture legislations.

While addressing a meeting of party workers at Sonepats Gohana, Chautala said the residents of 54 villages in Baroda constituency will install a sign banning the entry of BJP-JJP leaders to protest against the farm laws. These (BJP-JJP) leaders are supporting the farm legislations which were enacted to destroy the farming community. I am surprised how they will face people in Baroda. Our party is standing with the farmers and will not allow them to implement these laws in the state. The BJP-JJP leaders will have to bring police force to enter Baroda villages to seek votes, he said.

The INLD leader said the chief minister himself does not know about Baroda and he has failed to give development projects to this constituency in the last six years. Chief minister Khattar should resign as he failed to address the grievances of people. Former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda sought votes from Baroda constituency in the name of bringing power to the area but he did nothing for the residents during his regime, he said.

He claimed that his party will pitch a strong candidate for the November 3 Baroda bypolls and BJP-JJP candidates security will be forfeited.

On former Congress president Rahul Gandhis tractor rally in Haryana, Chautala said he is misleading the farmers over these legislations and his party had tried to bring similar laws during their tenure.
When Luke O'Neill was a post-doctoral researcher in Cambridge in the early 1990s, a big drug company tried to headhunt him and a friend. His friend took the job and went to America. O'Neill stayed behind in academia and came back to Dublin. The friend went on to make a fortune and retired at 40.

"He'd call me and say, 'I think I might give the dog a bath this evening or open a bottle of Chateau Margaux 1949'. Meanwhile I was scrabbling around in academia. To rub it in, he'd send me a photo of the gold taps in his bathroom."

Fast-forward three decades and O'Neill has struck his own gold. In the corner of his office at Trinity's Biomedical Sciences Institute there is a Mad Men-style cabinet topped with champagne glasses, and they've come in handy lately. Two weeks ago, his company, Inflazome, was sold for 380m to Swiss healthcare company Roche, netting O'Neill and the company's co-founder, Professor Matt Cooper, a reported 26m. Inflazome's research could be used to a treat a wide variety of conditions, ranging from Alzheimer's to cardiovascular disease, and the multi-national will now spend hundreds of millions in testing the efficacy of the drug O'Neill's company has developed.

It's a huge and very Irish success story, and O'Neill is justifiably proud.

"This was my pet project. It goes back 30 years, really, but in 2010, I began working on NLRP3 which, simply put, is an on-switch for inflammation. I was working on this and I said, 'let's find a drug to combat it'. There was no eureka moment but there was a day when a neuroscientist in Trinity, named Marina Lynch, emailed to say that our molecule had worked in an animal model of Alzheimer's. That was huge."

The sale has made him a rich man but he says the money won't impact his life in any real way. He gives the impression of having slightly too much fun to retire to dog baths and gold taps just yet.

Since the onset of the pandemic, O'Neill has become a kind of national oracle on all things science, appearing on The Late Late Show and writing regularly in the Sunday Independent. Perhaps surprisingly for a scientist, he says the biggest challenge with the pandemic now comes in the areas of "human behaviour and human psychology".

"People want to get back to their lives and every day they see something negative," he tells me. "How can we get science to help with those? At the moment we can only say that the cavalry, in the form of vaccines and therapeutics, is coming. In the meantime, we can urge people to comply with science-backed advice.

"I don't envy politicians because they have scientific concerns to take into account, they have to listen to human concerns and then you have economic pressure. And the stakes are so high. If they get it wrong, people will die. If they get it wrong in a different way, with the economy, people will die for another reason. If they get it wrong in yet another way, old people could be left with massive mental health problems."

Will we reach a point where the health risks can be measured in a concrete way against the damage to the economy? Will there be a price on human life?

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"That's what we call the grim calculus," he replies. "If I spend X, will Y number of people live? That is in the back of people's minds. But it's a false dichotomy to separate medical from economic concerns. If people are suffering because of economic collapse, then we should use economic measures to give those people relief.

"The best way to fix the economic situation is to get a vaccine for the illness, and so health and the economy are very closely connected. If I was Michael O'Leary, I'd have been investing in testing five months ago. If every Ryanair passenger could be tested, what would that do? He says it's the government's responsibility but he needs science more than anyone else."

O'Neill calls himself a "science communicator" and part of his skill is distilling complex research into easily understandable messages. He has a new book Never Mind the B#ll*cks, Here's The Science, which takes in sociology, economics and psychology as well as science. It explains such modern conundrums as why some people are sceptical about vaccines, why we don't give all our money to charity and why men's and women's brains are different.

It also touches on subjects that are close to his heart, such as depression. He suffered a mild bout when he was 33, after the birth of his son.

"Looking back, I think what triggered it was fear about not being able to bring up my kid. I felt 'I can't be a dad now'. It's an earth-shattering event, becoming a parent. There was a lack of sleep, a lack of enjoying things. I felt I had to get myself back on course so that I could be a good parent."

The depression was never so severe that he had to give up work but he knew something had to be done. "I went to the doctor, who prescribed a bit of meds and I had a bit of talk therapy, which helped also. One thing that was good that came out of it was that when we had students here who had issues or were depressed, I think I was a bit more tuned into it."

Euthanasia is dealt with in another chapter in the book, and this, too was a subject with which O'Neill had personal experience. In 1996, when his father, Kevin, was incapacitated with a stroke, he asked O'Neill to help him to end his life.

"My dad was infirm, half paralysed, and really depressed," he recalls. "And I'd go in and visit him and he'd say to me, 'You have the chemicals in your lab, why don't you give them to me?'. Now, he had a very black sense of humour - it was one of the things that I loved about him. And I'd sort of kid myself that he was joking but then I'd go back and he'd say it again and I'd say 'but that would be murder, Dad'. He said to me, 'if I was a horse, you'd shoot me'."

His father contracted pneumonia toward the end of his life and the doctor decided not to treat it, which absolved O'Neill of the terrible decision he was facing. But what would he have done if things had continued?

"That's a great question. I don't know, is the answer. This was a long time before these debates were happening in Ireland. It was cruel in a way. I used to visit him twice a week. I used to box off 45 minutes, in and out, because I couldn't bear to see him like that.

"I remember the night he died. It was about midnight and they rang me in the nursing home and I came down and held his hand and he just gradually slipped away. And then I realised it was a good way to go. The first thought that went through my mind was, his heart has stopped beating and that heart has been beating for decades. I thought about his mother giving birth to him and the heart starting in the womb. You could measure a life in heartbeats."

Kevin O'Neill was a towering figure in his son's life. Kevin grew up in England and was a radical, who had reacted to his years serving in the British army - he fought in World War II - to become "a hippie before his time". He was staunchly anti-war, and one of Luke's early memories is chanting an anti-Vietnam slogan that his father taught him: "Hey, hey, LBJ [Lyndon B Johnson], how many kids did you kill today?"

After the war, O'Neill's grandmother bought a little hotel in Bray. Kevin followed her to Ireland and it was there that he met Luke's mother, Carmel.

Carmel was sick with cancer for much of Luke's childhood and she died when he was 17. "My mother was only 56 when she died and, sadly, my memory of those years is her being in and out of hospital a lot," he recalls. "[Treatment of cancer] was barbaric in those days. She had a double mastectomy and high-dose steroids. My father had a really hard time; he never really got over it and he suffered from depression."

The grief and the upheaval in the family hit him hard.

"I had one sister who lived in England, and whom I dedicate the book to; she would come home and visit us. My life with my dad was like Steptoe and Son. The two of us were thrown together in the situation and we kind of stumbled on through it. I had to become a bit independent. My memory is that it was a bit of a sink-or-swim time. We had good support - there was a relative who lived on the street."

His mother's death came during his first year in Trinity College Dublin, where he did an undergraduate degree in biochemistry, graduating in 1985. "I was very aware that I could go off the rails but it was friends and camaraderie that got me through. I didn't want to drop out. It wasn't easy but I got through it."

By then, he had discovered that music was a better way of meeting girls than sports, and he says he was "that annoying guy" who took out a guitar at student parties. After completing his degree in Trinity, he did postgraduate work in Cambridge, where he worked on rheumatoid arthritis and began to gain a name for himself in international medical publications - he is one of the most cited immunology professors in the world.

He says he made the majority of his friends in those years and played folk music in London bars with his close friend, the RTE journalist Tony Connelly. O'Neill has a band called Metabolix, which he formed with other researchers; until the pandemic hit, he had been gigging here and there with them.

He met his wife, Margaret Worrall, when he moved back to Dublin to take up a post at Trinity.

"She had worked in Australia in a biotech company for five years. I couldn't have married a non-scientist. Imagine if your main passion was something that you couldn't talk about to your partner? It would be very tough. It's a hobby that you share. Every night we'd bounce ideas off each other. She's a much better scientist than me."

The Inflazome deal is just one of many success stories for O'Neill over the last few years, but he points out that there have been many hits and misses.

He had to shop the company around "like on Dragons' Den" and one company passed on it. He likens pharmaceutical investment to horse racing; the big companies run a few of them and hope one will win.

On current form, O'Neill has the makings of another winner. Two years ago, while on a sabbatical from Trinity, he co-founded Sitryx, a biotech start-up that focuses on new immunological treatments for cancer and immune-mediated conditions. Sitryx signed a deal with pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly in March which included a payment of $50m, along with a royalty deal that could be worth hundreds of millions.

The numbers are staggering but O'Neill points out that the money he and his partners receive is small change compared to the billions the pharmaceutical companies stand to make off the back of their research.

And despite the lure of corporate dollars, he is determined to stay in academia.

"I'm working 15-hour days here but I really love what I do. You have more freedom if you're an academic. A company can decide you're doing research on gout one day and something else the next. In a university, you can build your own team and you're unfettered. I'm an educator and my passion is teaching and communications. I get to do all that now, with my research, and I'm grateful for it. But I would love a holiday, I must admit," he says.

His lab is currently working on four Covid projects, including a collaboration with researchers in Belgium who work on the Covid-19 virus.

"We are sending them chemicals and they're sending us samples. Two weeks ago we had a great call with them. We have a drug that kills the virus. There are many slips in this business, nothing is certain, but we're getting good data and we've got to push that."

Never Mind the B#ll*cks, Here's The Science by Luke O'Neill is published by Gill Books, 24.99

Brilliant boffins: Scientists who became crossover stars

Brian Cox

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Like Luke O'Neill, Cox is a musician - he was a keyboard player with the band D:Ream, who scored a No 1 hit with Things Can Only Get Better in 1994 - but it was as a television scientist that he made his name. He is a professor of particle physics at Manchester University and has worked as a broadcaster, presenting In Einstein's Shadow and Wonders of the Solar System for the BBC. He has also acted, and has even appeared onstage with the Monty Python troupe. The multi-talented Cox also voiced a character on the children's programme, Postman Pat. In 2009, he was named one of People magazine's Sexiest Men Alive.

Brian May

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Queen fans have long speculated that Freddie Mercury name-checked Galileo in Bohemian Rhapsody as a nod to May. The guitarist began his astrophysics research in 1970, then put his studies on hold for three decades. May returned to his academic work and in 2007 published a PhD with the title, A Survey of Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud. That year, May was appointed a visiting researcher at Imperial College London and he continues his interest in astronomy and involvement with the Imperial Astrophysics Group. He has also co-authored a book, Cosmos, with the late astronomer and pal Patrick Moore.

Lisa Kudrow

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Given her academic pedigree, including postgraduate work in biology, it seems ironic that Friends star Kudrow made her name playing the ultimate airhead. She has since worked as producer on the US version of Who Do You Think You Are? Medicine is in Kudrow's family. Her father, Lee, was a neurologist; he founded the California Medical Clinic for Headache. While trying to break into acting, Kudrow worked on his staff for eight years on a project to determine if left or right-handedness affects migraines. The answer was no. Both Lisa and Lee suffer from frequent migraines, which may have sparked their interest in the study.
Chris Rock did not hold back as host of the first episode of Saturday Night Live back in its famed studio for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic forced the cast to perform from their homes.

Appearing on stage after the cold open, Rock did not pull punches with his first joke, getting the elephant in the room out of the way.

President Trump is in the hospital with Covid and my heart goes out to Covid, he said to laughter and applause from the audience.

In the "Weekend Update" segment, Colin Jost quipped: Its been very weird to see all these people who clearly hate Trump say we wish him well. I think a lot of them are just guilty that their first wish came true.

Michael Che added later: I dont want the president to die, obviously. Actually I wish him a very lengthy recovery.

There has been some speculation online as to how the show would tackle not just the events of the past few months, but just those of the past week.

Later Rock said that America needs to renegotiate its relationship with the government calling for term limits.

The front rows of the audience in the shows famed studio consisted of first responders who wore masks.

Social distancing is implemented with social bubbles in the audience of between two and nine people who have repeatedly had contact with the others in the group on multiple occasions prior to the show.

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Rock was a cast member from 1990 to 1993 and this was his third time hosting the show. He was joined by musical guest Megan Thee Stallion.

President Donald Trump was admitted to Walter Reed Medical Centre on Friday following his diagnosis with Covid-19.
The President of Niger Republic, Alhaji Muhammadu Yusufu on Sunday send a high powered delegation to commiserate with the Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum over an attack on his convey near Baga last month.

The delegation was led by the Nigerien Minister Of Education, Hon. Dauda Mommodu Marte.

Other members of the delegation are: Senator Musa Abari, Senator Maina Ofi, Mai Shettimari, Shettima Bukar Shettima Amsa Gana and the Adviser to the Nigerien Minister Of Finance, Hajiya Gambo Suleiman Abba Kyari.

In a message delivered by the Nigerien Minister Of Education, Hon. Marte, President Muhammadu Yusufu commended the Governor of Borno, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum for his tireless efforts in the reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement drive.

"Your Excellency, our visit today is at the instance of our President to come and commiserate with you over the unfortunate attack on your convey last month.

The President have seen all that has happened in a video clip, he noted that your demonstration of courage in the service to the people is very commendable"

"Many of your people and ours are taking refuge in different places both in the republic of Niger and Nigeria, we have been following your resettlement drive keenly."

"We are all affected by this problem, our people that were displaced by this crisis could not yet return back, we believe that resettling people back to their communities is the only solution.

No Government can sustain the feeding of these large number of people continuously. People should be allowed to go back to their farmlands, people should have to get back to their sources of livlilhood." President of Niger said.

"Please do not be discouraged, we understand that the people of Marte and Malamfatori will soon be ressetled. Your Excellency, when the people of Malamfatori will go back home please inform us, we will join you in solidarity and support."

We are the same people only divided by geographical map. Most of the people from Malamfatori are taking refuge in Niger for the past six years." the President added.

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Yusufu also extends his condolence to the authorities in Nigeria over the death of the Commander of 25 brigade, Damboa, Col. Dahiru Bako.

In his remarks, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum extends his appreciation to President Muhammadu Yusuf for commiserating with him, noting that it is an indication of a very strong relationship between the two countries.

Zulum informed his visitors that he will relate the goodwill extended to him to the President and Commander In Chief, Muhammadu Buhari.
Senator Lindsey Graham and his Democratic challenger met in their first face-to-face matchup on Saturday with Jaime Harrison bringing his own plexiglass shield to stand behind.

Of his partition, Harrison said he was taking every precaution to keep himself and his loved ones safe.

'Tonight I am taking COVID seriously. That's why I put this plexiglass up. Because it's not just about me, it's about the people in my life that I have to care of as well: my two boys, my wife, my grandmother,' he said.

'We're not going to blame the president. We shouldn't blame the president for the inception of this disease. We shouldn't blame anybody for the inception of this disease, but where blame should come is how we handle this disease, whether or not we take it seriously.'

Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison faced off against Senator Lindsey Graham in the South Carolina U.S. Senate debate at Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina

South Carolina Democrat candidate Jaime Harrison set up a plexiglass shield

The candidates spoke from podiums 13 feet apart. Harrison's podium was shielded on the side closest to Graham by a plexiglass partition.

Both candidates say they tested negative Friday, but Graham has recently met with other Senate Republicans - several of whom have tested positive for the coronavirus - as well as with Trump, currently hospitalized with COVID-19.

Graham did not appear to be taking any such safety precautions during the first of three debates in which he and Harrison are scheduled to debate.

Twitter users appeared to be extremely impressed with Harrison's idea.

'Brilliant idea. Brilliant debate. And, it is my hope that @KamalaHarris does the same thing IF her debate is going to be in person. #WearAMask #BidenHarris2020,' wrote one Twitter user.

Harrison explained that he was doing so to protect members of his family

'So proud! Can't wait to vote for him!!!' added another.

Another user pleaded with Kamala Harris' team to do something similar at Wednesday's upcoming vice presidential debate in Utah.

'I want Kamala team to pay close attention and get her a plexiglass for the debate... because She needs added protection... Remember Pence will not quarantine after potential exposure from the Trump Event that occurred several days ago...' they wrote.

'It was a very smart move given how reckless Graham and his party are. and you only have to look at how quickly they've forgotten Herman Cain,' added another.

'He deserves to be elected just for that alone. It shows just how seriously he takes this virus. That's what leaders do.'

The candidates spoke from podiums 13 feet apart. Harrison's podium was shielded on the side closest to Graham by a plexiglass partition

Both candidates say they tested negative for coronavirus on Friday, but Graham has recently met with other Senate Republicans - several of whom have tested positive - as well as with Trump, currently hospitalized with COVID-19

Twitter users ended up praising the ingenuity of the Harrison's device

A number of Twitter users begged for Kamala Harris' team to take notice in advance of her vice presidential debate on Wednesday and use a similar device

Graham and Harrison's debate also comes as the campaigns boast raising more than $30 million apiece throughout the race, and two recent surveys show the candidates in a dead heat.

Two back-to-back Quinnipiac University polls have marked the candidates with matched support among likely voters.

Harrison has been able to use polling to capitalize on bringing in even more cash, saying in mid-September he took in $2 million in the two days following a Quinnipiac survey.

Lindsey Must Go, a political action committee that supports Harrison, is among outside groups pumping money into the race, launching a billboard campaign Friday featuring a 2016 quote from Trump calling Graham 'one of the dumbest human beings I've ever seen.'

Trump carried South Carolina by double digits over Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016, and Republicans control both legislative chambers, all statewide offices and most of the state's congressional seats.

South Carolina is assumed to be safely in his reelection column, and Trump has not announced plans to stump there for himself - or Graham, who is expressing confidence in his reelection chances.

'Here is what I want to say to all the liberals talking about South Carolina: we are going to kick your ass,' he said Friday during a campaign event in Myrtle Beach.
Google released the standalone Tasks app for Android and iOS back in April 2018, which is also integrated to Calendar on the web. But now Google has integrated Tasks for Calendar's Android and iOS apps as well, allowing you to create and view tasks from a mobile on Calendar.

This integration should also eliminate the need to have the standalone Tasks app on your mobile since you can now create new tasks and view existing ones in the Calendar app.

To add a new task in Calendar from the mobile apps, simply tap on the create button in the bottom-right corner, tap on 'Task', fill in the details, and save it. Needless to say, the tasks you add to your calendar will be synced across mobile and desktop automatically.

This new feature is already rolling out for Android and iOS and should reach all G Suite customers and personal Google accounts in two weeks.

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He is one of Australia's hardest working actors.

But on Sunday, Hugh Jackman took time out of his schedule to upload sweet snaps of himself cuddling up to his beloved dogs, Allegra and Dali.

The 51-year-old Greatest Showman star couldn't wipe the smile from his face as he shared the sweet moment with his pet pooches to Instagram.

'Back to scheduled program': Hugh Jackman took time out of his schedule to upload sweet snaps of himself cuddling up to his beloved dogs, Allegra and Dali, on Sunday

'On now back to our regularly scheduled program. #Dali #Allegra,' Hugh captioned the images.

The sweet display comes after Hugh's HBO movie, Bad Education, won the Creative Arts Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie last month.

Hugh gushed on social media: 'Congratulations to the entire cast and crew of Bad Education! 'Proud to have been part of it. Outstanding TV Movie.'

Adorable: The 51-year-old Greatest Showman star couldn't wipe the smile from his face as he shared the sweet moment with his pet pooches to Instagram

Meanwhile, Hugh's wife Deborra-Lee addressed the persistent rumours about her husband's sexuality.

'I see these magazines and they're so mean-spirited I hope people realise it's all made up,' she said on an episode of Anh Do's Brush With Frame last week.

Deborra-Lee added with sarcasm: '[Hugh's] been gay for so many years, I was gay too when I did [the 1988 film] Shame. They were shocked when I got married.'

'Proud to be a part of it!' The sweet display comes after Hugh's HBO movie, Bad Education, won the Creative Arts Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie last month

'It's just wrong. It's like someone saying to Elton John, "Oh he's straight". I'm sure he'd be p**sed!

'And so what! What are we discussing here Is he a vegetarian Is he gay?'

Hugh and Deborra-Lee have been married since 1996 and are parents to two adopted children, Oscar, 20, and Ava, 15.
To say all this is a perplexing turn of events is an understatement. It is no less so for the lack of communication that has come from the state and the Davenport School Board on this matter. Anybody tuning into last Monday's local school board meeting looking for an explanation or reassurance was sorely disappointed. One board member threw some unhelpful snark at the state, but any real discussion was lacking.

Some in this district believe Kobylski, who has been dealing with the chaos of a pandemic, was hung out to dry. Others wonder if the state is using Davenport to send a message to other districts that have bucked the governor's office on returning to in-person classes.

In our discussions with the education department, however, it is clear that after three years of dealing with Davenport, officials there have lost patience. It wants the district to accomplish the goals set out in a mutually-agreed upon, multi-faceted action plan, and officials say the September progress report was significantly flawed.
A man stabbed to death in south London has been named as Patrick Gomes DeAlmeida.

Detectives have launched a murder investigation to track down "three masked suspects" after the 25-year-old was killed in Morden on October 1.

Police were called to London Road just before 11pm to reports of a stabbing outside a block of flats.

Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended and found two men with stab wounds.

Police were called to reports of a stabbing outside a block of flats / Google Maps

Despite the best efforts of paramedics, Mr DeAlmeida was pronounced dead at the scene at 11.26pm. A second man, 33, was taken to hospital, but his injuries were not life-threatening or life-changing.

Officers have reason to believe that three masked suspects assaulted the victim before he was fatally stabbed. They then fled the scene in a car.

The week before Mr DeAlmeida's killing, his white Volkswagen Scirocco was deliberately damaged at some point between Wednesday, September 23 and Thursday, September 24. Met Police believe the two incidents are linked.

In a statement, his family paid tribute to a "loving, caring' man full of "life and laughter."

Stock image of a Volkswagen Scirocco: The victim's white car was damaged last month and police believe this incident was connected to his murder / DDP/AFP via Getty Images

P had a heart of gold. He was loving, caring and full of life and laughter. You always knew when P was in the room. He had the gift of making people smile," it said.

"P will be greatly missed by his family and friends. Life will not be the same. As he always said Its not a party without P.

DCI Helen Rance, who leads the investigation, said: Patricks family are heartbroken that he has been taken from them, and I and my team are working around the clock to piece together what happened and find out who is responsible.

Those responsible for this vicious attack are dangerous, and I know there are others out there who have information. It is vital that they come forward, whether by speaking to us or anonymously to Crimestoppers, and share what they know.

I want to speak to anyone who was in the London Road area close to Grosvenor Court and Homefield flats in the evening of Wednesday, 23 September, or in the early hours of Thursday, 24 September, or between 22:00hrs and 23:00hrs on Thursday, 1 October in the same location.

We are working tirelessly to track down the perpetrators but the public also play a huge role in helping to both prevent and detect crime. We need their help to identify those willing to commit terrible acts and carry weapons.

No arrests have been made and enquiries continue.

Anyone with information should call police on 101 quoting reference Cad 7953/01Oct or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Margaret Ferrier speaking in the Commons last week while having coronavirus - AFP

Margaret Ferrier faces being kicked out of her seat by her constituents, the SNP's Westminster leader has warned her as she continued to ignore Nicola Sturgeon's personal appeal to quit.

Ian Blackford said the Rutherglen and Hamilton West MP, who travelled from Scotland to the Commons and back by train while suffering from coronavirus, should "do the honourable thing" and resign her seat.

In a direct warning to Ms Ferrier, he told the Daily Telegraph that failing to resign "on her own terms" would mean she risks "having her fate taken out of her hands."

SNP chiefs are understood to believe that she will be suspended from Parliament for at least 10 sitting days, or 14 consecutive days, the benchmark that could allow her constituents to recall her and force a by-election.

But they are extremely worried that the longer Ms Ferrier clings on, the more damage will be inflicted to Ms Sturgeon's public health message to the Scottish people and her personal authority.

The First Minister spoke on Friday morning to the MP, whom she described as a friend, urging her to resign but the 60-year-old defied her. She did not quit even when the Metropolitan Police launched an investigation on Friday evening.

Nicola Sturgeon urged Margaret Ferrier to resign in a phone call on Friday - AFP

Douglas Ross, the Scottish Tory leader, stepped up pressure on Ms Sturgeon to expel the MP from the SNP. Ms Ferrier has so far only been suspended.

The SNP also faced further questions yesterday over when the party found out about Ms Ferrier having Covid after it emerged she asked for a proxy vote last Monday for medical or public health reasons related to the pandemic.

She learned of her positive test result that evening, shortly after speaking in the Commons, and told SNP whips she had to return to Scotland because of family illness.

Mr Blackford and Ms Sturgeon have insisted the party found out on Wednesday she had the virus, and only discovered on Thursday morning that she had been tested before and not after her 800-mile round trip to the Commons.

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However, Mr Blackford insisted that Ms Ferrier's proxy vote reason was a catch-all form of wording suggested by the Speaker that included family illness. He told the Telegraph: "Margaret has to respect the fact there's been a breach of trust between her and the electorate. She has to preserve her own self-respect and dignity and do the honourable thing.

"A failure to resign on her own terms means she will face a parliamentary standards inquiry. Nobody knows where that will go but she runs the risk of having her fate being taken out of her hands."

Ian Blackford, the SNP's Westminster leader - PA

SNP sources warned she risked public humiliation if she attempts to cling on amid concerns about her mental health.

"This is not going to end well for her - that's the bottom line. It would be far better for her to take control of the situation than have it taken away," one said.

Under the Recall of MPs Act, a by-election will be triggered if she is suspended from parliament for the required period by the Standards Committee then 10 per cent of her 81,000 constituents sign a petition.

There is anger in her seat over her decision to visit a beauty salon, gym and gift shop on the day she first displayed symptoms, even buying a face mask in the latter.

Later the same day, Saturday, Sept 26, she travelled to a Covid testing centre after feeling increasingly unwell.

However, she took the train last Monday to London while she awaited the results because she was "feeling much better" and spoke in a Commons coronavirus debate at 7.15pm that evening.

John Swinney, the Deputy First Minister, told BBC Scotland's Sunday Politics programme the SNP had "done all the actions that we can do as a political party" after suspending her and asking her to resign as an MP.

Asked if the party would support her constituents starting a petition to recall her, he said: "These are questions that local constituents need to resolve. It's up to them to do that."

If Margaret Ferrier does not step down over the weekend, I am calling on @NicolaSturgeon to work with me - provided Ms Ferrier is suspended from the Commons for 10 sitting days - to support a re-call petition to remove her from office.  Richard Leonard (@LabourRichard) October 3, 2020

But Mr Ross told Sky News's Sophy Ridge programme: "Im surprised, amazed and shocked that she hasnt resigned."

He added: "Nicola Sturgeon believes Margaret Ferrier shouldnt be a Member of Parliament but shes not said why she should continue as a member of the Scottish National Party."

Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland Secretary, told the same programme, that Ms Ferrier's actions were a "whole different level" to Dominic Cummings' controversial lockdown trip to Durham as she travelled on public transport following a positive test.
President Donald Trump has notched few big wins on trade, but he has scored some incremental victories that help key swing-state constituencies  from Maine lobstermen to Wisconsin dairy farmers and Florida produce growers. And with the election just a month away, administration officials are making sure to tout those efforts.

Trump has reminded voters at campaign rallies, in tweets and through television ads that trade has been a centerpiece of his administration. While many of the trade wins Trump has touted arent new, former administration officials and trade experts say it could help him garner support from voters in the key states he needs for reelection.

Weve been trying to do this stuff for years. We got it done and in the time of an election when you know what the swing states are, you brag about whatever the heck you can, said Clete Willems, former deputy director of the National Economic Council in the Trump administration.

Its time to try to cash [the wins] in and get credit for it, Willems said.

Trumps trade agenda has long included nuggets that would help key constituencies in swing states and with the election just a month away, administration officials are making sure to sell it among those he hopes will tip the electoral scale in his favor.

Chief among those small wins are: opening Canadas dairy market more for farmers  many of whom are concentrated in states like Wisconsin that he hopes to win again, launching trade investigations to please seasonal produce farmers in must-win Florida and opening the European market for lobstermen in Maine  a deal repeatedly praised last month during the Republican National Convention.

A sternman, right, baits a lobster trap while the captain maneuvers the boat while fishing, Monday, Sept. 21, 2020, off South Portland, Maine. Prices for consumers and wholesalers were low in the early part of the summer, but picked up in August to the point where they were about on par with a typical summer. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

A lot of these are activities that people have been pushing in the past or for a long time are now being touted in the context of the election, Willems said.

The U.S. has been involved in lobster negotiations with Europe since 2018 when former European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker met with Trump at the White House and agreed to start trade negotiations. Those talks have been largely stalled and unproductive, but the recent lobster deal struck in July came just in time to help Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who is struggling in her own reelection campaign and has publicly disagreed with Trump in the past.

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The Trump campaign did not hold back in promoting the lobster achievement, though it was a long time coming. Jason Joyce, a Maine lobsterman, highlighted the European Union's Agreement to drop its 8 percent tariff on U.S. lobsters and Trumps move to reopen the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument to commercial fishing during his speech at the RNC. He noted Obamas original executive order that blocked fishermen from the area, a move he said was done to cater to environmental activists.

After the EU lobster deal was announced in August, Trump tweeted: "Beautiful Maine Lobsters will now move tariff-free to Europe! ... I am proud to help the great people of Maine!"

Meanwhile, Trump and administration officials have gotten to highlight the biggest changes from NAFTA in his new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The deal only went into effect in July, so companies and workers have yet to unlock most of the deals limited benefits. But one of the biggest changes was expanding market access for U.S. dairy in Canada, an issue that dates back to the original NAFTA deal going into effect in 1995.

Still, Vice President Mike Pence touted how USMCA is expected to increase dairy exports by more than $3 million during his campaign stop in La Crosse, Wis.

You deserve to know that Sen. [Kamala] Harris put their radical environmental agenda ahead of Wisconsin dairy and ahead of Wisconsin power, he said at the Dairyland Power Cooperative, referring to the Democratic vice presidential candidates decision to vote against the USMCA for not including strong enough environmental provisions.

But with President Trump we will always put Wisconsin farmers, businesses and families first, Pence added.

In this, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020 photo, workers monitor tomatoes as they are boxed, in Florida City, Fla. A Florida bill mandating that private companies verify each new hire's eligibility to work in the U.S. is worrying farmers in the agriculture-rich state. The growers complain they are struggling to find farm workers as the unemployment rate reaches record lows. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Other nuggets for swing states include the recent announcement from USTR and the Agriculture and Commerce departments to take specific actions in investigating the impact of seasonal produce imports on domestic growers  a move aimed at pleasing Florida and Georgia growers.

It comes after U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer promised to help tackle what seasonal growers say is unfair competition from Mexico on produce, including blueberries, bell peppers and strawberries. The reality is the move is shallow as it will likely not deliver a win for growers before the election, but pitches Trump as responsive to their long-standing concerns.

Former administration officials and trade experts say its clearly a good strategy to showcase the small wins  even if hes failed to deliver on some of his bigger promises, including a full-on Japan deal, phase two China deal or breakthrough with the European Union or India.

The advantage of incumbency is you can do things and take action and enact your policies that have positive political impact for you, said Tim Keeler, a former USTR and Treasury Department official. It cant hurt him.

However, USMCA is the end of the road for large agreements in the president's first term. Trump landed a phase one deal with China earlier this year, but given heightened tensions with Beijing over the pandemic and China falling behind on its promised purchases, it has not been touted on the campaign trail. One bright spot is ongoing negotiations between the U.S. and United Kingdom, but both sides are still a long way from striking a final deal  and it would also have to be passed by Congress, which took over a year for lawmakers to do in the case of USMCA.

Im not seeing a lot of victories, said Bill Reinsch, a trade policy specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Hes raised some important issues but hes broken an enormous amount on the way. He has very little to show for it other than USMCA.

Trumps trade victories all ended up being tiny, certainly tiny in comparison to what he promised and tiny in real terms, Reinsch said.
Pakistan's firebrand cleric-cum-politician Maulana Fazlur Rehman has been unanimously appointed as the first president of the Opposition's newly-formed anti-government alliance Democratic Movement (PDM), a media report said on Sunday.

The decision was taken on Saturday during a virtual meeting of the Opposition parties attended by Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, BNP chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal among other senior politicians.

According to PDM's steering committee convener Ahsan Iqbal, deposed prime minister Sharif proposed Rehman's name as the alliance president and it was endorsed by PPP chairman Bilawal and others, the Dawn newspaper reported.

Sharif had initially proposed that Rehman should be appointed as the president on a permanent basis, but the idea was opposed by Bilawal and Awami National Party (ANP) leader Amir Haider Hoti, who suggested that the office should be given on a rotational basis to leaders of the constituent parties, the report quoted the sources as saying.
China has seen over 10 million daily railway trips during the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday with a new daily record of 15.09 million trips on October 1, according to the country's railway operator.

Tens of millions of travel-starved Chinese started to hit the roads on Wednesday, as China celebrates its 71st birthday and the first major holiday since the coronavirus pandemic was brought under control in the country.

About 12.02 million railway trips were made across the nation on October 2, with railway transportation running safely, stably, and orderly, the China State Railway Group said on Saturday.

The national railway network saw a travel rush begin on September 30 with 12.39 million daily trips ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, which fell on October 1 this year, coinciding with the National Day.

The peak of railway transport appeared on the first day of the National Day holiday as the number of passenger trips reached 15.09 million, marking a new daily record since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak.

It is estimated that about 11.4 million railway trips will be made on Saturday as the travel rush continues, said the railway authorities, who are putting 570 more trains into operation to handle a spike in trips involving tourism and family visits.

A total of 108 million train trips are expected to be made from Monday through October 8, with a daily average of about 9.82 million trips, China State Railway Group said earlier this week.

The tourism industry has seen a vibrant recovery amid effective COVID-19 epidemic control, the company said, adding that the robust travel demand is fueled by the "golden week" holiday being extended to eight days as Mid-Autumn Festival overlaps with the National Day holiday, which is usually seven days.

Chinese tourists are heading to domestic destinations this year due to global COVID-19 travel restrictions. Some 600 million tourists  about 40 percent of the population  are likely to travel within the country during the eight-day holiday that began Thursday, according to Ctrip, China's online travel agency.
Police have issued an urgent drugs warning after three teenagers and a 21-year-old man died over the weekend during the local lockdown in North East England.

Investigations were launched after two women, both aged 18, and a 21-year-old man died in Newcastle, and an 18-year-old man died in Washington, Tyne and Wear.

Drugs are believed to have played a part in all four deaths and post-mortem examinations are due to take place.

A police specialist search team arrives at the student accommodation on the Richardson Road area of Newcastle this afternoon after an 18-year-old woman was pronounced dead

Police at student accommodation on the Richardson Road area of Newcastle this morning, two days after paramedics rushed to the halls on Saturday morning

Northumbria Police assistant chief constable Neil Hutchison said: 'First and foremost, our thoughts go out to the families and loved ones of those who have sadly died.

'Although our investigations are still at a very early stage and we continue to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths, we are warning people against taking drugs.

'We would urge anybody thinking about taking drugs to please not take the risk. The consequences could cost you your life.

'If anyone has any information about who has supplied the drugs in question then we would also encourage them to contact us at the earliest opportunity.'

Over the weekend an 18-year-old man was arrested after a female student aged 18 died in a Newcastle University halls of residence.

Suspected drug related deaths took place in Newcastle and Tyne and Wear over the weekend

Police teams on site in Newcastle this afternoon as detectives investigate the four deaths

Paramedics rushed to Richardson Road in Newcastle - where the Park View student village halls are located - early on Saturday morning.

The teenager was discovered unconscious and, although medics battled to save her life, she was pronounced dead at the scene.

An investigation was launched into her death and police have now confirmed that an 18-year-old man has been arrested.

A Newcastle University spokesman said: 'We are shocked and saddened to learn of the death of one of our students and our welfare teams are offering support to those affected.

'This is not Covid-related and as this is an active police investigation, we are unable to provide further comment at this time.'

A sign saying 'KET' at student halls on the Richardson Road area of Newcastle this morning

Another sign saying 'SOS' at the student halls in Newcastle is pictured this morning

Yesterday morning a 21-year-old man was taken ill at an address on Melbourne Street in Newcastle, and later died in hospital.

A Northumbria Police spokesman said: 'At 8.13am (yesterday) police were informed by the ambulance service that a man had taken ill at an address in Melbourne Street in Newcastle.

'Emergency services attended but sadly the man  aged 21  was later pronounced dead at hospital.

'Enquiries into the circumstances around his death are ongoing. His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers at this time.

'The investigation is at an early stage but this is not believed to be Covid-19 related death.'

Anyone who has information about the drugs should still contact Northumbria Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111
A 19-year-old Dalit woman was raped by four upper-caste men in Uttar Pradeshs Hathras district earlier this month. She went missing on September 14 and was found badly injured by her mother. As the details of the cases came out, it triggered nationwide outrage with opposition parties calling for chief minister Yogi Adityanaths resignation.

Her death triggered massive outrage across the country with opposition leaders hitting out at the state government over womens security in Uttar Pradesh.

Here is what unfolded following her death in Delhis Safdarjung Hospital earlier this week:

* On Monday, the Hathras woman was shifted to the Delhis Safdarjung Hospital from Aligarh Muslim Universitys Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital as her condition did not improve.

* She succumbed to her injuries in the Delhi hospital on Tuesday.

* Following her death, the Uttar Pradesh police brought the body to her home in Hathras. She was cremated by the police forcefully in the dead of the night, claimed her family on Wednesday. The administration maintains that it was done with the consent of the family.

* The sudden cremation gave fuel to speculation that the Yogi Adityanaths government was trying to suppress information regarding the case. The chief minister constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the case on Thursday.

* On the same day, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi along with party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and a convoy of supporters tried to march towards the victims village. The police stopped the Gandhi siblings and the convoy citing Section 144. Rahul Gandhi was manhandled by police personnel at the Yamuna expressway and they were briefly detained before being escorted back to Delhi.

* On Friday, Trinamool Congress Derek OBrien and others also tried to reach Hathras. They were stopped before they could reach the victims village. A team of the Uttar Pradesh police also manhandled OBrien and he was pushed to the ground as personnel tried to stop them.

* On the basis of a preliminary inquiry report by the SIT on Friday, the chief minister suspended Hathras superintendent of police Vikrant Vir and four other policemen.

* On Saturday, the administration allowed media to enter the village and lifted some of the restrictions which were imposed on Thursday.

* Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi left for Hathras on Saturday to meet the womans family. After being stopped briefly at Delhi-Noida border, the police finally allowed them to go ahead.

* After meeting the family, Priyanka Gandhi said that the womans relatives want a judicial probe into the matter to be conducted through the Supreme Court. The family also sought the suspension of Hathras district magistrate, she wrote on Twitter.

* Adityanath also recommended a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the case.
Liquidators are warning small business owners could fall prey to dodgy pre-insolvency advisers, under a new plan to allow companies to trade their way out of trouble.

While the sector broadly welcomed last week's announcement of an overhaul of insolvency laws, it is now worried about plans to lower the bar of qualifications needed to work with troubled businesses.

The liquidation industry is worried new insolvency laws could lead to dodgy advisers preying on small businesses in trouble. Credit:Paul Jeffers

A Treasury fact sheet about the new insolvency framework says people will be able to register as a small business restructuring practitioner with qualifications in line with the streamlined requirements of the role.

By contrast, liquidators must do 5000 hours of work over four years, a specialist post-graduate qualification and take out indemnity insurance before they can register.
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her husband Lee Yill-byung, a professor emeritus at Yonsei University, attend her appointment ceremony at Cheong Wa Dae, in this June 2017 photo. Lee has faced criticism for a recent trip to the U.S. to purchase a yacht as the foreign ministry had earlier issued a travel advisory calling on people to refrain from travel abroad as part of efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Yonhap



By Jung Da-min



A controversy has arisen over a trip made to the United States by Lee Yill-byung, the husband of Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, because it went against the ministry's recommendation to refrain from overseas travel to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Lee went to the U.S. to buy a yacht.



Although it is not illegal for individuals to travel abroad, criticism has been raised that a family member of the head of the ministry in charge of the overseas travel controls, did not follow the government recommendation which the majority of people have abided by.



The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a "special travel advisory" in March, calling on citizens to cancel or postpone trips abroad as part of efforts to contain the spread of the virus. The advisory is still in effect.



But Lee, a professor emeritus at Yonsei University, was spotted at Incheon International Airport, Saturday, by reporters of local broadcaster KBS, departing for the U.S.



On his blog Lee earlier wrote about his travel plans to purchase a yacht, a Kanter 51 Pilothouse, and sailing to the eastern coast of the U.S. and then southward to the Caribbean Sea.



When asked about the purpose of his trip to the U.S., Lee said he was going on holiday.



"The coronavirus will not disappear within a day or two. You cannot just stay at home every day, so in my opinion you can maintain a normal life to an extent while remaining vigilant," Lee said, in answer to a question regarding the government's travel advisory.



His trip and answers immediately drew criticism from politicians.



The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) criticized the Moon Jae-in government for asking residents to sacrifice their personal freedoms while high-ranking officials of the ruling bloc did not see fit to follow the government's virus containment measures.



"After the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' advisory to refrain from traveling abroad was issued in March, overseas travel has become a dream-like thing for the people, but Prof. Lee Yill-byung, the husband of Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa, was spotted departing for the U.S. to purchase a yacht and go on holiday," PPP vice spokesman Hwang Kyu-hwan said in a written commentary, Sunday. "Those who have endured pain and sacrifice (by refraining from overseas trips) are feeling devastated and dejected."



"People of the country have refrained from overseas trips and visits to their families during the Chuseok holiday following the government's recommendation," Rep. Choi Hyung-du, a spokesman of the PPP, said. "I can't believe the husband of the foreign minister, who is the relevant minister, went for an overseas trip as he pleases. Is this a proper, civilized country?"



Criticism rose from the ruling bloc.



Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon, floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, said in a press conference at the National Assembly, Sunday, that Lee's U.S. trip was "an inappropriate act" because it was made by a family member of the foreign minister who issued the travel advisory.



Public opinion was divided over Lee's travel.



"Is going to the U.S. to purchase a yacht not illegal and thus okay? Then I think the government's recommendations to the people not to visit family during Chuseok and not to stage rallies violated people's rights and freedoms," an internet user wrote.



But some others said Lee was not a government official himself and did not break any law as the travel advisory is not a ban but a recommendation.



As criticism mounted, Kang apologized for the controversy during a meeting with foreign ministry officials, Sunday.



"I am sorry that this happened when the people are refraining from outside activities including overseas travels," Kang was quoted as saying by a ministry official.


FISSURES are widening in the ruling Zanu PF, amid damaging allegations of dirty money exchanging hands to influence the outcome of the partys district co-ordinating committee (DCC) elections, the Daily News On Sunday can reveal.

At the centre of the former liberation movements latest infighting are allegations that remnants of the partys vanquished Generation 40 (G40) faction are attempting to seize structures and use them in the looming DCC polls to regain control of the party.

This comes as the Zanu PF security department has been roped in to investigate these allegations and to deal with the growing ructions in general, which have sullied the partys preparations for the pending DCC elections.

It also comes as Zanu PFs internal wars are fast-approaching the levels that almost disembowelled the party in the last few years in office of the late former president Robert Mugabe  who was later ousted from power by a stunning and popular military coup in November 2017.

Yesterday, party insiders told the Daily News on Sunday that G40 remnants wanted to influence the outcome of the DCC elections and were thus allegedly sponsoring candidates, mainly in the three Mashonaland provinces.

At the height of the partys vicious wars between the G40 and a faction that was backing President Emmerson Mnangagwa when he was still Mugabes deputy, the three provinces were under the control of the new Zanu PF leaders foes.

According to the party insiders, the three provinces are once again being primed to be the springboard for challenging Mnangagwa. Remnants of the G40 want to get control of the three provinces as a launch pad to take over from Mnangagwa.

A lot of money is exchanging hands under the table. There is a need for thorough vetting to fish out the malcontents.

The good thing is that we unravelled the plot before we went to the elections, one of the party insiders told the Daily News On Sunday yesterday.

Mnangagwa, the insiders added, was apparently aware of all the alleged machinations and had instructed the Zanu PF commissariat and security departments to vigilantly vet would-be candidates.

Zanu PF secretary for security in the partys politburo, Lovemore Matuke, confirmed to the Daily News On Sunday yesterday that the party was investigating myriad allegations  including those relating to money exchanging hands, the imposition of candidates and factionalism.

We received reports of people who are circulating dirty money from G40. We are investigating because we believe in tangible evidence.

We are going to deal with the issue when we vet papers from Mashonaland Central and other provinces. We are going to look at all these accusations because people can do anything, Matuke told the Daily News On Sunday.

We want to clean the party. By the time of the (DCC) elections, we will have a clean list of candidates. We are going to flush out all G40 elements, but we are also guarding against enmity between some members who are labelling each other G40. We are currently seized with the matter. Matuke added.

This comes as there is a resurgency of factional and tribal wars in the ruling party, which split Zanu PF in the middle in Mugabes last few years in power.

Recently, Zanu PF had to rope in its security department to deal with the worsening ructions which are threatening the elections to choose members of its re-introduced DCCs.

In addition, Mnangagwa recently deployed Zanu PF bigwigs in provinces that are being ravaged by the ugly infighting ahead of the DCC elections.

Matuke recently told the Daily News On Sundays sister publication, the Daily News, that his department had been called in to restore order in the brawling party.

There are some G40 elements who are trying to come back, but we are strictly vetting the CVs. We are going to look at each CV as we want to deal with these elements.

We are receiving reports from provinces on this issue. As the party security, we are going to do our work diligently and weed out such elements. There are some people who were fighting the current leadership who want to use these elections to come back into the structures and destabilise the party, Matuke said then.

The partys DCCs were disbanded in 2012 after they were deemed to be fanning factionalism during Mnangagwa and former vice president Joice Mujurus battles to succeed Mugabe.

Then, Mnangagwas group had gained control of most regions, including Mujurus Mashonaland Central province  putting him in a strong position ahead of the partys 2014 congress.

Last month, liberation stalwart and former Cabinet minister Tshinga Dube highlighted the growing factionalism in Zanu PF when he warned that it would be futile for South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa and his African National Congress (ANC) to hope to end Zimbabwes long-standing political and economic crisis without winning support from the partys brawling factions.

It all starts with the leaders in Zanu PF agreeing that we need dialogue and that South Africa has a critical role to play.

They need to find common ground on that to make the ANCs work easier. We can blame this group or that group, but I dont want to do that because what is important, for the sake of progress, is that they must find each other.

It is not difficult for the leaders to find each other because they have been working together for quite a long time, the fearless Dube told the Daily News On Sunday.

I dont think it is impossible for them (Zanu PF factions) to do that for the good of the country and our people. That is what leadership is all about. If they do not agree and continue like that, then it will be difficult for anyone who wants to help, including the ANC, he added.

The widening fissures in Zanu PF appear to have taken the same route of the last few years in power of Mugabe.

Then, Mnangagwa was involved in a hammer and tongs war with the G40 faction  which had coalesced around Mugabes erratic wife Grace.

The vicious brawling took a nasty turn when Mnangagwa was allegedly poisoned by his rivals during one of Mugabes highly-divisive youth interface rallies in Gwanda in 2017.

The then VPs fate was eventually sealed on November 6, 2017 when Mugabe fired his long-time lieutenant a few days after his allies had booed the irascible Grace during a tense rally at White City Stadium in Bulawayo.

However, tables were dramatically turned on Mugabe when the military rolled in their tanks on November 15 of that year and deposed the long-ruling leader from power  which saw a number of alleged G40 kingpins fleeing into self-imposed exile soon afterwards.

But despite Mnangagwas ascendancy to power, some ambitious bigwigs in the former liberation movement continue to

accused of plotting to unseat the new Zanu PF leader. Daily News
This report was given at the annual convention of the Association for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies, November 21, 2010.

The subject of this panel is a man who remains, even 70 years after his assassination by a Stalinist agent, a relentlessly contemporary figure. Trotsky was one of the titans of the political and intellectual life of the 20th century. But the efforts to blackguard Trotsky, misrepresent his theoretical work, and manufacture false accounts of his life continue. Trotskyism remains as politically heretical in the 21st century as Spinosisme was in the 18th. Indeed, in recent years, the hostility to Trotsky has grown more intense, and this hostility has assumed a particularly vicious character. We are, it must be said, very far from the time when principled liberal adversaries of Trotsky read his work with intense interest and even admiration. To the extent that liberalism retained a certain level of intellectual integrity and still believed sincerely in its democratic ideals, it was possible, in the 1930s, for a man such as John Dewey (though not, of course, for the liberal fellow travelers of the Soviet regime, such as the publishers of the Nation) to disagree with Trotsky while readily acknowledging his genius, courage and honesty. Not only that. Dewey felt obligatedon the basis of his principlesto provide Trotsky with the means to defend himself against the accusations of the Stalinists.

Later, in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, a new generation of historians sought to deal objectively and honestly with the October Revolution and its greatest figures, including Leon Trotsky. Alexander Rabinowitch, on the basis of meticulous archival research, established the decisive role played by Trotsky in the development of the strategy of the October insurrection and its tactical implementation. Richard B. Day investigated the economic thought of the Left Opposition. Baruch Knei-Paz produced a detailed examination of Trotskys political and social thought. As it turned out, the publication of Knei-Pazs study in 1978 proved to be the high water mark in formal academic work on Leon Trotskyexcluding the efforts of Pierre Broue, who was not only an outstanding historian but also a Trotskyist.

The last 20 years have witnessed an anti-intellectual counterrevolution in the field of Soviet studies in general and, in particular, the study of Leon Trotsky. The initial cause of this reaction is not difficult to identify. The dissolution of the Soviet Union had a demoralizing effect on broad sections of the liberal intelligentsia in the United States and Western Europe. Whatever their individual political convictions, all the historians who did serious work on the Russian Revolution were motivated by the belief that October 1917 represented a major turning point in world history. Its origins, the event itself, its aftermath, and those who played an important role in this historical drama demanded conscientious study. The collapse of 1991 seemed to invalidate that fundamental belief. The era of bourgeois triumphalism and its house intellectual, Francis Fukuyama, had arrived, courtesy of the RAND Corporation. The October Revolution, it was now proclaimed, was not only a political crime. It was a mistake, and a pointless one at that!

The very idea that the October Revolution posed even the possibility of a historically viable alternative to capitalism had been massively refuted.

This argument had a substantial impact on the academic community, whose confidence in human progress had already been undermined, even before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, not only by the blather of the Reagan years but also by the subjectivism and irrationalism of the Frankfurt School and Postmodernism. However, the effort to deny the substance and legitimacy of October 1917 rested from the start on very shaky historical and intellectual foundations. After all, the Soviet state, which arose out of the revolution, had survived not merely for 71 days, as in the case of the Paris Commune, but for 73 years. In the course of its existence, the Soviet Union had undergone an extraordinary industrial transformation, defeated Nazi Germany in war, vastly raised the living standards and cultural level of its people, recorded remarkable achievements in science, and exercised immense global influence. Moreover, the claim that the outcome of December 1991 was the inexorable product of October 1917 required that historians either belittle or ignore alternatives to the course of Soviet development under Stalin and his successorsalternatives that were not only imagined, but which were actually programmatically formulated and fought for. One particularly cynical example of this approach is to be found in the writings of British historian Eric Hobsbawm, a long-time member of the Stalinist British Communist Party, who justified Stalins regime as the only game in town.

Ironically, the claim by anti-Marxists that the final outcome of Soviet history followed inevitably from the 1917 Revolutionthat the political and economic policies that were pursued from the early days of War Communism and the NEP through to collectivization, the Liberman reforms and Gorbachevs Perestroika represented the sole conceivable path of developmentmirrored the arguments of the Stalinist regime, which sought to cloak its errors by depicting bureaucratic arbitrariness as an expression of historical necessity. This perversion of a genuinely materialist and dialectical conception of Marxist determinism by Stalin was capably exposed by Professor Day in 1990 in his perceptive refutation of the Blackmail of the Single Alternative.[ 1 ] Days essay was written on the very eve of the definitive failure of Gorbachevs Perestroika, the Stalinist bureaucracys dissolution of the USSR, and the restoration of capitalism.

As Day correctly noted: When Stalin canonized Leninism in the mid-1920s, he excluded from Lenins thought every element of sophistication and fastened on every plausible justification for the authoritarian organization of political and economic life.[ 2 ] Significantly, Day linked his opposition to the blackmail of the single alternative (or Hobsbawms only game in town) to an examination of the alternative posed by Trotsky. Stressing the connection between Trotskys philosophical conceptions and his programmatic opposition to the nationalist line of socialism in one country, Day explained:

Trotsky looked upon historical contradictions as the material of social policy. Following the Hegelian and Marxist commitment to universality, he also believed that contradictions had to be comprehended within the whole of world economy, of which capitalism and socialism were now parts. With the emergence of the world market, the nation-statewhether capitalist or socialistcould no longer exist as an independent economic arena. The world division of labor was not disrupted by the fact that a socialist system prevails in one country while a capitalist one prevails in the others.[ 3 ]

In an environment shaped by post-Soviet capitalist triumphalism, few historians were prepared to develop historical work along the path suggested by Day and explore systematically historical alternatives to Stalinism. The one great exception to the prevailing pattern of intellectual prostration before the force of political and ideological reaction was the work of historian and sociologist Vadim Rogovin in Russia, who entitled the first volume of his seven-volume history of the Trotskyist opposition to Stalinism between 1923 and 1940 Was There an Alternative?

The renewed assault on the historical reputation of Trotsky in the 1990s grew out of the need of bourgeois ideologists to deny the possibility that the path of Stalinist dictatorship was not the only one that might have been followed in the USSR. Trotskys very existence as a revolutionary opponent of the regimeand, moreover, one who posed a major political threat to the Stalinist bureaucracyhad to be denied. Thus, by its very nature and purpose, this assault demanded the revival of the methods of falsification and even the same lies that had been used by the Stalinist regime in its relentless war against Trotsky. All the facts that had been established by historians over the previous 40 years (since the publication of the first volume of Deutschers biography in the 1950s) about the life and work of Trotsky had to be, to use what was to become a favorite catch-phrase of the distortionists, called into question. This was the self-proclaimed agenda of the so-called Journal of Trotsky Studies that was established at the University of Glasgow in the early 1990s. Professor Ian Thatcher was among its co-founders. The journal did not last long. Only four issues were produced. But the Journal developed the mode of falsification that was to guide all the anti-Trotsky works that were to be written over the next decade and a half. The main components of this modus operandi were: 1) claims that well-established facts about the life of Trotskysuch as his leadership of the October 1917 insurrection, his critical role as creator and commander of the Red Army, his commitment to internationalism, and his uncompromising opposition to Stalinismwere myths ripe for exposure; 2) assertions that Trotskys writings, including such acknowledged literary masterworks as his autobiography and his monumental History of the Russian Revolution, were unreliable; and 3) slurs against Trotskys intellectual, political and moral integrity.

The succession of economic crises and mounting geo-political instability in the first decade of the new century provided a further impulse for the assault on Trotsky. As the triumphalism of the 1990s gave way to anxiety about the future of capitalism, reactionary academics recalled with fear the impact of Isaac Deutschers biographical trilogyThe Prophet Armed, Unarmed and Outcaston a generation of politically radicalized youth in the 1960s. Deutschers biography led students to even more dangerous material, the writings of Trotsky himself! Throughout Europe and the Americas, tens of thousands of young people experienced the overwhelming intellectual impact of the writings of this political and literary genius. In a period of new andquite possibly, even greater crisis, was there not a danger that this process might be repeated? How was this to be prevented? Thus, within the space of six years, the three anti-Trotsky biographies of Professors Swain, Thatcher and Service appeared. Each of these biographies began with an explicit denunciation of Deutschers work. Deutscher went along with, and indeed helped to foster the Trotsky myth, declared Swain.[ 4 ] Thatcher mockingly described Deutschers biography as reading like a boys own adventure story and complained that he relied too much on Trotskys own writings.[ 5 ] Service dismissed Deutscher as one who worshipped at Trotskys shrine.[ 6 ] These books were written with the obvious purpose of inoculating readers against the influence of Trotsky. As Swain bluntly wrote in the second sentence of his book: Readers of this biography will not find their way to Trotskyism.[ 7 ]

None of these authors emerged from their anti-Trotsky project with either their integrity or reputation intact. I have spent a significant part of the last three years exposing the innumerable falsifications and distortions contained in these books. At times, I have felt something like a lawyer who has only one client. But any hope that I might find some respite from the task of refuting anti-Trotsky slanders and falsification is premature. In October I went to Germany to speak at a meeting in Berlin that had been called to commemorate the seventieth anniversary of Trotskys assassination. I was compelled to devote a substantial portion of my remarks to rebutting a diatribe against Trotsky that had been recently written by a member of the history faculty at the Humboldt University. The campaign against Trotsky is clearly not an exclusively Anglo-American enterprise.

In fact, yet another addition to anti-Trotskyist literature has been recently provided by the Russian historian Roy Medvedev. This is a name with which students of Soviet historiography are familiar. He established an international reputation with the publication of Let History Judge. The first English-language edition of this work was published in 1972. The second, revised, edition appeared in 1989. Let History Judge was widely seen as the first significant attempt by a Soviet historian to expose the crimes of Stalin and Stalinism. Medvedevs political outlook was that of a moderate reformer. His writings were directed toward and reflected the outlook of the Khrushchevite and later the Gorbachevite wings of the Soviet bureaucracy. He was never politically sympathetic to Trotsky. Nevertheless, he wrote in Let History Judge: Specifically in regard to Leon Trotsky, his activities and tragic fate require a precise and carefully weighed political and legal evaluation.[ 8 ]

That was written 21 years ago. In his recent essay, which appears as the introduction to a new biography of Leon Trotsky by the Ukrainian-American scholar Georgii Cherniavskii, Medvedev resorts to the same falsifications that he refuted in Let History Judge. Ironically, Medvedevs introductory essay contradicts the generally favorable portrait of Trotsky provided by Cherniavskii. It is as if the publishers felt an obligation to counter-balance Cherniavskiis positive presentation with Medvedevs harshly negative and dishonest declarations.

There is a staggering contrast between what Medvedev wrote in 1989 and what he writes in 2010. In Let History Judge, Medvedev stated:

It is well known that the Petrograd Soviet played the key role in the organization and preparation of the insurrection and that it was headed by Trotsky.  The result of the victorious armed insurrection in Petrograd was the transfer of power to the Soviets. The Provisional Government was overthrown.[ 9 ]  Trotskys role in the practical preparation and implementation of the October Revolution was exceptionally important, as a great many accounts by direct participants and eyewitnesses of the October insurrection attest.[ 10 ]

But what does Medvedev say now?

Yes, in October 1917 Trotsky headed both the Petrograd Soviet and the Military-Revolutionary Committee of this Soviet. An armed uprising was prepared, but it was not needed: power passed from the Provisional Government into the hands of the Soviets swiftly and peacefully; the Red Guards had to take by force only the Moscow Kremlin.[ 11 ]

Thus, in order to belittle Trotskys role in the October Revolution, Medvedev does away with the insurrection in Petrograd. There really was, you see, nothing for Trotsky to do on the evening of October 2425, 1917. This version is a variant on the approach taken by Ian Thatchers former colleague at Glasgow University, Professor James White, who wrote in the Journal of Trotsky Studies that on the evening of the insurrection, the inept and hapless Trotsky was left behind in the Smolny Institute by his more capable comrades, such as Stalin, to simply answer the phone.

Medvedev wrote in 1989:

There is no question that Trotskys activity played a fundamental role in transforming the Red Army from a conglomerate of guerilla and semi-guerilla formations into a fairly disciplined military machine. Trotsky was able to organize tens of thousands of former tsarist officers to work in the army, from noncommissioned officers up to and including generals. If it is true that the Red Army would not have been able to win the civil war without military commissars, it is also true that it could not have done so without military specialists.[ 12 ]

But now Medvedev asserts: To over-emphasize Trotsky by name as the commander-in-chief of the Red Army was primarily to the advantage of the White-Guard generals.[ 13 ]

In Let History Judge, Medvedev acknowledged that Trotskys role in the leadership of the Bolshevik Party was second only to that of Lenin. He wrote:

In 19211922 Trotsky was considered the second most important figure in the Bolshevik leadership. Greetings in honor of comrades Lenin and Trotsky were announced at many rallies and meetings, and portraits of Lenin and Trotsky hung on the walls of many Soviet and party institutions. Trotskys name occurred in songs and military marches. This period was undoubtedly the high point of Trotskys career as a revolutionary and political leader of the Soviet state. Lenins attitude toward Trotsky at this time was one of emphatic respect, as was Trotskys toward Lenin.[ 14 ]

But Medvedevs 2010 essay offers a very different appraisal:

However, in actual fact the Bolshevik Party of 1917 had no second leaders.  Trotsky often called himself second [after Lenin], and was inwardly convinced that he was. This belief formed the basis of his pretensions to power and to Lenins heritage after the leader had died. However, as the great Niccolo Paganini once noted, there are many seconds. It is therefore more precise to speak not about a second leader, but about a second rank of leaders, among whom we can see in 19171920 not only Lev Trotsky, but also Yakov Sverdlov, Joseph Stalin, Lev Kamenev, Grigory Zinoviev, Feliks Dzerzhinsky, as well as Nikolai Bukharin and Nikolai Krestinsky.[ 15 ]

Medvedevs attempt to demote Trotsky is, as he knows all too well, a blatant falsification of the historical record. Yakov Sverdlov played a significant role in the organizational structure of the Bolshevik Party. He was not, however, an independent political leader, let alone a theoretician. As for Stalin, Kamenev and Zinoviev, their checkered political roles in 1917 are well known. All three, at one point or another, opposed the independent struggle for power by the working class. In March 1917, Stalin and Kamenev (as well as Sverdlov) adopted a conciliatory position toward the bourgeois Provisional Government. In October 1917, Kamenev and Zinoviev opposed the insurrection. Dzerzhinsky played an important role in the early years of the revolution as leader of the Cheka, the state police organization established by the Soviet regime to fight the counterrevolutionary forces. Bukharin, without question, was a significant, though erratic, leader. But neither Dzerzhinsky nor Bukharin remotely approached the stature of Trotsky as revolutionary leaders. As for Krestinsky, a future member of the Left Opposition (and victim of Stalins purges), he would have been the last person to denigrate Trotskys role as the co-leader of the October Revolution.

In his current effort to diminish Trotskys role in 1917, Medvedev minimizes the significance of a well-known comment by Lenin:

On 1 November 1917, at a session of the Petrograd Party Committee, Lenin called Trotsky the best Bolshevik. But this was a deliberate exaggeration, since Trotsky had only joined the Bolsheviks in the summer of 1917 and had been elected a member of the RSDLP (b) at the Sixth Congress.[ 16 ]

In fact, there was nothing off the cuff in this assessment. It was made by Lenin in the midst of a bitter life-and-death struggle against his opponents within the leadership of the Bolshevik Party who were demanding that he accept the formation of a coalition government with the Mensheviks. The fate of the Bolshevik Party and the revolution was at stake. As recounted by Alex Rabinowitch in his Bolsheviks in Power:

At the Petersburg Committee meeting, evidently struggling to maintain his composure with only mixed success, Lenin charged that the behavior of the Central Committees representatives in the Vikzhel meetings was treasonous. The only Bolshevik leader he singled out for praise was Trotsky. Trotsky recognized long ago that unification is impossible and from that time on there has been no better Bolshevik.[ 17 ]

In his essay on Trotsky in Revolutionary Silhouettes, Anatole Lunacharsky, the Bolshevik commissar of culture, described Trotsky as the second great leader of the Russian revolution. Attempting to compare Lenin and Trotsky, Lunacharsky credited Lenin as a revolutionary politician of infallible instinct, less prone to be swayed by his emotions, if only temporarily. Lunacharskys assessment, written in 1919, included the following significant qualifications:

It would be wrong to imagine, however, that the second great leader of the Russian revolution is inferior to his colleague in everything: there are, for instance, aspects in which Trotsky incontestably surpasses himhe is more brilliant, he is clearer, he is more active. Lenin is fitted as no one else to take the chair at the Council of Peoples Commissars and to guide the world revolution with the touch of genius, but he could never have coped with the titanic mission which Trotsky took upon his own shoulders, with those lightning moves from place to place, those astounding speeches, those fanfares of on-the-spot orders, that role of being the unceasing electrifier of a weakening army, now at one spot, now at another. There is not a man on earth who could have replaced Trotsky in that respect.[ 18 ] [Italics added]

Medvedevs essay, contemptuous of the historical record, abounds with numerous derogatory comments: Trotsky little distinguished himself as Peoples Commissar of Foreign Affairs,[ 19 ] In the 1930s Trotskys role and influence were inflated and exaggerated by European governments [ 20 ] No one, either in the past or present, could coherently outline even in a small pamphlet certain foundations of Trotskyism.[ 21 ]

Such statements indicate the extent of Medvedevs intellectual regression. But even worse, in the light of Medvedevs past work, is his new appraisal of Stalin. The greatest strength of Let History Judge was its denunciation of Stalins role in Soviet history. Medvedev explained that Let History Judge was written, in part, to answer stubborn attempts to rehabilitate Stalin that have persisted since 1969.[ 22 ] He argued against those in the Soviet bureaucracy who sought, in one way or another, to justify or minimize Stalins criminal activities. Medvedev opposed the widespread claim that Stalins activities in the 1920s were correct, and that only his later actions should be condemned. Stalin had inflicted devastating damage to the cause of socialism in the Soviet Union and internationally. Medvedev explained that while Stalin used Marxist phrases to legitimize his actions, he was never a Marxist.

But now Medvedev offers an entirely different appraisal of Stalin, who, he writes:

 much better than Trotsky studied all of Lenins works, many of which Trotsky never even read. It was Stalin, therefore, who was able rather quickly and successfully to rework Lenins theoretical heritage into a rather integral conception of the foundations of Leninism Neither Trotsky, nor Bukharin, nor Kamenev, nor Zinoviev was able to do this, although they tried. All of Trotskys attempts to base himself on Lenins theoretical and political heritage proved unsuccessful and were easily refuted by Stalin. But without the support of Lenins heritage, Trotsky had no chance at winning recognition and achieving victory.[ 23 ]

And so the reader is led to conclude that it was Stalin who represented the heritage of Lenin, and that accounts for his victory over Trotsky. Medvedev gives other reasons for Stalins victory: [W]hen it came to the force of character, to political will, ruthlessness and many other qualities that are needed in the struggle for power, Stalin greatly surpassed Trotsky.[ 24 ] But in Let History Judge, Medvedev wrote scornfully of those who spoke with admiration of Stalins will:

An assassin who shoots from ambush hardly needs a stronger will than his victim. An honorable man abstains from crimes not because he lacks a strong character; his character is simply directed toward other goals. Too often we call a man strong who violates all the accepted norms of human relations and all the rules of honorable struggle; the more he flouts these rules, the stronger and more resolute he seems to some people. In fact, most crimes evince not strength of will, but weakness of moral principles.[ 25 ]

What accounts for Medvedevs terrible intellectual degeneration? He is clearly another victim of the collapse of the USSR, which has destroyed his political and moral equilibrium. Medvedev has become a fervent admirer of Vladimir Putin, whom he compares to Peter the Great! This disorientation is not simply a matter of Medvedevs personal weakness. Notwithstanding his earlier condemnation of Stalinism, his political opposition to Trotskyism foreclosed the possibility of achieving a comprehensive critique of the Soviet regime. Its collapse took him by surprise, and he drifted, like so many other Soviet intellectuals, into the reactionary milieu of Russian nationalism and chauvinism. This is what has drawn him to Stalin.

In his better years, Medvedev wrote that Stalinism might legitimately be described as a serious and prolonged disease of Soviet society. This was a fruitful and suggestive idea, which can be of use in an investigation of anti-Trotskyism. There is a distinctly pathological element in the persistence, over many decades, of the falsification of every aspect of Trotskys thought and activities. But the source of this disease is not biological, but social. It is a manifestation of intense contradictions in society. In periods of mounting crisis, anti-Trotskyism flares up as an ideological defense mechanism against the revolutionary critique of the existing social order and the growing potential for working class resistance to capitalist oppression.

Alexander Rabinowitchone of the few contemporary historians who, though not a Marxist, still deeply believes in the historical significance of Octobermade this same point in a more direct and simple way. Why, I asked him recently, did the attacks on Trotsky continue 70 years after his death. Because, he replied, Trotsky is still a threat. Indeed, to all those who defend injustice and inequality, he certainly is.
Mumbai, Oct 4 : Rapper Badshah has paid a tribute to mothers and the power of their dreams in a new music.

The video is of the title track from his recently launched album "The Power of Dreams of a Kid".

It narrates the story of a boy, Chintu, who dreams of touching the sky one day when he grows up, riding on the power of the dreams of his mother.

It also also features Badshah and Lisa Mishra, who has lent her vocals to the song.

Talking about the album, Badshah said: "'The Power of Dreams of a Kid' is very special for me. Each song in the album has some memorable element from my journey which makes it closer to my heart." "The Power of Dreams of a Kid" has a total of eight tracks and three collaborations with Lisa Mishra, Fotty Seven-Bali and Sikander Kahlon.
Exactly one week to the reopening of all schools as ordered by the federal government, Nigerias new weekly COVID-19 infections have soared by over 100 per cent compared to the previous week, PREMIUM TIMES review of official data shows.

Between Sunday and Saturday (September 27 to October 3), 2,142 new cases were reported in the country, which is a 103 per cent increase from the 1,053 cases recorded in the previous week, the 40th week of the pandemic in Nigeria.

Also, last weeks record is Nigerias highest weekly figure in six weeks.

The increase in the number of infections is perhaps evidence of poor compliance with the safety protocols, which include but is not limited to observation of social distancing rules and use of face masks.

However, the figure may further rise if these protocols are not adhered to, especially with the resumption of schools nationwide, experts say.

The minister of education, Adamu Adamu, said all unity schools should open by October 12, while states and private schools will determine their own modalities of reopening.

He later directed the reopening of all schools but advised all institutions to adhere to the guidelines for the reopening of schools, as earlier announced by the presidential task force.

More recoveries, fewer deaths

PREMIUM TIMES analysis further showed that while the death rate reduced, many persons recovered and were discharged last week.

Last week, seven persons died of COVID-19 complications, according to the data provided by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

A total of 11 persons died from the virus in the previous week while 17 deaths were recorded in the week before that.

Meanwhile, 2,287 recovered and were discharged last week. This is a 74 per cent increase when compared to the previous weeks record of 1,291.

Nigeria so far

As of the time of reporting, Nigeria has 59,287 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Of this figure, 50,718 have been discharged and 1,113 deaths have been recorded in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Also a total of 532,765 samples have been collected for testing since the pandemic broke out in February. A total of 30,220 samples were collected for testing last week, as against the 30,354 tested the previous week.

A breakdown of the confirmed cases shows that Lagos State has so far reported 19,636 cases, followed by FCT  5,745, Plateau  3,479, Oyo  3,268, Edo  2,628, Kaduna  2,444, Rivers  2,517, Ogun  1,878, Delta  1,802, Kano  1,738, Ondo  1,634, Enugu  1,289, Ebonyi  1,042 , Kwara  1,044, Abia  898, Gombe  883, Katsina  874, Osun  847, Borno  745, Bauchi  699, Imo  576, Benue  481, Nasarawa  452, Bayelsa  401, Jigawa  325, Ekiti  321, Akwa Ibom  293, Niger  259, Anambra  238, Adamawa  248, Sokoto  162, Taraba  105, Kebbi  93, Zamfara  79, Cross River 87, Yobe  76 and Kogi  5.

Lagos State remains the epicentre for the disease with the highest number of confirmed cases and deaths in the country.

The other five states with the highest number of confirmed cases are FCT, Oyo, Plateau, Edo and Rivers states.

Of all the 36 states and the FCT, Delta, Enugu, Benue, Jigawa, Ekiti, Niger, Sokoto, Kebbi, Cross River, Yobe, and Kogi did not record at least a fresh case last week.

Timeline last week

On Sunday, 126 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the country.

As of 11:55 p.m. on September 20, a total of 58,324 cases had been reported, out of which 49,794 had recovered and 1,108 deaths recorded.

On Monday, 136 new cases of the pandemic were reported in the country.

On Tuesday, 187 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded.

On Wednesday, 201 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the country.

On Thursday, 153 new cases were reported in Nigeria, hence bringing the tally of confirmed cases to 59,001.

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On Friday, 126 new cases of the pandemic were recorded.

On Saturday, 160 new cases were reported in Nigeria, hence bringing the tally of confirmed cases to 59,387 as of 11:55 p.m. on October 3.
Whitehall mandarins have spent more than 370,000 on unconscious bias training  despite doubts about whether it is effective.

Seven Government departments spent the combined sum in the past five years on face-to-face workshops. The cost to taxpayers is on top of online training provided by the Civil Service Learning website for which departments pay an annual subscription.

The Department for Work and Pensions came top with 112,500 spent over two years on lessons for 720 people  an average cost of 156 per head. The Department for Education came second on 92,500, followed by the Business Department at 77,600.

During a series of parliamentary questions, Health Minister Edward Argar told backbencher Neil OBrien: It is not possible to extract the amount spent on Unconscious Bias where this forms part of a broader training offer  meaning that the true cost could be even higher.

The Department for Work and Pensions came top with 112,500 spent over two years on lessons for 720 people  an average cost of 156 per head (file image)

The 2014 Civil Service Talent Action Plan included a requirement that all civil servants learn about unconscious bias.

But research by the Equality and Human Rights Commission on the effectiveness of such training found little evidence it can change behaviour.

Tory MPs have reacted with fury to plans to introduce similar training in the House of Commons, with one consultancy firm receiving nearly 800,000 to run lessons on unconscious bias and valuing-everyone training.

During a series of parliamentary questions, Health Minister Edward Argar (pictured) told backbencher Neil OBrien: It is not possible to extract the amount spent on Unconscious Bias where this forms part of a broader training offer

Conservative MP Ben Bradley said: Im hugely concerned both at the cost of these courses, added to the cost of those for Commons staff, for example, which would bring this figure to over a million quid, with more in the pipeline.

I dont think thats value for taxpayers whatsoever. The suggestion that we are all deeply and innately racist in our approach without knowing it is highly controversial identity politics, and it should have no place in our public institutions in my view.

The Mail on Sunday revealed a fortnight ago that there were 180 diversity officers employed across nine Whitehall departments.

Since then, a further 34 have been found working at three more departments including 22 at the Department for Work and Pensions.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 21:51:27|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was warned on Sunday that areas in Britain under local coronavirus restrictions have reached a "tipping point".

The warning came as the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, was speaking on Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday program.

The mayor said that the British government is "really in danger of losing the public in the north" if it continues to roll out restrictions without additional support.

Burnham said that people "need a bit of a reset so people can clearly understand what has been asked".

The former Labour (Britain's main opposition party) minister said that compliance with lockdown rules in Greater Manchester is "pretty high", but said: "I have certainly felt this week that we have reached a tipping point with all of this."

Johnson said he is working flat-out to make Christmas as normal as possible, but he warned of a "tough winter" ahead in the battle against coronavirus.

He said there will be "bumpy" months ahead, though he hopes the situation will be "radically different" by spring.

To bring life back to normal, countries including Britain, China, Russia and the United States are racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines.

"If we go into a winter with the north under local restrictions, millions of people under restrictions, businesses suffering because of those restrictions, no support for those businesses, we are going to see a widening of the north-south divide," said the mayor.

"If you look back in years to come you'll think COVID-19 did more harm to the north of England than Margaret Thatcher (the late British prime minister) and whatever she did in the 1980s," he said.

"This is a real danger that is staring us right in the face," he said. "A government that says it wants to level up cannot put the north of England under restrictions without support. It's pretty much as simple as that."

Despite restrictions being imposed in Greater Manchester at the end of July, the number of coronavirus cases in two boroughs continued to rise, local media reported Sunday.

The latest figures showed Sunday that Manchester's rate at 335.9 cases per 100,000, one of the worst in the country. The national average is 65.4 cases per 100,000. Enditem
A second-grade teacher in Milford who was indicted on a federal possession of child sexual abuse images charge was released on conditions after his appearance in a federal court Friday.

Vincent Kiejzo, 33, was indicted on the charge last week after he was initially arrested on Sept. 9.

According to authorities, Kiejzo was caught with roughly 6,000 images of apparent child sexual abuse stored within a thumb drive. Some images showed minors under the age of 12 being sexually abused, authorities said.

Kiejzo, a second-grade teacher at Memorial Elementary School, was placed on leave after his arrest, according to the Milford Daily News. A recent press release from the U.S. Attorneys Office called Kiejzo a former teacher.

Authorities who searched Kiejzos home said they discovered a thumb drive plugged into a television in Kiejzos bedroom.

Federal agents reviewed the thumb drive and discovered the images, according to federal records.

Kiejzo, whose LinkedIn profile shows he worked in Milford schools since 2008, was held after he first appeared in federal court last month.

On video conference Friday, Kiejzo pleaded not guilty to the charge. Federal prosecutors wanted Kiejzo to remain held without bail and considered him a flight risk and a danger to the community.

A judge found that prosecutors were not able to show Kiejzo was a flight risk and instead released Kiejzo on an unsecured bond and under several conditions, records show.

Kiejzo will live with his father in Milford and have no internet access while under home confinement. He will also be under electronic monitoring and is prohibited from being in contact with anyone under the age of 18.
Zinedine Zidane has finally spoken out on the links between Real Madrid and Lyon superstar Houssem Aouar, with a revelation which spells bad news for Arsenal.

Zidane has refused to rule out his interest in the Frenchman, who has rocketed onto the European scene this season.

Arsenal have been linked with the 22-year-old all summer, though Zidane has now revealed he could one day pull on the famous white shirt of Madrid.

Houssem Aouar could one day turn on for Real Madrid, manager Zinedine Zidane has said

Zidane has refused to rule out a move for his compatriot, who is coveted across Europe

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Madrid's La Liga clash with Levante, Zidane tackled the subject head on.

'I don't know what information you have about him [Aouar],' Zidane told reporters.

'He's a great player, I have no doubt about that.

'Maybe one day he could play at Real Madrid , but right now we have this squad and we're going to go forward with the players we have.'

According to reports in Spanish outlet AS, Aouar has now become Zidane's 'new obsession' and the manager is willing to offer Mariano Diaz in part exchange to get the deal over the line.

Reports in Spain claim Madrid are ready to offer the exciting Mariano Diaz in a part exchange

Aouar has been heavily linked with Arsenal in recent weeks, with the Gunners set to offload Lucas Torreira in order to raise funds.

Speculation had mounted regarding a potential swap deal involving Matteo Guendouzi, though Lyon are said to have rebuffed the idea.

Madrid meanwhile have tightened the purse strings this summer, following the damaging financial impact caused by the coronavirus.

The Spanish giants are however drawing up huge battle plans for next summer, and are poised to launch a sensational move for Kylian Mbappe along with two other hot prospects.
Once an actor Ronald Reagan became the President of the United States, so why should not there be another actor? However, fake campaigns are circulating.

United States President Donald Trump could be passing the torch to another television personality. Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, and Chris Rock have teased that they could immerse themselves in politics. So far, only Kanye West has officially announced his bid for the presidency.

The presidential race was rattled on July 4 when rapper Kanye West made his announcement for his bid for the presidency, reported Fox News.

Here are some stories of celebrities allegedly running for US President:

1. Eminem (Marshall Mathers)

Upon Eminem performing a freestyle rap against Trump, HollywoodLife published news about the "Love the Way You Lie" performer potentially running for the November 2020 presidential election.

The article spoke to a so-called insider close to the rapper who said there was no chance for him to run for the highest office in the land, reported Gossip Cop.

2. Alec Baldwin

Alec Baldwin has played Trump on "Saturday Night Live" and he might as well take his impression all the way to the White House. "If I ran for president, I would win. Hands down, I would win," Baldwin told Howard Stern on his radio show on June 11, 2018. Visualizing his imaginary run, Baldwin personified Trump and said he would take summer breaks if he wins, reported Newsday.

In a 2012 article published in Interview Magazine, according to Baldwin, he would want to sit at the Oval Office for quite some time. Baldwin said that as he ages, the idea gets less ludicrous.

Also Read: Trump Taking Experimental, Unproven COVID-19 Medicine

3. Oprah Winfrey

Life & Style indicated that talkshow legend Oprah Winfrey was running for office as a cover story. According to the tabloid, it exclusively learned that Winfrey is gathering a top-grade team of political experts to hone her as an American president.

She was apparently going to spend $1 billion to ensure she was elected. The news outlet added that Tom Hanks could run with her but she would probably pick a more experienced politician to run alongside her.

Gossip Cop debunked this, indicating that Winfrey has her own prominent magazine so she need not tell the magazine information.

4. George Clooney

George Clooney's name often gets mentioned when tabloids indicate celebrities potentially gunning for the presidency. HollywoodLife indicated that Julia Roberts and other people were trying to persuade Clooney into the presidency.

The "Ocean's Eleven" actor was allegedly inundated with the proposition at an AFI event in honor of him. The celebrity fact check website Gossip Cop debunked this news that the tabloid had no awareness of who was in attendance that night as Roberts was not present with no other celebrities named.

5. Kanye West

Kanye West first teased his bid for the presidency at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards long before Trump claimed the highest office in the land.

The Video Vanguard Award recipient made the announcement in his 11-minute acceptance speech. He stated, "And yes, as you probably could have guessed by this moment, I have decided in 2020 to run for president."

Related Article: Stocks Fall After Trump's COVID-19 Diagnosis

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
CHEBOYGAN, MI -- When you think of camping, you think of smores, campfires and family fun.

At Aloha State Park in Cheboygan, you can add doughnuts to your list of family memories.
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A LIMERICK GP has warned that if patients are infected with the flu and Covid-19 during the six-month influenza season, there will be a greater likelihood of a serious outcome.

Thats according to Raheen-based GP, Dr David Hannon who is encouraging members of the public to not take the gamble, and get the flu jab, as clinics nationwide are receiving their annual vaccine stocks.

The flu vaccine will be made available for free for those in at-risk groups, including those who are chronically ill and pregnant, patients over 65, medical card holders, and will include all children aged two to 12. However, for the latter, it will come in the form of a nasal spray later this month.

Meanwhile, the Limerick Leader understands that communion parties and large family gatherings are still taking place in the region, despite intensified calls to reduce social contact to quash the virus spread.

Dr Hannon, who runs the Raheen Medical Centre with two other GPs, has said the onset of the coronavirus pandemic has exerted major pressures on their workload since February, with many GPs working 12-hour days.

He said consultation involves a huge amount of work, and has changed his consultation system completely to meet the surge in demand at the clinic. A lot of his consultations are now done virtually, requiring some new technology.

Dr Ray OConnor, of the Graduate Entry Medical School at UL, said one of the difficulties arising out of Covid-19 GP care is telephone consultations.

If I am talking to you over the phone, and you are telling me that you have a cough and you dont feel well, its very difficult for me to assess you over the phone. But at the same time, I would be very worried about bringing anything into my clinic, in case you had Covid, you infect staff, you infect me. That adds an additional layer of stress and anxiety, he explained.

Dr Seamus Kilby, of Barrington Street, said that if he has patients with Covid-19 symptoms, he brings them into a special room which is specially designed for minimum risk minimisation and isolation.

Dr Hannon said that if people are flu-positive, their immune system is temporarily weakened.

This year, we have another significant factor, as Covid-19 will be around us. If people happen to get influenza and also happen to get Covid-19, then its likely they will become much iller. They will have much greater health needs, and much more likely of having a serious outcome.

As of this Sunday, the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 reported in Limerick since February is close to 1,000.
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BAGHDAD, Oct. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Qi Card, the leading electronic payment solution and default national debit/credit card of Iraq, today announced a skyrocketing uptick in demand for additional points of sale (POS) kiosk systems throughout the region. The combination of new POS locations and the stark increase in usage of Qi Card's digital money transferring services are just two indicators of Qi Cards rapid growth in the region.

The increase in available POS kiosks comes at a crucial time, as citizens around the world practice social distancing measures. Today, Iraqi citizens now have nearly twice as many kiosks to visit, enabling not only easier access, but the ability to avoid crowding.

The record-breaking POS installations tie directly to a higher usage of Qi Card, which is by far the leading card and digital payment method for Iraqis as the country embarks on an economic digital transformation, moving away from cash and into a fintech-based model built for improving convenience and safety.

Qi Card is the first fintech provider to shift the Iraqi economy away from cash. An exponentially increasing number of businesses and consumers now utilize electronic payment methods due to enhanced security and ease of use. Qi Card's solutions offer consumers flexibility and stability to perform online, in-person and person-to-person transactions. Qi Card features the latest advanced fintech, biometric identification and electronic payment system technology.

Iraq is embarking on a financial revolution  a revolution of inclusion and access  and Qi Card is proud to be at the forefront of this movement.

To learn more about the Mastercard Qi Card, visit www.qi.iq

About Qi Card

Qi Card is the leading electronic payment services solution in Iraq, which employs biometric identity as the cardholder verification method. Qi Card is operated and managed by International Smart Card "ISC," the most successful partnership in the history of Iraq. With its State Bank partners, Al-Rafidain and Al-Rashed, it has completed domiciliation of more than 7M citizens with its multi-biometric payment scheme. In just over 18 months, ISC was able to disburse 3T IQD in loans to over 800,000 Iraqi citizens. To date, ISC has an ecosystem of 17,000 POS and more than 6,000 merchants using the Qi scheme to provide easy merchant funded installment and other commercial activities. ISC issues and acquires payment cards on behalf of fourteen affiliated banks in Iraq. Through its principal membership in Mastercard, ISC has now issued more than 1.8M Mastercard and is now the largest Mastercard provider in Iraq.

SOURCE Qi Card

Related Links

http://www.qi.iq


PARIS: French authorities deployed about 1,000 firefighters, four military helicopters and troops to search for at least eight people who were missing after devastating floods hit a mountainous border region with Italy, where at least four people were killed.

Emergency workers in Italy recovered two corpses Sunday in northern Liguria that they feared may have been washed away as a result of the storms that killed two other people on Saturday.

Floods washed away houses and destroyed roads and bridges surrounding the city of Nice on the French Riviera after almost a years average rainfall fell in less than 12 hours. Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi said over 100 homes were destroyed or severely damaged.

Rescuers on Sunday were also providing emergency assistance, including food and water, to residents living in isolated villages.

The missing include two French firefighters whose vehicle was carried away by a torrent when a road collapsed south of the village of Saint-Martin-Vesubie. Authorities fear more victims as many families couldnt reach out to relatives due to cellphone service being down.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex, who flew over the area in a helicopter, expressed grave concern over the toll of the flooding.

About 10,500 homes were left without electricity on Sunday, French energy company Enedis said.

In Italy, the body of one person reported missing on Saturday a French citizen of Italian origin was found in the Roia River, the ANSA and LaPresse news agencies reported. The second one washed up closer to where the Roia empties into the Mediterranean along Italys border with France.

An Italian firefighter was killed on Saturday during a rescue operation in the mountainous northern region of Val dAosta. A search team also found a body in the Piedmont regions Vercelli province, where a man had been swept away by floodwaters.

Italian firefighters also rescued 25 people trapped on the French side of a high mountain pass due to the flooding.

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Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed to the story

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Follow all AP stories on extreme weather and climate change at https://apnews.com/hub/Climate.

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 nation saw her weather a shocking break-up with Locky Gilbert.

And The Bachelor's runner-up Bella Varelis put the past behind her as she soaked up the sunshine on board the floating beach club, The Island, in Sydney on Sunday.

The 25-year-old stunner was surrounded by a bevvy of pals, including her former co-star Bec Cvilikas, former Bachelorette star Davey Llyod, The Island owner Julian Tobias and his sweet pooch.

Scroll down for video

BFFs: The Bachelor's runner-up Bella Varelis put the past behind her as she soaked up the sunshine with Bec Cvilikas on board the floating beach club, The Island, in Sydney on Sunday

Donning a khaki green dress and wearing her brunette locks in beachy waves, Bella looked sensational for the sun-kissed brunch outing.

Meanwhile, Bec looked sensational in a summery floral white and red dress which flattered her bronzed glow.

Looking like she was having the time of her life, Bella documented the food that was served as well as the cuddles she shared with Julian's dog.

Companion: Looking like she was having the time of her life, Bella documented the food that was served as well as the cuddles she shared with Julian's dog

Looking good: Bec looked sensational in a summery floral white and red dress which flattered her bronzed glow

Meanwhile, Bella has made no secret she is interested in becoming the next Bachelorette.

It seems the brunette beauty is positioning herself as a likely candidate for the role after revealing she would not star in the upcoming season of Bachelor In Paradise.

She told The Daily Telegraph this week: 'I don't think I would do Bachelor In Paradise, but that's mainly because I don't want to end up heartbroken again.'

Eyes on the prize! Meanwhile, Bella hinted she WILL be The Bachelorette after stressing she will not appear on Bachelor In Paradise

The reality TV star explained that she did not want to risk putting her heart on the line and not be chosen again.

Instead, she said she would say 'yes' to being The Bachelorette, calling it a 'sure way of finding my love story'.

'Seeing two of my friends (Matty Johnson and Laura Byrne) find love on The Bachelor proves to me that this does work and you can meet the person you want to be with for the rest of your life,' she added.

No paradise romance for her! The reality TV star explained that she did not want to risk putting her heart on the line and not be chosen again

She'll be giving out the roses: Instead, Bella said she would say 'yes' to being The Bachelorette, calling it a 'sure way of finding my love story'. Pictured left to right are The Bachelor top four Izzy Sharman-Firth, winner Irena Srbinovska, Bec Cvilikas and Bella

Bella shared a similar sentiment about being cast as The Bachelorette when she spoke to Daily Mail Australia, last week.

The day after the Bachelor grand finale aired, she said: 'Yeah, I mean, what a way to get your happily ever after!'

Bella was unceremoniously dumped by Locky Gilbert during the show's finale last week, in one of the most brutal Bachelor breakups.

Locky burst into tears and gasped for air as he delivered the shocking news to Bella, saying he needed 'more certainty' in a relationship.

Looking for her happily ever after: Bella shared a similar sentiment about being cast as The Bachelorette when she spoke to Daily Mail Australia last week. She said: 'What a way to get your happily ever after!'

Brutal: Bella was unceremoniously dumped by Locky Gilbert during the show's finale last week, in one of the most brutal Bachelor breakups

'I fell in love with you the first day I saw you, and I saw those big brown eyes... And when I told you I love you, I meant every single word,' he said in an emotion-filled speech.

'I know you don't sort of see where your future is at the moment. I think I need just a little bit of certainty. 'I just don't know if I can see us working,' he added.

Upon hearing the news, Bella looked at Locky - who had declared his love for her a day earlier - in utter disbelief.

Furiously, she responded: 'You can't turn this around on me... I'm going,' she said before storming off.
Bengaluru, Oct 4 : Adhering to the 'one-man one-post' norm, Karnataka Minister for Tourism, Kannada and Culture C.T. Ravi resigned from the cabinet post on being appointed national General Secretary of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), an official said on Sunday.

"Ravi submitted his resignation letter to state Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa at the latter's residence on Saturday night," a party official told IANS here.

Ravi, 53, is a four-time legislator from Chikkamagaluru assembly segment, about 240km northwest of Bengaluru in the southern state.

The party's national president J.P. Nadda appointed Ravi as one of the five national general secretaries on September 26 as a major reshuffle of the organisational posts.

Ravi is likely to visit New Delhi on Monday to attend the reorganised party's meeting.

Besides Ravi, B.L. Santosh from the southern state continues to be the party's national secretary.

Party's Lok Sabha member from Bangalore South Tejasvi Surya was appointed as national president of the BJP Yuva Morcha and party's Rajya Sabha member from the state Rajeev Chandrashekar as part of the BJP's team of national spokespersons.

Ravi's resignation, after its acceptance by state governor Vajubhai Vala, will result in one more vacancy in the 34-member state cabinet, in which six posts have not yet been filled since the party returned to power in July 2019.

With the Election Commission announcing on September 29 by-elections to 2 assembly segments - RR Nagar in Bengaluru and Sira in Tumakuru districts in the state on November 3 and their results on November 10, cabinet expansion is expected to take place only after Deepavali in mid-November.

As many as dozen legislators of the party are vying for the 7 cabinet posts.

Among them are former Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) rebels who defected to the BJP and have been elected or nominated to the state legislative Council recently.

The defectors are M.T.B. Nagaraj from Congress, A.H. Vishwanath.

Another Congress defector -- Munirathna -- is likely to contest as BJP candidate in the November 3 bypoll from RR Nagar.
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An official of the State Security Service (SSS), Seyi Adebowale, was allegedly shot by an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Sunday Dada. Mr Adebowale later died in the hospital.

PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday gathered that the incident occurred on September 15 in Kuta, Osun State, during the visit of the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai.

This newspaper reported that Mr Buratai visited the state in September to commission a bridge constructed by the Nigerian Army.

On the evening of the same day, Mr Dada and his colleagues were said to be shooting indiscriminately into the air in a celebratory mood when a stray bullet hit the SSS officer.

The bullet hit Mr Adebowale on his abdomen. He was thereafter rushed to the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital Osogbo, the Osun State capital, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.

The SSS official later died on Monday, September 28, after two unsuccessful surgical operations, and was subsequently buried on Friday.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the NSCDC in Osun State, Daniel Adigun, confirmed the incident, although he said the incident happened due to an operational error.

Mr Adigun said the officer involved in the shooting has since been arrested and detained by the command.

We are currently conducting a (an orderly) room trial and we are on top of the situation to make sure such does not occur again.
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

The San Francisco Medical Examiner's Office has identified a man killed Thursday in a shooting near Union Square as 21-year-old Vermond Jones.

According to police, the shooting happened around 5 p.m. in the 100 block of Geary Street.

After hearing the gunshots, officers nearby responded and found Jones, a San Francisco resident, suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to the hospital.

After speaking with witnesses, officers learned that before the shooting, a group of suspects allegedly tried to rob a man. However, an altercation between the victim and the suspects then ensued, resulting in one of the suspects being shot, police said.

The suspect, later identified as Jones, died at the hospital.

At the scene of the shooting, officers were able to seize three firearms, according to police.

Police haven't announced any arrests in the case.

Anyone with information about the fatal shooting is being asked to contact the Police Department's anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or to send a tip by text message to TIP411 with "SFPD" at the start of the message.

Copyright  2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
A meeting of senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders to discuss the way forward ahead of the Bihar assembly elections slated for late October and early November this year is underway at party chief JP Naddas residence on Sunday.

Union home minister Amit Shah, Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Modi, minister of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai, and the partys in-charge for Bihar Bhupender Yadav were present at the meeting, according to news agency ANI.

The poll meeting comes after the BJP and chief minister Nitish Kumars Janata Dal (United) decided on a 50-50 seat share deal after the alliance partners resolved a majority of related issues.

There is, however, no word on their agreement with the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), the National Democratic Alliances (NDAs) third partner in Bihar. Apart from them contesting the chief ministers working, the LJP has also demanded seats of its choice, as well as some of the seats considered, are JD (U) and BJPs strongholds.

The LJP will hold a meeting of its Central Parliamentary Board later in the day, ANI reported. LJP leader Chirag Paswan said his father underwent a heart surgery due to sudden developments on Saturday evening forcing him to cancel a party meeting and rush to the Union ministers side.

The NDA is yet to announce a seat-sharing deal involving all its constituents amid growing differences between the JD(U) and the LJP. An announcement about the seats, each of the alliance partners will contest, is likely to come by Sunday evening.

Elections to the 243-seat Bihar assembly will be conducted in three phases on October 28, November 3, and November 7. The results of the first poll exercise during the prevailing coronavirus pandemic will be declared on November 10.
The historic Glebe Island Bridge is in urgent need of repairs to stop it deteriorating further and to ensure it can one day be returned to its former glory and used as a key inner-harbour connection for pedestrians and cyclists, the City of Sydney says.

The council and the Committee for Sydney are also urging the NSW government to investigate removing motorway ramps from the Western Distributor, which runs over Darling Harbour. The City of Sydney says the motorway divides Pyrmont in half, "scarring" the inner-city suburb.

The decaying Glebe Island Bridge is dwarfed by the nearby Anzac Bridge. Credit:Brook Mitchell

The calls come several months after the government released draft plans to reshape the fast-growing Pyrmont area over the next two decades. Under the proposed changes, high-rise buildings up to 180 metres would be permitted.

With improved transport deemed key, the City of Sydney says restoring the Glebe Island Bridge should be a priority for the government, arguing it will be crucial for cycling, pedestrian and potentially public transport links between Pyrmont and the so-called Bays precinct at Rozelle.
Top zoo official slain in missing-deer case

SONGKHLA: The head of the Zoological Park Organization of Thailand (ZPOT) was shot dead on Saturday morning during a meeting called to investigate the unsolved disappearance of a rare albino barking deer.

animalscrimedeath

By Bangkok Post

Sunday 4 October 2020, 11:03AM

ZPOT director-general Suriya Saengpong (left), seen here on an inspection tour of Ubon Ratchathani zoo earlier in the week, was gunned down in Songkhla on Saturday morning (Oct 3). Photo: ZPOT Facebook page

The gunman, a senior veterinarian at the Songkhla Zoo, later shot himself to death in his living quarters inside the zoo compound in the southern province.

The tragedy adds a new twist to a months-old mystery that was back in the headlines on Thursday after Varawut Silpa-archa, the natural resources and environment minister, said he didnt believe zoo officials claim that a python had eaten the rare animal in February.

Mr Varawut ordered a new investigation and Suriya Saengpong, the ZPOT director-general, travelled from Bangkok to Songkhla to get the process started on Saturday morning.

I was told that Mr Suriya went to the Songkhla Zoo to meet its director at the latters office, said Thanetphol Thanabunyawat, secretary to the minister. He then called a meeting with zoo officials but I dont know the details of the talks.

During the meeting, one veterinarian based at Songkhla Zoo suddenly pulled out a gun and fired shots at Mr Suriya in the face and body. He died instantly. The vet fled.

According to police investigators, Suriya had asked to speak with zoo director Chalermvudh Kasetsomboon and Phuwadol Suwanna, head of animal health research and conservation at the zoo, in Mr Chalermvudhs office. Phuwadol later asked his boss to leave the room as he wanted to speak with Suriya privately. Shortly afterward, gunshots were heard.

Police and forensic officers who arrived at the scene found Suriya, 58, lying dead in a pool of blood with 14 gunshot wounds to his head and body. Nineteen spent 9mm cartridges were scattered around the room.

Police said they believed Phuwadol was upset by his abrupt transfer. The ZPOT chief had signed the transfer order on Friday evening in order to clear the way for the investigation into the deers disappearance.

The body of Phuwadol, 50, was found dead in the bedroom on the second floor of his living quarters inside the zoo compound. He had a bullet wound to his head, Thai media reported.

Mr Thanetphol said he had been keeping Mr Varawut and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha updated on the incident, which he described as violent and brutal.

It was reported that Suriya had also ordered the transfers of other zoo officials pending the outcome of his investigation. Authorities are examining whether the rare animal was stolen, either to be sold on the black market or for other reasons related to superstition.

Chaowalit Chukachorn, chairman of the ZPOT board, acknowledged concerns about the possibility of state-run zoos being used to aid the illegal activities of wildlife traffickers.

The male albino barking deer, named Snow, was born in December last year at the zoo. Its pedigree traces back to a deer that a villager presented to Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother more than a decade ago.

Her Majesty later gave the deer to Dusit Zoo. Its offspring were subsequently given to other zoos, including Songkhla Zoo.






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Hope for E.T. springs eternal, despite the definitive lack of evidence for his existence. After decades of peering through telescopes, listening with giant radio antennae, and hurling probes to distant worlds, astronomers have yet to find even a hint of life beyond Earth. So, instead of looking for actual evidence of life, some scientists have begun looking for conditions that could theoretically be associated with life. And when they find that, they hold press conferences.

When scientists discovered that liquid water may once have existed on Mars, it was reported with the excitement wed expect if probes had found Martian guppies. The discovery of a probable ocean under the ice of a Jovian moon is reported as if alien life forms had already been filmed doing backstrokes in there. Just this year, the discovery of an Earth-sized exoplanet orbiting a distant red dwarf star was reported by most articles as if Kepler-1649c were a perfect potential host for life.

The latest episode of astrobiological hype involves our nearest planetary neighbor. Venus has long been dismissed in the search for extraterrestrial life due to its hellish climate. After all, its wrapped in sulfuric acid, with a surface temperature hot enough to melt lead.

Then, just a few weeks ago, an international team of scientists from MIT and Cardiff University published evidence of phosphine gas high in the atmosphere of Venus. On Earth, the only two known sources of phosphine are human industry and microscopic life. So, according to this team, the presence of large quantities of this gas on Venus can only be explained by living things.

The press reaction was predictable. Every headline featured the word life. Clamor to divert space exploration resources to Venus mounted so quickly that NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine had to issue a statement in which, while praising the insight of these astronomers, he noticeably downplayed Venus, pointing instead to other, more promising missions already on the space agencys docket and in their budget.

Other critics were more measured: [T]his can hardly be taken as a biosignature, one biologist said to the New York Times, only for anomalous and unexplained chemistry. Another professor of planetary sciences who was quoted in the Financial Times sounded even more skeptical: The scientists cant think of a way of getting these phosphine levels without it being a byproduct of life, he said. That doesnt mean there isnt another way, and it is a long way from proving that theres life on Venus.

So much of the fanfare of stories like this follow a familiar script: scientists rush through the peer-review process and go straight to the press with speculative conclusions. Along the way, anomalous chemistry becomes alien life. Later, once cooler heads prevail, the same newspapers and websites carrying the fantastical headlines, print a retraction with a less exciting explanation for all that phosphine gas  usually in small print on a back page somewhere.

Of course, proposing and challenging theories is what science is all about. Where science goes wrong is in treating these findingsespecially in the early, speculative stagesas if anything is settled, much less announcing the speculations as settled conclusion with breathless news reports and demands that NASA rework their budget.

In one of our latest What Would You Say? videos, my colleague Brooke McIntire takes on the myth of settled science. Proposing and overturning theories is an ongoing part of the process. Even longstanding scientific consensus is vulnerable to new and contrary evidence, and scientists are fallible and biased human beings too. Its a great video, especially one to share with your kids and grandkids. To watch and share it, just go to whatwouldyousay.org.

None of this means, of course, that life on Venus is impossible. What it does mean is that a pair of papers linking the presence of a particular gas to life doesnt amount to all the hype it generated. Without more and better evidence, speculation about little E.T.s on Venus is like its sweltering atmosphere  so much hot air.

Originally posted at breakpoint.org
Baku: Armenia and Azerbaijan said heavy fighting is continuing in their conflict over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, and Azerbaijan's president said late Saturday that his troops had taken a village.

Fighting that started Sept. 27 in some of the worst to afflict Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas since the end in 1994 of a war that left the region in Azerbaijan under the control of local ethnic Armenian forces.

Armenian Defense Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanian said intensive fighting was taking place along the entire front line on Saturday and that Armenian forces had shot down three planes.

Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry denied any planes being shot down and said Armenian personnel had shelled civilian territory. Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev said his country's army 'raised the flag' in the village of Madagiz.

Nagorno-Karabakh officials have said more than 150 servicemen on their side have been killed so far. Azerbaijani authorities haven't given details on their military casualties but said 19 civilians were killed and 55 more wounded.

Vahram Poghosyan, a spokesman for Nagorno-Karabakh president's, claimed Saturday on Facebook that intelligence data showed some 3,000 Azerbaijanis have died in the fighting, but did not give details.

Nagorno-Karabakh was a designated autonomous region within Azerbaijan during the Soviet era. It claimed independence from Azerbaijan in 1991, about three months before the Soviet Union's collapse. A full-scale war that broke out in 1992 killed an estimated 30,000 people.

By the time the war ended in 1994, Armenian forces not only held Nagorno-Karabakh itself but substantial areas outside the territory's formal borders, including Madagiz, the village Azerbaijan claimed to have taken Saturday.

Several United Nations Security Council resolutions have called for withdrawal from those areas, which the Armenian forces have disregarded.

Aliyev said in a television interview the Armenians must withdraw from those areas before the latest fighting can stop.

In the interview with Al Jazeera, a transcript of which was distributed Saturday by the presidential press office, Aliyev criticized the so-called Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which has tried to mediate a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.

One reason behind the current fighting is that ''the mediators do not insist or exert pressure to start implementing the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council,'' he said.

''We have no time to wait another 30 years. The conflict must be resolved now,'' Aliyev said.

Armenia has repeatedly claimed over the past week that Turkey sent Syrian fighters to Azerbaijan and that the Turkish military is aiding Azerbaijan's.

''Turkey and Azerbaijan are pursuing not only military-political goals," Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said Saturday in an address to his nation. Their goal is Armenia, their goal is the continuation of the genocide of Armenians.

Some 1.5 million Armenians died in mass killings in Ottoman Turkey beginning in 1915, which Armenia and many other countries have labeled a genocide. Turkey firmly rejects that term, contends the total number of victims is inflated and says the deaths were the consequence of civil war.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry released a statement Saturday alleging that thousands of ethnic Armenians from abroad were being deployed or recruited to fight for Armenia. Armenia and Armenian diaspora organizations bear international legal liability for organizing these terrorist activities,? the statement said.
Sofia Richie has unfollowed her ex-boyfriend Scott Disick on Instagram after he was seen on a date with model Bella Banos.

The 22-year-old model had previously unfollowed Scott's ex Kourtney Kardashian, 41, back in February.

Her social media cleanse comes amid rumors that the 37-year-old Keeping Up With The Kardashians fixture has moved on from Sofia with the 24-year-old leggy beauty.

Clearing her feed: Sofia Richihe, 22, has unfollowed her ex-boyfriend Scott Disick on Instagram, following their breakup in May; shown in April 2019

A search of the accounts that Sofia follows confirms that Scott is no longer among them.

Sofia seems ready to move on and not be ambushed by photos of her ex. However, it seems Scott has already made the move to unfollow Sofia.

The exes first began their relationship in May 2017, and they managed to reach a detente with Kourtney and traveled together on family vacations with her and her three children with Scott: Mason, 10, Penelope, eight, and Reign, five.

But the relationship hit a speed bump in May when Scott briefly checked himself into a rehab facility, allegedly to work on issues related to the deaths of his parents.

Nothing to see here: A search of the accounts that Sofia follows confirmed that Scott was no longer among them

Cleansing: The model previously unfollowed Kourtney Kardashian back in February

Onoff: Sofia and Scott split after his short-lived rehab stint, but they seemed to reunite for the Fourth of July, before splitting again; shown in August 2019

The reality star and Sofia split shortly after he checked himself out after less than a week, but the couple seemed to be on the men as they reunited in July and spent Independence Day together.

The relationship wasn't long for the world, though, and they separated later that month.

Since then, Sofia has been spotted being affectionate with a mystery man and hanging out with her old friend Jaden Smith, whom she has previously dated.

The model has mainly been spending quality family time with her father Lionel Richie and her sister Nicole Richie amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Family time: Since then, Sofia has been getting cozy with a mystery man and spending time with her family, including her father, Lionel Richie

Sisters: She shared a sweet photo of herself with her older sister Nicole and her niece Harlow

Meanwhile, Scott and Bella have a history going back to 2017, when they briefly dated and took a trip to Costa Rica, shortly before he began his relationship with Sofia.

Shortly afterward, Bella spoke to InTouch about her relationship the Talentless founder, saying: 'Scott calls me his girl and we have said "I love you."

'At first, Scott was just my friend. But he got to know me on a different level. We're super connected,' she added.

'Scott will call and say, "I miss you. I want to see you." He always flies me to wherever he is. We spend so much time together.'

Recently, Scott has been spending time with another model, Bella Banos, 24, whom he briefly dated and traveled to Costa Rica with in 2017.

Catching Scott's eye: The two seem to have reunited and have been spotted spending time together

Like some of his trips with Sofia, the Flip It Like Disick star was vacationing with Kourtney and the kids, though Bella said the Poosh founder wasn't upset by her presence.

On a recent episode of KUWTK, Scott confessed that he was feeling exhausted after some family sports, prompting Kim Kardashian to urge him to get checked out by a doctor.

The former model, who was still dating Sofia when the episode was filmed, later learned his tiredness was due to low testosterone levels.
Rome  Pope Francis says the coronavirus pandemic has proven that the magic theories of market capitalism have failed and that the world needs a new type of politics that promotes dialogue and solidarity and rejects war at all costs.

Francis on Sunday laid out his vision for a post-COVID world by uniting the core elements of his social teachings into a new encyclical aimed at inspiring a revived sense of the human family. Fratelli Tutti (Brothers All) was released on the feast day of his namesake, the peace-loving St. Francis of Assisi.

The document draws its inspiration from the teachings of St. Francis and the popes previous preaching on the injustices of the global economy and its destruction of the planet and pairs them with his call for greater human solidarity to confront the dark clouds over a closed world.

In the encyclical, Francis rejected even the Catholic Churchs own doctrine justifying war as a means of legitimate defense, saying it had been too broadly applied over the centuries and was no longer viable.

It is very difficult nowadays to invoke the rational criteria elaborated in earlier centuries to speak of the possibility of a just war, Francis wrote in the most controversial new element of the encyclical.

Francis had started writing the encyclical, the third of his pontificate, before the coronavirus struck and its bleak diagnosis of a human family falling apart goes far beyond the problems posed by the outbreak. He said the pandemic, however, had confirmed his belief that current political and economic institutions must be reformed to address the legitimate needs of the people most harmed by the coronavirus.

Aside from the differing ways that various countries responded to the crisis, their inability to work together became quite evident, Francis wrote. Anyone who thinks that the only lesson to be learned was the need to improve what we were already doing, or to refine existing systems and regulations, is denying reality.

He cited the grave loss of millions of jobs as a result of the virus as evidence of the need for politicians to listen to popular movements, unions and marginalized groups and to craft more just social and economic policies.

The fragility of world systems in the face of the pandemic has demonstrated that not everything can be resolved by market freedom, he wrote. It is imperative to have a proactive economic policy directed at promoting an economy that favours productive diversity and business creativity and makes it possible for jobs to be created, and not cut.

He denounced populist politics that seek to demonize and isolate, and called for a culture of encounter that promotes dialogue, solidarity and a sincere effort at working for the common good.

As an outgrowth of that, Francis rejected the concept of an absolute right to property for individuals, stressing instead the social purpose and common good that must come from sharing the Earths resources. He repeated his criticism of the perverse global economic system, which he said consistently keeps the poor on the margins while enriching the few  an argument he made most fully in his 2015 landmark environmental encyclical Laudato Sii (Praised Be).

Francis also rejected trickle-down economic theory as he did in the first major mission statement of his papacy, the 2013 Evangelii Gaudium, (The Joy of the Gospel), saying it simply doesnt achieve what it claims.

Neo-liberalism simply reproduces itself by resorting to magic theories of spillover or trickle  without using the name  as the only solution to societal problems, he wrote. There is little appreciation of the fact that the alleged spillover does not resolve the inequality that gives rise to new forms of violence threatening the fabric of society.

Francis' English-language biographer, Austen Ivereigh, said with its two key predecessors, the new encyclical amounts to the final part of a triptych of papal teachings and may well be the last of the pontificate.

There is little doubt that these three documents ... will be considered the teaching backbone of the Francis era, Ivereigh wrote in Commonweal magazine.

Francis made clear the text had wide circulation, printing the encyclical in the Vatican newspaper LOsservatore Romano and distributing it free in St. Peters Square on Sunday to mark the resumption of printed editions following a hiatus during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Much of the new encyclical repeats Francis' well-known preaching about the need to welcome and value migrants and his rejection of the nationalistic, isolationist policies of many of todays political leaders.

He dedicated an entire chapter to the parable of the Good Samaritan, saying its lesson of charity, kindness and looking out for strangers was the basic decision we need to make in order to rebuild our wounded world.

That a theme so ancient is spoken with such urgency now is because Pope Francis fears a detachment from the view that we are all really responsible for all, all related to all, all entitled to a just share of what has been given for the good of all, said Anna Rowlands, professor of Catholic social thought at Britains University of Durham, who was on hand to present the encyclical Sunday at the Vatican.

Francis enshrined in the encyclical his previous rejection of both the nuclear arms race and the death penalty, which he said was inadmissible in all cases.

Francis' call for greater human fraternity, particularly to promote peace, is derived from his 2019 joint appeal with the grand imam of Egypts Al-Azhar, the revered 1,000-year-old seat of Sunni Islam. Their Human Fraternity document established the relationship between Catholics and Muslims as brothers, with a common mission to promote peace.

The fact the he has now integrated that Catholic-Muslim document into an encyclical is significant, given Francis' conservative critics had already blasted the Human Fraternity document as heretical, given it stated that God had willed the pluralism and diversity of religions.

Vatican encyclicals are the most authoritative form of papal teaching and they traditionally take their titles from the first two words of the document. In this case, Fratelli Tutti is a quote from the Admonitions, the guidelines penned by St. Francis in the 13th century.

The title of the encyclical had sparked controversy in the English-speaking world, with critics noting that a straight translation of the word fratelli (brothers) excludes women. The Vatican has insisted that the plural form of the word fratelli is gender-inclusive.

Francis' decision to sign the document in Assisi, where he travelled on Saturday, and release it on the saints feast day is yet further evidence of the outsized influence St. Francis has had on the papacy of the Jesuit pope.

Francis is the first pope to name himself after the mendicant friar, who renounced a wealthy, dissolute lifestyle to embrace a life of poverty and service to the poor.
Thirty one per cent of China is forcefully occupied. That is when we go with the official Chinese record. China forcefully occupied Xinjiang in 1949 and Tibet in 1950. As per the official Chinese record, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region has an area of 1.66 million square kilometers, that is 17.68% of total land area of China, i.e., 93,88,210 square kilometers, as per the World Bank Databank.

The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) has an area of 1.22 million square kilometre, i.e., 13% of the total land area of China  that makes 31% of the total land area of China. And 44.31% if we take into account the claims made by Tibetan Government in Exile in India or Central Tibetan Administration.

The Central Tibetan Administration claims historical Greater Tibet has a land area of 2.5 million square kilometers and the bulk of historical Tibet lies outside the Tibet Autonomous Region. China had already merged more than half of the Greater Tibet in other Chinese provinces before it announced the formation of TAR in 1965.

China also occupies two pieces of Indian territories. It includes Aksai Chin, a 38,000 square kilometre border area in Ladakh that China occupied in 1962 India-China war while Pakistan ceded to China 5,180 square kilometre of occupied Indian territory in 1963 under Sino-Pakistan boundary agreement.

Though 43,180 square kilometre of occupied Indian territories only makes for a slight increase, from 44.31% to 44.77%, it very well tells about the expansionist designs of the Chinese government. China is currently involved in territorial disputes with over 20 countries including India, Nepal, Bhutan and Japan.

MAP OF TIBET, XINJIANG AND INDIAN TERRORITORIES SUPERIMPOSED ON CHINA

CALLS FOR INDEPENDENCE

The native population of Xinjiang is Uyghur Muslims while Tibetans are followers of Buddhism. They have always been fiercely patriotic, throughout the history, struggling to make their homeland free from the Chinese and Mongol dynasties earlier and the Peoples Republic of China now.

Uyghur Muslims government-in-exile is US based, the East Turkistan Government in Exile. They call Xinjiang East Turkistan based on their Turkic origin. Uyghur Muslims had brief periods of independence twice during the Chinas civil war with an independent Islamic Republic of East Turkistan. Uyghur activists celebrate independency day on November 12.

Tibetan government-in-exile is located in India. It is headed by a democratically elected President in Exile. Earlier, the Dalai Lama, a globally respected figure, Nobel Laureate and the most important Tibetan monk, was used to be the supreme spiritual and political authority of Tibet but he decided to hand over the political structure to a democratically elected system in 2011.

Tibetans celebrate their Independence Day on February 13 and Tibet Uprising Day on March 10. Tibet was declared an independent nation on February 13, 1913.

On March 10, 1959, Tibetans revolted against Chinese suppression. Tibetans suspected China planned to kidnap the Dalai Lama and start a new scale of violence and suppression. 300,000 Tibetans surrounded the Dalai Lamas palace and he was evacuated to India. Violence broke out in Tibetan capital Lhasa and in other parts of Greater Tibet against the Chinese rule. In response, China destroyed the Dalai Lamas palace and thousands of Tibetan monasteries and killed tens of thousands of people to crush the uprising according to different human rights reports.

How China occupied these two independent territories with different culture and religions?

XINJIANG

Historically, the region was inhabited by tribal alliances and small kingdom of Turkic origin people and was ruled by several dynasties. Around 60 BCE, it came under control of the Han Dynasty of China. Local Uyghur leaders against retook the area in 3rd Century. Tang Dynasty of China tried to increase its influence the region but Arabs got the better head start. Islam arrived in the region in 8thcentury and soon became the main religion.

Tribes in the region always opposed a foreign rule, be it Mongol king Genghis Khans victory in 13th century or Chinas Qing Dynasty assertion later on that created the Xinjiang Province in 1884.

With Chinas prolonged civil war in the first half of the 20th century, Uyghur Muslims declared impendence twice. First was during 1933-34 when they declared the Islamic Republic of East Turkistan. The Uyghur Republic fell soon after Soviet help to the Chinese government. Second independent Uyghur state existed from 1944 to 1949.

TIBET

China claims to rule Tibet historically but Tibet has had an independent history since 7th century. China and Tibet, in fact, signed a peace treaty in 822 A.D. But 13th century onwards, the peace-loving Buddhists in Tibet were ruled by foreigners, first by Mongols, then by Chinese.

Mongols conquered Tibet in 1244. Next centuries saw prolonged wars between Chinese and Mongol dynasties. In 1720, Chinese emperor Kangxi defeated Mongols finally after over two centuries of war. British East India set its foot in Tibet in 1774. The next centuries saw Britain and China trying to control the Tibetan territory.

In 1913, Tibet declared independence and remain independent till 1949. China, with its internal problems like military revolt, end of royal rule and Japanese invasion was not in a position to assert its control. But the communist rule in China saw otherwise. In 1949, Mao Zedong threatened Tibet , calling it a Chinese territory and invaded it in 1950. In 1951, China established civil and military headquarter at Tibetan capital Lhasa.

HISTORICAL SOVERIGNITY CLAIMS?

Different dynasties ruling China, from time to time, tried to colonize independent Xinjiang and Tibet territories in their expansionist mode. In fact ancient, medieval and recent history is replete is such examples from across the world, like India being colonized by Britain and China by Japan in recent past.

But after two world wars in 20th century, the world history saw an overturn, with an end of the colonial superpowers and a beginning of the independent free nations from the grip of colonial suppression, like India got its independent from the British rule and China seized it from the Japanese expansionism in the Chinese territory.

But while that may be the global norm as of now, some of the countries are still living in that colonial past and China is its prime example. The Chinese Communist Party that rules China since 1949 occupied Xinjiang and Tibet seven decades ago and is still having expansionist designs to occupy independent nations like Nepal and Bhutan and Indian territories Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, something that Peoples Republic of China founder Mao Zedong referred to as the five fingers of Tibet.

When Iraq invaded and occupied Kuwait in August 1990, we saw a huge military operation sanctioned by the United Nations and led by the US, the Operation Desert Storm, too free Kuwait. Kuwait was liberated in February 1991. But the major powers of the world and the United Nations so far have avoided taking any stand when it comes to the Chinese occupation and atrocities in Xinjiang and Tibet.

To suppress the struggles of ethnic minorities China has cultivated a policy of mass genocide in Xinjiang and Tibet, both at demographical and cultural levels. The country has forced measures like coercive birth prevention, has banned religious practices, has mass interned the ethnic minority population and at the same time, has mass-migrated the Han Chinese population from other parts of mainland China to Xinjiang and Tibet.
President Donald Trumps doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center say he is continuing to improve while on a five-day course of Remdesivir to treat COVID-19 and taking a steroid after at least two concerning dips in the presidents oxygen levels.

In a news conference, Dr. Sean Dooley said the president has remained fever-free since Friday morning, his vital signs are stable and hes experienced no shortness of breath. Trump is moving about inside his rooms at the hospital without limitation or disability, and doctors said hes wearing a mask when they are near him.

As long as hes still under my care, well talk about him wearing a mask," Dr. Sean Conley, the White House physician, told reporters after being asked why the president hasnt worn masks in recent video updates from the hospital.

On Saturday, Trump received his second dose of Remdesivir and has experienced no side effects, with liver, kidney and heart functions remaining normal or improved, doctors said. The president is also taking the steroid dexamethasone after two episodes of transient drops in his oxygen saturation, according to Conley. Trump was also given supplemental oxygen at one point on Friday; it remains unclear if he received oxygen on Saturday. Conley said his current blood oxygen level is 98%.

His blood oxygen level dipped below 94% at one point but bumped back up and was never in the low 80s, Conley said. The normal range is typically 95% to 100%, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Dexamethasone is associated with more severe cases of COVID-19, according to the National Institutes of Health. In August, NIH said the anti-inflammatory effects of corticosteroids may prevent or mitigate lung injuries or multi-system organ dysfunction linked to more severe cases of the disease. In a recent randomized study, dexamethasone improved mortality rates in patients who required supplemental oxygen; it did not appear to show a benefit in patients who did not need supplemental oxygen, NIH reported.

In a guidance released last month, the World Health Organization recommended against using the steroid therapy in patients with non-severe or non-critical cases of the virus.

Dr. Brian Garibaldi of Johns Hopkins University said the plan for Sunday was to have the president eat and drink, and be up out of bed as much as possible. He said medical staff hopes to plan for discharge as early as tomorrow so long as the president shows continued progress.

Conley said his answers in a previous news conference came off that we were trying to hide something, which wasnt necessarily true. But he proceeded to not provide specific details when asked about results of scans of the president.

Conley said tests and scans showed some expected findings but nothing of any major critical concerns.

The fact of the matter is hes doing really well, Conley said, after questions on why doctors and the White House have given mixed signals since Friday, when Trump said he and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive.

In a memo released Saturday night, Conley said Trump was not yet out of the woods but that the team remains cautiously optimistic.

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Representative image

The government of Japan will offer vaccines against the novel coronavirus infection for free to all citizens.

The Japanese government has approved the spending of 670 billion yen from its reserve funds under fiscal 2020 supplementary budgets to secure COVID-19 vaccines, reported The Japanese Times.

According to the report citing sources, the policy of providing free vaccinations against COVID-19 will be unveiled at a meeting of a Japanese health ministry advisory panel early next week.

The provision of free COVID-19 vaccine to the populace aims for a comprehensive inoculation against the coronavirus pandemic. The government aims to encourage the public to get COVID-19 vaccinations promptly soon after the vaccines are developed, said the report.

At least 85,345 people have been infected with the virus so far and 1,594 people have succumbed to the disease in Japan, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

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Besides offering free COVID-19 vaccines, the government also hopes to be prepared for possible simultaneous outbreaks of novel coronavirus and seasonal influenza, as per the report.

The Japanese government has already begun this year's vaccinations against influenza, said the report.

Also, the government of Japan is planning to earmark additional funds in its draft budget for fiscal 2021, which starts in April next year, to secure more coronavirus vaccines, the report stated. However, the continuation of free vaccination will be considered later, it added.

Several countries, including the United States, are making efforts to develop vaccines against the novel coronavirus infection. The Japanese government has signed basic agreements to get COVID-19 vaccine supplies from US drugmaker Pfizer Inc and British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc.

Meanwhile, AstraZeneca Plc said on October 2 that clinical trials of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine resumed in Japan.

Several global trials of the vaccine, AZD1222, were put on hold last month after an unexplained illness in a study participant.

The British drugmaker said the early-to-mid-stage trial for the vaccine candidate against the novel coronavirus resumed in Japan after consultations with the national health regulator, the Japanese Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency.

Follow our full coverage on COVID-19 here
Boris Johnson has said it is too early to say whether local lockdown restrictions are working, telling BBC1s Andrew Marr Show: We have to to wait and see whether the rate of infection starts to come down.

Mr Johnson was speaking amid growing public frustration over localised restrictions which have remained in place in some cases for months without ridding areas of a second wave of coronavirus, and which now cover around one-third of the population.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham warned that the government is in danger of losing the public in the north of England.

In Greater Manchester, where residents are banned from visiting one anothers homes, infection rates have increased from around 20 per 100,000 population when local restrictions were imposed in July to over 200 now.

Mr Johnson said he recognised public fatigue" with limits placed on their social and economic lives and realised that people were furious with him and the government.

But he said that, in the case of places like Oldham, which has been under local restrictions for six weeks while infection rates have doubled, it was necessary to allow time to see whether the retransmission rate - known as R - starts to reduce in response to changes in behaviour.

Asked whether restrictions in the northwestern town were working, he said: Im afraid it's simply too early to say.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 20 January 2022 A jet skier jumps the waves off the coast at Blyth in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 19 January 2022 Britains Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, participate in a therapy session with individuals who have experienced the care system, during a visit to the Foundling Museum in London REUTERS UK news in pictures 18 January 2022 Surfers enter the sea as the sun rises over Tynemouth on the North East coast PA UK news in pictures 17 January 2022 Bonhams Danny McIlwraith holds a Nigerian polycrome carved wood mask during a photocall for the sale of the Jim Lennon Collection at Bonhams in Edinburgh PA UK news in pictures 16 January 2022 The moon rises above the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, Hampshire PA UK news in pictures 15 January 2022 Demonstrators outside Downing Street during a Kill The Bill protest against The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in London PA UK news in pictures 14 January 2022 Ecologist Emma Smart (left) and retired GP Dr Diana Warner outside HMP Bronzefield, in Surrey, following their release from the prison where Emma undertook a 26-day hunger strike during her incarceration. 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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

"Of course I know it's deeply frustrating for people in Oldham and for businesses in Oldham to be labouring under the kind of restrictions that we've got.

"But the advice that we're getting is that in these areas where we've got local lockdown - stringent local lockdowns - we need to wait and see whether the R starts to come down.

Some of these things have been intensified and the ratchet, as it were, has been tightened just in the last few days, so you've got to wait and see whether the rate of infection starts to come down.

Mr Johnson said: I appreciate the fatigue that people are experiencing, but we have to work together, follow the guidance and get the virus down, whilst keeping the economy moving. That's the balance.

Asked why months of additional local restrictions had failed to get the infection rate down in Manchester, the PM replied: I think that there are there are all sorts of factors in play, and clearly what's happened is that we put a lot more load back onto the risk factor, in the sense that we've got schools back, we've got businesses back, things are moving again in a way that they weren't during the lockdown of March and April.

But we've also managed to keep hospital admissions much, much lower than they were during that period, we've managed to keep the death rate down, although obviously we have to make sure that we keep it down.

The balance is, how do you ensure that places across the country continue to fight the virus effectively whilst keeping the economy moving.

The way to do, the most important thing is to remember the guidance - hands, face, space, get a test if you think you have it, rule of six. Those are the crucial things, and also bear in mind that this otherwise blissfully freedom-loving Conservative government has imposed measures that would amount to serious fines if you fail to comply.

Speaking to the Sophy Ridge On Sunday show on Sky News, Mr Burnham said: We need a bit of a reset here so that people can clearly understand whats being asked.

He added: I certainly feel this week that weve reached a bit of a turning point with all of this.

The Government are really in danger of losing the public in the North of England.

And actually if they carry on imposing restrictions on the North without proper support for the businesses and the employees affected in the North, we will see a winter of levelling down and the North-South divide getting bigger.

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the Governments approach to local lockdowns raised suspicions of political interference  because seats with Tory ministers appeared to be spared the toughest measures.

He told the Marr Show: What we need to see is local authority leaders properly involved, we need to see local councillors properly involved, we need to see the local health service involved as well.

At the moment it was not clear why areas were given extra restrictions, because some areas with higher case rates  such as housing secretary Robert Jenricks Newark and chief whip Mark Spencers Sherwood  do not have restrictions.

Because there is no clear guidelines as to why an area goes into restrictions and how an area comes out of restrictions then there is a suspicion that there is political interference  I hope there isnt, he said.

But until the government publish clear guidelines, that suspicion will always linger.
Kolkata: Weeks ahead of the Durga Puja celebrations in West Bengal, the Union Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal on Sunday (October 4, 2020) gave a gift to Kolkata by inaugurating the Phoolbagan metro station on the East-West metro. The Minister also flagged off the first train from the newly inaugurated station through a video link.

Goyal congratulated everyone for taking extra initiative to complete the work in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic and expressed that this extension of services from the Salt Lake Stadium to Phoolbagan (a stretch of more 1.5 km) will be a great help for the commuters, more so because of its proximity to Sealdah station.

He termed this as a gift for Durga Puja and said that the metro provides the safest, cleanest and fastest transportation system in Kolkata.

      ,                              ,       https://t.co/EJynXUJihi pic.twitter.com/LgeWAvboDO  Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) October 4, 2020

"Now, time taken to travel from Phoolbagan to Salt Lake Sector-5 by Metro will only be 16 minutes, as against more than 1 hour taken by road. Movement from one part of Kolkata to another is now going to be faster & convenient with enhanced connectivity," stated Goyal.



Now, time taken to travel from Phoolbagan to Salt Lake Sector-5 by Metro will only be 16 minutes, as against more than 1 hour taken by road. Movement from one part of Kolkata to another is now going to be faster & convenient with enhanced connectivity. pic.twitter.com/kHfUROYwU7  Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) October 4, 2020

He added, "According to estimates, the East-West Corridor of Kolkata Metro will be used by as many as 10 lakh people by 2035. This will not only reduce travel time but also bring down the pollution level by providing an eco-friendly mode of transport to the people of Kolkata."

According to estimates, the East-West Corridor of Kolkata Metro will be used by as many as 10 lakh people by 2035. This will not only reduce travel time, but also bring down the pollution level by providing eco-friendly mode of transport to the people of Kolkata. pic.twitter.com/YKj11q4QTt  Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) October 4, 2020

The first phase of the East-West metro from Salt Lake Stadium to Salt Lake Sector V was inaugurated by Goyal on February 13 in 2020.

Commercial services to and from Phoolbagan station will start from Monday. Daily 48 services will run from 08:00 hrs to 19:50 hrs from Salt Lake Sector-V to Phoolbagan at 30 minutes interval.

The last service will start from Salt Lake Sector-V and Phoolbagan stations at 19:30 hrs and there will be no service on Sunday.

Good news for Kolkata Metro commuters! Services of East-West Corridor are now extended till Phoolbagan, where an underground station with modern amenities has been commissioned. Our Govt is focused on creating quality infrastructure under the leadership of PM @NarendraModi ji. pic.twitter.com/aYoKqh3yPa  Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) October 4, 2020

Goyal reassured that if the land is made available and encroachments are removed, then funds wont be a constraint for implementing any Railway project.

As per a PTI news agency's report, the entire stretch of the corridor, connecting Sector-V and Howrah Maidan, is likely to be completed by December 2021.

"I am told that by the end of next year, the entire East-West Corridor project of 16.55 km is expected to be completed; hopefully with no further hiccups coming up due to the COVID pandemic," PTI quoted Goyal as saying while inaugurating the extension of the line.

Babul Supriyo, Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change congratulated Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry for taking the initiative to commission this modern and beautiful Phoolbagan Metro station so early. He expressed his hope that in the coming days, people will be able to commute to and from Sealdah station easily due to this extension of the East-West Metro.

Sushri Debasree Chaudhuri, Minister of State for Women and Child Development was also present in this programme and expressed her happiness for the commissioning of Phoolbagan station.

Manoj Joshi, General Manager, Metro Railway, in his inaugural address spoke about how the opening of this station will facilitate metro commuters to go to the IT Hub in Salt Lake Sector-V, International Bus Terminal and Mela Ground in Karunamoyee, important Government offices at Central Park and the famous Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium).

Live TV
Police discovered a huge wedding party of up to 70 people at a pub which was still ongoing two hours after the venue should have closed under coronavirus regulations.

Officers from West Midlands Police raided The Greyhound pub in Erdington, Birmingham, at just gone midnight on September 26.

Body cam footage shows the moment officers found a huge spread of food, a DJ's set-up, an estimated 65-70 guests milling around and drinks still being served.

The guests were quickly sent home and the discovery led to a 1,000 fine for the pub's owner, who had breached regulations stating that venues must close at 10pm.

It came just a few hours after officers from the same force raided a 200-strong funeral party at the Castle Bromwich Hall Hotel in Solihull, less than four miles away.

Police discovered a huge wedding party of up to 70 people at a pub which was still ongoing two hours after the venue should have closed under coronavirus regulations. Pictured right: A wedding cake was part of a spread of food inside

Police had received nine calls complaining about the mass gathering and loud music on September 25.

Footage of the wedding party discovery was posted on to the Twitter account of West Midlands Police.

The video shows officers putting masks on before they go inside the pub and find a party set-up complete with disco lights.

Inside, they find staff behind the bar, guests milling around and swathes of food - including a wedding cake - on tables.

The police revealed they had been called to the 'lock-in' by a concerned member of the public.

They added that they 'dispersed' the guests, who 'left without issue', and said that this was the first time the pub's owners had been in trouble with police.

Officers from West Midlands Police raided The Greyhound pub in Erdington, Birmingham, at just gone midnight on September 26

A huge spread of food was found inside the pub, along with dozens of guests. The venue should have closed at 10pm under new coronavirus regulations

The police revealed they had been called to the 'lock-in' by a concerned member of the public

It came just a few hours after the discovery of a funeral party in Solihull.

Footage shows officers walking through a packed marquee before entering the reception area of the Castle Bromwich Hall Hotel and demanding to speak to the manager, who was off-site.

The police force later said it was the first maximum fine they had issued since the new rules were implemented.

The venue has also been banned from holding events until January next year.

During the clip, officers make their way to the hotel reception and are told by members of staff that the licence holder is not on site.

One officer then tells staff: 'Is he aware you're just going to lose your licence as a business? With the numbers I don't know whether he's not listening or he doesn't care or he's not getting it.

'Ultimately we're not coming round and shouting at everyone, because it's an issue that I need to have a chat with the business about, more than yourselves.'

It came just a few hours after officers from the same force raided a 200-strong funeral party at the Castle Bromwich Hall Hotel in Solihull, less than four miles away

Footage shows officers walking through a packed marquee before entering the reception area of the Castle Bromwich Hall Hotel and demanding to speak to the manager, who was off-site

The gathering was the latest in a number of events at the Solihull hotel which breached legislation, according to the force.

The manager had been previously warned about these breaches but events continued to be held with no measures in place for track and trace, social distancing or table service

On Monday, West Midlands Police filed an application for an immediate licensing review with Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council.

The force asked for an immediate suspension of the hotel owner's personal licence pending a full review.

This was granted by the licensing panel and a full hearing is due to take place later this month.

Police body-cam footage shows guests eating and drinking inside a packed marquee

Police officers entered the reception area and demanded to speak to the hotel manager who was off-site

Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Claire Bell, who is leading the force's response to coronavirus, said: 'We are living in difficult times and we understand people want to celebrate the lives of loved ones who have passed however we must all play our part to follow the rules which are in place to help stop the spread of the virus and to keep everybody safe.

'We engaged with all those at the funeral gathering and explained why they needed to leave which they duly did.

'It is the hotel manager who has been penalised for repeatedly organising events that breach the Covid-19 legislation; his actions have blatantly disregarded measures to keep people safe in a pandemic.

'Businesses have a responsibility not only to their customers and their staff but to the wider community and there must be consequences when COVID-19 guidance is simply ignored.'
Contact: Ford Porter

Ford Porter govpress@nc.gov

Merchants Distributors, LLC, a wholesale grocery distributor founded in Hickory in 1931 will invest $120 million to expand its services and operations, creating 111 jobs, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company anticipates adding approximately 200,000 square feet to its Caldwell County facilities.said Governor Cooper.Merchants Distributors (MDI) and its parent company Alex Lee, Inc. were founded in Hickory and maintain headquarters there, distributing both food and non-food grocery items to more than 600 retail stores across the United States and other locations. The company also provides additional retail support to its customers, including retail automation services, advertising and placement, and retail price hosting, among other services. The company's new project in Caldwell County will renovate and expand the company's existing facility in Hickory, including the installation of sophisticated logistics technology and automation to support rapid growth of the business.said Brian George, Chairman and CEO of Merchants Distributors.said North Carolina Commerce Secretary Anthony M. Copeland.Although wages for the new jobs will vary depending on position, the average salary will be $51,634, above the current average wage in Caldwell County of $40,124. The state and local area will see an additional impact of more than $5.7 million each year from the new payroll.Merchants Distributors' project in North Carolina will be facilitated, in part, by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) approved by the state's Economic Investment Committee earlier today. Over the course of 12 years, the project is estimated to grow the state's economy by $305.5 million. Using a formula that takes into account the new tax revenues generated by the new jobs, the agreement authorizes the potential reimbursement to the company of up to $1,344,000, spread over 12 years. Payments for all JDIGs only occur following performance verification by the departments of Commerce and Revenue that the company has met its incremental job creation and investment targets. JDIG projects result in positive net tax revenue to the state treasury, even after taking into consideration the grant's reimbursement payments to a given company.In addition to the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of N.C., other key partners on this project were the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Community College System, Caldwell County, the City of Hickory, and the Caldwell County EDC.
Asda's new Lancashire owners have pledged to increase the proportion of British food and source all their beef from UK farmers.

Two billionaire brothers from Blackburn have acquired a majority stake in Asda from US-based Walmart in a deal worth 6.8bn.

A consortium of Zuber and Mohsin Issa and private equity firm TDR Capital will take a majority stake in the supermarket chain.

The deal means the retailer will return to majority UK ownership for the first time in twenty years.

Walmart acquired Leeds-based Asda in 1999 in a deal worth 6.7bn, and it will retain a minority stake.

The Isaa brothers own EG Group, which has over 5,200 petrol stations across the UK and Europe.

They have committed to keep pay levels for Asda staff at the same level, and that the chain would have low prices for food and petrol for customers.

The Issa brothers have also pledged to buy more British-sourced goods and foods, and to source all of the retailer's beef from UK farmers.

Mohsin and Zuber Issa said in a statement that they were 'proud' to be investing in Asda, a company they call an 'iconic British business'.

"Asdas customer-centric philosophy, focus on operational excellence and commitment to the communities in which it operates are the same values that we have built EG Group on.

Asdas performance through the Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated the fundamental strength and resilience of the business.

We believe that our experience with EG Group, including our expertise around convenience and brand partnerships and our successful partnership with TDR Capital, can help to accelerate and execute that growth strategy.

"After a successful period as part of Walmart we are looking forward to helping Asda build a differentiated business that will continue to serve customers brilliantly in communities across the UK.

The supermarket chain will continue to be led by Roger Burnley who will sit on Asdas Board with representatives appointed by the Isaas, TDR Capital and Walmart.
The Johan Sverdrup oil field in the North Sea Carina Johansen | AFP | Getty Images

Energy transition has climbed towards the top of the agenda in the boardrooms of the world's largest oil and gas companies. With electrification and renewable energy on the rise, Big Oil is striving to adapt to a transformation that could eventually render their business obsolete if they don't latch on to the opportunities it brings. The result could be a massive sell-off of assets as the biggest petroleum players concentrate their oil and gas production to the countries where oil and gas is cheapest and easiest to produce. The transition to renewable energy poses a threat to oil and gas production in the longer term as solar and wind power is expanding on the energy supply side, while lower-cost electric vehicles and better battery technology are driving big changes on the global oil demand side. Big oil companies have strong skills within energy and own assets globally that they can use to remain competitive as the transition proceeds. Some oil players may also choose to just stick with oil and gas only, but then they clearly need to be among the best in this game. Regardless of strategy, the big oil companies need to scale down their global presence in oil and gas by focusing on countries with growth potential where oil and gas production can deliver significant cash flow and profit at the lowest possible cost and carbon footprint.

Where $100 billion is up for grabs globally

Our analysis of the geographic spread and need for increased focus for the large listed companies, also referred to as "Majors+"  U.S.-based ExxonMobil, Chevron and ConocoPhillips, and European players BP, Shell, Total, Eni and Equinor  concludes that these eight companies together may want to sell asset worth more than $100 billion to concentrate on their most promising country holdings. The oil majors have a long history of going wherever there is money to be made on oil and gas, and have established presence in almost every corner of the world. However, competition has stiffened in many countries as national oil companies and governments have taken more control of national resources and the number of small and medium-sized companies has increased. We see this for example in Indonesia and Malaysia, with state-owned companies Pertamina and Petronas, respectively, or in Norway and the United Kingdom, where independents have increased their role significantly. This trend has been going on for many years, but now the energy transition is putting even more pressure on the majors as they see that renewables will also require a growing part of future investment budgets. Equinor expects 15-20% of its investments to be directed towards new energy solutions by 2030. BP total capital expenditures in 2020 are expected to be around $12 billion, with the majority spent on upstream oil and gas targets, but it plans to increase its investments in low carbon projects to around $3-4 billion a year by 2025 and $5 billion a year by 2030.

They are well aware of the need to focus their portfolios to improve cash flow, efficiency and competitiveness as the energy transition accelerates  but the steps they have taken so far may be too small or too slow.

The wide geographical presence of the Majors+ means that they are also spreading their technical and management resources out over a large number of countries. We have looked at the size of the cash flow and growth potential in each country per company, and combined this with how the country growth potential ranks globally. Based on this we see that the biggest eight publicly listed oil and gas companies may seek to exit 203 country positions, shedding all the assets held in a country. All the companies would keep a presence in the U.S., which has by far the largest growth potential due to the shale revolution. Canada would also see many companies stay for similar reasons, but most would exit the carbon-intensive oil sand production. On the other end of the scale, we expect quite a few countries where only one oil major would be likely to stay. For example: Argentina (BP), Ghana (Eni) and Guyana (ExxonMobil). In some of these countries it could be tempting for others to stay or increase their presence as the competition may be more limited, such as in Guyana, where ExxonMobil has established a very strong position.

Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards The top eight publicly listed oil and gas companies in the world may shed as much as $100 billion in assets around the world, according to a new analysis from Rystad Energy, but that does not mean they are walking away from fossil fuels in a hurry. Rystad Energy

In recent months we have seen that the majors already are putting larger portfolios up for sale. ExxonMobil has exited Norway and is planning several country exits including the U.K., Romania and Indonesia, while Royal Dutch Shell tried to exit a key LNG asset in Indonesia in 2019. This shows that they are well aware of the need to focus their portfolios to improve cash flow, efficiency and competitiveness as the energy transition accelerates  but the steps they have taken so far may be too small or too slow. Exiting countries would free up cash that the majors could use to invest in renewables, if that is their key growth strategy, or to pay dividends to their shareholders, even in challenging Covid-19 times. If they don't want to go down the renewable route, the capital could be used to strengthen prioritized country positions by buying assets from their peers or swapping assets with other players.

U.S.-based Big Oil is behind
It's easy to dog the media. But stop for a second and reflect on everything we know thanks to the media  and often the media alone.

Driving the news: It was the media that gave light to the negligence of White House officials in containing the coronavirus. It was Bloomberg's Jennifer Jacobs who revealed Hope Hicks' positive test, with President Trump disclosing five hours later that he and the first lady had COVID.

It was the media that exposed that the president and top White House officials knowingly downplayed the danger of COVID.

It was Bob Woodward's recordings for "Rage" that capture Trump admitting he knew the coronavirus was deadlier than he publicly portrayed.

It was the media that exposed the president's fundamental misunderstanding of the facts around the coronavirus.

It was Jonathan Swan's "Axios on HBO" interview in which Trump said about the loss of American lives: "It is what it is."

It was the media that exposed the murkiness surrounding the president's finances and private business dealings.

It was the N.Y. Times' Russ Buettner, Susanne Craig and Mike McIntire who exposed Trumps tax data, showing he only paid $750 in federal income tax the year he entered the White House.

It was the media that amplified the warning of scientists and medical professionals to wear masks, wash hands and social distance, leading to widespread adoption of all three.

The Houston Chronicle has for months been investigating the true numbers of coronavirus cases and warning signs, while local governments kept numbers and details about the virus obscure.

It was often the media that spotted misinformation on social platforms and forced quick corrections.

It was NBC's Ben Collins who led investigations into the woeful failure of tech platforms to police misinformation that fueled the rise of QAnon.

It was the media that uncovered dozens of examples of gross abuses of power by leaders in business and government all year.

It was ProPublica that investigated how New York Citys emergency ventilator stockpile ended up being auctioned off.

The bottom line: All of this came amid economic strife for the industry.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 20:46:33|Editor: huaxia

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MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Police during an operation discovered a weapon cache in northern Afghanistan's Balkh province on Saturday, said a police statement released here Sunday.

The operation, according to the statement, was launched in Dehdadi district Saturday night, and as a result a weapon cache which contains a variety of arms and ammunition including 13 pieces of AK-47, 13 pistols, 13 hand grenades and three rocket propelled grenades, was discovered, the statement said.

No one has been arrested, according to the statement.

Balkh province with Mazar-I-Sharif as its capital 305 km north of Kabul has been the scene of increasing Taliban-led militancy over the past decade. Enditem
The Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce has scheduled a 2020 candidates forum for Fort Bend ISDs board of trustees for 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7.

The candidates include:

Position 1: Jason Burdine and Angie Hanan.

Position 4: Kristin Tassin and Shirley Rose-Gilliam.

Position 5: Allison Drew, Reggie Abraham ad Denetta R. Williams.

The forum will be held via Zoom at https://tinyurl.com/FBISDCandidatesForum and the chambers Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/FortBendChamber.

Early voting for the Nov. 3 General Election begins Oct. 13 and runs through Oct. 30.

For more information contact Juliette Nessmith at 281-566-2161 or juliette@fortbendcc.org.

Richmond Jaybird Monument

The ongoing discussion about what to do with a controversial monument in Richmond will take place this week.

The citys Monument Ad Hoc Committee will hold a workshop via video conference call at 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8.

To join the meeting go to https://zoom.us/j/91210034333 and enter meeting ID 912 1003 4333. To dial in to the meeting call 346-248-7799.

The monument is the Jaybird Monument located on the southeast corned of City Hall at 402 Morton St. in Richmond.

The Richmond City Commission approved the formation of the committee in August. Prior to the approval of the committee, Richmond and Fort Bend County residents urged city leaders to destroy or relocate the monument

The obelisk is the Jaybird-Woodpecker War monument that stands outside Richmond City Hall and pays homage to OUR HEROES. Its inscription reads, Capable county government and their fellow citizens have reared this monument to their memory and as a promise to them that their principles shall be maintained for all time to come. Go stranger and to the Jaybirds tell, that for their countrys freedom they fell.

The heroes are H.H. Frost, L.E. Gibson and J.M. Shamblin  three white supremacists that were part of the Jaybirds, a faction of the Democratic party devoted to overthrowing the Woodpecker Republican stronghold and denying Blacks the right to vote or run for office.

Vote 2020 presentation

The Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce will host an online Vote 2020 presentation from 10-11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 8.

The featured speakers will be Marvin Marcell, governmental affairs consultant for the Fort Bend Economic Development Council, and John Oldham, election administrator for Fort Bend County.

To register for the webinar, go to https://tinyurl.com/FBCVote2020.

The event is being held in conjunction with the Central Fort Bend, Katy Area, Fulshear-Katy Area, Needville chambers of commerce; Fort Bend Economic Development Council; and Katy Area Economic Development Council.

State of the City

The 2020 State of the City for Richmond is scheduled for noon Thursday, Oct. 8, via Zoom. The event is being presented by the Central Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce.

Tickets are $30 for chamber members and $40 or non-members.

To register go to https://tinyurl.com/y4tjqsxu.

Rosenberg City Council

The city of Rosenbergs City Council is scheduled to meet in regular session at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, in council chambers at Rosenberg City Hall.

Due to restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, residents may join the meeting via telephone by calling toll free 833-548-0276 or 888-788-0099 and entering meeting ID 869 6392 9838. The topic is Rosenberg City Council Meeting.

City Council meetings are broadcast live on Comcast channel 16 for residents within City limits, via the website at rosenbergtx.gov/tv and on the Citys YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/2Yf1YA.

The council is faced with a relatively light agenda, including items to consider installing speed humps on Avenue R between Avenue P and Tobola Street, and authorizing the submission of a Community Development Block Grant-Mitigation application to the Texas General Land Office for Hurricane Harvey State Mitigation Competition.

For more information go to https://rosenbergtx.gov.

Missouri City City Council

The Missouri City City Council is scheduled to meet t 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5, at City Hall at 1522 Texas Parkway.

However, due to COVID-19 safety precautions, there will be no public access to the meeting. Anyone wishing to speak on an agenda item must notify the city by 4 p.m. Monday by emailing or calling the city secretary at CSO@missouricitytx.gov or 281-403-8686. Prospective speaker may also submit a Public Comment Form to the city secretary available at https://bit.ly/39pw73Q. The request must include the speaker's name, address, email address, phone number and the agenda item number.

The meeting will be available via livestream at www.missouricitytx.gov/780/MCTV.

The council expected to Consider ratifying the city managers decision to submit concerns regarding public, educational, and government (PEG) fund expenses to the district attorneys office and requesting an investigation.

Among other items on the agenda is consideration of an interlocal agreement with Fort Bend County for City Hall Drive reconstruction; and purchasing Emergency Operations Center equipment, specifically allowing the EOC to socially distance amid COVID-19.

Blood Drive

The Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce will host a blood drive from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 455 Commerce Green Blvd.

To schedule an appointment to donate go to www.commitforlife.org and enter sponsor code F445. There will be free COVID-19 antibody testing for donors.

For more information contact Brenda DeFrayne at 832-335-5701 or bdefrayne@giveblood.org.

District 28 forum

Just in time for the start of early voting, the 2020 Candidates Forum for Texas House District 28 will help voters learn about the candidates.

The online forum is scheduled for 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, via Facebook. It is being presented by Raise Your Hand Texas and the Katy Area Chamber of Commerce.

The candidates for the seat at Republican incumbent Gary Cates and Democratic challenger Dr. Eliz Markowitz.

District 28 includes a portion of Katy as well as a large swath of Fort Bend County.

The forum can be viewed at www.facebook.com/RYHTWestHouston

For more information, email Dr. Robert Long III at rlong@ryht.org.

District 132 forum

A 2020 Candidates Forum for Texas House District 132 is scheduled for 6-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, via Facebook at www.facebook.com/RYHTWestHouston.

The candidates are incumbent Democrat Gina Calanni and Republican challenger Mike Schofield.

House District 132 includes a portion of Katy as well as a large portion of west Harris County north toward the Cypress area.

The forum is being presented by Raise Your Hand Texas and the Katy Area Chamber of Commerce.

For more information, email Dr. Robert Long III at rlong@ryht.org.

rkent@hcnonline.com
Pakistans military said it killed two militants on Sunday in a shootout in the country's northwest, a former militant stronghold.

A third militant was arrested following the operation in the town of Mir Ali in North Waziristan district. The army statement said the militants had been involved in several attacks on civilians and security forces.

This was the second such operation in North Waziristan in recent days. Two militants were killed by the army some 6 kilometers (4 miles) north of Mir Ali on Friday

The mountainous areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province along Pakistans border with Afghanistan served as a base for the Pakistani Taliban and other militants until a few years ago, when the army said it cleared the region of insurgents. Occasional attacks have continued.

Such attacks have raised fears that the Pakistani Taliban are regrouping. Last month, the insurgents released a statement asking residents to vacate the province's former tribal regions, as the group plans to launch more attacks on security forces.

In September, two Pakistani soldiers were killed in a shootout with militants during a search operation in North Waziristan. Earlier that same month, the Pakistani Taliban took responsibility for a powerful roadside bombing in the same district that targeted a military vehicle, killing three soldiers and wounding four.

The Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, are a separate insurgent group from the Afghan Taliban, although Pakistans militant groups are often interlinked with those across the border in Afghanistan.

(This story has not been edited by www.republicworld.com and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed)
Delhi governments Sunday announcement that schools in the city will stay shut till the end of October has triggered ripples of concern among teachers over the fallout the move may have on the prospects of students set to appear for their Class 10 and 12 board exams next year.

Though most of school administrations said that rationalization of syllabus by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), which was announced in July, will help in mitigating the academic losses arising out of the Covid-19 lockdown, conducting practical lessons for students of class 10 and 12 is the challenge.

Madhulika Sen, Education Advisor at Tagore International Schools, said, While digital classes have helped in achieving desired learning outcomes, if schools arent reopened in November, science practical lessons will definitely be impacted. Our first priority will be to conduct practical classes for students of classes 10 and 12, as soon as schools reopen. We will also conduct doubt-clearing sessions for them since the syllabus will be covered in most schools by mid-November.

Sen also emphasized on the importance of maintaining mental well-being of these students. Classrooms allow peer-based learning and interaction which these students have been missing out on since March. We hope that November onwards, small groups of students can come to schools while maintaining all safety norms, she said.

Shailendra Sharma, principal advisor to Delhi governments director (education), said, We have decided on maintaining the status quo with regards to reopening of schools for all classes due to the current Covid-19 situation in the capital. Any decision regarding students of any class, including students those of classes 10 and 12, visiting schools will be taken only when parents are confident of sending their wards back to school.

Following the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown imposed in March, schools have been conducting online classes through video conferencing and WhatsApp to ensure the learning process continues for students. Teachers of Delhi government schools have also been sending worksheets to students who do not have unlimited access to internet or to devices like smartphones and laptops.

Schools have also resorted to recording videos of teachers conducting experiments in science labs and sending it to students for some exposure. While teachers have explained some of the practical experiments during online classes through videos, the lack of hands-on learning cannot be ignored. For instance, in the vocational subject of travel and tourism, students earlier went for industrial visits to various places like banks or post-offices and submitted reports. We havent been able to conduct such practicals so far, said Bijesh Kumar Sharma, principal of Shaheed Hemu Kalani Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya in Lajpat Nagar.

Sharma also recommended that children could be made aware of the necessity of safety and hygiene protocols during Covid-19 crisis and allowed to attend such practical lessons in smaller groups from November. On Sunday, the Directorate of Education, while announcing closure of schools till October 31, asked teachers to emphasize on educating students on wearing masks and maintaining hand hygiene before the start of every online session.

Sharma also cautioned against asking for a further reduction of CBSE syllabus for class 10 and 12 students. The 30% rationalization of syllabus has helped schools but any further reduction may affect their future prospects, as important topics may be skipped. If schools are closed in November as well, we have to look at other alternatives like increasing the number of online classes to cover the syllabus, he said.

The situation seems to be far more challenging for those government school students who cleared their class 9 and 11 exams only after retests in August and were promoted to classes 10 and 12 the same month. Awadhesh Kumar Jha, principal of Sarvodaya Co-ed Vidyalaya in Rohini Sector-8, said, There is still fear among parents and teachers of contracting the SARS-CoV-2 virus. So it is better to keep schools closed till October. However, students who recently cleared their retests and joined these classes have a tough road ahead as they have not attended any class 10 and 12 online classes before August. Though we have created smaller groups consisting of these students to do a targeted intervention by teachers, physical classes from November, after a discussion with parents and staff while following all safety protocols, would help more.

Students, on the other hand, said that the current situation has put them in a spot  where they need to choose either their health or their education.

Kunal Singh, a class 12 student of Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya in Nand Nagri said, When schools in the USA reopened, students there started getting Covid-19. But, we are also concerned about underperforming during our practical board exams.

Several students like Kunal said that while the theoretical portion of their subjects was covered in their schools, they were yet to attend any practicals, even after six months of the academic session having begun. Teachers are doing their best but online classes are not enough. If we are allowed to go to schools in November, I would like to go at least once and see how safety protocols are implemented and get my doubts cleared, he said.

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Hyderabad, Oct 4 (IANS) As many as 141 prisoners were released from various prisons in Telangana since Saturday following the remission granted by the state government on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. Image Source: IANS News

Hyderabad, Oct 4 : The Telangana government has granted remission to 141 prisoners undergoing life terms on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanthi.

Most of them were released from various prisons in the state since Saturday. About 30 women were among the convicts granted remission and released after completing the formalities as per the orders issued by the Prison Department.

A maximum of 38 convicts were released from the Warangal Central Prison, followed by 19 from the Cherlapally Central Prison, and 14 from the Chanchalguda Central Prison. Official sources said 26 convicts were released from the Cherlapally Open Air Jail and 12 from the Special Prison for Women, Hyderabad.

Orders were also issued for release of convicts from the Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Sangareddy, Nalgonda and Adilabad district jails and the Miryalguda sub-jail.

However, in view of the model code of conduct in force for by-elections to one Assembly and one Council seat, the release of convicts in four districts (Nizamabad, Kamareddy, Siddipet and Medak districts) was put on hold. They will be released after completion of the poll process.

According to the Government Order (GO) issued by the Home Department, the government had framed certain guidelines in connection with the grant of special remission to the prisoners undergoing life terms and also constituted a Standing Committee under the chairmanship of the Principal Secretary, Home Department to prepare a list of eligible prisoners and recommend it to the government for consideration.

The Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services had sent the list of eligible life convicted prisoners for grant of special remission. The Standing Committee examined the list and recommended 141 life convicted prisoners for grant of special remission of sentence.

The Governor remitted the unexpired residue of sentence these 141 prisoners, subject to certain conditions.

All premature release under this measure shall be subject to execution of a personal bond of Rs 50,000. The prisoners, after their release, shall appear before the Probation Officer and Police Station concerned once in six months for a period of two years after the release, says the GO.

In case, any prisoner, released prematurely under remission granted, is found to have committed any further crime, he/she shall be recommitted to prison, cancelling premature release order to undergo the original sentence, it added.

As per the guidelines, remission was granted only for convicts with good conduct and priority was given to elderly persons.

Those involved in serious offences like crime against women and children, organised crimes, dacoities, narcotics and terrorist activities were not granted remission.

According to officials, the list of the convicts was prepared after scrutinising details of every convict along with their conduct in prison.

The list includes 108 prisoners who were sentenced for imprisonment for 14 years or more with the maximum sentence being 23 years. They had served a sentence of 10 years or more. Those sentenced for seven to 10 years had spent six to eight years in jail.

The list includes prisoners aged from early 30s to early 70s.

At Warangal Central Jail, Superintendent Murali Babu administered an oath to the released convicts before the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi that they will not commit the crime again and live with dignity in the society.

M. Bhikshapathi's name was also among the list of convicts lodged in Warangal Central Jail and granted remission. He was asked to deposit Rs 17,500 penalty imposed by the court. Bhikshapathi, who had served a sentence of 14 year out of 19 years, was disappointed as he had no money. However, some officer bearers of the Warangal Chamber of Commerce came forward to arrange the money to ensure his release.

Those released from the Warangal Jail included 27 men who had served a sentence of more than 14 years and 11 women who had spent more than eight years in prison.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-05 01:42:57|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese foreign ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Sunday expressed strong dissatisfaction with and firm opposition to the U.S. Department of State's slandering and smearing of the law enforcement actions by the Hong Kong police.

The office demanded that the U.S. side immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs under the guise of human rights and the rule of law.

A spokesperson for the commissioner's office said that on Oct. 1, some people participated in unauthorized assemblies and possessed offensive weapons in Hong Kong, and were suspected of violating the law of the HKSAR. The Hong Kong police arrested those people according to law, which was reasonable, legal and necessary.

Laws in Hong Kong, including the HKSAR Basic Law, fully protect the rights and freedom of Hong Kong residents. However, the exercise of any individual's rights cannot harm the rights of others and the public interest, let alone override the law, said the spokesperson.

Hong Kong is a society with the rule of law. Everyone is equal before the law, everyone must abide by the law and no one should be above the law, said the spokesperson, adding that law enforcement by the Hong Kong police is to safeguard the rule of law, maintain social order and protect the lives and property of Hong Kong residents.

The spokesperson said that the United States itself often arrests people participating in illegal assemblies. According to media reports, police in California's Los Angeles, Arizona's Yavapai County, and Oregon's Portland arrested people involved in illegal assemblies in May, August and September this year.

The U.S. side turned a blind eye to these facts, ignored the illegal acts taking place in Hong Kong, slandered and smeared the Hong Kong police's law enforcement actions under the guise of safeguarding freedom of assembly and speech, put pressure on the HKSAR government, and denigrated that the Chinese government undermined the "one country, two systems," the spokesperson said, adding that this is utterly "double standard" and a typical case of a thief crying "stop thief."

The purpose of the U.S. side is to cover up and condone the illegal actions by the anti-China rioters in Hong Kong, in an attempt to destabilize Hong Kong and undermine the "one country, two systems," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson emphasized that Hong Kong is China's Hong Kong. The attempt of the U.S. side to obstruct the HKSAR government's law-based administration and damage China's sovereignty, security and Hong Kong's prosperity and stability will never succeed.

The Chinese government is firmly determined to implement the principle of "one country, two systems" and oppose interference by external forces, the spokesperson said, urging the U.S. side to immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs in any form and not to go further down the wrong path. Enditem
Guwahati, Oct 4 : Indian Army's Gajraj Corps, which was raised in the midst of the India-China War in 1962, on Sunday celebrated its 58th Raising Day at a function at its headquarters in Assam's Tezpur, defence officials said.

At the ceremony, Corps commander, Lt Gen Shantanu Dayal paid homage to those who have made supreme sacrifice. He also complimented all ranks for their dedication and devotion to duty while serving in counter-insurgency operations in Assam as well as being deployed along the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh.

Defence spokesman Lt Col Harsh Wardhan Pande said that Gajraj Corps was raised by Lt Gen B.M. Kaul at Tezpur on Oct 4, 1962 and over the years, has played a commendable role in both conventional and counter-insurgency operations in the eastern theatre, especially during the 1971 Bangladesh war "In the India-Pakistan war in 1971, the Gajraj Corps made the famous advance to Dhaka during the liberation of Bangladesh and also participated in the Meghna Heli Bridge Operations. In fact, that operation had stunned the world's armies. The then Corps Commander, Lt Gen Sagat Singh, had innovatively employed Mi-4 helicopters to cross the Meghna River which was considered impassable and his Corps relentlessly attacked and defeated the Pakistani forces," he said.

Lt Col Pande said that the innovative use of helicopters has remained unparalleled.

"The Corps had proved its mettle and very proficiently carried out its task in the most complex sector in terms of distances from the logistic bases. The Corps was first to enter Dhaka," he added.
Amaravati, Oct 4 (IANS) In a bid to arrest the school dropout rate and encourage active student participation in learning in government schools, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy will herald the Jagananna Vidya Kanuka scheme on Thu Image Source: IANS News

Amaravati, Oct 4 (IANS) In a bid to arrest the school dropout rate and encourage active student participation in learning in government schools, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy will herald the Jagananna Vidya Kanuka scheme on Thu Image Source: IANS News

Amaravati, Oct 4 (IANS) In a bid to arrest the school dropout rate and encourage active student participation in learning in government schools, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy will herald the Jagananna Vidya Kanuka scheme on Thu Image Source: IANS News

Amaravati, Oct 4 : In a bid to arrest the school dropout rate and encourage active student participation in learning in government schools, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy will herald the Jagananna Vidya Kanuka scheme on Thursday.

With this scheme, the state government will distribute school uniforms, books, shoes, socks, belts and school bags to lakhs of students.

"As part of Jagananna Vidya Kanuka (brother Jagan's education offering) scheme, 42.3 lakh students will be distributed with the student kits," said Information and Public Relations (I & PR) Commissioner Tumma Vijaya Kumar Reddy.

Jagananna Vidya Kanuka, a Rs 650 crore scheme will offer the student kits to all government school students from classes I to X in the southern state.

"Each student kit will contain three pairs of uniform dress, one pair of shoes, two pairs of socks, a belt, one set of textbooks, notebooks and a school bag," said Reddy.

In preparation for the scheme, the chief minister himself summoned some samples of the kits to inspect their quality personally in his camp office.

The CM had already mentioned that students are the future of the state and he would like to spend money on their education.

Unlike private schools and convents in AP, it is not common to see a government school student sporting uniform shoes and a belt, which may now change with the introduction of this scheme.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the state government has already deferred reopening schools by a month, which originally were scheduled to open on Monday.
Two nursing homes in Toronto appear to be among the hardest hit long-term-care facilities by a COVID-19 outbreak, in the latest numbers released by the province Saturday morning.

The 108-bed Fairview Nursing Home, near Dufferin Street and Dundas Street West, reported 42 residents and 12 staff members testing positive, making it Ontarios largest active outbreak at an LTC home. Less than five deaths have been reported, although its not clear why there isnt a more exact figure.

The 130-bed Vermont Square nursing home on Bathurst Street, north of Bloor Street West, reported an active outbreak with 35 confirmed cases  25 residents and 10 staff. No deaths have been reported.

Abiola Awosanya, executive director of Vermont Square, told the Star in an email that all government directives and infection prevention and control protocols are being followed. Our families are informed and the home is closed to visitors, with the exception of essential caregivers.

According to its website, Vermont Square said its engaging in active screening of all residents and staff at least twice daily, universal masking and following enhanced infection protocols.

We share the pain and suffering of those residents, families and staff who are actively fighting the disease, and our deepest sympathies are extended to those families who have lost a loved one, it said.

In an update Friday, Schlegal Villages, which owns Fairview Nursing Home, its team continues to work closely with a number of external health partners to review practices and policies and we are proud of the team for consistently showing that the home is following every infection and control protocol to the letter.

Schlegal Villages did not immediately comment when contacted by the Star.

The province has a total of 45 LTC homes with active coronavirus outbreaks, according to its latest data Saturday morning.

An active outbreak indicates that the home has at least one lab-confirmed case of COVID-19 (in resident or staff) and the local public health unit or the home has declared an outbreak.

Other homes with major outbreaks in the province include the 242-bed Extendicare West End Villa in Ottawa with 18 residents infected, 19 deaths and 32 staff testing positive; the 60-bed Norwood Nursing Home in Toronto (12 infected residents; less than five deaths and six staff); and 200-bed Yee Hong Centre in Markham (seven residents, less than five deaths and less than five staff).

With files from Kevin Jiang
- Akua GMB has taken over social media with more stunning photos of her pretty self

- She was seen glowing in her red and white outfit as she beamed with smiles while seated

- The photos are a warm-up to her birthday which is happening in October

Our manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

Former Ghana's Most Beautiful winner, Sally Akua Amoakowaa Mensah, popularly known Akua GMB, has set tongues wagging with her latest pre-birthday photos.

In the photos sighted by YEN.com.gh on the official Instagram page of the one-time beauty queen, Akua GMB was seen beaming with her usual smiles.

She dazzled in red and white outfits made up of a white shirt, a pair of red trousers and a long red jacket.

Akua GMB. Source: Instagram

Source: Original

The Ghana's Most Beautiful winner was standing in what looked like a plush living room with another photo showing her seated on a nice chair.

After posting the pretty photos of herself, Sally Akua Amoakowaa Mensah captioned it with a bible quotation:

"Proverbs 14:21: Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor. As those who have undeservedly received the grace of God, we can do nothing else than show favor and mercy to those around us. We just have to be as merciful as God! Im a child of grace. Just because its my birth month."

Many fans and followers of the beauty queen, after setting sights on the photos, took to the comment section to shower praises on her.

wdone132 wrote: "I love the woman youve been coming. Keep winning sister. God bless you and put your Enemies to shame"

akosua_frimpomaah_saka commented: "Gorgeous lady, happy birthday in advance"

gift_yin wrote: "October born we no dey carry last ooo always beautiful"

YEN.com.gh earlier reported that Ciara Antwi, the wife of founder and leader of Anointed Palace Chapel (APC), Francis Antwi, popularly known as Reverend Obofour, has dazzled in a photo with her triplets.

In the new photo sighted by YEN.com.gh on the Instagram page of the pastor's wife, Ciara Antwi, popularly known as Bofowaa, was dressed like an angel.

She was seen showing off her triplets, Jesse, Jeremie and Jeremiah once more in the angel-themed photo.

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
The country will return to full lockdown  working at home with no socialising and only essential outlets open  if Government accepts shock new advice from NPHET.

The National Public Health Emergency Team is recommending the highest possible controls, Level 5, and for the next four weeks.

The seeking of maximum lockdown nationwide has shocked the Government. The three Coalition leaders will meet Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan tomorrow.

The Level 5 restrictions advice comes in a letter from the national public health emergency team, after a weekend that saw almost 1,000 new infections.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan returned to chair an unusual Sunday conference of NPHET, a sign that the situation is regarded as highly serious.

This has come as a surprise, said a Government spokeswoman.

An official source commented: This has surprised Government, given its societal and economic indications.

It will be discussed by the three Coalition party leaders with the Chief Medical Officer tomorrow and then by Government.

Dr Holohan had been expected back at his desk today, resuming the helm from Dr Ronan Glynn, his deputy, after taking force majeure leave for family reasons in July.

There are now 134 people in hospital with Covid-19, the highest number since the end of June.

The upward statistical creep effectively now pits the Government against the CMO in a possible crisis for the Cabinet in its consideration of public health advice.

Minister for Public Expenditure Michael McGrath said yesterday (Sunday): It is very difficult and tough on people. But as a Government we have to stand ready.

Further recommendations from NPHET will be examined swiftly.

Sources said last night initially suggested that the Government would not defy any recommendation from Dr Holohan on his first day back in the job following his wifes illness.

But when Level 5 was recommended, there was a stunned reaction from Government.

Besides the meeting of the three coalition leaders and the CMO, the request for additional restrictions will go to an oversight committee headed by the countrys top civil servant, Martin Fraser, which would consider wider societal and economic impacts.

Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath slammed NPHET recommendations that the entire country should be moved to level 5.

The Independent TD said it was detrimental to the business community and wider society and has called on NPHET to be held to account for the damage that would result, calling an extreme announcement.

Mr McGrath said: This evenings news will come as a massive shock to many and will cause huge uncertainty and lack of confidence within the business community and wider society.t

It is exactly this type of scenario that we were supposed to avoid by having the Living with Covid plan to ensure that Business and society could operate effectively with restrictions and plan ahead as we move gradually through the different levels.

The Cabinet subcommittee on Covid could then meet tomorrow (Monday). An incorporeal Cabinet meeting could then rubber-stamp any proposals.

Mr McGrath had said he sincerely hoped further restrictions would not be necessary at lunchtime.

He added: But I think we have to be straight with people. The numbers are deeply concerning and the current trend that we are witnessing is not sustainable.

"I know that people are weary. We are all weary. Everyone has paid a price in terms of their own personal liberty. Many have paid a very significant economic price because of the restrictions that we have had to impose, and the overall economic impact of Covid-19.

"But we need to get on top of this and we need to do more. We all need to ask ourselves what more can we do to adhere to the public health advice, which we all know at this stage.

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan commented: What we a re seeking to do here is not to eradicate the virus, because I dont think thats going to be a viable option, but to stabilise it. I think there is real concern.

When you look at counties outside Dublin, it is rising very fast. We need to do the simple things  reduce the number of people we meet and to avoid social contact.

If we all do that I think we (in Dublin ) can avoid going to Level 4 and other counties can avoid going to Level 3.

If there was a renewal of public vigilance in the time ahead, I hope that Dublin can get back to Level 2, and Donegal too, he said.

Roisin Shortall, co-leader of Social Democrats declared: We have no choice but to work together to turn back this tidal wave that is coming towards us. We have to do whatever action is needed at this point.

We want the public to support the public health messaging, but the Government must also play its part fully. They havent been doing that to date.

There are two areas of concern. The first is testing and tracing. We know that the test turnaround time is not sufficiently rapid. The turnaround time now is three and a half days. That needs to be improved upon. But the tracing is also only going back 48 hours  it needs to go back further.

The other area I am concerned about is travel. There is absolutely no monitoring of people coming in at our ports and airports.

There are four countries on the green list, so the vast majority of people coming in or returning to this country are coming from countries that are not on the green lists and would be regarded as high risk.

There is no monitoring going on at this stage, and I cannot understand why a blind eye is being shown. Nobody is taking responsibility for this area.

She said there was no doubt that there had been State complacency over the summer months. There was a lull during the summer months when the service needed to be ramped up. Regrettably that wasnt done.

A total of 364 new confirmed cases of the virus were reported last night. Including Saturdays figure of 613, the weekend total comes to 977.

No new deaths were recorded, with the national toll standing at 1,810 fatalities. There have now been 38,032 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland this year, with cases now rising at 4-5 per cent per day and the R-number moving to between 1.2 and 1.4, showing the virus has not been contained.

Three quarters of the new cases are in the age groups under 45 years, with a national incidence rate of 108 per 100,000 over the last fortnight.

Lifford/Stranorlar in Donegal has a current rate of 602.6 per 100,000 and Celbridge in Kildare 305.2. The Kimmage/Rathmines area of Dublin has a rate of 282.8.
New Delhi, Oct 4 : Opposition to the new farm laws, which are aimed at freeing the farmer from archaic legislation and hazardous rules, reveals the intensity and ubiquity of hypocrisy both in the political arena, public discourse, and society at large.

It is a well-known fact that experts, both within and outside government, for decades have been calling for meaningful reforms in agriculture. The Economic Survey 2012-13, for example, said: "In order to bring about reforms in the (organised marketing) sector, a model Agricultural Produce Marketing (Development and Regulation) (APMC) Act was prepared in 2003. Though the process of market reforms has been initiated by different state governments through amendments in the present APMC Act on the lines of Model Act, many of the states are yet to adopt the Model Act uniformly. It is therefore necessary to complete the process of market reforms early in order to provide farmers an alternative competitive marketing channel for transaction of their agricultural produce at remunerative prices." Yet, the Congress, whose government brought out Economic Survey 2012-13, is opposing the reforms it was advocating earlier. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh is worried about farmers "falling into the clutches of the monopolistic big corporates (sic)". DMK President M.K. Stalin wants Chief Minister K. Palaniswami to "apologise" to farmers for supporting the "pro-corporate" laws. And, of course, there are communists and fellow-travellers who are aghast that the sector employing half the country's workforce is being opened up.

Worse, decades of indoctrination of socialist principles in our schools and universities and by our academics and intellectuals have ensured that lies acquire a verisimilitude of veracity, the biggest of them being: corporations exploit the poor, and now they will fleece farmers.

Worse still, many apolitical common people are also against the farm laws. Public discourse and folklore in India is generally against corporations - or corporates, as the ugly Indianism has it. Our intellectuals never tire railing against big corporates. We are told that these companies exploit their employees, bribe politicians and bureaucrats, break or mould rules and regulations, evade taxes, and don't care a hoot about the environment.

Yet, if you ask anybody, intellectual or otherwise, if they would like to work with a big company - or if they want their children to be employed by it - the answer would be a big "yes". For everybody knows that big companies pay well, have a better working atmosphere, and are not run by the whims and fancies of small, proprietary firms-at least, at the lower and middle levels. They are happy working with big companies.

But when it comes to public policy, everybody says that corporates are ruthless exploiters. What is good for me, however, is not good for the country, the economy, certainly not for the farmer.

Consider another public-private dichotomy. Politicians of various hues claim to be the champions of Indian languages; New Education Policy is a prime example. Consequently, there is little emphasis in government schools in teaching English. But English enables a person to get a better job, move faster in any profession, and get better connected with the world. Politicians themselves acknowledge this fact and, therefore, send their own kids to English-medium schools.

Similarly, what is good for our families is not good for our country. Most people want to earn their own living. They also want their children to be self-dependent. In all societies, the virtues of endeavor and diligence are cherished. But public discourse in our country is all about shaping the political economy in such a way that more and more people become dependent on state largesse. If a family member or friend suffers huge financial losses or is ruined, we try to help them by increasing their earning rather than paying them regular donations. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. The idea is to help a friend who needs it rather than make them dependent on us.

But when it comes to public discourse and political debate, everything turns topsy-turvy. Poverty alleviation grabs the attention of policy makers, politicians, and bureaucrats - which is fine. However, the means employed are the ones opposite to those which we would never employ in our personal capacity. They conceive publicly-funded schemes, establishing postmodern feudalism, with government as a gigantic lord and the poor as permanent dependants. The lord gives and the serf receives, making the latter to perennially look askance at the former. The entitlement mindset is promoted.

Personally, we don't like our dear ones to be our dependants; politically, we do it all the time. With great aplomb, as if the creation of serfdom were a remarkable feat.

When the issue involved is agriculture, hypocrisy blends with sentimentalism, nostalgia, and downright stupidity. From policy and decision makers to film directors, everybody seems to be in love with a non-existing rural idyll which they themselves don't want to relish but want farmers to dwell in forever. Hence technology and innovation - be those during the Green Revolution or genetically-modified crops now - is frowned upon. Corporatisation more so.

Let fat cat capitalists exploit us - for we'll love that exploitation - but not farmers.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)
Delhi, Oct 4 : Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan has undergone a heart surgery in a Delhi hospital, said his son and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) National President Chirag Paswan in a tweet.

The LJP Parliamentary Board meeting on Saturday evening was postponed due to Paswan's surgery.

LJP patron Ram Vilas Paswan remains hospitalized as the party faces a double crisis as the seat-sharing formula with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) which includes -- JD(U), BJP and LJP -- is yet to be decided ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections.

Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan has been hospitalized for more than a month now.

Chirag tweeted: "My father Ram Vilas Paswan has been undergoing treatment in a Delhi hospital for the last several days. On Saturday evening due to sudden development, the doctors had to perform a heart surgery on my father. If need arises another operation might be conducted after a few weeks. Thank you all for standing with me and my family in this hour of struggle." Paswan has already undergone a bypass surgery. Sources reveal that a doctor was flew in from Chennai on Saturday to examine his condition.

The political slugfest for the assembly elections in Bihar has already intensified and the seat-sharing distribution by the NDA is yet not clear. On the other hand, Chirag Paswan has to ensure his party's smooth preparations for the Bihar elections as well as attend to his father at the hospital.

Bihar has 243 Assembly seats and elections will be held in three phases -- October 28, November 3 and 7 -- and the counting of votes will begin on November 10.
As Saudi Arabia reopened Mecca for the Umrah pilgrimage from Sunday, October 4, after seven months of the COVID-19 lockdown that prompted its suspension, hundreds of pilgrims start to trickle into the holy city. According to Saudi Arabia's interior ministry, the kingdom will restart the umrah pilgrimage in three phases; initially, only 6,000 people from inside the country will be allowed to take part each day.

Read: Pilgrims Arrive In Mecca For Downsized Hajj Amid Pandemic

The kingdom informed that the first phase will see umrah being performed within a specified period of time before the number of worshippers allowed each day is increased to 15,000 on October 18. About 40,000 pilgrims will be allowed to pray inside the mosque by then. Foreign pilgrims will be allowed from November 1 and capacity will be increased to 20,000 with 60,000 allowed to pray inside the mosque.

Read: New At Saudi Hajj: Bottled Holy Water, Sterilized Pebbles

The health protocol states that pilgrims will not be allowed to gather and meetings will be banned in order to ensure minimal physical contact between visitors. Pilgrims will be divided into groups to ensure social distancing inside the mosque. Those who wish to perform umrah this year can apply through two separate mobile applications, one for a permit and another for confirming that the pilgrim is free of COVID-19.

Read: Saudi Arabia: Only 1,000 Pilgrims Within Kingdom Allowed To Perform Hajj

Hajj pilgrimage

In July, Saudi Arabia opened Hajj for domestic pilgrims. Worshippers were not allowed to touch the Kaaba this year, for the first time in recorded history. Only those with Hajj permits were allowed to visit Mona, Muzdalifah, and Arafat starting July 19 until August 2. Though this was not the first time when such restrictions were placed on the Hajj visit, but is probably the first time when international pilgrims were banned from visiting the grand mosque.

Read: Saudi Arabia Makes Masks Compulsory As It Announces Health Measures For Hajj

(Image Credit: AP)
Local investors are preparing for a volatile start to the week after US President Donald Trumps COVID-19 diagnosis added an extra layer of complexity to the risks already facing markets.

The local sharemarket plunged in the last hours of trading on Friday to finish down 1.4 per cent for the session. In the US the S&P500 fell 1 per cent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq index dropped 2.2 per cent after news of the positive test broke on Friday.

The added uncertainty adds to fears over the US election and evidence that the global recovery is stalling with a recent batch of weak economic data, including US Non-Farm Payrolls, showing the global economy is losing steam.

US President Donald Trump's COVID news has added to market uncertainty Credit:Twitter/@realDonaldTrump

The US VIX, known as the 'fear' index, rose last week and has priced in even greater uncertainty around the US election period.
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Linkedin Benny Mawel (The Jakarta Post) Jayapura  Mon, October 5 2020

Three men from Waris district in Keerom regency, Papua, have reportedly been shot with rubber bullets as police attempted to disperse a mass gathering protesting civil servant (CPNS) recruitment results on Thursday.

One of the protesters, Karel Maunda, claimed the police had not fired warning shots.

We are disappointed because the police directly fired [into the crowd] and hit three Papuans, he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 4)  College-level dependents of overseas Filipino workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic may receive their 30,000 cash aid from the government as early as mid-October, according to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III.

In an interview on CNN Philippines' Newsroom Weekend on Sunday, Bello said the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration is responsible for profiling potential beneficiaries of the one-time financial assistance program.

Among qualified are children of displaced, non-returning, and repatriated OFWs impacted by the global crisis, as well as those who died due to COVID-19. The grantee must also be enrolled or intending to enroll in a state university, college, or a private higher education institution recognized by the Commission on Higher Education.

Based on the profiling by OWWA, the Department of Labor and Employment then submits a list to CHED, Bello said.

"Ang CHED naman, kapag na-iscreen na nila yung sinubmit naming mga listahan, they will now download these funds for the scholarship for one child of every OFW who has been repatriated or who has been displaced because of COVID-19," he added.

[Translation: As for CHED, once they have screened the list we submitted, they will now download these funds for the scholarship for one child of every OFW who has been repatriated or who has been displaced because of COVID-19.]

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier said that around 33,000 students will benefit from the said program, which has a budget of 1 billion.
Northern Ireland has been warned to brace itself for two mini-lockdowns between now and Christmas as Stormont battles to curb spiralling coronavirus rates.

Executive sources told Sunday Life these 'circuit breakers' were likely to be launched over the Halloween half-term and in the run-up to Christmas.

However, the latter lockdown could be avoided if Covid-19 infection rates return to manageable levels.

Government insiders say that any new restrictions affecting Northern Ireland will be mirrored across the UK and possibly in the Republic.

They also cautioned that the Treasury would have to guarantee a financial package costing hundreds of millions of pounds to prevent the local economy from going into meltdown.

A senior Executive source said: "The economy cannot survive another lockdown, even if it only lasts two weeks.

"If that is to happen there needs to be a financial rescue package in place costing hundreds of millions."

With a record number of Covid-19 infections being recorded over the past two days, Stormont ministers admit that public compliance with safety regulations is low.

They blame this on incidents like Sinn Fein politicians ignoring public health guidelines at the funeral of IRA chief Bobby Storey and DUP MP Sammy Wilson being caught on public transport in London without a mask.

Another senior source added: "The fish rots from the head down. You can hardly blame the public for not complying when MPs and MLAs are openly flouting the rules."

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Yesterday saw the second highest daily increase in new Covid-19 cases, with 726 announced by the Department of Health.

There was one further death reported, taking the toll recorded by the department to 583.

A total of 65 patients with Covid-19 were being cared for in 20 hospitals as of yesterday, with nine in intensive care.

The latest figures show the infection rate in the Derry City and Strabane Council area, Northern Ireland's infection hotspot, has increased to 478.5 per 100,000 of the population, up from 422.8 per 100,000 on Friday.

Ardnashee School and College in Derry is to close this week after four members of staff tested positive for Covid-19. More than 35 employees are having to self-isolate for 14 days.

The rate in the Newry, Mourne and Down council area is up to 268.6, while Belfast has risen to 192.

The area with the next highest rate is mid-Ulster on 171.5.

The news came as a funfair at which young people were pictured flouting social distancing rules was criticised.

Cullen's amusement park in Enniskillen had plenty of visitors on Friday night, with warning notices posted by the owners seemingly being ignored by some customers.

The amusement park had also posted a message on its Facebook page saying that safety measures, including cleaning each ride after each go and requiring customers to give their contact details, had been introduced.

The message added: "The funfair will operate at a reduced capacity once the site is filled. We will be operating a one in, one out policy.

"You may be asked to queue. You will also be expected to remain within the group you arrived with.

"There will also be social distancing on rides between different groups."

However, customers were pictured failing to socially distance while standing in line for rides despite waiting beside a sign telling them to do so.

Enniskillen Ulster Unionist councillor Howard Thornton hit out at the rule-breakers.

"It's not just young people not adhering to the guidelines during this pandemic. There are certain groups who think this is all over and it's not," he said.

"It's a matter of societal respect to try to comply. Cullen's have taken all the requirements seriously."

A funfair in Londonderry was previously identified as a potential source of the increased numbers in the north-west.

Derry Mayor Brian Tierney said he raised the issue with the Executive Office, which told him the event had been managed in line with guidance.

The fair ran for 10 days from September 11 on the grounds of the former Ebrington army barracks.

A statement from the Executive office said no concerns were raised following visits by the PSNI, the Health and Safety Executive and Derry City and Strabane District Council's environmental health officer.
Doctors treating U.S. President Donald Trump revealed on Sunday that their patient, hospitalized for COVID-19, experienced two episodes of transient drops in his oxygen saturation. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Despite that, the fact of the matter is, he is doing really well, the presidents primary physician, Dr. Sean Conley, told reporters.

A team led by Conley was more transparent during Sundays news briefing than on the previous day when their appearance before a pool of White House reporters seemed to raise as many questions as it answered.

Conley, asked by a reporter why he had been evasive on the question of whether Trump had required supplemental oxygen at the White House on Friday  which the president did for about an hour  replied he was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude of the team.

Conley, an osteopath and a commander in the U.S. Navy, explained that he did not want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction and in doing so it came off that we were trying to hide something, which wasnt necessarily true.

That medical team, during a 10-minute briefing on Sunday outside the front steps of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, explained that the president is now taking a steroid, dexamethasone (typically not administered in mild or moderate cases of the coronavirus), along with a five-day course of remdesivir, an anti-viral medication.

Dr. Sean Dooley, an army colonel and pulmonologist, told reporters that the presidents vital signs were stable on Sunday morning and the patient was walking around, not complaining of shortness of breath or experiencing any other respiratory symptoms.

If he continues to look and feel as well as he does today, our hope is that we can plan for a discharge as early as tomorrow to the White House where he can continue his treatment course, announced Dr. Brian Garibaldi, a civilian specialist in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Some key questions still remain unanswered, such as whether the president has suffered any lung damage  doctors in their responses Sunday not going beyond that there have been the expected findings with their patient, who is a 74-year-old overweight male with no history of smoking.

Trump on Friday had a high fever, and that  along with the brief need for supplemental oxygen  prompted the presidents move from the White House to the hospital, according to Conley.

Trump tweeted out a video Saturday evening in which he said he was doing well and hoped to be back soon, acknowledging that the next few days will be the real test.

Both Trump and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday evening after one of the presidents close aides, Hope Hicks, was confirmed to be ill with the infection.

National Security Advisor Robert OBrien said Sunday a discussion of temporarily transferring power to Vice President Mike Pence has not been discussed.

We have a government that is steady, OBrien said on CBS News Face the Nation, adding later, We have plans for everything.

Trumps campaign Friday put on hold all previously announced campaign events involving the presidents participation. Pence is to make campaign appearances this week, as well as face off Wednesday evening against the Democrats vice presidential nominee, U.S. Senator Kamala Harris of California.

Sunday marked 30 days before the November presidential election. Trumps

opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, said Friday he was sending prayers for the health and safety of the first lady and the president of the United States.

Biden added that the presidents positive test is a bracing reminder to all of us that we have to take this virus seriously.

Trump and Biden were about four meters apart on a debate stage Tuesday evening in Cleveland, Ohio. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests at least two meters for social distancing purposes.

Bidens campaign said the former vice president tested negative Friday for the coronavirus.

Speaking Friday in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Biden, wearing a surgical mask, called again for a national mask mandate, asserting it could save 100,000 lives in 100 days.

The coronavirus has killed nearly 210,000 people in the United States and infected about 7.4 million across the country, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Ho Chi Minh City currently has 23 three- to five-star hotels that run paid quarantine services, and authorities are looking for one- to two-star establishments that are capable of offering such services to provide more affordable options for arrivals.

Among the 23 three- to five-star hotels, eight establishments with more than 1,000 rooms have been receiving guests who stay there for their quarantine over the past month.

Allowing these hotels to serve quarantined guests helps relieve some pressure on the health sector in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, at the same time creating opportunities for the hospitality industry to increase room occupancy.

All international arrivals to Vietnam have been required to pay for their mandatory quarantine from September 1, according to Phan Thanh Tam, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control.

Prior to their trip to the Southeast Asian country, they must have to submit specific plans for their quarantine, including where to stay and how to get there, while their quarantine rooms need to be booked in advance, Tam elaborated.

It is also promulgated that one quarantine room can only have up to two guests, thus demand for quarantine hotels will surge when more international routes are reopened, the official said, adding that people need to know the cost of their isolation beforehand to balance their financial capacity.

Due to the lack of tourists, many hotels in Ho Chi Minh City have signed up to become quarantine venues.

A hotel can only turn into a paid quarantine facility after the municipal Department of Tourism and the Department of Health have appraised its quality and the People's Committee approved it.

Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, director of the citys health department, said that the agency is reviewing 15 additional hotels with a total of 982 rooms.

Adding quarantine hotels means fiercer competition, which will push them to offer better price and quality, Hoa said.

We are also looking for suitable one- to two-star hotels that can offer paid quarantine services in order to provide more affordable options.

A manager of De Nhat Hotel in Tan Binh District, which is offering quarantine services at VND1.8 million (US$77) per room, said that the facility has welcomed its guests since August 15.

The number of bookings has been increasing, he added.

The hotel only reached 30-50 percent of room occupancy before international routes were resumed, he continued, adding that the occupancy has improved considerably.

A director of a five-star hotel said that his venue is offering quarantine packages at VND25-40 million ($1,078-1,725) each, which includes room rates and daily meals.

Some other three-star hotels also provide such packages at nearly VND20 million ($862).

To avoid problems, airlines in Vietnam should charge quarantine and COVID-19 screening costs when selling tickets for their international flights, said Doan Quoc Binh, deputy director of the Southern Airports Authority.

A representative of national carrier Vietnam Airlines stated that passengers must book rooms at their quarantine facilities in advance to be able to purchase tickets.

Passengers of the airline are given a list of quarantine hotels so they can consider before buying their flight tickets.

Vietnam has resumed commercial flights to certain destinations, including Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and mainland China.

Entrants from these places are now required to present certificates proving they tested negative for the novel coronavirus within three days of their boarding flights.

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Regional Victorians could be allowed to go on holiday in the Northern Territory from as early as the beginning of November.

NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner on Monday flagged November 2 as the date he could open the territory's borders to travellers from regional parts of Victoria - as long as the rate of COVID-19 transmission remains low.

He said aside from metropolitan Melbourne, Geelong, Mitchell Shire, Macedon Ranges and East Gippsland, everywhere else in Victoria would have its hotspot rating dropped in four weeks by the NT government.

Regional Victorians could be allowed to go on holiday in the Northern Territory from the beginning of November . Pictured a tourist at Uluru in the territory's south

He added he could then be willing to extend the invitation to those from Melbourne where he said authorities were 'on the cusp' of crushing its second wave of cases.

New Zealanders will also be welcome in the NT under the Trans-Tasman bubble set to begin on October 16.

'The Northern Territory has been at the front of the pack thanks to our hotspot policy,' Mr Gunner said.

NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner pictured at a Darwin pub on May 15. He flagged November 2 as the date he could open the state up to travellers from parts of Victoria aside from metropolitan Melbourne, Geelong, Mitchell Shire, Macedon Ranges and East Gippsland

The plan marks a stark change from Mr Gunner's rhetoric before the NT's general election in August - when he said he could close the borders until 2022.

He had said in the lead up to the election 18 months was a 'conservative' estimate for re-opening the state border.

Victoria recorded nine new coronavirus infections and no deaths overnight on Monday as Premier Daniel Andrews pleaded for residents to 'stay the course'.

Pictured: The border between the Northern Territory and South Australia on Stuart Highway. Mr Gunner said the territory's hotpot policy was 'at the front of the pack'

The 14-day rolling average of COVID-19 infections dropped to 11.6 for metropolitan Melbourne on Monday, while regional Victoria rose from 0.2 to 0.3.

Mr Andrews implored residents to continue following the rules after large groups at beaches and parks flouted coronavirus restrictions in recent days.

'We are so, so close. Let's not any of us do anything that might undermine the very positive numbers,' he told reporters on Sunday.

Sun-bakers are seen in their COVID-Safe circles at St Kilda Beach in Melbourne on Saturday. NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner said the virus-hit city was 'on the cusp' of stopping the virus' spread

'Once we get them low, we can keep them low and we can open up again.

'If we don't do anything silly or anything selfish right now.'

Police patrolled St Kilda Beach after large groups gathered on Friday, raising concerns that such behaviour could trigger another outbreak.

Mr Andrews warned he could be forced to extend the 5km travel bubble for metropolitan Melbourne if residents continue to hit the beach.

'I can't put a timeline on it but those rules serve a really important purpose and they'll be in place for as long as that purpose is relevant and proportionate  the benefit is relevant and proportionate  to the challenge we face,' he said.

Premier Daniel Andrews pleaded for residents to 'stay the course'. Pictured: Police speak to residents in Melbourne on Saturday

'There will be a time when that (5km rule) can come off, but exactly when that is  or it might be extended  when that is we can't be certain now.'

There have been 13 mystery cases in Melbourne between September 19 and October 2.

Melbourne needs a 14-day average of fewer than five cases as well as less than five mystery cases for restrictions to further ease on October 19.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton on Sunday said there were three new mystery cases in postcodes 3145, 3023 and 3019 and urged anyone in the areas with symptoms to get tested.

'We are so, so close. Let's not any of us do anything that might undermine the very positive numbers,' Mr Andrews told reporters on Sunday

He said a single case of unknown origin might represent 10 or 15 true cases in the community.

'It's really a call to arms ... anyone in those postcodes should be aware that there's transmission in those postcodes,' he said.

Premier Daniel Andrews said he was 'as confident as you can be' that the state's 14-day average would drop to fewer than five daily cases in a fortnight.

'Regional Victoria is in a different place today than they were three or four weeks ago. And hopefully on 18 or 19 October, so just in a couple of weeks' time, metro Melbourne will be in a different place than they are right now,' he said.

The state's death toll sits at 806.


CHICAGO - The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) today presented Albert J. Varon, MD, MHPE, FCCM, FASA, with its 2020 Excellence in Education Award in recognition of his exemplary educational initiatives and programs that have been adopted into anesthesiology training programs at the state and national level. The award is presented annually to an ASA member who has made significant contributions to the specialty through excellence in teaching, development of new teaching methods, or the implementation of innovative educational programs.

Dr. Varon has led numerous educational initiatives in his current role as professor and vice chair for education in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Medicine and Pain Management at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Florida. He redesigned the curriculum of their anesthesiology training program, one of the largest in the nation, during which the performance, board certification rates, and quality of the graduates improved exponentially. More than 500 residents have successfully completed the redesigned curriculum and it has become a very popular program among applicants.

Early in his career, Dr. Varon created one of the first accredited anesthesiology critical care training programs in the nation at the University of Miami/Jackson Health System. He was the program's director for 16 years and also created the University of Miami Division of Trauma Anesthesiology. Dr Varon has a passion for advancing anesthesia care for injured patients and has served as chief of anesthesiology at the Ryder Trauma Center in Miami since it was created in 1992.

"Dr. Varon is an exceptional educator who deserves this award for his outstanding contributions to help train the next generation of physician anesthesiologists," said ASA President Mary Dale Peterson, M.D., MSHCA, FACHE, FASA. "His passion and compassion for his patients serves as a great example to the residents he educates. He also serves as a mentor to faculty, ensuring that there will be future education leaders in the specialty. Congratulations on an award so well deserved!"

Dr. Varon developed a curriculum for trauma anesthesiology training that has become a national model published on ASA's website and by the Society for Education in Anesthesia. Additionally, in 2009, he completed a Master of Health Professions Education program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. This advanced training and lifetime experience in graduate medical education not only facilitated the redesign of the University of Miami/Jackson Health System's anesthesiology training program but allowed Dr. Varon to serve as a mentor to junior faculty educators and program directors. Several of his educational initiatives have had implications at the national level and other institutions have used the anesthesiology core program curriculum as the basis for their own training.

Dr. Varon is a member of ASA's COVID-19 Council and chair of the ASA Committee on Trauma and Emergency Preparedness. He is a founding member and currently on the board of directors of the Trauma Anesthesiology Society and a full examiner for the American Board of Anesthesiology.

Dr. Varon completed his medical degree from Universidad La Salle in Mexico City. He completed his residency in anesthesiology at the University of Miami/Jackson Health System, where he also completed an internship in internal medicine and a fellowship in critical care medicine.

A leading educator throughout his career, Dr. Varon has received numerous awards, including the Miller Professorship, bestowed in recognition of significant contributions to the mission of the Department of Anesthesiology and the University of Miami's Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. Additionally, he was inducted into the Iron Arrow Honor Society, the University of Miami's highest honor.

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THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS

Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific society with more than 54,000 members organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology. ASA is committed to ensuring physician anesthesiologists evaluate and supervise the medical care of patients before, during and after surgery to provide the highest quality and safest care every patient deserves.

For more information on the field of anesthesiology, visit the American Society of Anesthesiologists online at asahq.org. To learn more about the role physician anesthesiologists play in ensuring patient safety, visit asahq.org/WhenSecondsCount. Join the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2020 social conversation today. Like ASA on Facebook, follow ASALifeline on Twitter and use the hashtag #ANES20.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 4)  Deputy Speaker LRay Villafuerte says Rep. Lord Allan Velasco should give up his bid for the House speakership, after Wednesday's vote showed "full and unequivocal" support for Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano.

"He should shut his trap and return to his peculiarly silent and inconspicuous ways because Wednesday night's 184-1 vote with 9 abstentions rejecting Cayetano's surprise resignation was the chamber's full and unequivocal support for the incumbent Speaker," Villafuerte said in a statement, referring to Velasco.

Villafuerte said Velasco and his allies should "face reality, move on" and work with House leaders, as even President Rodrigo Duterte himself said he respected the House's decision on Cayetano's resignation.

Velasco lashed out at Cayetano's speech prior to the voting on Wednesday, describing it as "further political maneuverings and theatrics," as the budget deliberations were put on hold.

Villafuerte has assured that the plenary debates would not be affected, as the House remains committed to passing the proposed 2021 national budget before Congress goes on a break on October 16.
Sen. Roger Wicker was seen on a Delta flight with his mask pulled down to his chin for most of a trip from Atlanta to Jackson, Mississippi.

A photo of the Mississippi Republican on the Thursday flight was tweeted by Matt Harringer, who works for an advertising and media company in Washington, D.C.

Ive seen enough Republican senators test positive to tweet this photo," Harringer tweeted. "@SenatorWicker  because you refused to wear a mask on our @Delta flight last night, please let your fellow passengers know your status once youve been tested."

The senators communications director, Rick VanMeter, told USA TODAY that Wicker "lowered his face mask to eat a snack and forgot to put it back up. When he was reminded by a flight attendant, he put the mask back up."

Trump, insiders test positive for COVID: A running list of those close to the White House being tested and their results

Ive seen enough Republican senators test positive to tweet this photo. @SenatorWicker  because you refused to wear a mask on our @Delta flight last night, please let your fellow passengers know your status once youve been tested. pic.twitter.com/j2TW6g1gwO  Matt Harringer (@MattHarringer) October 3, 2020

But Harringer said Wicker was not wearing his mask before the plane took off and told USA TODAY he doesn't believe Wicker covered his nose after the flight attendant asked him to put it back on.

Harringer also took pictures of Wicker at various points of the flight with his mask on his chin.

Sen. Wicker on a Delta flight Thursday night without wearing his mask

Harringer said he told the woman sitting in front of Wicker that she should get tested for the virus because the senator didn't wear his mask for the majority of the flight.

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According to Harringer, Wicker was "very surprised" he called him out and asked why Harringer didn't tell him to put his mask on earlier.

VanMeter did not address whether the senator had been tested for COVID-19 but said Wicker "did not attend any recent events at the White House and has not been in contact with any of the individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days."

Harringer waited 24 hours before tweeting the image of Wicker, saying that it wasn't until Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who both serve on a committee with Wicker, tested positive for COVID-19.

"I think the people on the plane deserve to know" the results of Wicker's coronavirus test "if he's hanging out with a bunch of people who are positive and not going to wear a mask," Harringer said.

Delta Airlines says its investigating the incident in response to Harringers tweet.

"Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our people and our customers," the airline said. "We take our mask policy seriously and are investigating this incident."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sen. Roger Wicker maskless on Delta flight as GOP faces COVID outbreak
Recent instances of violence and atrocities against Dalits in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh have given a boost to the Congress party to make fresh inroads into the sizeable chunk of voters belonging to the backward communities ahead of the first phase of assembly election in Bihar.

After the virtual launch of campaigning by Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Bihar for the upcoming polls on Friday, the party leaders of Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) held a closed-door meeting and decided to woo back the Dalit community which constitute nearly 16% of the electors. The first phase of polling takes place on October 28.

Of the total 243 assembly seats in Bihar, 38 are reserved for the scheduled caste and two for the scheduled castes. All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Bihar,Shaktisinh Gohil has arrived in Patna to spearhead the campaign as the party fine tuned its strategy.

Click here for full coverage of Bihar Assembly Election 2020.

Recent instances of heinous crimes against Dalit girls in Uttar Pradesh have exposed the sickening mentality of the BJP and its allies towards the weaker sections of the society. Our party leader Rahul Gandhi was manhandled by the UP police when he sought to extend a helping hand to the victims family in Hathras, said Gohil.

Former BJP MP and Dalit leader Udit Raj who joined the Congress last year, has also arrived in Bihar for a statewide tour to sensitise voters about the nefarious design of the Centre to deprive the scheduled castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) their legitimate rights and dignity to live.

Raj, currently national chairman of the SC/ST division of the Congress, said here Friday that the BJP considered Dalits aliens in the country.

It resorted to falsehood to project Congress as against Baba Saheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar. BJP and its allies have always treated Dalits with utter disrespect. The SC/ST Act has been weakened and efforts are on to do away with reservation, said Raj.

Another senior Congress leader Kishore Kumar Jha said that the party was striving hard to win over Brahmin and Dalits who were Congress loyalists since Indira Gandhis stint as PM.

Over the years, both Brahmins and Dalits strayed from the party after the emergence of Bahujan and other parties and their populist rhetoric. No party other than the Congress has done anything for Dalits, said Jha.

Former professor of Patna University and political analyst Nawal Kishore Chaudhary said that the Hathras incident might lead to alienation of Dalits from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar and the Congress might benefit from it.

Besides, the incident is likely to enhance bargaining power of Dalits leaders like Chirag Paswan and Jitan Ram Manjhi as the BJP would not afford to antagonize them further given their anti-Dalit public perception in Bihar, said Chaudhary.

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Even after being stopped by Uttar Pradesh police, Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad managed to reach Bulgadi village in Hathras on Sunday to meet the family members of the alleged gang-rape victim.

Other colleagues with him were allowed to meet the family inside. Only five people have come to meet the family along with the Bhim Army chief. Azads convoy was stopped by the police administration before Hathras to keep the situation under control.

After this, he left his convoy and came to meet the family on foot. Azad told the media as soon as he came to the village, I have not met them for a long time, the situation does not seem to be any good. We will brief the press after meeting the family."

The Dalit leader finally managed to reach the village and demanded an inquiry into the case by a retired Supreme Court-headed team. He asked the government to provide the victims family with Y-level security or he would take them to his home.

The 19-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped on September 14 in an assault by four upper caste men that left her critically injured. She died at a Delhi hospital last Tuesday.
TORONTO - Five things to watch for in the Canadian business world in the coming week:

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 4/10/2020 (475 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem speaks during a news conference at the Bank of Canada Thursday September 10, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

TORONTO - Five things to watch for in the Canadian business world in the coming week:

Trade numbers

Statistics Canada will release its international merchandise trade numbers for August on Tuesday. Canada's imports and exports both posted gains in July, but still remained below their pre-pandemic levels.

Macklem speech

Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem is scheduled to give a speech to the Global Risk Institute by video conference on Thursday. The central banks senior deputy governor Carolyn Wilkins recently announced that she won't seek a second term, ending weeks of speculation about her future. Wilkins seven-year term ends next May.

September housing starts

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Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. is set to release housing starts figures for September on Thursday. The agency recently reported that Canada's housing market experienced overvaluation in some pockets of the country  particularly Victoria, Moncton and Halifax  in the spring amid the COVID-19 pandemic

September job numbers

Statistics Canada will release its labour force survey for September on Friday. The agency reported that the pace of gains in Canada's job market slowed in August, as the economy added 246,000 jobs, the fourth consecutive month of gains after jobless claims spiked during lockdowns in March and April.

MTY earnings

MTY Food Group Inc. is set to hold a conference call to discuss its third-quarter results on Friday. The restaurant company behind such mall food court favourites as Thai Express, Tiki-Ming, Tutti Frutti and Valentine reported a second-quarter loss of $99.1 million it took a $120.3-million non-cash impairment charge related to property, plant and equipment, intangible assets and goodwill due to the pandemic.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2020.
A DUP politician has heaped praise on a murdered UVF member who called for Catholics to be burned to death.

Ballymena councillor John Carson applauded George Seawright, who was shot dead by republicans, saying: "George didn't only talk the talk, he walked the walk, something that is lacking in many today."

He then went on to criticise his own party on the South East Antrim Veterans Association social media page which has carried messages of support for the UDA.

Carson said he "agreed" with a claim from a page moderator that "so many members of your party, the DUP, have lay down and sucked up to republicans".

When challenged about the comments from the gaffe-prone politician, who earlier this year claimed coronavirus was God's punishment for same sex marriage and abortion, a DUP spokesman said: "We disassociate the party from Cllr Carson's remarks. There is no place for violence or the threat of violence in Northern Ireland.

"We stand with the innocent victims of violence not with the victim makers."

George Seawright, the UVF member who John Carson cheered, was shot dead by republican splinter group, the IPLO in 1987.

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Prior to his death he had been a Belfast city councillor for six years and in 1984 led a UVF incursion onto the Springfield Road to remove a tricolour from the top of Whiterock Leisure Centre. The politician revelled in his reputation as a firebrand, branding Catholics as "fenian scum who have been indoctrinated by the Catholic Church".

He added: "Taxpayers' money would be better spent on an incinerator and burning the lot of them. Their priests should be thrown in and burnt as well".

Seawright also told a rival nationalist councillor, "I have a soft spot for you, it's in Milltown Cemetery".

It was after this that he was kicked out of the DUP, sitting as an independent until his murder. Seawright's name appears on a UVF memorial to its murdered members on Belfast's Shankill Road.

The South East Antrim Veterans Facebook page on which DUP councillor John Carson praised Seawright has posted tributes to UDA members. There is no suggestion whatsoever that Mr Carson supports the actions of the UDA.

In 2001 the South East Antrim UDA murdered Protestant Gavin Brett as he chatted to friends near his home in Newtownabbey.

His killers mistook the 18-year-old, whose younger brother Philip Brett is an elected DUP councillor, for a Catholic.
LAS VEGAS  Hadeid Arreola sat at her familys kitchen table during dinner about a month ago discussing the upcoming election with her parents and three sisters. Voting was important to her family, especially her parents, Mexican immigrants who became U.S. citizens about 25 years ago. They had always stressed its importance to their children.

But that evening, instead of talking about who they would vote for, they were debating how they would cast their ballots.

During a special session in August, amid Covid-19 safety concerns, Nevada lawmakers passed a bill that for the first time gave all voters the choice between voting by mail and going to the polls if the state is under a declaration of disaster or emergency.

Arreolas mother and father, both in their 50s, worried about voting in person; the Latino community in Nevada has been hit hard by Covid-19, and her parents are avoiding crowds. But her older sister wanted to go to the polls; casting her ballot electronically reassured her that her vote would count.

For me, Im just still not sure what Im going to do, Arreola, 31, said. She works at Mi Familia Vota, a national, nonpartisan Latino voting group, helping people fill out their voter registration forms correctly. I want to know for sure that my vote goes through, but I also dont want to put myself at risk with Covid-19.

The Arreola family (Courtesy of Hadeid Arreola)

Its a dilemma that many Latinos in the state are facing at a moment when Nevada voter advocacy groups are ramping up education campaigns in the Latino community to dispel myths about voting options and ensure that any confusion does not decrease turnout.

Latinos are a key demographic in Nevada whose turnout could swing the state left or right, voter advocates and political scientists say. Hillary Clinton carried Nevada by just 2 percentage points in 2016, and aside from former President Barack Obamas 12-point margin of victory in 2008, no recent presidential candidate has won Nevada with a margin of more than 10 percentage points.

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If anyone wants to win this election in Nevada, whether it is the presidential or local, if you don't have Latino voters, youre not going to close the deal, said Cecia Alvarado, Nevada state director for Mi Familia Vota. So we need to make sure that everyone has the right information because its important for the Latino voice to be heard.

Latinos make up nearly 30 percent of Nevadas population and almost 20 percent of eligible voters. Some of the first wave of Latino voters in the state came from Cuba to work in the gaming industry after Fidel Castro shut down gaming in 1959, and they tended to cast their votes for conservatives, said David Damore, a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. But with the arrival of immigrants from countries such as Mexico and El Salvador, as well as a new wave of young voters born in the United States, the Latino vote has shifted to the left.

The bigger the Latino vote is, the better the Democrats are going to do here, Damore said. If it's a small Latino turnout, that's going to tend to favor the Republicans.

Under Nevadas new law  which President Donald Trump's campaign unsuccessfully challenged in federal court  all active registered voters will automatically receive an absentee ballot by Oct. 17 whether they requested one or not. Nevada is one of nine states, along with Washington, D.C., that is mailing ballots directly to all voters.

For more of NBC News' in-depth reporting, download the NBC News app

Its unclear how the new law could affect Latino voter turnout in Nevada. The states primary in June, which was held almost entirely through mail-in ballots, became one of the highest-turnout primaries in state history, with 491,654 votes cast, nearly 30 percent of all registered voters.

Still, more than 10,000 of those ballots were not counted, largely because they were submitted with missing or mismatched signatures, according to the Nevada Independent. Voter advocacy groups and civic organizations say this has contributed to voters concerns that they may make mistakes on a mail-in ballot that could discount their vote.

Image: (John Locher / AP file)

Advocates say they have been fielding scores of phone calls from voters ranging from how to send in their ballots to what signature they are supposed to use (the new law requires the signature on the ballot return envelope match the signature on file from voter registration).

A lot of people feel like there is a certainty with seeing their vote go through electronically, and they are afraid they wont be able to go back and correct a mistake like they can when using a voting machine or get help from a poll worker if they dont understand something on the ballot, said Rudy Zamora, program director of Chispa Nevada, a of League of Conservation Voters group that helps Latinos engage in the political process.

He added that the organization has also received questions about social distancing measures at the polls and whether early voting in person is safer. We are spending a lot of time trying to help people figure out what option is best for them, he said.

Lorenzo Becerra, 23, said he considered voting in person. But over the summer, he lost his great-uncle and great-aunt to Covid-19, and he worries about the impact of thousands of people gathering to vote.

Lorenzo Becerra (Lorenzo Becerra)

I dont want to be a part of a bigger problem by going out to the polls, said Becerra, a nursing student who also works for his familys trucking business.

Still, he is nervous about making a mistake. Hes enlisted a friend who volunteers with a local civic organization to help him fill out his ballot properly once he receives it.

Its a really important election and I dont want to do anything wrong and get my ballot sent back or not counted, Becerra said. I just want to get it right the first time.

Some voters are concerned that the U.S. Postal Service will not get their ballots to the election office in time. Sol Del Risco, 18, a University of Nevada, Las Vegas, freshman and first-time voter, said shes noticed delays in mail delivery lately, so she plans to bring her ballot to a drop-off site rather than put it in a mailbox.

That seems like the best way to make sure it gets there, she said.

Sol Del Risco, 18, is a first-time voter who plans to vote by mail. (Courtesy of Sol Del Risco)

Elica Arreola, 33, Hadeid Arreolas sister, who works as a pre-kindergarten teachers assistant, said she was initially worried about mailing her ballot, but after learning that Nevada is enabling voters to track their ballots, she said she is leaning toward voting by mail.

Hadeid Arreola is still unsure. Shes going to keep an eye on how crowded the polls get during early voting. If they are not too bad, she may vote in person. If there are too many people, shell cast her ballot by mail.

She recalled voting in her first presidential election in 2008, when she went with her parents and older sister to vote for Obama. They were living in Idaho at the time and drove to the polls together. She remembered her father describing the choices they were going to make, reminding them that they could not work toward government solutions if they did not participate in the process.

Im going to vote no matter what, Hadeid Arreola said. I want my voice to be heard.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Stepanakert, Azerbaijan  Sun, October 4, 2020 17:08 475 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4903899 2 World Armenia,Azerbaijan,conflict,ganja,Nagorno-Karabakh Free

Armenian and Azerbaijani forces exchanged rocket fire as fighting intensified over Nagorno-Karabakh on Sunday, with the breakaway region's capital and Azerbaijan's second-largest city bombarded.

Yerevan said Nagorno-Karabakh's main city Stepanakert, which has been under artillery fire since Friday, was hit again on Sunday and AFP journalists said there were regular explosions and smoke rising in parts of the city.

Azerbaijan's defense ministry said Ganja, a city of more than 330,000 in western Azerbaijan, was also "under fire" while separatist forces claimed to have destroyed an airbase there.

The two sides accused each other of targeting civilian areas, as the conflict appeared to be widening a week after heavy fighting broke out in the decades-old dispute over Karabakh.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have resisted international calls for a ceasefire and clashes have intensified in recent days, with both sides claiming victories on the front and saying they are inflicting heavy losses.

Sirens were sounding and explosions were heard at regular intervals in Stepanakert, where residents were taking shelter including several families in the basement of a church.

Armenia's foreign ministry said Stepanakert and the town of Martakert were under rocket attack and accused Azerbaijani forces of "the deliberate targeting of the civilian population."

It said the air force was also involved. Drones could be heard flying over Stepanakert.

Azerbaijan said Ganja was under fire, including from areas outside of Karabakh.

"Armenian forces struck Ganja with rockets from Armenian territory," said Hikmet Hajiyev, an advisor to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

He said Armenian forces had also used heavy artillery and rockets against the towns of Terter and Goradiz in Azerbaijan.

Karabakh's separatist forces said they had targeted and destroyed an airbase in Ganja, while the region's leader, Arayik Harutyunyan, warned that it would now consider "military facilities in Azerbaijan's big cities" as legitimate targets.

"I call on the residents of these cities to immediately leave," Harutyunyan said in a post on Facebook.

Azerbaijan claims to have made gains in Karabakh in recent days, with its defense ministry saying that 14 settlements have been taken as well as a strategically important plateau.

In an address to the country on Saturday, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Armenians were facing a "decisive moment" and called for the nation to come together.

Armenia on Saturday announced the deaths of 51 more separatist fighters, taking the number of reported fatalities on both sides above 240, including more than 30 civilians.

Russia, the United States and France - whose leaders co-chair a mediation group that has failed to bring about a political resolution to the conflict - have called for an immediate halt to the fighting.

Armenia has said it is "ready to engage" with mediators but Azerbaijan - which considers Karabakh under Armenian occupation - has said Armenian forces must fully withdraw before a ceasefire can be brokered.

Karabakh's declaration of independence from Azerbaijan during the collapse of the Soviet Union sparked a war in the early 1990s that claimed 30,000 lives.

Talks to resolve the conflict have made little progress since a 1994 ceasefire agreement.

The breakaway province is not acknowledged as independent by any country - including Armenia - and Karabakh said Saturday that international recognition was "the only way towards peace and security in the region".

Yerevan has accused Turkey of dispatching mercenaries from Syria and Libya to the fighting - an allegation confirmed and denounced by Russia and France.
Western media outlets such as the Reuters news agency and The Guardian newspaper ran such reports following the September 27 outbreak of large-scale hostilities around Karabakh. They quoted members of Islamist rebel groups in areas of northern Syria under Turkish control as saying that they are deploying to Azerbaijan in coordination with the Turkish government.

Armenia seized upon that information and went on to present its own purported evidence of Syrian mercenaries recruited by Ankara, which openly supports Azerbaijan in the Karabakh war.

France has also alleged such deployment, with President Emmanuel Macron saying that at least 300 Syrian fighters from jihadist groups were flown from Turkey to Azerbaijan ahead of the flare-up of violence in Karabakh. Russia has also accused, albeit implicitly, the Turks of sending terrorists and mercenaries to the conflict zone and demanded their immediate withdrawal from the region.

Both Ankara and Baku deny using Turkeys proxy fighters against Karabakh Armenian forces. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev demanded on Sunday that Macron apologize for his statements on the matter.

Meanwhile, the AFP news agency reported on Saturday that it has interviewed two Syrian opposition fighters from Aleppo and Idlib planning to leave for Azerbaijan and another who is already in the conflict zone.

I signed up to fight more than a week ago to go to Azerbaijan  for three months in exchange for $ 2,000 a month, it quoted a 26-year-old Syrian as saying via a voicemail.

The man using the pseudonym Abu Ahmad told AFP that he is traveling to Karabakh in the hope of better supporting his wife and of his children. Im waiting for my turn to go to Azerbaijan to save money, to come back and start some kind of business, he said from a refugee camp in northern Aleppo province.

A fighter from the town of Atareb in Aleppo province told AFP he is on the Karabakh front lines. Yes, I am in Azerbaijan, he wrote but declined to give further details.

According to the news agency, a source in his hometown said he is part of a unit whose commander, Mohammad Shaaban, has died in action. Shaaban was among four Syrians whose photos were shared on social media after being killed.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Sunday that more than 1,000 Turkish-backed mercenaries have been airlifted to Azerbaijan via Turkey so far and 72 of them have already been killed by Armenian troops in fierce fighting along the Karabakh line of contact.

The Turkish government is preparing a new batch of Syrian fighters to be sent to Azerbaijan in the next few days, said the London-based group. It said most of them are of Turkic descent.

According to the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, in the Turkish-controlled town of Afrin the recruitment process is handled by a Syrian Turkmen commander known as Seif Abu Bakr.

The registration of militants takes place in a small office in Afrin, wrote the paper. It said they are then transported to the Turkish city of Gaziantep and flown to Azerbaijan via Istanbul.
A Security Analyst, Adam Bonah, says the National Security Minister, Albert Kan Dapaah, should be fired for not able to handle the separatist tensions in the Volta Region.

When you go to our National Security Minister, for me, I think that he should have been fired because he is superintending over this chaos, Mr. Bonah said on The Big Issue.

In a further call for accountability, he also says the Attorney General should have provided Ghanaians with reasons why some arrested separatists were freed in 2019.

Let me just say I think that by now the Attorney General should be responding to why these people were freed. The AG hasnt told us anything. So we dont know where Papavi is. The AG represents Ghana in terms of legal issues and should tell us what happened.

He added that the Speaker of Parliament should have called for an emergency sitting for the ministers whose office has something to do with the situation, like the MPs and the Security Minister, to provide Ghanaians with answers on how they are handling the situation with the Western Togoland secessionists.

The Security Analyst believes if the separatists had been monitored over the years, proper advice could have been given to the leadership of this country.

Some of us were expecting that at least, we have what I call institutional memory of these people. They just didnt spring up from anywhere, they started from somewhere. So the idea is that the technocrats, the politicians will come and go but you will have a certain Chief Director or you know, the people who still work around this.

His comments come on the back of recent disturbances in the Volta Region by some members of the secessionists' group, Homeland Study Group .

The group has made a number of attempts to push for the secession of parts of the Volta Region from Ghana for the creation of a Western Togoland.

 citinewsroom
Karl Stefanovic and Jasmine Yarbrough welcomed their first child together in May, daughter Harper May.

And on Sunday, the couple took their adorable five-month-old to the beach for the very first time.

Jasmine, 36, shared a family photo, taken at Sydney's Palm Beach, to Instagram.

Milestone moment! Karl Stefanovic, 46, and Jasmine Yarbrough, 36, took their five-month-old daughter Harper May (all pictured) to the beach for the first time, in Sydney on Sunday

In the sweet picture, proud father Karl, 46, crouched down while holding Harper May's hands as she stood up on the sand.

The Today show host cut a casual figure in a grey T-shirt, avocado print board shorts, a black cap and jewellery.

Little Harper looked cute as a button in a pink floral rash vest and swimmers.

While Jasmine wore a swimsuit and trendy round-rimmed sunglasses, and wrapped her arms around Karl's upper frame.

Husband and wife: Jasmine and Today host Karl welcomed Harper on May 1. She was born at Sydney's North Shore Private Hospital

'Harper's first day at the beach,' the footwear designer captioned the post.

Jasmine and Karl welcomed Harper on May 1. She was born at Sydney's North Shore Private Hospital.

In a statement to the Today show at the time, Karl said: 'Harper and Jasmine are doing well and dad had a great night's sleep.'

He added: 'I am in awe. Harper is absolutely perfect.'

The happy news was also announced on Weekend Today on Saturday May 2, by Karl's colleague and close friend, Richard Wilkins.

Proud father: In a statement to the Today show at the time, Karl said of baby Harper (pictured): 'I am in awe. Harper is absolutely perfect'

Richard confirmed that Harper weighed 2.9kg at the time of her birth and was born the day prior, just after midday.

Karl met Jasmine in late 2016, five months after his split from wife of 21 years, Cassandra Thorburn.

The new couple wed in a lavish ceremony at the One&Only Palmilla resort in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, in December 2018.

Karl is already a father to three children shared with Cassandra: son Jackson, 21, daughter Ava, 14, and son River, 12.
An announcement will be made soon by ViacomCBS Australia & New Zealand as to who will lead Network 10 with content boss Beverley McGarvey.

When CEO Paul Anderson departed in March a decision was made to have a dual-head structure.

UK-based executive search firm Mission Bay has been searching for a chief operations and commercial officer (COCO).

The Australian Financial Review reports the role is likely to be given to an internal ViacomCBS candidate, with management consulting experience, and likely coming from the US.

Both will report to Maria Kyriacou, president of ViacomCBS Networks Internationals operations in Australia and the UK, who recently moved to the US giant from ITV studios.

A Network 10 spokesman said, an announcement will be made soon.

10 Upfronts are October 15.
Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden hit the streets in the Ridin with Biden parade on Saturday afternoon in Laredo.

Thousands of people gathered around the parking lots along the Rio Grande close to The Outlet Shoppes at Laredo to showcase their support. They showcased all kinds of makeshift and official Biden-Harris signs, flags and other campaign gear to show their enthusiasm for electing the former vice president into the highest office in the nation.

It took us two hours to do the entire parade, Webb County Democratic Party chair Sylvia Bruni said. I was absolutely thrilled with the community that came out. It was very much community-oriented as we wanted to make sure that it was done well, and we had no issues as Laredo is still under emergency order as more than 10 people cannot gather in one place, and everything was flawless as everybody did everything that they had to do.

According to Bruni, everyone that attended the event wore a face mask, practiced social distancing and used hand sanitizer and other safety procedures.

During the event, candidates like Rep. Henry Cuellar (TX-28) and the campaign staff of other candidates like Texas State Sen.Judith Zaffirini and other local offices were present at the event. There were also signs voicing their opposition to the border wall and signs showing support for the Democratic party in both English and Spanish.

Cuellar also spoke briefly before the event began to energize the parade-goers before the route officially began throughout the city. The congressman touted that voting Democratic matters as Democratic presidents have ushered in social security, health care and the civil rights era.

In your car, if you are going to go forward you put the D and if you are going to go back and reverse you put the R, which we all know that as it is a basic thing, Cuellar said. So just like in driving then it is the same thing in voting as if you want to move forward and make sure you protect education, health care and make sure you protect voting rights, civil rights and stop the wall then you put the D and vote Democratic.

According to Bruni, everyone present at the event was excited and ready to go out and vote for their partys choice.

Aside from candidates, various local officials were also present such as Webb County Treasurer Raul L. Reyes who spoke about how he is proud of being a Democrat. He said he is excited about voting in the upcoming election and getting a president that represents the values of the people.

Booths were set up along the riverbank parking where people could voice their reasons for supporting Biden. There was also a drive-thru voter registration area and a food donation area for people to leave non-perishable food items for the local food bank.

The event had a smaller turnout than the Trump Train from about a month ago. However, Bruni said they were not aiming to get a bigger turnout but to show the strong support democrats have in the city.

Quite frankly, I have no idea how many people showed up because having a large turnout was never the sole idea as we didnt have a goal for numbers, Bruni said. We just wanted Laredo Democrats to have an opportunity to ride out with us and let the rest of the town know what we believe in.

Jesse Sepulveda, who attended the event along the riverbanks, voiced his enthusiasm about the upcoming election.

Honestly, I thought this election was not going to be as exciting as others due to everything that is going on, but it turns out that it might be one of the most exciting of them all, Sepulveda said.

Sylvia Sanchez was unable to attend the event because of work, but she said she has been a Democrat for some time and has immense support for Biden.

I am going to vote on Day 1, Sanchez said. I think that besides the importance of attending these events or not is to go out and vote, which I am deciding to go on the first day of early voting as I want to make sure that I go when there are less people and my vote is counted as soon as possible for the next president of the United States.

Bruni is confident that if Democrats go out to the polls, and if there is no Republican surprise, then it is evident that the county will stay blue and perhaps even help turn the state blue for Biden.

If we can get our people to vote, despite what the other side says that they can turn the county red, then we can turn this state blue as well and get our country back on the right track again, Bruni said. Traditionally, we have had maybe like 5,000 Republicans that go out to vote, and I know there are some who hide behind the Democratic ticket. However, unless we have a massive influx of people that never voted, I doubt it. I am confident that we are going to stay a Democratic county.

The parade route involved going through downtown to parts of south Laredo and to north Laredo before ending just past the Democratic headquarters located along McPherson Road. Bruni said she was appreciative of the efforts of the Laredo Police Department for helping guide and protect the participants.

Although the parade did go to some parts of south Laredo, Bruni said it is important for other smaller events to be held soon by local Webb County Democrats in south Laredo and in areas such as El Cenizo and Rio Bravo.

The event comes weeks after the Trump Train, an event organized by local Republicans to help show their support to the president that also paraded throughout the city beginning at The Outlet Shoppes parking lot as well. A new Trump Train is expected to hit the streets of Laredo next weekend as members of both political parties aim to get the vote out.

For us, the most important step to take is to go and vote, Bruni said. Every single vote counts, and that is what we must do to win.

jorge.vela@lmtonline.com
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden waves to supporters outside Amtrak's train station in Greensburg, Pa., on Sept. 30. (Associated Press)

Westmoreland County, a collection of rolling green hills and aging industrial towns east of Pittsburgh, is difficult terrain for Democrats.

Long a labor union stronghold, its once-reliable Democratic voters swung Republican as steel and glass manufacturing jobs disappeared in the last decades of the last century  and as Democrats became a party of racial diversity and upscale professionals.

Since 2000, Republicans have won every presidential race here. In 2016, Donald Trump won 64% of votes cast.

Yet here was Joe Biden, stepping off a chartered Amtrak train on a daylong tour of Ohio and Pennsylvania last week, waving to 150 supporters who summoned him out of the 1910-vintage station with chants of We want Joe!

It was almost an old-fashioned Democratic whistle-stop campaign event  almost, because coronavirus precautions prevented Biden from getting near the crowd or removing his mask.

Bidens message, delivered a few minutes later at a union hall, was old-fashioned too  with a dash of Bernie Sanders added in.

There was an expression when I was growing up: You go home with them that brung you to the dance. And labor brought me to the dance a long time ago, Biden said. The only people who can take on major corporate interests and the oligarchs who are abusing ordinary men and women are organized labor.

A lot of people around here voted for Donald Trump the last time, and I get it, the former vice president added. I hear them. I respect them. I know them. They are family.

If Trump's promise to Make America Great Again weaponizes nostalgia for the 1950s, Bidens campaign seems fueled by its own yearning for a bygone day  the era when Democrats routinely won the votes of white working-class men.

It's not so much the 1950s as some imagined combination of the 1960s, before culture wars divided the party, and 2008, when Barack Obama stitched together its last successful coalition.

A lot of white working-class Democrats thought we forgot them and didnt pay attention, Biden told reporters, implicitly critiquing Hillary Clintons loss in 2016. I want them to know  I get it. I get their sense of being left behind.

Story continues

Theres evidence, even in solid-red Westmoreland County, that he has made some headway  at least before Trump's coronavirus infection upended the campaign.

Outside the station in Greensburg, Marian Ruokonen, 65, a retired county employee who voted for Trump in 2016, said she was ready to switch sides.

Im leaning toward Biden this time, she told me. My husband is still with Trump, but not me. Trumps a bully.

For many in the crowd, the main factor driving their votes was their distaste for Trump, not a deeply felt allegiance toward Biden.

I asked Gerard Rendine, a 65-year-old former autoworker, what he liked most about Biden. We gotta get Trump out of there, he replied. Hes made us the laughingstock of the world.

Statewide polls suggest Biden is making progress, too. A Fox News poll Sept. 24 found that Biden has opened a 51% to 44% lead in Pennsylvania. Trump won the state narrowly in 2016.

The Fox poll found that white Pennsylvanians without a college education  the working-class voters Biden is aiming for  still favor Trump, 57% to 40%. But thats much closer than the lopsided 64% to 32% Trump won among those voters in 2016, according to exit polls.

Biden doesnt claim that he has a chance to attract a majority of white working-class voters. And local Democrats agree, saying the goal is to cut Trumps margin.

Were in a pretty deep hole, Tara Yokopenic, chairwoman of Westmoreland Countys Democrats, told me. Were not going to get out of it in just one year.

But she said Bidens history as a moderate Democrat made her job easier.

Hes a good candidate for Westmoreland, she said. Hes an old-fashioned guy, a blue-collar guy.

Beyond Pennsylvania, Democrats face similar challenges rebuilding their old coalition.

Its going to be a tough sell, said William A. Galston, a scholar at the Brookings Institution who worked in Bill Clintons White House.

We have to face up to the fact that some aspects of the modern Democratic Party are unattractive to parts of the electorate  the influence of women, of African Americans and other minorities, the focus on a new economy.

At the seventh campaign stop of an 11-hour day, Biden hoarsely delivered his message one last time, to a drive-in rally in Cambria County outside the Amtrak station in Johnstown, another once-Democratic town thats now a Trump stronghold.

Donald Trump will never understand that Wall Street didn't build this country, he said. The middle class built America, and unions built the middle class.

Outside the event, a few dozen Biden supporters who didnt have tickets braved an autumn chill to watch from a parking lot across the narrow Conemaugh River.

Dump Trump! they chanted sporadically, the part of the Democrats pitch that united them most.

Its not a complicated message, but it may be enough to enable Biden to win the swing state where he was born.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Gurugram, Oct 4 : The Haryana BJP on Sunday defended the farm laws enacted recently by the Centre and slammed the Congress for "playing politics of propaganda" over the issue.

Haryana BJP chief Om Prakash Dhankar, who was in Gurugram to launch 'Seva Hi Sangathan' - an e-book highlighting the social work done by BJP workers in all 22 districts during the Covid-induced lockdown, hit out at the Congress and its former President Rahul Gandhi over "propaganda" by the opposition against the farmers' bills.

Addressing reporters duing the event, Dhankar alleged that the Congress is spreading confusion over the farm laws across the state, and organising several events, including the burning of a tractor in Delhi, to create more tension among the farmers.

Noting that in Punjab, the Centre will spend Rs 32,000 crore on the purchase of kharif crop, he said: "Government of Punjab will earn more than Rs 1,700 crore market fees. Despite this, the gimmick continues. Congress has always played the agent's role." The BJP leader also said that during the lockdown, about 90,000 BJP workers distributed more than 1.46 crore food packets across the state. Besides, over 13 lakh ration packets were sent to the needy, over 12 lakh face masks and 20 lakh sanitisers distributed, while nearly 8 lakh migrant labourers in the state were sent back safely to their homes.
Haryana deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala on Sunday accused the Congress of misguiding the gullible farmers on the newly enacted agriculture laws.

Haryana farmers are aware of who is safeguarding their interests. The state and the Centre have taken many historical decisions in the interest of farmers, he said, while speaking to reporters at his residence in Sirsa on Sunday.

Rahul Gandhi doesnt fully understand the three agriculture laws brought by the Centre...My doors are always open for farmers. I am a farmer and ready for any questions from them, he added.
Its been a terrible summer for Hertz (NYSE:HTZ). And frankly, for holders of HTZ stock, this is probably going to get much worse.

Hertz stock sign in Montevrain, France on May 8, 2016.

Source: aureliefrance / Shutterstock.com

Lets be honest. The prudent investment move would have been to sell those shares in May and never look back. May is when the storied rental car company filed for bankruptcy and began a trip to render its stock worthless. As in nothing. Zero.

This is not an outcome anyone would like to see  other than its rivals, perhaps.

InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips

How Did HTZ Stock Get Here?

Hertz is a name well known for renting autos. As a longtime player in the car-rental field, the Florida-based companys gold logo is widely recognized behind airport counters and standalone rental centers across the nation.

The car-rental business is a competitive one and consumers have a lot of choices. In addition to the list of leaders that travelers can name, many large cities also have some companies that are lesser known and are content to exist on the margins. And since Americans love to travel and then drive, renting cars to them usually rolls right along.

Until it doesnt.

The arrival of the novel coronavirus last winter set in motion several impacts, headlined by the loss of more than 200,000 lives in the U.S. It is a devastatingly huge number. Or, as President Donald Trump asserts, It is what it is.

In response, many people stayed close to home. Global travel essentially stopped. Airlines parked airplanes. Normally bustling airports took on an eerie emptiness.

And, those car-rental counters had no customers.

The Bankruptcy Dance

Making money is much easier when times are good. A steady economy makes most companies look better. But a bad economy puts pressure on all businesses. Its not as easy to look good when times are tough. This kind of situation separates the companies that were ready from those that werent prepared.

Story continues

Hertz executives took the company into bankruptcy in May when they filed for a Chapter 11 restructuring bid. This process will quickly show executives what its like to have to answer for almost everything  especially when it comes to spending money.

For example, Hertz executives paid $16.2 million to around 300 employees shortly before the company filed for bankruptcy. These were termed retention payments meant to keep the employees on the job during the uncertain course of bankruptcy.

The company wasnt done handing out money, however.

Hertz also planned to pay $5.4 million in bonuses to its top 14 executives  yes, they also were paid rentention payments, too. Just what these executives did to warrant those bonuses is not clear. From here, though, Id have to say running a company into the ground hardly shows an executive bonus of any kind is justified.

Bankruptcy Judge Mary Walrith said the bonus plan seems offensive. As reported by Yahoo Finance, she also is questioning the retention payments.

More has to be done to show why employees who got retention bonuses and agreed to stay with the company are not going to do their best to see that the company survives and succeeds, the judge said.

Company Performance

HTZ stock holders, meanwhile, arent in line for bonus payments. The companys second-quarter earnings report from the company was, well, rather dismal.

The company reported a 67% revenue drop and a loss of $587 million. Im really surprised the company didnt post a larger drop in revenue given the circumstances created by Covid-19. Nevertheless, the companys managers have displayed some skill at hoarding cash. As of June 30, Hertz said it had $1.4 billion on hand.

In light of the proposed executive bonus payments, we see why they held onto all that cash.

Bloomberg recently reported Hertz is negotiating with potential lenders for a loan to get through the bankruptcy process.

The Bottom Line

Hertz is taking shareholders down a dead-end road. Executives seem laser-focused on paying themselves. This is despite the company being on life support, as my InvestorPlace colleague David Moadel wrote recently.

Yes, I know, the HTZ stock is cheap. It is cheap for a reason. These days there are plenty of people out there who are drawn to cheap stocks. But in this case, that siren call is really a shrill warning to avoid a collision with reality.

If you own HTZ stock and keep it during Chapter 11 in the hope that all works out in the end, you probably will end up with worthless shares. This stuff is circling the drain. Sell that stock. And, anyone thinking of buying shares of HTZ would be far better off to buy and enjoy a nice cup of coffee at that well-known coffee company.

On the date of publication, Larry Sullivan did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article.

Larry Sullivan is a veteran journalist in Florida who has covered banking and finance for several years. He is a former investing editor at U.S. News & World Report in Washington D.C.

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Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani speaks during a news conference held by U.S. President Donald Trump in the Briefing Room of the White House on September 27, 2020 in Washington. (Joshua Roberts/Getty Images)

Giuliani: I Hold China Responsible for What Happened to Trump

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said he holds China responsible for President Donald Trump becoming infected with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus.

Giuliani, the presidents personal attorney, made the comment in an interview with Fox News on Oct. 4.

Dont be paralyzed, please, our economy has to come back for the good of our children, Giuliani said in reference to how Americans should deal with the risk of the virus.

And we assert ourselves as the most powerful nation on earth because otherwise you know who will? The country that attacked us, China. And they attacked us with this, believe me, Giuliani said. I hold them responsible for what happened to my president the day before yesterday and everybody else.

The CCP virus outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. The CCPs attempts to cover up the contagion and the regimes overall negligence contributed to the global outbreak of the virus. Trump regularly refers to the virus as the China virus.

The president has said the United States will make China pay a very substantial price for its role in the outbreak, but official actions have so far been limited to a travel ban meant to stop the spread of the disease and the freezing of the trade talks.

There are a lot of ways you can hold them accountable, Trump said on April 27. We are not happy with China, we are not happy with that whole situation. Because we believe it could have been stopped at the source, it could have been stopped quickly and it wouldnt have spread all over the world.

Giuliani said he spoke to the president on Oct. 3 for 35 to 40 minutes about his health and politics. Trump passed Giuliani messages to his reelection campaign.

I had to kind of get him off the phone so he went back and rested. He did say that hed love to get out as quickly as possible, Giuliani said.

He feels like he could go out now. He said he felt pretty bad the first day, but now he feels, for the last 24 hoursand that was 3 oclock yesterdayhe felt perfectly fine. No fever. A little tired but not very tired. For him to feel a little tired is nothing.

Prior to the president testing positive, Giuliani spent hours in a room with Trump and two others who had also tested positiveformer White House adviser Kellyanne Conway and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Giuliani said he tested negative for the virus on Oct. 2 and that he plans to be tested again on Oct. 5.

The former New York City mayor told Fox News that he advised Trump to listen to the doctors and take a break from campaigning while supporters and allies fill for him on the campaign trail.

Those of us who love him and care about him, makes you want to cry to think of what theyve done to him. Every single day hes been in the White House, they tried to get him out. From the day he started until now. I mean, last week Nancy Pelosi wanted to impeach him because he nominated Judge [Amy Coney] Barrett, Giuliani said.

They have tortured this man and hes accomplished more than any president I can remember, so maybe hes entitled to a little rest, and I said to him, Youve got a lot of friends, theyre all calling me, they all want to go out and help you. You know, we cant campaign as well as you can, but we can campaign.'
(Natural News) Two men have been indicted by a grand jury for wantonly and recklessly readmitting elderly veterans who tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus (covid-19) back into the Holyoke Soldiers Home care facility where they were living, which allegedly led to the deaths of 76 patients and staff.

Bennett Walsh, 50, and Dr. David Clinton, 71, are being accused of criminal negligence in the matter, for which they now face federal charges. The claim is that returning Wuhan coronavirus (covid-19) patients back to the facility after they were treated at area hospitals led to an outbreak of the novel virus that killed dozens of others.

Even though Anthony Fauci back in July declared that New York did it correctly in fighting the Wuhan coronavirus (covid-19), now serving as a model template for other states to follow, policies in the Empire State that allowed Walsh and Clinton to do what they did are now being dubbed as negligent.

Similar policies exist in nearby Massachusetts, by the way, where Wuhan coronavirus (covid-19) patients were sent back to their long-term care facilities as a rule of thumb. In other words, caretakers had no choice but to follow this procedure, and are now being scapegoated as criminals for simply abiding by the rules.

According to reports, Walsh and Clinton each face five counts for two charges of permitting or causing bodily injury and abuse, neglect or mistreatment of an older or disabled person.

As staff members called out en masse and the coronavirus spread like wildfire through the home, the administrators made some desperate decisions that led to patients being crowded into new wards, with COVID-positive, and non-positive, patients mingling without any protection, reports Zero Hedge about the case.

If you are interested in reading more stories like this one about the fallout from the Wuhan coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic, you can do so at Pandemic.news.

Should elderly care facility heads be held responsible if their residents die from covid-19?

Details about what transpired that led to the charges were outlined by The New York Times and reiterated by Zero Hedge. You can get up to speed on those if you are interested by checking out this link.

This writers summary of those details is this: Walsh and Clinton made some decisions in the heat of the pandemic that supposedly intermixed infected people with uninfected people, resulting in an outbreak. And this outbreak, sadly, resulted in dozens of people dying, supposedly from the virus.

Neither of the two likely intended to harm anyone, and yet the nature of the novel virus was still unknown, as the incident occurred back in March. Consequently, some people died who may have died anyway due to age and preexisting conditions  again, not necessarily at the fault of those in charge who apparently did what they thought was best.

On the other hand, employees at the facility told investigators that they believe some of the decisions made were, in fact, reckless. The merging of a covid-19 ward with a dementia ward was the most insane thing I ever saw in my entire life, one employee reportedly stated.

The residents in the consolidated unit were allegedly mingling together, regardless of Covid-19 status, the investigators office reported.

Another thing to consider is that the Wuhan coronavirus (covid-19) had, around this time, been declared as the perfect killing machine for the elderly and the infirmed, which implies that the decision to comingle infected and non-infected people was reckless.

Should it not fall on the politicians in charge of New York and Massachusetts to bear responsibility, though? What do you think? Should senior care facility managers be held responsible for deaths arising from misplaced government policies?

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

CNBC.com

NaturalNews.com
The Miners Memorial in Nanty Glo, a small town in Pennsylvania's Cambria County. The county was one of dozens in rural Pennsylvania where Donald Trump won more votes in 2016 than previous Republican presidential candidates, helping fuel his razor-thin, 44,000-vote victory over Hillary Clinton. Even a marginally better performance by Biden could have big implications in a swing state that could decide the 2020 election. Read more

JOHNSTOWN, Pa.  Robert Pristas works part-time at a library outside Johnstown and does well for himself investing on the side. He says Joe Biden is probably a decent guy. But Pristas, 61, is voting for President Donald Trump because he fears Democrats will raise taxes.

Andy Szekeresh lives 20 miles north of Johnstown in Ebensburg, in the rolling hills of Cambria County. A retired maintenance worker, he supported Trump four years ago but now plans to vote for Biden. The country wasnt ready for a lady president like that, Szekeresh, 71, said of Hillary Clinton.

And Biden? Hes OK," Szekeresh said. Its just, we need a change and a new president, thats all.

Thats hardly a ringing endorsement. But the less-than-hostile attitude expressed by voters like Pristas, and the tepid support from voters like Szekeresh, point to a significant difference between 2016 and 2020: In the rural areas of Pennsylvania where Trump draws his strongest and most resilient support, his opponent this time simply isnt loathed like last time.

And that could make all the difference for Biden in places like Cambria County, where Trump won more votes than any presidential candidate in decades. In doing so, he shattered longtime Pennsylvania GOP orthodoxy holding that the party needed to be reasonably competitive in areas like the Philadelphia suburbs to win statewide.

Polls and interviews with about 20 voters in Cambria County last month show Trump retains deep support in a region that was anchored for much of the 20th century by steel and coal industries but has struggled to find a postindustrial identity. The presidents supporters praise his forceful opposition to illegal immigration, his confrontation with China on trade, and his emphasis on law and order. They call him a fighter and express dismay about a future without him in the White House.

Trump has to win," said Joseph Juretic, 69, a retired union electrical worker who lives in Johnstown. Trump is holding the line as far as trade, the economy, the pandemic, all the riots."

If Biden gets in," he added, "its all gonna fall apart.

But Biden doesnt generate the kind of intense, visceral opposition many voters held  and still hold  for Clinton.

Two polls of Pennsylvania voters last week showed Biden with almost a double-digit lead in the state, fueled partly by his strength in the suburbs. Trump is holding strong in central Pennsylvania. But he has lost some support among rural voters overall in the state, according to a New York Times poll. And both the Times survey and a Washington Post poll found that Trumps advantage with white voters who didnt go to college  especially women  has slipped.

Trumps announcement Friday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus added new uncertainty to the race, and at a minimum was likely to keep the pandemic at the forefront of a campaign in which hes tried to focus on just about anything else.

Analysts and strategists in both parties see Pennsylvania as the state most likely to decide the election. If Trump is to mount a comeback in the final 30 days of the race, hell likely need an even bigger landslide in the broad swath of Pennsylvania between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh known in political parlance as The T.

Cambria County was already trending more Republican by 2016, but Trump accelerated the shift. Mitt Romney won 58% of the vote in 2012, and Trumps share jumped to 67%. The population has been declining for decades, and the county is whiter, less affluent, and has a greater share of residents who didnt go to college than Pennsylvania as a whole.

The same electoral pattern played out in dozens of rural counties and small towns across the state in 2016, totaling tens of thousands of votes Trump got that Romney and previous GOP nominees didnt. Trumps gains there, combined with his strong performance in traditionally Democratic areas like Northeast Pennsylvania, fueled his winning margin of just 44,000 votes.

Bidens challenge in rural areas can be boiled down to this: Dont get crushed as badly as Clinton did. He took an Amtrak train tour Wednesday through Trump-friendly parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania, ending with a drive-in rally in Johnstown, where he drew a parallel to his childhood hometown of Scranton: I promise you this: I see you. I hear you. I respect you. I grew up with you.

Many Democrats here doubt Biden can break Trumps grip on the county. Biden supporters here see a region awash in Trump signs, a reliable bloc of antiabortion voters, and antipathy toward face-mask mandates.

Were so economically depressed here, and unfortunately racism has existed here just as it has in every part of the nation, said Walt Wojnaroski, 69, a retired liquor-store manager. And this fear that [Trump] relies upon is very productive for him.

American carnage

It wasnt long ago that Democrats were still winning federal elections here. Barack Obama narrowly carried the county in 2008. The late U.S. Rep. John Murtha was known for steering defense spending to his Johnstown-area district, attracting contractors like Lockheed Martin.

After Murtha died in 2010, the city erected a seven-foot bronze statue of him downtown.

Democrats still control the Cambria County Board of Commissioners, but the national partys appeal ebbed as its liberal positions on issues like abortion and gun control hardened and labor unions' influence waned. Trump, speaking in 2016 just steps from the Murtha statue, said the political system failed the workers of Johnstown and gave your jobs to foreign producers.

Registered Republicans surpassed Democrats this year.

Donald Bonk, an economic development consultant whose family owned a grocery store in the city for decades, remembers when some 12,000 people worked in Bethlehem Steels mills in the 1970s. But the industry was already in trouble when a major flood hit Johnstown in 1977. Bethlehem Steel left for good in 1992.

The poverty rate in this city of 19,800 is 38.7%, triple the statewide figure, according to the most recent census estimates.

When he said 'American carnage, that hit me right in the belly, Bonk, a Democrat who serves on Bidens PA Rural Coalition, said of Trumps inaugural address. I felt it. It was real. It was carnage.

As Bonk and other Democrats point out, Trump didnt bring back the steel jobs. The unemployment rate in Cambria County fell slightly from 7.1% to 6.4% between January 2017, when Trump took office, and February 2020, before the onset of the pandemic. But that wasnt driven by hiring: More people stopped looking for jobs and werent considered part of the workforce, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

As of July, the unemployment rate had doubled to 13.1%.

They wanna burn our house down because Im a Democrat'

If you turn on the radio these days in the Johnstown area, youll hear Biden fumbling his words as a narrator proclaims hes too weak to be president. The message  pushed often by Trump but this time in an ad by a pro-Trump super PAC  resonates with some voters.

Chuck Voyda, 80, a retired public works director in Ebensburg, voted for Obama before supporting Trump in 2016. Hes sticking with the president.

Biden has too many people pulling his strings, Voyda said.

Like much of Cambria County, Ebensburg, a town of 3,200, is predominantly Catholic. The downtown area, which features dance studios, a farmers market, and a restaurant that serves craft beer, attracts thousands of visitors for its annual fall potato festival  canceled this year because of the pandemic.

Barbara Westrick, 69, a Biden supporter, doesnt see much hope for him in the area. Were a rare commodity here, she said.

Her husband, Mick, 70, suspects his pro-Trump neighbor has been stealing their Biden signs.

They wanna burn our house down because Im a Democrat, said Mick Westrick, a retired Department of Corrections worker.

Sam Billetdeaux, 18, lives across the street. Billetdeaux, a high school senior, said he wants to go to trade school and might become a plumber. I like being hands-on with the things I do, he said outside his parents' house, where a Keep America Great banner hangs over the porch.

Hes casting his first vote for Trump. He doesnt put up with peoples BS, Billetdeaux said.

Ready for fisticuffs

Plenty of voters have little regard for Biden.

James Bender, 62, lives about 10 miles northeast of Ebensburg off Route 219, in a remote area on the outskirts of Loretto. Not far from his house, wind turbines tower over some 2,700 acres of farmland  one of several wind farms in the region. There are more small towns, miles of Trump signs, and others that declare, All Lives Matter.

On a Monday afternoon last month, Bender was drinking a Bud Light outside his garage. A truck driver who hauls coal and other freight, he had some time to relax until his next 300-mile haul at 3 a.m.

Two big flags welcome visitors out front: one showing Trump standing on a tank, and another in which Trumps face is superimposed over Sylvester Stallones character in the movie Rambo, holding a machine gun.

Four more years, he can get rid of that swamp there, Bender said.

A former Democrat, he long ago stopped voting for the partys presidential candidates  though he said Murtha got a lot done for highways and everything around here.

He chafed at Gov. Tom Wolfs order to wear a face covering in public  that aint never happening  and lamented that Fox News had lost some of its punch.

He didnt mince words about Biden: I hated him with Obama and I hate the Clintons.

Bender worries that undocumented immigrants and people on government assistance would get too much money under Biden. The Lord said you live by the sweat of your brow, he said.

 READ MORE: Women in Pittsburghs wealthy suburbs could help Biden beat Trump in Pennsylvania

Back in Ebensburg, Kathy Pettorini, a retired teacher, had been thinking about her Catholic faith. God wants to turn back Roe v. Wade, she recalled thinking after Trump won, referring to the Supreme Courts landmark abortion ruling. She supports limited abortion rights and fears that outcome is even more likely after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

After the 2016 election, she taped a sign next to her front door that read PROUD DEMOCRAT.

To limit possible coronavirus exposure, Pettorini only leaves the house to go grocery shopping. As she sat down to talk about the election, she had a lot on her mind: About tyranny taking hold in the United States and nobody doing anything about it. The super spreader events across the street, where maskless neighbors gather for concerts. The guilt and shame she feels as she reads Caste, a new book about racism in America.

I am so hot about this  you know what? Pettorini said, pounding two books shed fetched from her home. I swear to God, Im ready for fisticuffs!

Every now and then, she sees a glimmer of hope. A woman new to the area recently stopped by to admire Pettorinis plants.

Then, Pettorini recalled, the woman lowered her voice to a whisper to confess: I like your sign.
Arizona News

Washington, DC - A bipartisan coalition of 40 attorneys general, led by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, sent a letter urging Congress to enact new consumer protection measures for airline industry customers as part of a financial relief package or in separate legislation as soon as possible.

Even though the airlines have already received billions in taxpayer bailouts, customers continue to have problems when it comes to their policies, said Attorney General Mark Brnovich. Its time to give States the authority to enforce consumer protection laws to ensure everyone plays by the rules and is held accountable."

The United States passenger and cargo airline industry received nearly $60 billion in federal stimulus funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Congress is currently considering extending federal support by another six months and granting the industry an additional $28 billion in payroll support.

In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, Attorney General Brnovich and his colleagues called on Congress to enact the following consumer protections either in conjunction with additional financial support to prevent airline industry layoffs and furloughs or as soon as possible thereafter:

Requiring carriers that receive federal financial relief to provide full refunds to customers who voluntarily cancel their flight reservations for reasons related to COVID-19;

Strengthening existing laws requiring refunds for flight cancellations to be remitted in full and according to federal law, and preventing delays in the issuance of refunds or expirations that effectively cancel the value reimbursed; and

Authorizing state attorneys general to enforce federal airline consumer protection laws, thereby broadening consumer violation enforcement beyond a single federal agency.

In enacting the CARES Act, Congress included several taxpayer protections connected to federal stimulus funds received by the airline industry. Since passage of the CARES Act, however, the attorneys general note that consumers continue to experience issues with certain airlines. Consumer complaints range from failure to expeditiously refund customers, as required by law, when flights were cancelled or significantly delayed; to failing to provide customers a means to promptly redeem vouchers or credits; and to not providing a reliable way for customers to resolve such problems.

These problems resulted in consumers losing thousands of dollars in flight credits. The coalition notes that these examples are particularly disturbing considering airlines benefited from taxpayer-funded federal relief payments and loans. To be sure, the attorneys general recognize the importance of protecting the industry and its employees during this difficult time; they also believe that doing so is compatible with protecting consumers. If there is insufficient time or ability to include critical consumer protections as part of the enacted relief measures, then Congress should act to do so in subsequent legislation as soon as possible.

Finally, the coalition requests that if attorneys general are not provided dual consumer enforcement authority, that the federal government provide a more transparent and robust consumer complaint process. In particular, the attorneys general request authority for the consumer complaint investigation process be removed from the U.S. Department of Transportation and moved to a more consumer protection-focused agency such as the U.S. Department of Justice or the Federal Trade Commission.

With the backing of 40 of the nations attorneys general, the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) has chosen to endorse the letter as one of its official policy positions. Historically, NAAG endorses less than a dozen policies a year.

Joining Attorney General Brnovich, are attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
1. Yes. Too many kids are staying home. They need a virtual learning option to keep up.

2. Yes. Teachers are out sick and subs cant handle the load. Online learning is needed.

3. No. Its too late in the school year to make a wholesale switch in teaching platforms.

4.No. Many parents arent in a position to stay home while their kids learn virtually.

5. Unsure. It may seem like a good idea from a health standpoint, but it has shortcomings.

Vote

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-05 00:26:15|Editor: huaxia

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KHARTOUM, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Sudanese government and armed groups on Sunday promised that they will implement all items of their final peace deal without delay.

This promise came at the first meeting between the Sudanese government and armed groups in Juba, capital of South Sudan, a day after the signing of the final peace deal.

"The two sides agreed on the necessity of unity of the signatories to the agreement. We also agreed not to delay any item of the agreement as they are governed by timetables," said Mohamed Al-Hassan Al-Taishi, a member of Sudan's Sovereign Council and spokesman of the government's negotiating team, in a statement.

"It is important that we begin implementation of the security arrangements to prove to the Sudanese people that the war has stopped and the phase of establishing the institutions agreed upon in the agreement has begun," he added.

Al-Hadi Idris, chairman of the Sudan Revolutionary Front, the alliance of the nine armed groups signing the peace deal, also highlighted the armed groups' earnestness in implementing the deal.

He noted the peace deal will be included in the constitutional document in fewer than two weeks.

On Saturday, the Sudanese government and armed groups signed a final peace deal in Juba to end their armed conflicts.

The deal ends about 17 years of conflict in Sudan's Darfur region and about 9 years of war in South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions.

According to UN statistics, the Darfur conflict, which erupted in 2003, has left around 300,000 dead and 2.5 million others displaced, while the war in South Kordofan and Blue Nile has affected about 1 million people since its outbreak in 2011.

The final peace deal included protocols of security arrangements, power and wealth sharing, compensation for the displaced people and refugees, land ownership and realization of justice and development.

Since October 2019, South Sudan has been mediating between the Sudanese government and the armed groups from Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions.

Sudan's Justice and Equality Movement, led by Jibril Ibrahim, the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) /Minni Minnawi faction, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM)/northern sector and opposition groups from eastern, central and northern Sudan, took part in the talks with the government.

It is worth noting that the SPLM/northern sector did not ink the peace deal, while the SLM/Abdul-Wahid Mohamed Nur faction even refused to join the peace talks. Enditem
The United States has released guidance on its immigration laws that will make it almost impossible for members of a Communist party or similar to be granted permanent residence or citizenship of America.

The announcement was made in a policy alert issued on Friday by the US Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS).

In a sign Washington is dusting off its Cold War-era legislation, the agency said: In general, unless otherwise exempt, any intending immigrant who is a member or affiliate of the Communist Party or any other totalitarian party  domestic or foreign, is inadmissible to the United States.

Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China.

The law effectively blocks members of the Chinese Communist Party from ever obtaining permanent residency or citizenship of the US, and reinforces the widening ideology gap between the worlds two largest economies that has already damaged people-to-people exchanges.

The USCIS said the policy amendment was part of a broader set of laws passed by Congress to address threats to the safety and security of the United States.

While the alert did not mention the Chinese Communist Party, which has 90 million members, by name, it adds a new dimension to the ongoing rivalry between Beijing and Washington.

Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief Chinese tabloid newspaper Global Times, took a positive view of the rule change, saying the immigration restriction would help keep more talents in China.

Many outstanding talents in China are Communist Party members, he said on Twitter.

According to the announcement, exceptions may be granted if a party member can prove they joined for the purposes of obtaining employment, food rations, or other essentials of living.

The policy builds on a law dating back to 1918 that classified communists, anarchists and others as security threats because of their political affiliations.

Story continues

The US also reinforced its immigration laws during the Cold War, its decades-long stand-off with the Soviet Union.

The 1950 Internal Security Act was the first to exclude foreign members of communist or totalitarian parties from becoming naturalised US citizens.

There are no official figures for how many members of the Chinese Communist Party have residency or citizenship in the US.

Since taking office in 2012, Chinese President Xi Jinping has launched several campaigns to crack down on government officials holding US green cards or other foreign passports. Under Communist Party rules, members face expulsion for taking up foreign residency and Chinese law forbids any citizen from adopting dual citizenship.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, a US think tank, there were 2.5 million Chinese immigrants in the United States in 2018, or about 5.5 per cent of its total foreign-born population.

The same year, China accounted for 67,000 of the 1.1 million people granted permanent residency of the US, ranking it third in the nation of origin table after Mexico and Cuba.

Almost all Chinese government officials are members of the Communist Party, as are most executives of state-owned enterprises and officials at public institutions.

Past and present members include: Li Wenliang, the Wuhan doctor who flagged the risk of coronavirus, and Ren Zhiqiang, the property tycoon and critic of Xi who was last month sentenced to 18 years in prison on corruption charges. He had earlier been expelled from the party.

China hawks in Washington are trying to separate the Chinese people from the ruling Communist Party.

On October 1, Chinas National Day, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a note of congratulations to the people of China. Beijing responded by saying any effort to separate the ruling Communist Party from its people was doomed to fail.

Earlier in the year, US policymakers considered banning Chinese Communist Party members from even entering the country, Reuters and The New York Times reported.

More from South China Morning Post:

This article United States closes immigration door to communists in clear swipe at China first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020.
A tiny outback Queensland town with only 12 university students has won a taxpayer-funded Country Universities Centre, reigniting concerns raised by NSW bureaucrats that the study hubs do not represent value for money.

The federal government's decision to locate all three of the state's Country Universities Centres in the electorate of Nationals deputy leader David Littleproud has also raised eyebrows, only months after questions over whether the party was using the centres for pork barrelling.

Duncan Taylor, the unpaid chief executive of Country Universities Centre. He is the husband of Nationals MP Bronnie Taylor.

And in NSW, a centre has curiously turned up in development plans for Young High School  despite there being no proposal for one by either the government nor Country Universities Centre itself.

Country Universities Centre (CUC) is a non-profit organisation founded and run by Duncan Taylor, husband of NSW Nationals MLC Bronnie Taylor and brother of federal minister Angus Taylor.
In committing this crime, Aroste betrayed the public trust and stole from a program designed to assist the most vulnerable members of our community, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared C. Jodrey said while prosecuting the case. Viewing her access to sensitive personal information as an opportunity to enrich herself, Aroste abused her employment position in order to steal peoples identities and defraud her employer.
Mason Road Junior Public School will reopen on Tuesday, a week after it was shut down over an outbreak of COVID-19.

The Toronto District School Board announced Sunday that the school is able to reopen as Toronto Public Health has finished its investigation.

More than 170 students and staff at the Scarborough elementary school were ordered to stay home and isolate last week while the school shut its doors after four positive cases of COVID-19 were confirmed by the school board, including one student and three staff.

TDSB spokesman Ryan Bird said Mason Road school was ordered to close so Toronto Public Health could investigate.

The outbreak was declared right after the citys first outbreak of COVID-19 at Glen Park Public School more than a week ago.

Two other schools in Ontario, Monsignor Paul Baxter elementary school in Ottawa and Fellowes High School in Pembroke, closed after confirmed outbreaks.

Fellowes High School closed for two weeks before reopening on Sept. 28.

No additional positive tests among staff, students or close contacts were confirmed at Fellowes High School, according to a Renfrew County and District Health Unit news release.

Confirmed COVID-19 cases in the TDSB reached a total of 109 as of Sunday afternoon, including 78 students and 31 staff.

The Toronto Catholic District School Board reported 34 confirmed cases of COVID-19 involving 30 students and four staff on Saturday afternoon.

The province defines an outbreak as two or more lab-confirmed cases within a 14-day period with at least one case connected to the school, including busing and after-school programs.

With files from Kevin Jiang, Noor Javed and Kristin Rushowy

Cheyenne Bholla is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Stars radio room in Toronto. Reach her via email: cbholla@thestar.ca
Mumbai, Oct 4 : Maharashtra's Covid-19 cases neared the 1.5 million mark even as Mumbai fatalities bounced back to the top slot along with Satara, health officials said here on Sunday.

The state witnessed 326 deaths on Sunday, down from the peak of 515 (September 15), and the death toll zoomed from 37,758 to 38,084 now.

With another 13,702 new infections, - nearly 11K lower than the peak single-day tally of 24,886 (September 11) - the state total shot up from 14,30,861 to 14,43,409 cases till date.

In a relief, the state recovery rate also shot up for the third day - from 79.03 per cent to 79.64 per cent - while the current mortality (death) rate stood at 2.64 per cent on Sunday.

Against this, 15,048 fully recovered patients returned home taking up the total number of discharged patients from 11,34,555 to 11,49,603 till date - much higher than the 255,281 'active cases' (ill) currently in the state.

As per the figures on Sunday, there was one death roughly every 4.41 minutes and 571 new cases added every hour to the state tally.

Of the 326 deaths, Mumbai and Satara led the state with 48 fatalities each, 41 in Pune, 33 in Thane, 26 in Nagpur, 14 in Sangli and 10 in Beed - in the higher bracket.

There were 8 fatalities each in Nashik, Raigad, Jalgaon, Kolhapur and Gondia, 7 in Ahmednagar, 6 each in Solapur, Aurangabad and Amravati, 5 in Yavatmal, 4 each in Palghar, Ratnagiri, Jalna and Latur, 3 each in Sindhudurg, Parbhani and Nanded, 2 each in Dhule, Osmanabad and Bhandara, 1 each in Hingoli and Akola besides 3 from other states or foreigners - in the lower bracket.

Remaining in the sub-50 range for the fourth day this month, Mumbai recorded 48 fatalities, and the city toll shot up from 9,060 to 9,108 while the number of corona cases shot up by 2,109 and the city total zoomed from 212,462 to 213,652 now.

Of the total 8 Circles, Mumbai circle (MMR - comprising Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad) remains on the edge as deaths spiral and cases pile up.

The MMR fatalities shot up by 93 - taking up the toll from 16,204 to 16,297 and with another spike of 4,332 new infectees, the total cases shot up from 495,658 the previous day to 498,980 now.

With another 95 fatalities, the Pune circle's (comprising Pune, Solapur and Satara districts) death toll increased from 8,167 to 8,262 and the daily infections zoomed up by 3,408 - from 376,626 a day earlier to 380,167 cases now.

Meanwhile, the number of people sent to home-quarantine for Corona increased - from 22,06,933 to 22,09,696 now - while the number of those in institutional quarantine went down from 28,414 to 27,939 on Sunday.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
The Congress leader addressed a tractor rally against the farm laws in Punjab on Sunday during a three-day to the state

Chandigarh: After Punjab, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will visit Haryana on 6 and 7 October to hold tractor rallies against the recently enacted agriculture laws, with the Opposition party holding a meeting on Sunday in connection with the event.

Gandhi will hold the rallies in Kurukshetra and Karnal districts of the state, party leaders said.

The Congress leader, who arrived in Punjab on Sunday for a three-day visit to lead a series of tractor rallies against the Centre's farm laws, will on 6 October lead a tractor rally which will enter Haryana, they said.

Congress' Haryana unit held a meeting of party MLAs and senior leaders in Delhi to take stock of the preparations in connection with Gandhi's visit to the state.

Haryana Congress in-charge Vivek Bansal, state Congress president Kumari Selja, Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and senior leaders Kiran Choudhary and Ajay Singh Yadav were also present in the meeting.

"His (Rahul Gandhi) visit will prove to be a milestone in the battle of farmers. On 6 and 7 October, Rahul Gandhi will be on a two-day visit to Haryana. On the first day, his rally will enter Pehowa in Haryana from Punjab border. In Pehowa, he will address the people," Selja said.

"After this, he will go to Kurukshetra and halt there for the night. His journey will start from Pipli Mandi next morning from where he will proceed to Nilokheri and after that he will go to Karnal, where the tractor rally will culminate," she said.

Selja said Rahul and other Congress leaders have been raising the issues of farmers, workers and common people.

"Just as Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra went to Hathras on Saturday and shared the grief and pain of the Dalit family, in the same way, he will come to the state to share the pain of farmers because the government does not have time to understand and discuss their sufferings," she said.

Hooda said the new farm laws were not in the interest of farmers. "Rahul Gandhi is coming to Haryana to protest against these black laws," the former chief minister said.

Meanwhile, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said, "We have not received any intimation about his (Rahul's) programme so far."

The remarks come after Haryana home minister Anil Vij earlier said the Congress leader's tractor rally will not be given permission to enter the state.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event in Karnal, Khattar hailed the three farm laws as a game changer. Farmers are going to benefit in a big way, he said.

Accusing the Congress of misleading farmers on the laws, Khattar said paddy and other crop procurement at minimum support price (MSP) was being smoothly done across the state.

"On the Citizenship Amendment Act and revoking of Article 370 and so many other issues, the Congress tired to mislead the people. But people soon realised that these steps were taken for their larger benefit keeping the country's interests above all. Similarly, farmers have started realising that Congress is trying to use their shoulder to further their own interests," he said.

Speaking in Sirsa, Haryana deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala said, "Rahul Gandhi does not understand the basics of agriculture and now he wants to hold protests on these three laws."

"If journalists confront him and ask him about the three laws, he will not be able to tell about their benefits or losses. So, Congress is only doing politics over the issue and nothing else. It was during the Congress-led UPA regime that a five-member committee of chief ministers gave a report on open market access. Now, they are opposing the reforms brought by the Centre," Chautala said.

He added that the central and state governments have taken many historic decisions in the interest of farmers and the work to double the farmers' income was being done earnestly.
A range of kharif, or summer-sown, crops are selling below federally fixed minimum support prices (MSPs), or floor rates, as record output dampens prices at a time when farmers are protesting against a set of laws enacted recently to liberalise farm trade in the country.

Crops, such as soyabean, ragi, maize and cotton, are selling up to 30% below MSPs, data from Agmarknet, the agriculture ministrys portal that tracks prices in mandis or wholesale markets, show.

Poor returns from crops have been a lingering problem for farmers, especially during episodes of gluts, such as now. MSPs, which are fixed at 50% over cost for nearly two dozen crops, dont necessarily lead to higher farm incomes as the governments procurement at MSP rates is largely restricted to wheat and rice. For most other crops, farmers are mostly price takers, meaning they are forced to accept whatever the markets dictate.

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi vows to scrap contentious farm laws once Congress returns to power at Centre

Output of kharif foodgrains this year is likely to touch a record 144.5 million tonnes, marginally higher than last years 143.4 million tonnes.

The unprofitable sales come despite the governments assurances of robust procurement at MSP rates. For example, the government last week announced that it would procure 1.4 million tonnes of pulses and oilseeds at MSP rates. However, at just about 15% of the total production, this is too small a quantity to make a difference in prices offered by private entities.

For efficient farm markets, the government recently enacted three laws, allowing farmers to bypass state-controlled market yards run by agricultural produce market committees (APMCs) and enter into five-year farming contracts with agribusinesses. The government also freed up several commonly consumed food items from strict stocking limits that discouraged private investment in cold storages.

Farmers groups are protesting against the reforms, including the move to end the monopoly of APMCs, because they fear deregulation will leave them vulnerable to powerful agribusinesses and in an even weaker negotiating position than before. They also fear the reforms may weaken the MSP mechanism.

The average wholesale price for soyabean during September 16-23 in nine states worked out to Rs 3,683.02 per quintal (100 kg), against the promised MSP of Rs 3,880 per quintal, data from the ministry shows.

In Madhya Pradesh, average soyabean prices during the period stood at Rs 3648.09 per quintal, while in Maharashtra it was Rs 3719.81 per quintal.

Maize has seen a sharp fall in prices this year. The MSP for maize has been set at Rs 1,850 per quintal. Against this, the average wholesale price of maize in 17 states was nearly 30% below MSP at Rs 1,295 during September 16-23.

In one of the biggest growers, Bihar, which abolished the regulated markets system in 2006, maize has sold for a pittance. The average prices were 60% lower than MSP because of poor demand, said Mintu Kushwaha, a trader from the states Purnea district.

Also Read| Union govt to spend Rs 1 lakh crore to boost agri infrastructure: MoS Kataria

Ragi, a millet grown by small farmers, too is selling below its minimum price of Rs 3,295 per quintal. The average ragi wholesale price in Karnataka between September 24-30, for instance, was Rs 2,062.61 a quintal.

The MSP for cotton for 2020-21 has been fixed at Rs 5,515 per quintal. In states such as Gujarat, however, in the third week of September, cotton sold at an average wholesale price of Rs 4,500 per quintal, while in Punjab, the rates ranged between Rs 4,500 and Rs 5,000.

Part of the problem is how MSPs are fixed. They are fixed by a formula based on 50% over A2 + FL ( a measure of cultivation costs). So, MSPs are cost-based and they have nothing to do with market conditions and, arguably, demand conditions, said economist Abhijit Sen.

Economists say if the government wants to ensure a price higher than private markets are willing to offer, then it has to procure sufficiently. Often, the government resorts to token purchases, such as of pulses and oilseeds, which doesnt help.

The solution to poor returns is to have a market-clearing mechanism, which is the price at which quantity demanded equals to quantity supplied, economists say. Nudging the private sector towards triggering a market-clearing price that is closer or equal to MSP will depend on the extent of governments procurement, Sen said.

The latest reforms, however, are no silver bullet, experts warned. The expectation with these reforms is, once you allow markets to determine both production and prices and what to produce, it will help farmers with better price discovery. Thats the assumption but we need to see how things go from here, said NR Bhanumurthy, the vice-chancellor of Bengaluru BR Ambedkar School of Economics.

Bhanumurthy said the opening up of state-run APMC markets to private competition alone wont work if it is not accompanied by other factors, such as an efficient crop insurance, expansion of food processing, storage infrastructure and better market information systems.

Prices could further dip in October, potentially intensifying farmer protests. We have called a general meeting on October 8-9 of major farm organisations to take our agitation forward. MSP is our main concern. The recent laws will ruin the MSP system, said Gurnam Singh, the Haryana president of Bharatiya Kisan Union.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Zia Haq Zia Haq reports on public policy, economy and agriculture. Particularly interested in development economics and growth theories. ...view detail
Teaming up in the iconic show I Love Lucy from 1951 to 1957, Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance proved to be a dynamic comedy duo. Bringing their impeccable chemistry to television again for The Lucy Show in 1962, Ball and Vance seemed inseparable on screen.

Yet in the series fourth season, Vance started hedging on her commitment to continue with the show. When she finally made the decision to step away after contract negotiations failed, Vance knew Ball took it personally.

Vivian Vance and Lucille Ball of I Love Lucy | CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

Iconic I Love Lucy team stops working together

While The Lucy Show was on the air, Vance had to commute to the studio from her home in Connecticut. Married to her fourth husband, Vance wanted to focus on her relationship and home life after a few seasons of being on another sitcom.

I dont want anything to happen to my marriage, Vance said, according to the book Desilu: The Story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz by Coyne Steven Sanders and Tom Gilbert. All this flying back and forth is difficult.  I get up, go to the studio, go home, and fall into bed. Its lonely.

Vance sought to make the effort more worth her while by asking for more control of the show in addition to a sizable salary bump. Though Ball wanted her longtime co-star and friend to stay, she decided Vances asking price was too high.

RELATED: I Love Lucy: Why Lucille Balls Daughter Doesnt Blame Her Mom for Doing Very Little to Raise Her

Lucy cried in private talking to me because she depended on Vivian, co-star Gayle Gordon revealed. She told me she could never do a show without Vivian. Lucy told me that, just prior to the break, Vivian was asking for more money than Lucy was willing to accept. It broke Lucys heart, really.

Lucille Ball had a fear of rejection

Sanders and Gilberts book reported quotes from Vances unpublished memoir, where she described a phone call from Ball asking her to reconsider.

Lucille, you mustnt worry,' Vance recalled saying. With your talent, you mustnt feel that way about anybody. Yet I was sure she felt I was deserting her.

The comedy team had been through many milestones together, including divorce. By leaving the show, Vance feared that Ball viewed her departure as abandonment.

She had a tremendous fear of rejection, Vance remarked. Unless she thought it through, it could seem that I was rejecting her, giving her up after fourteen years of closeness and clowning for a husband and a home I wanted to share with him. She and I would go on chatting together, seeing each other, staying friends, but the relationship inevitably changed.

Vivian Vance didnt regret her decision

The I Love Lucy alum was apparently content in opting for home life over Hollywood, and considered her time on the air well spent.

I dont think TV kept me from anything, she revealed. My ambition was never to be a big star.

After decades in show business, Vance had often seen the cost of fame come at too high a price. The actor was happy to have avoided the pitfalls of stardom by playing a supporting role over the years.

Vivian Vance and Lucille Ball of The Lucy Show: CBS via Getty Images

RELATED: I Love Lucy: Lucille Ball Had Some Specific Physical Requirements for the Role of Ethel Mertz

Ive seen very few happy stars, and I was determined that that wasnt going to happen to me, Vance explained. The plums hang so high and the vampires beckon  I knew that if I fell for it, Id be as unhappy as the other ladies in Hollywood. Ambition doesnt go too well with age or companionship.
Tens of thousands of people marched through the centre of the Belarusian capital Minsk on Sunday to demand that authorities free political prisoners, prompting police to turn water cannon on them.

The march crowned a series of rallies in Belarus since an Aug. 9 election in which President Alexander Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory. His opponents say it was rigged to hand him a sixth term in power.

The crowd, waving white flags with a red stripe, marched to the beat of drums towards detention centres where political prisoners were believed to be held, according to pictures and videos posted on social media.

Belarusian police have used water cannon mounted on armoured police vehicles to disperse protesters and detained scores of protesters.

Armed policemen in black helmets holding batons cordoned off streets in central Minsk.

Mobile internet in Minsk was down from around midday and telegram channels, the main means of communication and distribution of photos and videos from the protests, asked residents of Minsk to unlock their Wi-Fi networks if protesters march nearby.

The political crisis in Belarus has caused broad repercussions for Minsk and its ally Moscow. This week, the European Union and the United States imposed sanctions on senior Belarusian officials, but spared Lukashenko.

The crisis has also raised the possibility of more sanctions against Moscow if it decides to offer a helping hand to Lukashenko. The rouble has already dropped steeply at the prospect.

Lukashenko denies electoral fraud and was inaugurated in late September in a ceremony held without any prior announcement, bringing more protests and condemnation from the EU, the United States and Britain.

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It doesn't matter how much Donald Trump's current administration has attacked China over COVID-19, as soon as it was reported that Trump, as a senior citizen, had contracted the virus with symptoms and been taken to hospital to be treated. It is only normal to be supportive and wish him and his wife, Melania, well through their recovery. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying expressed her best wishes via Twitter on Friday. As an active member working for a Chinese media outlet, I retweeted Hua's post.

However, almost at the same time as Hua made her compassionate comments, during a House coronavirus subcommittee hearing, the US Health and Human Services Secretary, Alex Azar, alongside two other Republican representatives, continued to viciously attack China. They shifted the blame of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US to China; it's a bad-mannered move given the circumstances.

Donald and Melania Trump's recent COVID-19 infections further expose the vulnerability of the US in handling the global pandemic, but the rest of the world avoids talking about this subject out of sympathy and general politeness. The US government and Congress should keep a low profile in this regard, in line with international public opinion. However, their performance at the hearing clearly shows they intend to stir up the "debate" even further. Their actions are disrespectful toward the Trump family and fail to create a supportive environment they need to recover.

China and the US should seek to cooperatively handle the global pandemic. It would benefit both the US, as it still struggles with the pandemic, as well as the rest of the world. It would be sad if some US politicians refuse to accept this common-sense approach due to their shortsightedness.

Meanwhile, it is only natural that Chinese people feel upset with the US' increasingly extreme China policy, especially as some US politicians slander China over the pandemic. However, I hope that Chinese people restrain themselves when they comment on Trump's infection. Such restraint would be noticed in the internet era with highly globalized information, and will lead to positive impacts, though no one has the right to point fingers at Chinese society's narratives and behaviors. (Global Times)
CEOs of local banks speak in a breakfast meeting with Financial Services Commission Chairman Eun Sung-soo, center, at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in central Seoul, Nov. 29, 2019. / Yonhap



By Kim Bo-eun



Major banks may face a change in leadership beginning this month, as their current CEOs' terms come to an end.



Citibank Korea's committee on forwarding candidates for executive positions will convene a second meeting Wednesday to decide on the final candidate for its CEO position. The appointment is expected to be finalized at a board meeting that will follow.



The committee stated it has reviewed multiple candidates for the position at its first meeting held Sept. 25.



Senior Executive Vice President Yoo Myung-soon, who is serving as the interim CEO of the bank after former chief Park Jin-hei stepped down in August, is widely expected within the banking sector to be named the next CEO of Citibank's local unit.



This is all the more likely given Citigroup's appointment of its first female CEO Jane Fraser last month. Citigroup holds influence in the appointment of its unit heads around the world.





Citibank Korea's Senior Executive Vice President Yoo Myung-soon who is serving as the lender's interim CEO / Courtesy of Citibank Korea
ALGIERS  In a Moorish-style palace on the Algerian capitals airy heights, the nations president proclaimed a new day for his country, saying it was now free and democratic. The old, corrupt system  in which he had spent his entire career  was gone, he insisted.

Were building a new model here, said President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, 75, chain-smoking a pack of cigarettes in an hourslong interview surrounded by aides in his sumptuous office last month. Ive decided to go very far in creating a new politics and a new economy.

But old habits die hard in this North African country, which has known nearly 60 years of repression, military meddling, rigged elections and very little democracy. On the streets below Mr. Tebbounes office, Algerias old realities are reasserting themselves.

The state jails dissidents, and seats have been for sale  the going price was about $540,000 according to a parliamentarians court testimony  in the same Parliament that ratified Mr. Tebbounes proposed new Constitution, drafted after he came to power in a disputed election in December. But the opposition is hobbled by a lack of leadership and a failure to articulate an alternative vision for the country.
Sydney's hottest area reached temperatures above 50 degrees across several locations on three separate days last summer, according to Western Sydney University researchers urging authorities to put in place new heatwave measures for the upcoming season.

At 48.9 degrees, Penrith was officially the hottest place on Earth on January 4, in a Bureau of Meteorology air temperature reading that broke a temperature record standing since 1939.

Agnes Banks in the Penrith local government area recorded temperatures above 50 degrees last summer. Credit:Wolter Peeters

But heat loggers placed at 120 locations around the local government area for heat research commissioned by Penrith City Council found that on that day the mercury rose to 52 degrees in the suburb of Berkshire Park, 51.5 in Agnes Banks, and 50.1 in Badgerys Creek.

Temperatures also rose above 50 degrees on December 31 (50.1 at Berkshire Park) and February 1 (51.5C at Badgerys Creek and 51.3 at Berkshire Park, among other high readings).
Highly radicalised Kashmiri terrorists arrested, major attack averted in Delhi

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Oct 04: A group of radicalised Kashmir youth who were camping in delhi for the past few days were planning a major attack in the national capital, the Special Cell of the Delhi Police said.

Sources were developed and physical surveillance was mounted in which movements of suspected operatives were closely and discreetly monitored.

Ansar Ghajwat Ul Hind chief Burhan Koka was killed in an encounter in Shopian's Melhora area on 29 April 2020 along with 2 other associates. After the encounter, his elder brother Ishfaq Majeed Koka (arrested accused) was approached by the cadres of Ansar Ghajwat Ul Hind to work for the cause of their terrorist outfit and established contact through end to end encrypted applications.

Terrorists arrested from Kerala, West Bengal were plotting a Ghazwa-e-Hind

On October 2, a specific source information was received that a group of radicalised Kashmiri youth who were camping in Delhi for past few days had already collected huge cache of arms-ammunition and that they will be visiting the area in and around ITO & Daryaganj.

As per information, immediately a trap was laid near ITO. The team acted swiftly and apprehended all the accused persons from the ring road from the spot after a brief chase and scuffle. The accused persons could only be nabbed after the car in which they were travelling was cornered by police gypsy after a brief chase and the car was halted after they smashed it at the tree on the pavement.

Preliminary interrogation revealed that Ishfaq Majeed Koka was indoctrinated by the present chief of Ansar Ghajwat Ul Hind to work for the cause of Jihad. Ishfaq Majeed Koka further motivated and indoctrinated Altaf Ahmad Dar, who works in his garments shop as a salesman. Ishfaq Majeed koka then indoctrinated his cousin Aaqib Shafi Koka, who is presently pursuing B.E (Computer Science) from Jammu.

Further Altaf Ahmad Dar motivated and indoctrinated Mushtaq Ahmad Ganie, who is a local taxi driver in Srinagar.

As per instructions of their handler of Ansar Ghajwat Ul Hind, they came to Delhi on September 27 and were camping at Paharganj. Their handler also transferred money to their bank account for purchase of arms-ammunition.

During their stay in Delhi, they collected arms and ammunition on the instructions of their handler. They had plans to conduct a sensational terrorist activity and thereafter, they will be formally inducted in the terrorist organisation Ansar Ghajwat Ul Hind, an offshoot organisation of Al-Qaeda in J&K.
As MPPs debate a Liberal motion designed to thwart the possibility of Premier Doug Fords Progressive Conservatives calling a snap election, a new poll suggests most Ontarians do not want a campaign before the scheduled 2022 vote.

The Campaign Research survey for the Toronto Star comes on the eve of Liberal MPP Mitzie Hunters motion being debated Monday in the legislature.

More than half of people surveyed  51 per cent  said all the parties and leaders should be focusing on the pandemic and stop wasting time on this.

Still, 16 per cent felt the opposition parties are fuelling talk that Ford may call an early election to exploit his current popularity in the polls as a way to attack him.

At the same time, 13 per cent said they did not believe the premier, who has insisted the next vote will be June 2, 2022.

A very small group believe the Liberals and NDP are playing games and a very small group believe the PCs are playing games, Campaign Research principal Nick Kouvalis said Sunday.

But a majority is saying: stop it. Stop playing politics and focus on the things that matter, said Kouvalis.

Campaign Research polled 1,017 people across Ontario last Wednesday through Friday using Maru Blues online panel. It is an opt-in poll, but for comparison purposes, a random sample of this size would have a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

The survey was done after the Star revealed the Conservatives fast-tracked nominations last month, acclaiming all 72 Tory MPPs as candidates despite the next election being 20 months away.

As well, the governing party has been on a fundraising blitz.

While some PC strategists would like an early election call before the pandemic-induced recession worsens  and while the party is popular  Ford does not share that view.

We want to get our folks prepared for the election and have said before we arent going to be calling it in the spring. Well be calling it the regular time, the premier said on Sept 28.

Asked to clarify if there would be no election before June 2, 2022, he said: Thats correct. We have a clear mandate from the people of Ontario.

But Hunter (Scarborough-Guildwood), a senior minister in the Liberal government Fords Tories defeated in 2018, wants the Tories to assure the legislature no election is imminent.

Her largely symbolic motion says it would be reckless and unnecessary to call an election prior to the legislated date in 2022 given there is a majority government, active emergency orders, an ongoing pandemic and an urgent economic and social crisis.

Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca said Sunday the purpose of the motion is to make sure Doug Ford and his team are focused in fighting the second wave (of COVID-19) ... as opposed to spending any time doing political activity.

Kouvalis, who has worked with Conservative and Liberal candidates across Canada and managed the winning Toronto mayoral campaigns of John Tory and Rob Ford, suggested the premiers standing in the polls may be improving because hes not talking about politics.

The poll found the Tories were at 46 per cent, the New Democrats at 24 per cent, the Liberals at 20 per cent, the Greens at 9 per cent with 2 per cent expressing no party preference.

Ford, whose overall approval rating in 2019 was below water in the range of -51 per cent, has seen a surge during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the latest survey, he had 68 per cent approval with 27 per cent disapproval and 6 per cent with no opinion for an overall +41 per cent.

Del Duca, who took over the Liberals last March, had 23 per cent approval and 29 per cent disapproval with 48 per cent having no opinion on the rookie leader for an overall -6 per cent.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath had a 43 per cent approval and 36 disapproval with 20 per cent having no opinion for an overall +7 per cent.

Like the majority of Ontarians surveyed, Horwath said now is not the time to distract people by having an early election.

I have many, many more things to worry about at this point in time than whether Mr. Ford decides to call a snap election, the NDP leader said last week.

What we all should be focusing on is trying to get the government to step up to the plate and proactively deal with the second wave of COVID-19, which we know already they havent done, she said, questioning the need for the Liberal motion.

That Mr. Del Duca thinks this is a priority  thats his business.

Robert Benzie is the Star's Queen's Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie

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Mumbai: Superstar Salman Khan on Sunday announced he has resumed shooting for his action-drama Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai". The 54-year-old actor was shooting for the Prabhudheva directorial before the lockdown was announced in March. Taking to Instagram, Khan shared a picture from the set, wearing a jacket, with his back facing the camera. Back to shoot after six and a half months. Feels good," he captioned the picture. The film, which reunites Khan with his Bharat" co-star Disha Patani, was earlier scheduled to hit the screens on May 22.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, two songs and some patchwork of about five days of the movie was yet to be finished. Khan recently also started shooting for the 14th season of his reality show Bigg Boss". The Colors show, which the actor hosts, went on air Saturday night.
By PTI

KOLKATA: A day after a panel of doctors at AIIMS in Delhi ruled out murder as the cause of Sushant Singh Rajput's death, Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, Adhir Choudhury, on Sunday demanded that the actor's girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty be released forthwith without further harassment.

Choudhury, who had said in the past that Chakraborty was being "falsely implicated" following her arrest in connection with a drug probe linked to Rajput's death, claimed on Twitter that she was a victim of a "political conspiracy".

"Now the BJP propaganda machinery may accuse the forensic team of AIIMS who has nullified the allegation that Rhea Chakroborty conspired to kill Sushsnt Singh Rajput, the state Congress chief tweeted.

"We are all pained by the expiry of Sushant ji but he cannot be honoured by falsely implicating a lady as an accused, I have earlier said that Rhea Chakroborty was an innocent lady, she should be released without further harassment to her, she has been the victim of Political conspiracy (sic)," he added.

In its conclusive medico-legal opinion to the CBI, a six-member team of forensic doctors has dismissed theories of "poisoning and strangling" in Rajput's death.

Chakraborty was arrested on September 8 by the Narcotics Control Bureau.
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: An Assam Rifles jawan was killed while another was injured in an ambush carried out by suspected militants in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday.

Official sources said the attack was perpetrated near Hetlong village under Jairampur police station at around 9 am.

The state administration, as well as security forces, suspected the involvement of 30-35 militants of the Paresh Baruah faction of United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA Independent) and the Yung Aung faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K) in the incident.

The militants carried out the attack on a water tanker of the 19 Assam Rifles. It was travelling to a village to fetch water, Changlang District Magistrate Devansh Yadav told New Indian Express.

He neither confirmed nor denied reports that the militants had triggered an IED blast prior to opening indiscriminate fire.

We received reports that there was an explosion. However, we cannot confirm it until we receive the report of autopsy. But shots were fired. In all likelihood, death was caused by bullet injuries, Yadav said.

Defence sources said the injured jawan was admitted to a government hospital in Changlang. He is likely to be airlifted to Assam. It was not immediately known how many personnel were travelling by the water tanker. It was not escorted by any other vehicle.

In May last year, suspected NSCN-K militants had carried out a similar attack on an Assam Rifles water tanker in Nagalands Mon district in which two personnel were killed and three others injured.
Iraqi Shiite Muslim pilgrims arrive in the holy city of Karbala ahead of the Arbaeen religious festival due to take place on October 8 despite concerns caused by the coronavirus pandemic

Tens of thousands of worshippers have been flooding into Iraq's holy city of Karbala despite the Covid-19 pandemic for the Shiite Muslim pilgrimage of Arbaeen, one of the world's biggest religious gatherings.

Arbaeen marks the end of the 40-day mourning period for the seventh century killing of Imam Hussein, Prophet Mohammed's grandson, by followers of Caliph Yazid, and falls on Thursday.

His killing, a seminal moment in Islam's Sunni-Shiite schism, was mourned this year at the end of August during Ashura ceremonies in Shiite-majority Iraq and other countries with Shiite communities.

But unlike previous years, Iraq had closed its borders to non-residents, allowing only residents to take part in Ashura.

Iraq's borders opened for Arbaeen but with restrictions on Arbaeen arrivals, in a bid to stem the spread of coronavirus.

The virus has hit Iraq hard, with more than 375,000 people infected and almost 9,500 deaths.

In 2019, an estimated 14 million Shiiite pilgrims flooded Iraq to attend Arbaeen, including about two million from neighbouring Iran.

This year, however, only 1,500 pilgrims per country are being allowed to fly into Iraq, while Iran has been authorised to send an additional 2,500 overland.

"Every day, between six and 10 planes land and more are coming in the days ahead," said Issa al-Shemmari, airport director in Najaf, another holy city south of Karbala.

Shiite Muslim pilgrims arrive in the Iraqi holy city of Karbala ahead of the Arbaeen religious festival

In keeping with tradition, Iraqis have been walking to Karbala for Arbaeen from all over the country.

On roads to the city, "mawakib" tents have been erected to provide pilgrims with free food, drink and accommodation.

"We ate along the way and were able to disinfect ourselves," pilgrim Ali Hadi told AFP, on arrival in Karbala from the southern city of Basra.

Only few of the pilgrims around him wore mouth and nose coverings despite constant appeals from authorities and social distancing was being widely ignored.

In neighbouring Saudi Arabia on Sunday, mask-clad Muslims circled Islam's holiest site in Mecca along socially distanced paths, as authorities partially resumed the year-round umrah pilgrimage with extensive health precautions.
Visitors pack Seoul Forest Park, Sunday, despite government advice to stay home during the Chuseok holiday to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19. Yonhap



By Kim Se-jeong



With new daily COVID-19 cases mostly remaining below 100 during the Chuseok holiday, some people have begun to feel optimistic that the coronavirus pandemic may finally be under control here and another mass outbreak is less likely to occur.



However, medical experts and quarantine officials say it's too early to become complacent.



The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 113 new COVID-19 infections, Sept. 30, the first day of the holiday, followed by 77 on Oct. 1, 63 on Oct. 2, 75 on Oct. 3 and 64 on Oct. 4.



"We are genuinely concerned that the number of COVID-19 cases will grow exponentially after the holiday," Kwon Joon-wook, a senior official responsible for the government's response to the pandemic, said Saturday. "The movement of people and how individuals respected social distancing rules during the holiday will determine how COVID-19 will play out in the future for Korea and we will adopt measures accordingly."



As for the lower number of new cases, the KDCA explained this could be attributed to a decreased number of people being tested for the virus during the holiday. According to the agency, the average number of COVID-19 tests conducted during the holiday was between 5,000 and 6,000 per day, almost half the usual number.



It said it was looking closely at two people who were confirmed positive for COVID-19 after visiting Busan during Chuseok. One is from Seoul and the other from Ulsan, according to the KDCA which is currently conducting an epidemiological investigation of the two.



The nation's highways, trains and buses were less crowded than usual during the five-day long weekend. Rest areas on highways and at bus and train stations where many people commonly gather were less crowded and travelers were mostly respecting personal hygiene rules to protect themselves.



In Seoul, police managed to thwart a scheduled anti-government protest in Gwanghwamun, Saturday, which could have led to another mass outbreak. The National Police Agency mobilized almost 10,000 officers and 300 police buses to block people from accessing the planned protest site.



Police also set up almost 90 check points within Seoul to randomly inspect vehicles, while subway trains did not stop at stations near the site to discourage protesters using public transport. A small number of protesters did make it through, either alone or in cars.



Some conservative groups said they will stage a protest on Hangeul Day, which falls Oct. 9, although the government again vowed to prevent this.



Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Sunday: "To those who want to protest again, I would like to ask you to stop the illegal gatherings for the safety of your community. The government cannot allow the gathering because of the risk to the health of its residents."



Chung also thanked law enforcement and local officials for their efforts to stop the protest Saturday. "The protest was prevented thanks to the help of police officers and local government officials."

However, the nation's tourist destinations, parks and shopping centers were packed with people, raising public health concerns.



Jeju Island, Korea's top domestic tourist destination, was inundated with visitors  an estimated 300,000 traveled to the island to spend Chuseok there.



Everland and Seoul Grand Park were packed with families who chose to visit them instead of traveling to visit family for the holiday.



Among the 64 confirmed COVID-19 infections, Saturday, six were at a rehabilitation facility in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. Eleven cases have been confirmed so far at the facility, since the first was reported Sept. 23.



On Sunday, the KDCA proposed a new rule that would give the health minister, KDCA directors, governors, city mayors, and district and county heads the authority to issue administrative orders to wear masks in designated areas in their jurisdictions, with violators facing fines of up to 100,000 won. The rule will go into effect Nov. 13 and will be applicable to all people aged 14 years old and over.




The Congress is expected to finalise its first list of candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar at a meeting of the partys central election committee (CEC) on Monday, people familiar with the development said.

After sealing a seat-sharing deal with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Saturday, the Congress is fielding its candidates in 70 constituencies, the highest number of seats it is contesting in the 243-member assembly since 2010.

While the RJD will fight 144 of the total 243 seats, the left parties as part of the opposition mahagathbandhan or grand alliance will contest 29 seats.

Also Read: For Bihar polls, BJP focuses on farmers, women

In the 2010 Bihar assembly polls, the Congress had contested all the 243 seats, but managed to win just four. In 2015, as part of grand alliance, the Congress contested 41 seats and won 27.

Having secured a good bargain, the Congress is not averse to giving tickets to turncoats and outsiders and will go mainly by the winnability factor, a party functionary said.

Congress partys screening committee chairman Avinash Pande listed a number of factors for the selection of candidates.

Winnability is going to be the main criteria, then definitely contribution to the party and at the same time loyalty. Those who have worked for the party organisation, they should definitely get the preference, he said.

Asked about the turncoats, Pande said their selection would largely depend on the recommendations of the state unit, its poll panel (pradesh election committee, or PEC) and the partys survey team.

The screening committee will definitely consider their names if forwarded by the state unit and the PEC. Those who have come from other parties have joined only after accepting the leadership and the ideology of the Congress. We have to respect that also. It is not that they are untouchables and the selection will finally be decided on merit by the CEC, he added.

Also Read: Tejashwi, Tej Pratap named in FIR in murder of former RJD leader in Purnia

A screening committee shortlists the party candidates and forwards the list to the CEC for final selection.

Winnability alone was not considered the benchmark for candidate selection in a declaration adopted by the Congress at a brainstorming session (Chintan Shivir) in Jaipur in 2013. A balance was required between loyalty and winnability, it said.

A strong votary of intra-party democracy, Rahul Gandhi, after being appointed as the Congress vice-president in January 2013, had vowed to end certain anomalies in the functioning of the party. But seven years later, the party has made little headway towards achieving the goal.

While the nomination culture in the party is yet to be eliminated, paratroopers (a term loosely used for political turncoats who switch parties at the time of elections) and outsiders continue to win nomination.

The CEC, headed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, is expected to clear all the names for the first phase of elections to be held on October 28 and also finalise some candidates for the second phase on November 3. The third and final phase of polling will be held on November 7 while votes will be counted on November 10.

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Colombo, Oct 4 : Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has expressed his disappointment over the progress of the Criminal Investigation Departments investigation into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks following the release of a suspect.

Riyaj Bathiudeen, the brother of former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen who was arrested in April on suspicion of involvement in the terrorist attacks and held under detention orders, has been released, reports the Colombo Page newspaper.

The police said that he was released due to lack of evidence to prove charges against him.

Riyaj Bathiudeen has also been accused of setting up welfare societies and working with the bombers, holding official positions in those companies and of investing money in those companies.

Speaking at a media briefing in here on Saturday, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said he is disappointed over the release of Riyaj Bathiudeen without a trial.

"The victims of the Easter Sunday attacks are disappointed and saddened by the slow progress of the investigations and they are expecting that justice will be meted out to them," he said.

The Archbishop said what police said before arresting several suspects contradicts what they say now when suspects are released and this raises concerns in the CID investigations.

On April 21, 2019, three churches in Negombo, Batticaloa and Colombo and the hotels -- Shangri-La, Cinnamon Grand, Kingsbury and Tropical Inn -- in the capital city were targeted in the series of coordinated suicide bombings, which killed over 250 people and also injured more than 500 others.

Sri Lankan authorities attributed the attacks to little-known local Islamist extremist groups, National Thowheeth Jama'ath and Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim.

However, the Islamic State terror group claimed the attacks.
The first academy to issue drone operation certificates in Vietnam has just been launched at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology under the Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City.

Corresponding with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ngo Khanh Hieu, head of VNU-HCM Key Lab for Internal Combustion Engines, refered to the Drone Academy as the yield of the collaboration between his lab and AgriDrone Viet Nam, a drone company.

According to Hieu, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), also known as drones, has been thoroughly propagated among civilian affairs in Vietnam over the past few years.

Whilst international drone technology is advancing at a tremendous rate, public awareness of drones remains subpar on both counts: Vietnamese law and regulations on drone usage, as well as operators adherence to drone operation guidelines.

During a relatively short period of time, drone technology has achieved immense progress, which in turn engendered a surge in demand for drone operators," Hieu said.

"It was out of this markets call that the Drone Academy was founded [on September 19]."

In order to catch up with the emerging demand for drones, an aspiring pilot has to be equipped with foundation knowledge as well as accustoming themselves to specific applications of the device.

Flying cameras, which are photographic devices where a camera is mounted to a drone to attain aerial shots, is one of the most popular drone applications at the moment.

Other uses of the aerial vehicle include pesticide spraying in agriculture, wind energy, solar energy, remote sensing, and emergency rescue.

The Drone Academy will launch its training courses on civilian uses of UAV, providing high-quality batches of personnel on drone solutions for the Vietnamese market.

Anyone high school age or above is eligible to apply for the course, the foundational iteration of which will last one month, Hieu announced.

Tuition will range between VND4-7 million ($172-301), with financial aid available for high school and university students.

Legal validity

Despite its apparent benefits on daily life and business use, drones have also raised public questions on their utility in illegitimate operations, including intrusion of privacy and risks of national intelligence breach.

In response, the Ministry of National Defense, along with other relevant government agencies, have attempted measures to tighten regulations on drone use in Vietnam, which includes a license system for drone operations.

Regarding questions on the legal effect of the certificate issued by his academy, Hieu claimed that its training and assessment protocols adhere to the curriculum of the Unmanned Aerial Systems Training Center (UTC) under the world's leading drone manufacturer DJI, which in turn abides by Vietnams regulations on drone operations for civilian purposes.

The certificate is issued based on the legal framework of the global standards that the UTC has imposed upon the domestic firm AgriDrone Viet Nam.

For this reason, the certificate issued by the academy has no legal effect on the issuance of licenses for drone operations. This point will be stipulated to all students through the course regulation, Hieu explained.

A breakthrough as it is, the drone course is not the only idea in the academy's itinerary: it also mulls other programs, one of which is the introduction of the latest drone technology breakthrough to solve Vietnams most distressing issues.

Taking advantage of its linkage with, the academy is planning to bring drone applications cross-sector, cooperating with university experts to fully realize the potential of UAV technology.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 19:43:13|Editor: huaxia

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ISLAMABAD, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani military said on Sunday that two terrorists were killed in the country's northwest tribal district of North Waziristan.

A statement from the army's media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations, said that the security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in the Mir Ali area of the district, killing two terrorists and arresting another.

Earlier on Friday night, the army said that two terrorists were killed while another was captured after the security forces conducted an operation on a terrorist hideout in Boya area of North Waziristan.

Pakistani military had conducted a series of operations against terrorist groups in North Waziristan that borders Afghanistan.

Although the area has mostly been pacified, remnants of terrorist groups still manage to launch attacks on the security forces sporadically. Enditem
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"Saturday Night Live" kicked off its 46th season by facing leadership turmoil set off when President Donald Trump announced that he has Covid-19.

The show opened with Tuesday's contentious and chaotic debate between Trump, played by Alec Baldwin, and election challenger Joe Biden, played by Jim Carrey.

Fox News' Chris Wallace (Beck Bennett) starts the contest by saying, "I think Im going to do a really really good job tonight." Wallace was criticized for how he handled the real debate.

Biden steps on stage and immediately produces a tape measure to check the distance between lecterns before moving his just a little farther.

"Im holding my bladder," he says. "Lets get at her."

When it's Trump's turn, he says, "Id like to begin with a list of complaints. People are mean to me." He then says the coronavirus is a "hoax."

"That statement is something that will probably come back to haunt me this week," Trump says.

The president claims he's a champion of law and order  "no exceptions."

"Okay," Wallace asks. "What about your taxes?"

"There have to be exceptions, Chris," Trump says.

Biden's running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, makes an appearance to chastise the men. "If theres one thing we learned tonight it's that America needs a woman as president," says the California Democrat, played by SNL alum Maya Rudolph.

After Trump continues to interrupt the proceedings, Biden zaps him with a remote control that pauses the president mid-sentence.

"America, look at me," Carrey's Biden says. "Look directly into my eyeballs. You can trust me because I believe in science. And karma."

"Now just imagine science and karma could somehow team up to send us all a message about how dangerous this virus can be," he continues. "Im not saying I want it to happen. Just imagine it."

Story continues

Comedian Chris Rock hosted the show, which was produced with social distancing and mask-wearing behind the scenes. The audience capacity was limited, and fans were tested for Covid-19.

Chris Rock hosts 'Saturday Night Live' on Oct. 3, 2020. (NBC)

Rock said in his monologue that as a result of the show's testing protocol, he's had "more things" up his nose this week than when he shared a dressing room with the late cast member Chris Farley in the 1990s.

"President Trump's in the hospital from Covid, and I just want to say my heart goes out to Covid," Rock said.

The comedian critiqued the American political system, saying locking in a leader for four years is not ideal.

"What job do you have for four years no matter what?" he says. "If you hired a cook and hes making people vomit everyday, do you sit there and go, well hes got a four-year deal?"

Musical guest Megan Thee Stallion had some political criticism to dish, aiming a message at Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who presented a case in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor to a grand jury that returned with no charges directly related to her death.

Messages displayed on-stage behind the hit-making rapper compared Cameron to Black Americans who helped sustain slavery. "Daniel Cameron is no different," one of the statements read.

News segment "Weekend Update" had more laughs at Trump's expense.

Co-host Colin Jost said Friday's images of the president leaving the White House on Marine One conjured the Fall of Saigon in 1975.

"It looked like the last chopper out of Vietnam," he said.

Colleague Michael Che pushed back against those who have said it's not the time to make fun of the president because Covid-19 can be so deadly.

"Theres a lot funny about this," he said. "Maybe not from a moral standpoint, but mathematically if you were constructing a joke, this is all the ingredients you need."

"I dont want Trump to die, obviously," Che said. "I wish him a very lengthy recovery."

The segment closed with a brief tribute to late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, celebrated on SNL with portrayals by Kate McKinnon.

The cast member was in the audience in a judicial robe, hand-on-heart. A message flashed on-screen: "Rest in power."
Kuwaits new Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah on Sunday met senior U.S., Iranian and Gulf officials who separately paid respects over the death of the Gulf Arab states former ruler.

Sheikh Nawaf assumed power after the death last Tuesday of his brother, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad. The late emir balanced ties between larger neighbours Saudi Arabia and Iran and kept a strong relationship with the United States, which led a coalition that ended Iraqs 1990-91 occupation of Kuwait.

He will be remembered as a great man and a special friend to the United States, U.S. Defence Secretary Mark Esper said in comments tweeted by the U.S. Embassy during his visit.

Sheikh Nawaf also received Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who had lauded the late emir for fostering moderation and balance, state media said

Sheikh Nawaf, 83, is expected to uphold the OPEC member states oil and foreign policy, which promoted regional detente.

He has yet to name a crown prince to help to guide state affairs at a time when low oil prices and COVID-19 have hit state finances against the backdrop of continued tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The emir has up to a year to name an heir, but analysts expect a decision in the coming weeks as senior al-Sabah dynasty members jostle for position. Parliament must approve the choice.

An appointment would end this competition and send a signal of stability, Dr. Mohamed Alfili, a professor of constitutional law at Kuwait University, told Reuters.

Among mooted candidates are Sheikh Nasser Sabah al-Ahmad, a former defence minister; Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad, a former premier; and Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Jaber, deputy chief of the National Guard.

Another potential contender is Sheikh Mohammed Sabah al-Salem, a former foreign minister and the only candidate under discussion from the less powerful al-Salem family branch.

Kuwaiti sources say Meshal, the eldest among them, appears most likely to be named crown prince.

Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Sheikh Meshal on Saturday to offer his condolences, state media reported.

Kuwait has its closest but most complex relationship with Saudi Arabia, which on Thursday sent an adviser to King Salman, who had surgery in July, to offer condolences. Several Saudi regional governors travelled on Sunday to do the same.

United Arab Emirates Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, who is also Dubais ruler, was also in Kuwait.

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UPDATE: How is ex-N.J. Gov. Chris Christie doing after COVID-19 diagnosis? Just fine, if our phone call today is any indication | Moran

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie revealed Saturday he tested positive for the coronavirus and checked into a hospital near his home citing concerns about his history with asthma, which previously led to him being briefly hospitalized during his term as governor.

Christie, 58, was hospitalized in 2011 - less than two years into his first term as governor - at Somerset Medical Center in Somerville after suffering an asthma attack. Dozens of camera crews congregated at the hospital as he underwent tests for a day because he was a potential Republican presidential candidate at the time. He later ran for the GOP nomination for president in 2016, before bowing out to President Donald Trump.

Gov. Chris Christie speaks to the media after being released from Somerset Medical Center. The governor was taken to Somerset Medical Center after suffering shortness of breath related to his asthma. SOMERVILLE, NJ 7/28/11(Tim Farrell/The Star-Ledger)

Christies asthma and weight, which hes struggled with over the years, could put him at an elevated risk of developing complications from the coronavirus.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control says those with moderate to severe asthma or a body mass index above 30 may have an increased risk of COVID-19 complications. Those between 50 and 64-years-old are the fourth-highest age group hospitalized for the virus, the CDC says.

Christie uses an inhaler. But almost a decade ago, it didnt work while he was on his way to a bill signing event.

It didnt give me the kind of release I normally get, he told reporters outside the hospital at the time.

State troopers who were driving him to the event decided to skip it and take him to the hospital instead after Christie spoke with them. Tests were conducted and other health ailments, including cardiac problems, were ruled out. A transfer of power to the lieutenant governor was not considered then since he did not become incapacitated. He had remained in touch with his office after he arrived at the hospital.

Christie has had asthma since he was a teen and was hospitalized at least once before in law school because of breathing problems. He was back at work the day after the attack in 2011.

Christie said at the time he doubted that his weight had anything to do with the attack and blamed the heat and humidity. The governor would later go on to get lap band surgery in 2013, but hasnt revealed his weight.

The former governor helped Trump, who has also tested positive for the coronavirus, prepare for a debate against Joe Biden last week inside without a mask. Christie, a Mendham resident who also owns a Jersey Shore home in Bay Head, noted his history with asthma when he checked into Morristown Medical Center on Saturday.

While I am feeling good and only have mild symptoms, due to my history of asthma we decided this is an important precautionary measure, Christie tweeted Saturday evening. He has not provided any updates since.

In consultation with my doctors, I checked myself into Morristown Medical Center this afternoon. While I am feeling good and only have mild symptoms, due to my history of asthma we decided this is an important precautionary measure.  Governor Christie (@GovChristie) October 3, 2020

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Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com.

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I am writing this on October 2, Gandhi Jayanti, struggling with conflicting thoughts. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was undoubtedly a colossus who will illuminate mankinds path for all time. But I am going to focus on the saga of a vibrant woman who chose a path that is diametrically opposite to Gandhis non-violence.

Have you heard of Durga bhabhi? She is, among many others, one of the forgotten names of our past. Durgavati Vohra and her husband Bhagwati Charan Vohra ought to be remembered by our country and let me tell you why. Her birth anniversary falls on October 7. It will pass and no one will pay tribute to her this year, as in the years gone by. Durgavati was born into a wealthy family in what was then Allahabad district. Now this is part of the newly-created Kaushambi district and Allahabad has been renamed Prayagraj.

Her father, Pandit Banke Bihari, was a nazir (a court official) in the Allahabad collectorate and her grandfather was a police officer, both in the service of the British. At the age of 10 or 11, she was married to Bhagwati Charan Vohra, the 15-year-old son of a wealthy Gujarati, Shivcharan Das Vohra, who had settled in Lahore.

Shivcharan Das Vohra was conferred with the title of Rai Saheb by the British, but his son was not enamoured of the colonisers. Bhagwati Charan Vohra often met Bhagat Singh and other progressive revolutionaries. Bhagat Singh founded the Naujawan Bharat Sabha in March, 1926.

At that time, many young people, including members of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA), suspected that Bhagwati Charan was an informant for the British intelligence, coming as he did from a privileged background.

But Bhagwati Charan threw himself into the revolution wholeheartedly. By the end of 1928, he was given membership of HSRA. At this time, he planned a trip to Calcutta. Before setting off, he gave his wife 5,000 to use in an emergency.

While Bhagwati Charan was in Calcutta, on December 17, 1928, British police officer John Saunders was killed. The government imposed restrictions in Lahore. Durga bhabhi was alone at home with her three-year-old son when someone knocked on her door at night. On answering, she found Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru at her doorstep. It did not take long for her to understand that the killing had been carried out by them.

She gave them shelter but since this was not enough, she disguised herself as Bhagat Singhs wife and took him out of Lahore. Such an act, even today, would be considered audacious. There were a number of restrictions on women in those days, but Durgavati blazed her own path. It was her determination and courage that saved Bhagat Singh. The money her husband had left her for an emergency, a substantial sum in those days, was used to help the revolutionaries.

The relationship between Bhagwati Charan Vohra and Durgavati was one of a unique companionship and commitment. The revolutionaries called her bhabhi. But she was not a mere supporter of the revolutionaries, she was an active participant. Bhagwati Charan even taught her how to use a gun. On October 8, 1930, she opened fire on a British police sergeant and his wife near the police station on Lamington Road in South Bombay. She took this step in retaliation for the death sentence awarded to Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru a day earlier.

It came as a huge surprise to the British that an Indian woman could be so bold. As a result, the might of the British administration came down on her and she was arrested in September, 1932. A book, No Ten Commandments, written by the then inspector- general of police, ST Hollins, tells us how she had become a thorn in the side of the government. Two years prior to her arrest, Bhagwati Charan Vohra was killed in an explosion while making a bomb on the banks of the Ravi river. Durga bhabhi was not able to see his body but her husband continued to inspire her.

After her release from prison, new struggles awaited Durga bhabhi. Fellow revolutionaries had either been killed or arrested. She was left alone. In 1935, she moved to Ghaziabad and started teaching in a school. Later, she set up a school in Lucknow for poor children.

Jawaharlal Nehru went to see that school but it is not known whether he kept in touch with her after Independence. When she died in Ghaziabad on October 14, 1999, it was not treated as the passing of a revolutionary, but of an anonymous woman. Even today, no effort has been made in any of the places she stayed in to keep her memory alive.

There is a saying attributed to the philosopher, George Santayana, that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. Or are we, today, uninterested in the lives of the many unsung heroes and heroines from our past from whom we can learn so much?

Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan

The views expressed are personal
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Sunday a proposal to close non-essential businesses, dining at restaurants and schools in nine zip codes in Brooklyn and Queens with high positivity rates of the coronavirus (COVID-19) beginning Wednesday to help curb the spread of the illness.

The zip codes located in Far Rockaway, Queens; Central Queens and Southern Brooklyn have been above the 3% positivity rate over seven consecutive days. It would affect these zip codes: 11691, 11219, 11223, 11230, 11204, 11210, 11229, 11415, and 11367.

Staten Island would not be affected by the proposed closures.

What has become clear is that there are a number of neighborhoods now that have continued to have a high level of coronavirus positivity and [they] require stronger action than weve had to take for many months. I want to emphasize theres been extensive efforts over recent weeks in these communities. Extraordinary outreach efforts, close cooperation with community institutions and community leaders across the zip codes involved..."

But while efforts have been extensive, de Blasio said it wasnt enough to turn around the situation.

That measure tells us that we have to take more extensive action, he said.

The mayor said the plan to close non-essential businesses, outdoor and indoor dining, and public and non-public schools in the nine zip codes would need to be supported and approved by the state.

A state spokesperson confirmed that its the states decision to approve the mayors proposal.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

De Blasio said the strategy of closing non-essential businesses and schools worked in the spring and summer to limit and stop the spread of the coronavirus. Now, it will be done again in specific communities to curb the spread. While dining indoors or outdoors will be closed in these nine zip codes, restaurants will still be able to stay open for delivery and takeout.

The goal here is to prevent the spread. The goal here is to do everything we can to stop something bigger from happening right now," de Blasio said. "We have seen very little coronavirus activity in our schools. Its a situation we have been monitoring constantly. This is not because we have seen a number of specific problems in our schools, in our public schools. We have not. This is out of an abundance of caution and in coordination with a larger strategy that mirrors what we did successfully in the spring of a larger shutdown to ensure we stop the spread.

Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers union, said in a statement Sunday that de Blasios proposal to close schools in the nine zip codes is the right decision.

This is the right decision, one that helps protect our schools, our neighborhoods, and ultimately our city, said Mulgrew.

OTHER AREAS OF CONCERN

There are also 11 zip codes in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Southern Brooklyn, and Central Queens that are areas of concern that havent reached a level of 3% positivity for at least seven consecutive days, but are edging toward that level, de Blasio said. Those zip codes include: 11205, 11211, 11249, 11235, 11234, 11213, 11218, 11374, 11366, 11432, and 11365.

In all these areas, de Blasio said there will be ongoing outreach, testing efforts, and continued enforcement and mask distribution. They wont require large restrictions yet like the nine zip codes, but will be watched very carefully, he added.

STANDARDS FOR REOPENING

De Blasio also announced the standards for the individual zip codes to reopen.

If closures are successful, schools and non-essential businesses in the nine zip codes should be allowed to reopen after two weeks if rates are under 3%, he said. But if difficulties remain and cases continue to rise, all should remain closed for a month, de Blasio said,

Children in the closed schools in the nine zip codes would begin learning remotely on Wednesday -- just a week after the city reopened K-5, K-8, middle and high schools for in-person blended learning. Schools will stay open in these zip codes through Tuesday to allow schools and students to prepare for remote learning, said de Blasio.

If new coronavirus cases surpass the 3% threshold using a seven-day rolling average citywide, all schools in New York City will need to close.

While Staten Island isnt affected by the proposed closures, shutdowns could be possible in any zip code that reaches above a 3% positivity rate over a seven-day average as Sundays proposal is approved by the state.

The mayors proposal comes shortly after Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters Sunday that the state would begin enforcement of COVID-19 rules at 20 state zip codes with high positivity rates. Staten Islands 10305 zip code was previously included in the 20 hot spot zip codes on Thursday, but was no longer listed by the state as of Saturday.

During a call with reporters on Sunday, Cuomo said the state is putting together a task force like he did with bars and restaurants, which he called very effective. The new task force will do targeted enforcement in each of the states clusters.

The state is going to start direct enforcement in these hot spot zip codes, Cuomo said. We have started yesterday. We are going to be increasing the states enforcement itself starting tomorrow. Local businesses that are in violation of the law will be fined and can be closed just like the bars and the restaurants. If there are businesses that are violating the gathering rules, they can be fined and they will be closed. They know the state is serious because they can look back at the bars and restaurants. They were fined and they were closed when they were in violation. And it was highly effective.

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A 15-year-old boy has died after he fell from the roof of a multi-storey car park in Liverpool on Saturday night.

The tragic incident happened on Hanover Street in the city centre at 8.25pm.

Police, paramedics and firefighters were called to the scene in Liverpool city centre last night following reports a male had fallen from the roof of a car park.

A 15-year-old boy died after he fell from the roof of a multi-storey car park on Hanover Street in Liverpool on Saturday night. Pictured: Hanover Street, Liverpool (file photo)

Today police confirmed the teenager died at the scene despite the efforts of paramedics to save him.

His family has been informed of his death although the boy has not yet been formally identified.

The incident is not being treated as suspicious and a file has been sent to the coroner.

A Merseyside police spokesman told the Liverpool Echo: 'We can confirm that a 15-year-old boy from Liverpool has died after falling from a car park on Hanover Street in Liverpool City Centre last night (Saturday, 3 October).

Police, paramedics and firefighters were called to the scene at 8.25pm but the teenager died shortly afterwards despite the efforts of paramedics to save him (file photo)

'Emergency services were called to a car park on Hanover Street at 8.25pm following reports that a male had fallen from the car park, but sadly despite their best efforts he was pronounced dead a short time later.

'The death is not believed to be suspicious and a file has been sent to the Coroner.

'Next of kin have been spoken to and specialist officers are supporting the family at this tragic time.

'Formal identification is still to take place.'

Hanover Street was cordoned off on Saturday night and diversions were put in place while emergency services attended the scene.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Two Cleveland nightspots were cited overnight Saturday night for violating the coronavirus health orders in place to try and curb the spread of the virus, including one strip club thats now received its third citation since July.

The Ohio Investigative Unit cited Club Paradis, as well as popular West 6th Street spot Barley House, a news release from the OIU says.

Club Paradis was cited on two consecutive nights  July 18 and 19  for violating the health orders put in place by Gov. Mike DeWine. About 12:30 a.m. Sunday, OIU agents and Cleveland police officers went to the club and saw between 50 to 60 patrons congregating at the bar with no social distancing measures in place, the release says.

Authorities also observed adult entertainers dancing close to patrons and alcoholic beverages being served well past the 10 p.m. cut-off, the release says.

Barley House was cited by the OIU after an undercover officer went to the bar and found he was able to purchase alcohol after 10 p.m., the new release states. Agents and Cleveland police officers went to the bar around 11:30 p.m. and spotted between 40 and 50 patrons congregating closely, with some of them still consuming drinks.

These administrative citation cases will go before the Ohio Liquor Control Commission for possible penalties, including fines or the suspension or revocation of liquor permits, according to the OIU.

Read more on cleveland.com:

President Trump continues to improve during coronavirus treatment, could be discharged Monday, doctors say

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine declares Sunday a Day of Prayer for President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump after coronavirus diagnosis

Greater Cleveland Columbus Day Parade canceled due to coronavirus
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, October 4, 2020 10:30 476 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c48f5458 1 National COVID-19-in-Indonesia,batik,cloth-face-masks,satgas-covid-19,satgascovid19,masker-batik,#pakaimasker,pakai-masker Free

After being hit hard by the economic crisis in the first three months of the COVID-19 pandemic, batik crafters in many parts of Indonesia have begun to find their feet making and selling batik cloth masks.

Haryati Suroso, owner of Batikque Batik in Sleman, Yogyakarta, told Kompas daily newspaper on Friday that her business had been shaken when the pandemic forced most tourism destinations and hotels in the province to temporarily shut down.

During the early stages of the pandemic, she said, her business relied on the Upakarti Sleman Gallery to sell its products.

We used to be able to make displays and provide batik-making classes at hotels and tourism destinations, but all of those establishments have been forced to limit their operations during the pandemic, said Haryati.

While in normal times Haryatis business could bring in at least Rp 20 million (US$1,345) per month, in those three months, she made zero revenue.

Haryati began to see a light at the end of the tunnel in May when she received orders for cloth masks from several government institutions as part of a program managed by the regions COVID-19 task force.

Read also: Most small businesses could shut down in six months due to COVID-19: UNIDO

At that time, we still had a lot of left-over cloth or cloth with mixed up colors, so we turned it into cloth face masks, said Haryati, who began making batik in 2012.

Since receiving the orders in May, she began to find a market by selling her products online. Today, Haryati can earn at least Rp 5 million a month.

Were starting to recover in terms of selling batik clothes, but our revenue is still half what it was, she added.

Elsewhere, Lily Mariasari, a fashion designer and founder of Elemwe boutique, said that her business earnings dropped 70 percent at the beginning of the pandemic.

Despite the difficulties of the time, she decided to continue supporting batik crafters in Jakarta to help them stay afloat.

Twelve batik makers that Lily supports live in a low-cost apartment in Tambora, West Jakarta. She has been supporting them since October 2019. The crafters produce batik clothes with motifs inspired by Jakartas Betawi culture.

Read also: Small businesses resort to online channels to survive pandemic

Were lucky that these crafters can still create clothes, especially during the pandemic. They even managed to take part in the Karya Kreatif Indonesia [Indonesias Creative Creation] event held by Bank Indonesia, said Lily.

She added that the crafters were mothers and wives, who used to only produce 12 items per week. But now they can create 20 batik items per week.

With the help of these women and other batik makers in Jakarta, Lily said her boutique could produce 5,000 batik cloth masks per day.

Around 70 percent of my orders are for cloth face masks, while the remaining are for batik clothes, outfits and accessories, she added.

Meanwhile, Agustina Giarawati, a batik cloth producer from Surakarta, Central Java, said her business lost about 80 percent of its earnings in the early days of the pandemic.

In the first month of the pandemic, she was only able to sell 1,000 batik clothes  an amount that in normal times, she could sell in a week.

However, several months later, her business began to rebound after receiving face mask orders for donations, a market that quickly grew.

To produce the face masks, she uses stamped batik cloth.

My daily revenue is around Rp 500,000. The orders mostly come from Bali and Surakarta, said Agustina. (nkn)

Editors note: This article is part of a public campaign by the COVID-19 task force (Satgas COVID-19) to raise peoples awareness about the pandemic.
Zimbabwe is in the process of crafting a law that would outlaw citizens private engagements with any government and the issuing of statements deemed unpatriotic, according to the state-controlled Sunday Mail newspaper.

The newspaper quoted the Ministrys of Justice's Permanent Secretary, Virginia Mabhiza, as saying the Patriot Bill has been drafted and will soon be tabled by President Emmerson Mnangagwas government.

Mabhiza said, The Bill is premised on the constitutional provision on the foreign policy of our country, which values the promotion and protection of the national interests of Zimbabwe. It is the duty of the State to engage other sovereign nations on issues pertaining to foreign relations, and not self-serving citizens.

Conduct such as private correspondence with foreign governments or any officer or agent thereof will be prohibited, including false statements influencing foreign governments, or any other such conduct aimed at undermining the country. Private citizens will have to avoid conduct such as traveling to foreign countries as self-appointed ambassadors, meeting foreign officials to undermine the national interest. Conniving with hostile foreign governments and nationals to inflict harm on the country and its citizens will be criminalised.

Mnangagwas government recently claimed that some government opponents are attempting to remove the constitutionally-elected Zanu PF government from power in conjunction with some Western nation.

Critics have dismissed the claims as baseless, saying Mnangagwas government is allegedly violating peoples rights.
One week after the Glass Fire began its violent path through northern Napa Valley, one thing is certain. This is the most destructive fire Americas most famous wine region has ever faced.

The Glass Fire has damaged or destroyed structures on at least 17 Napa wine estates, a significantly higher figure than in 2017, when the Wine Country Fires affected six of the countys wineries. By the weekend, with the fires still burning on both the eastern and western sides of the valley and the winds expected to rise, the danger was hardly over. Many vintners continued to fight the fire at their own properties, sometimes without firefighting aid. In some cases, they extinguished the flames, only to find the fire roaring back the next day.

More than 215 Napa County wineries remained under mandatory evacuation or evacuation warnings, exposing some of Californias most celebrated, highest-end Cabernet Sauvignon producers to potential catastrophe. The Glass Fires long-term consequences for the valley  especially the potential blow to tourism, crucial to the local economy  remain to be seen. But already it was clear that the fire had seriously jeopardized the quality, and in some cases even the existence, of many Napa wineries 2020 vintage, which the August lightning storms and lingering wildfire smoke had already imperiled.

The toughest thing is that there just doesnt seem to be an end to this, said Justin Hunnicutt Stephens, whose Hunnicutt Wine Co. was one of the Glass Fires early victims.

On Sunday night, Chateau Boswell was the first winery to be seen engulfed in flames, along the blazes initial path on Napas eastern side. By the next day, Hunnicutt was gone, along with other properties in the vicinity like Hourglass, Dutch Henry and Fairwinds. (Many wineries in that area, however, emerged unscathed, such as Failla and Rombauer.) Higher on Howell Mountain, the primary winery at Burgess Cellars, which had only recently been acquired in a high-profile deal by the owner of Heitz Cellar, burned.

Noah Berger / Associated Press

Soon, the fire had jumped across the valley, where it tore through the farmhouse at Castello di Amorosa and climbed into the western hillsides. Spring Mountain, home to dozens of boutique, family-owned estates, was hit particularly hard: Behrens, Newton, Cain, Flying Lady and Sherwin wineries had all been leveled by Friday, with significant damage registered at School House, Fantesca and Spring Mountain Vineyard.

We thought we had massive defensible space, said Flying Lady owner David Nassar, whose winery is named for the Flying Lady emblem that appears on Rolls-Royce cars. Going into this fire season, hed been optimistic: Hed built the winery to be fire-proof, using stone and metal rather than wood, and had vigilantly cleared brush around the buildings before fire season. But all that preparation didnt save his winery.

Meanwhile, new fires erupted back on Howell Mountain. The head of the fire has passed through, but were doing constant patrols for spot fires and reignitions, said Steve Burgess, the former owner of Burgess Cellars and a volunteer firefighter, on Thursday. Wood fences, landscaping with wood chips, debris piled up around homes  all those mundane fixtures were now becoming fuel, he said. These little fires can skunk around for days and then reappear.

Many wineries, however, were putting up an effective fight and had so far avoided disaster. Vintner Ric Forman stayed behind to defend his Forman Vineyard in St. Helena and for two days, he said, he expected to lose everything. Only by a miracle did the winery survive, Forman said.

Flames arrived at Howell Mountains OShaughnessy Winery on two different days, said commercial director Luke Russ, but the vineyard manager and winemaker stood outside the winery spraying it with water hoses.

Brittany Hosea-Small / Special to The Chronicle

The battle at Schramsberg Vineyards in Calistoga, one of Napas most popular sparkling wine producers, seemed to have reached a denouement by Thursday. Owner Hugh Davies said that their prepping efforts had proven effective. This year we went a little crazy with the brush clearing, he said, and sure enough, as the flames approached the central infrastructure, they slowed way down.

But for many wineries in the western hillsides, the real struggle was just beginning.

On Thursday, the fire came around to us very unexpectedly from the southeast, said Pam Bergman, owner of Spring Mountains Bergman Family Vineyards, which is set to release its first vintage next year. Personnel from Cal Fire came to inspect the property, and a captain told Bergman to clear as much space as she could and have her crew ready with hoses. Youve got eight hours, he told her. Sure enough, she said, by Friday morning there were flames 3 feet high. She was feeling hopeful that the propertys structures, including two cottages, would survive, but the situation remained active.

Were ready to be fighting this thing for at least another week, said Stu Smith, co-owner of Smith-Madrone Vineyards on Spring Mountain, a producer of old-school, affordable-for-Napa wines including Riesling and Cabernet. The Glass Fire arrived at his property on Monday. He and family members spent the rest of the week fighting back the flames themselves  so far victoriously.

Now Playing: Wildfires are once again ravaging Northern California's Wine Country. The Glass Fire threatens communities in Sonoma and Napa counties, including Santa Rosa, that suffered destruction from blazes in 2017. Video: San Francisco Chronicle

Grapevines, which are known to act as firebreaks sometimes, were kryptonite for this fire, Smith said. Everything around us, 360 degrees, has either been burned or is vineyard. Throughout the hillsides, oak, fir and even redwood trees fell. At night, Smith said, he heard loud explosions. Those are propane tanks going off, he said, these great big ka-boom sounds.

A similar saga played out at the neighboring property, Stony Hill Vineyard, famous for its minerally Chardonnay. The fires came in four different waves, said executive vice president Chris Hall, who is also a volunteer firefighter. Basically anything that was flammable, like grass or brush under the trees, burned, he said. But the interesting part is that it was slow, creeping, not raging at you with wind.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Now, as the fire moved south, Hall was worried about Long Meadow Ranch, his familys other winery, whose main estate is located on Whitehall Lane at the base of the Mayacamas mountains. We were very impacted there in the Nuns Fire in 2017, said Hall. Back then, to defend it and neighboring properties, Cal Fire bulldozed a 5-mile-long fire line that stretched from Inglenook winery to Sugarloaf State Park in Sonoma, according to Hall. This week, fire crews came in and renewed that fire line.

On Friday morning, he believed that the fire was near Long Meadow Ranch. Its outcome, he said, will just be up to the wind.

The immediate threat of fire was so urgent that many Napa vintners scarcely had time or mental bandwidth to consider what would normally be their top priority at this time of year: winemaking. Bergmans team had managed to pick their final 9 tons of grapes on Sunday, and had transported the bins grapes between a couple of different friends wineries before finally finding a moment to process them into wine on Wednesday.

Other wineries, however, saw their entire 2020 vintage  and, in some cases, past vintages  go up in flames along with their buildings. And still others felt that the thick wildfire smoke lingering in the air represented too great a threat to the quality of any potential wines to justify a harvest.

We called the vintage a while back, but its just really obvious now that its gone, said Russ of OShaughnessy. 2020  its like the vintage that never was.

Smith, who co-founded his winery with his brother in 1971, said that although the extent of the destruction is shocking, his particular community of Spring Mountain may have been overdue for a fire.

Based on the research that hes done into historical records, the last time fire consumed the land in Spring Mountain was in the 1870s. If thats true, that these western hills have not burned since then, he said, then this is something thats been in the works for 150 years.

Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicles wine critic. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley
Duncan Lewis Solicitors legal aid work covers many areas including immigration

Staff have been to Calais and offered support to refugees hoping to reach Britain

It has forged a close relationship with charities that work among camps in France

A law firm whose immigration solicitors have prevented Channel migrants from being returned to France has pocketed 55 million in legal aid from the British taxpayer in just three years.

The staggering bonanza for Duncan Lewis Solicitors, whose legal aid work covers many areas of law including immigration, is revealed in figures obtained by The Mail on Sunday.

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We can also reveal that the company's staff have travelled to Calais and offered support to refugees hoping to reach Britain.

Duncan Lewis Solicitors  run by entrepreneur Amarpal Singh Gupta, who has been dubbed 'Britain's legal aid king'  has forged a close relationship with charities that work among refugee camps on the French coast.

Staff have also boasted of mixing with senior Labour Party figures, including Deputy Leader Angela Rayner and Shadow Justice Secretary David Lammy.

Duncan Lewis Solicitors  run by entrepreneur Amarpal Singh Gupta (pictured), who has been dubbed Britains legal aid king  has forged a close relationship with charities that work among refugee camps on the French coast

Police officers accompany an Afghan in handcuffs on a charter plane at Leipzig-Halle Airport in July 2019 after 45 rejected asylum seekers were deported on special flight to Afghanistan's capital Kabul

Duncan Lewis has been involved in litigation that has frustrated efforts by the Home Office to return asylum seekers who crossed the Channel on dinghies to France.

Last week, just one migrant was removed on a 100,000 charter flight when last-minute court action by immigration and human rights lawyers to lodge appeals meant 29 other removals were blocked.

While there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing, Duncan Lewis has earned a fortune from the taxpayer by representing clients who include an HIV-positive rapist called Victor Nkomo who attacked a woman in Britain.

Business has boomed to such a degree that Mr Gupta, 47, who set up the firm in 1998, knocked down his existing luxury home in North London and built a 2 million five-bedroom property in its place.

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According to official figures, the firm received 17.6 million in civil legal aid in 2017, 15.8 million in 2018 and 11.3 million last year. A further 11 million was paid in criminal aid work.

Referring to the visits to Calais  some of which appear on the firm's website  a source claimed that solicitors go to 'assess the situation' and provide support.

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Critics say the visits put the firm in a prime position with Channel-crossing migrants who may need legal help to remain in the UK if they cross the Channel.

Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: 'It beggars belief that they are going all the way to Calais to only perform charitable work with refugees and not offering their services and advice so that they can get into the UK.

Critics say the visits put the firm in a prime position with Channel-crossing migrants who may need legal help to remain in the UK if they cross the Channel (file photo of migrants making the journey last month)

'Maybe I'm being cynical, but it seems no accident that their business is so lucrative when they are making these trips.'

According to the source, charities working with refugees at camps at Calais and Dunkirk act as 'go-betweens' with the firm, referring migrants seeking representation to Duncan Lewis once they reach British shores.

In 2018, staff from the Luton branch of the law firm posted photos on the company website of a trip to Calais to work with an aid charity for two days.

Last year, the company  which employs 800 people  said it had been invited to the Calais camps to represent several migrants. Staff also provide 'training videos' about the law to Calais charities over Zoom. One charity source said: 'We work with Duncan Lewis a lot.'

A spokesman for Duncan Lewis said: 'Our role is to always act in our client's best interests and ensure their legal issues are being dealt with in accordance with the law. Any payments received for undertaking this work is predominantly fixed-fee work and on remuneration rates set by the Government.'

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He added that any trips to Calais by staff were to 'gain an understanding of the conditions that asylum seekers are residing in'.
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NEW DELHI: A heavy traffic jam occurred on Saturday at Delhi-Noida Direct (DND) flyway due to heavy deployment of police force by the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government to stop the delegation of Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from going to Hathras.

To avoid traffic congestion on the DND flyway, the Delhi Traffic Police took to social media platforms to inform commuters about the situation. Traffic on DND is heavy. Those heading to Noida are advised to reach Noida from Akshardham, it tweeted.

DND has been closed for vehicle movement. Commuters travelling to Noida from Ashram are requested to take Croqne Plaza Red Light and Chilla Border to reach Noida, said traffic police in another tweet.

The heavy police deployment came after a delegation of Congress leaders planned to meet and travel together to meet the family of the 19-year-old Dalit woman in UPs Hathras village who was allegedly gang-raped and murdered by four men.

Barricades, and scores of police personnel including senior police officers were deployed on DND flyway blocking the traffic movement. CrPC Section 144 was also imposed in Gautam Budh Nagar, Noida because of Covid-19 outbreak. However, Noida Police said the border was not sealed, only the checkpoints were intensified at the Delhi-Noida border.

As per officials, the Congress leaders and workers have also been booked under multiple cases for allegedly violating the prohibitory orders imposed under CrPC section 144 because of Covid-19 outbreak and under the Epidemic Diseases act. Later, five members of a delegation of Congress MPs led by Rahul Gandhi were permitted to go to Hathras.. Considering social distancing and other related norms, permission has been granted for five people, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Police Commissioner Alok Singh said.
The cast of Richard Linklaters classic is getting together on Zoom to raise money for a pair of worthy charities.

The movie about a night in the life of a crew of high school students (it also helped launch Ben Affleck, Parker Posey, and Matthew McConaugheys careers) wasnt a big theater hit, but it became a cult classic thanks to the humble VHS tape and video store.

Nearly two dozen original cast members will be participating  including McConaughey, Parker Posey, Anthony Rapp, Adam Goldberg, Wiley Wiggins, and Ben Affleck. Im hoping for more shenanigans  like Shia LaBeoufs pot-smoking, method acting through his take on Jeff Spicoli the Fast Times read that cracked everyone up.

It all goes down on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 7:30 pm ET. A Q&A after the reading will be moderated by Patton Oswalt. This is a charity event, so all you have to donate to some great causes in order to get a link where you can watch. The cast has chosen two organizations that are working together on efforts in Texas (the movie is based in Austin, after all).

Voto Latino Foundation and March For Science are dedicated to empowering communities through civic engagement and issue advocacy. All donors will be emailed an access link to the event prior to the start of the live table-reading. The proceeds from this event will go toward our joint critical efforts on the ground in Texas.

With the lack of filming going on and new movies coming out, table reads have become a thing. Weve seen the casts of Community, The Princess Bride, Parks & Recreation, Veep, Dead to Me, and Mean Girls get together to raise money for great causes. Who would you like to see next? I vote for Heathers with Bryce Dallas Howard standing in for Kimberly Walker.
Troms is the only place where you can rent warm clothing, look up Troms Outdoors. I would also advise you to check the top questions on the Troms sub-forum.

March has longer daylight hours than February and better for general sightseeing. Northern Lights are a hit an miss whenever you go, but taking tours out of Troms will give you a reasonable chance of observing them.

Svalbard and wildlife, you would need to visit in summer. For the chance of seeing polar bears, an expedition cruise would be the best option.
Nii Kpakpo Samoa Addo, a legal practitioner and member of the opposition National Democratic Congress is suggesting that the state opts for public treason trials as it deals with separatist violence in the Volta Region.

Speaking on The Big Issue, he said a stronger deterrent was needed to underscore the gravity of the threat of separatist movements.

A year ago, some separatists in the Volta Region who were arrested were slapped with treason felony charges.

People perhaps don't realise that because we don't have treason trials in Ghana often, people don't understand the serious consequences that go with being tried for treason, the lawyer said, Maybe when we do one or two of these trials publicly, it will send the necessary messages that if you are a young person in that area and you engage yourself in these things, you will have problems.

Mr. Addo also said this could force potential recruits to these movements to think twice.

If you go to these camps and you cannot, as a young person see that what you are about to get yourself into is a problem, then we deal with you.

The Homeland Study Group has appeared to be the instigators of the most recent separatist violence in the region.

So far the government says 60 suspected secessionists have been arrested.

Last week Friday the Western Togoland secessionist group had blocked some major roads leading into the Volta Region; the JuapongAccra and SogakopeAccra main roads.

A raid by Western Togoland secessionists on the Aveyime and Mepe police stations led to release of cell inmates and the theft of 10 assault rifles.

Police officers were also injured in the ensuing confrontations.

Security personnel also said they foiled a plan by the Group to burn down the Ho Central Market and other key installations.

But the following Monday, the group attacked the Ho State Transport Corporation yard and set fire to some buses.

The Homeland Study Group wants a part of the Volta Region to be an autonomous country known as Western Togoland.

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Sun-seekers have flocked to Bondi Beach for Labour Day as the mercury in Sydney on Monday soared to 31C.

Sydneysiders young and old hit the water at the famous beach to celebrate the public holiday in New South Wales as the state confirmed its tenth day in a row without any coronavirus community transmission.

Only one case has been diagnosed in a returned overseas traveller in hotel quarantine, but Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the state's residents could not afford to let their guard down.

The large crowds on Sydney's most famous beaches though led to officials warning they could be closed on Monday afternoon.

Lifesavers at nearby Coogee Beach were warning beachgoers that unless a distance of 1.5 metres was maintained, they would consider closing the beach.

The massive crowds led to NSW Police patrolling the beaches in the early afternoon.

Similar scenes were a regular fixture along Sydney's eastern suburbs beaches at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sun's up, fun's up! Bondi Beach heats up as crowds descend on the famous beach during New South Wales' public holiday Monday

Electronic signs at the beach warned visitors that the allowed capacity was close to being reached

The massive crowds led to NSW Police officers patrolling the beaches in the early afternoon

Police talk to beachgoers on the grass at Bondi on Monday afternoon, where vistors were told to 'swim and go'

'If people continue to come to Bondi Beach and crowds grow further, restricted access to the sand is likely to be implemented within the next hour 2-3pm,' Waverley Council said in a statement.

Randwick City Council, which controls Coogee and Maroubra Beaches, advised keen swimmers to make other plans.

The massive influx of people to Bondi and Coogee beaches is being affected by the partial closure of Bronte Beach, which is located in between.

A sewage overflow issue saw the south end of the beach closed, while the Murray Rose Pools were also shut.

Sydney Water found the contamination at Bronte's Bogey Hole, a natural rock pool which forms a sheltered swimming area for young children.

Bondi Beach was packed with those eager to get a tan and enjoy a dip as crowds descended on the famous beach on the public holiday

There was hardly any room to sunbake at Bondi Beach, with large crowds making the most of the 31C weather on the Labour Day public holiday

Soaking in the rays: Locals young and old soaked in the rays at the iconic Sydney beach as New South Wales had its tenth day in a row without any COVID-19 community transmission

'If you haven't left for the beach yet, please rethink your trip and check on capacity later in the day.'

'Until theres a vaccine and a treatment, we need to treat everybody as if they potentially have this virus,' Mr Hazzard earlier told Sunrise.

'Complacency could turn this thing upside down very quickly.'

Health officials have also raised concerns about the low testing numbers for the virus in NSW - with just 4,789 tests being carried out over the last 24-hour reporting period.

Funday Monday! Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the state's residents could not afford to let their guard down despite the non-existent community transmission rates in NSW

Northerly winds are responsible for Sydney's long weekend hot weather.

'The final day of the long weekend will be the warmest with temperatures reaching 29C in Sydney and 33C in Blacktown and Penrith, about seven degrees above average,' Weatherzone's Felix Levesque said.

A drop in temperature will hit the city after the sun sets on Monday with a cool southerly wind reaching the city.

The cooling event in addition to a low-pressure trough will lead to a string of chilly days and rain for the remainder of the week.

The bureau said: 'Northerly winds ahead of a low pressure trough bringing another warm and mostly sunny day to Sydney, ahead of a gusty southerly change along the coast late this evening, and a cooler, cloudy though mostly dry Tuesday'.

Waverley Council, which includes Bondi, Coogee, and Tamarama beaches, released a warning for prospective beachgoers amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Making the most of it! A beachgoer clutches a pair of trainers as she walks along the surf at Bondi Beach on Monday

It's chock-a-block! A packed Bondi Beach pictured on Monday. Only one case has been diagnosed in a returned overseas traveller in hotel quarantine in NSW in the past day

'If you're planning on heading down to the beach to cool off as the weather warms up this long weekend, make sure you stay COVID safe by social distancing and limiting gatherings to 20 people or less,' the council said.

Brisbane will reach a maximum of 27C over the three-day break with temperatures remaining warm for the remainder of the week.

NSW, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory have a three day weekend with Labour Day on Monday, while Queensland also has Monday off to celebrate the Queen's Birthday.

The burst of summer was also felt in Melbourne over the weekend before a cool change swept the city on Sunday night.

Crowds pack into Bondi Beach on Monday. The burst of summer was also felt in Melbourne before a cool change swept through Australia's second most populated city

Premier Daniel Andrews pleaded for Melburnians to 'stay the course' after large groups at beaches and parks flouted coronavirus restrictions in recent days.

'We are so, so close. Let's not any of us do anything that might undermine the very positive numbers,' he told reporters on Sunday.

'It's sunny, yes, and people love to go to the beach when it's sunny but there's a global pandemic on.

'Surely, there's a greater urge to see this thing, to defeat it and to have a normal summer and have a COVID normal Christmas and 2021.'

Surfers walk past the rolling waves on Monday as the mercury rose to 31C. Health officials have also raised concerns about the low testing numbers for the virus in NSW - with just 4,789 tests being carried out over the last 24-hour reporting period

Beachgoers also flocked to Coogee where hundreds of sunbakers were making the most of the unseasonably warm weather

Police patrols continued at St Kilda Beach after large groups gathered on Friday, raising concerns that such behaviour could trigger another outbreak.

Mr Andrews warned he could be forced to extend the 5km travel bubble for metropolitan Melbourne if residents continue to hit the beach.

'I can't put a timeline on it but those rules serve a really important purpose and they'll be in place for as long as that purpose is relevant and proportionate  the benefit is relevant and proportionate  to the challenge we face,' he said.

Sydneysiders are sweltering through Labour Day, with a maximum of 31C forecast for Monday's public holiday. Pictured: Beachgoers at Cronulla Beach on Sunday

'There will be a time when that (5km rule) can come off, but exactly when that is  or it might be extended  when that is we can't be certain now.'

Health figures released on Sunday show the 14-day rolling average of daily case diagnoses up to Saturday is 11.9 in Melbourne and 0.2 in regional Victoria, up from 0.1 on Saturday.

If Victoria hits a rolling 14-day average below five and a two-week total of below five mystery cases it will move to the third step of reopening by October 19.

There are 241 active cases in Victoria, with 91 in aged care facilities and three in regional Victoria.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews warned he could be forced to extend the 5km travel bubble for metropolitan Melbourne if residents continue to hit the beach. Pictured: Locals at St Kilda on Saturday

Two people pose for a selfie while enjoying the sun at St Kilda Beach on Friday

Melburnians catch up at a local park as the weather warms up during COVID-19 on Saturday

Police patrol St Kilda Beach during the coronavirus pandemic in Melbourne on Saturday

Melbourne reached 29.5C on Sunday, while Walpeup, in Victoria's north-west, hit 37.1C.

But the Bureau of Meterology advised Victorians to brace for a cool and wet change as they headed into the beginning of the week.

'Get ready for the change! A rainband currently over the SW is heading east and will bring rain and cool weather across Victoria tomorrow,' the bureau said on Sunday.

The bureau said the rainband brought 15-25mm totals to the south-west overnight and central/eastern parts of the state should expect 5-15mm for the rest of Monday.

Melbourne is forecast to reach a maximum of 14C on Monday.
An 18-year-old man has been arrested after a female student, 18, died in a Newcastle University halls of residence.

Paramedics rushed to Richardson Road in Newcastle - where the Park View student village halls are located - early on Saturday morning.

The teenager was discovered unconscious and, although medics battled to save her life, she was pronounced dead at the scene.

An investigation was launched into her death and police have now confirmed that an 18-year-old man has been arrested.

An 18-year-old died at a Newcastle University halls of residence yesterday after being discovered unconscious. Pictured: Police at the scene

A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: 'At 6.06am yesterday (Saturday) police received a report via the ambulance service of an unresponsive woman at an address on Richardson Road in Newcastle.

'Emergency services attended where sadly the woman - aged 18 - was pronounced dead at the scene.

'Enquiries into the circumstances around her death are ongoing. Her next of kin have been informed and are being supported by officers at this time.

'An 18-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the incident and is currently on police bail while the investigation continues.

'The investigation is at an early stage but this is not believed to be Covid-19 related death.'

Paramedics rushed to Richardson Road in Newcastle - where the Park View student village halls (pictured) are located - early on Saturday morning

A Newcastle University spokesperson said: 'We are shocked and saddened to learn of the death of one of our students and our welfare teams are offering support to those affected.

'This is not Covid-related and as this is an active police investigation, we are unable to provide further comment at this time.'

Her death came just days after 800 students tested positive for coronavirus in Newcastle as the city was branded England's new coronavirus hotspot.

Northumbria University - another of the city's universities - has been blamed for reopening the campus and causing the 'preventable' public health crisis.

All 770 students from the area are self-isolating for 14 days along with their flatmates and close contacts.

The teenager was pronounced dead at the scene and her death is not ' Covid-19 related', police have confirmed. Pictured: Police at the scene

All England's top ten coronavirus hotspots are in the North, revealing its North-South divide. Newcastle, which contains the Northumbria University outbreak, is one on the list

Northumberland, Newcastle, Gateshead, North and South Tyneside, Sunderland and Durham are all locked down, while Hartlepool and Middlesbrough will be locked down from Sunday. Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton and Darlington are open

The students have posted signs on their windows reading 'Covid +' and 'send beer' as they are provided with food, laundry, cleaning materials and welfare support by authorities and the city council.

Those who miss out on face-to-face tuition during their quarantine will also receive additional academic support from the university.

A spokesman said the increase in cases comes in the week after students returned to the area and 'reflects the good access to and availability of testing as well as rigorous and robust reporting systems'.

Nearly 800 students have tested positive for coronavirus in Newcastle as one of the UK's biggest university unions blamed Northumbria University for reopening the campus and causing the 'preventable' public health crisis (pictured, Northumbria University students posed for photos at windows in Shieldfield as they posted signs reading 'send beer')

Northumbria University students posed for photos at windows in Shieldfield as they posted signs reading 'send beer' as one male student smiles at onlookers

They refused to say if the outbreak has taken place in one hall of residence or multiple halls and private flats across Newcastle as infections in the city rose by 60 per cent to a rate of 250 cases per 100,000 this week.

But the University and College Union blamed the outbreak on the decision by university authorities to open up their campus to students, suggesting they are responsible for the 'preventable crisis'.

General-Secretary Jo Grady said: 'We warned last month that, given the current restrictions in the region, the direction of the infection rate and the problems with test and trace, it was clearly far too soon for a mass return to campus.

'We told Northumbria University they had a civic duty to put the health of staff, students and the local community first and we take no pleasure in now seeing another preventable crisis play out. The university sector and the Government must address this public health crisis immediately.'

At least 50 universities across the UK are now dealing with confirmed Covid-19 outbreaks amid fears Britain's second wave is well underway, with 1,800 cases identified among students and staff.

Glasgow University has seen 124 confirmed cases and there have been 221 recorded at Manchester University as thousands of lockdown-weary students flocked to campuses to start term on September 21.
A War Diary Soars Over Rome The story of Emperor Trajans victory over a mighty barbarian empire isnt just one for the books. Its also told in 155 scenes carved in a spiral frieze on a monumental column.

Story by Andrew Curry

Photographs by Kenneth Garrett In back-to-back wars fought between A.D. 101 and 106, the emperor Trajan mustered tens of thousands of Roman troops, crossed the Danube River on two of the longest bridges the ancient world had ever seen, defeated a mighty barbarian empire on its mountainous home turf twice, then systematically wiped it from the face of Europe. Trajans war on the Dacians, a civilization in what is now Romania, was the defining event of his 19-year rule. The loot he brought back was staggering. One contemporary chronicler boasted that the conquest yielded a half million pounds of gold and a million pounds of silver, not to mention a fertile new province. The booty changed the landscape of Rome. To commemorate the victory, Trajan commissioned a forum that included a spacious plaza surrounded by colonnades, two libraries, a grand civic space known as the Basilica Ulpia, and possibly even a temple. The forum was unique under the heavens, one early historian enthused, beggaring description and never again to be imitated by mortal men. Towering over it was a stone column 126 feet high, crowned with a bronze statue of the conqueror. Spiraling around the column like a modern-day comic strip is a narrative of the Dacian campaigns: Thousands of intricately carved Romans and Dacians march, build, fight, sail, sneak, negotiate, plead, and perish in 155 scenes. Completed in 113, the column has stood for more than 1,900 years. Today tourists crane their necks up at it as guides explain its history. The eroded carvings are hard to make out above the first few twists of the story. All around are ruinsempty pedestals, cracked flagstones, broken pillars, and shattered sculptures hint at the magnificence of Trajans Forum, now fenced off and closed to the public, a testament to past imperial glory. The column is one of the most distinctive monumental sculptures to have survived the fall of Rome. For centuries classicists have treated the carvings as a visual history of the wars, with Trajan as the hero and Decebalus, the Dacian king, as his worthy opponent. Archaeologists have scrutinized the scenes to learn about the uniforms, weapons, equipment, and tactics the Roman Army used. And because Trajan left Dacia in ruins, the column and the remaining sculptures of defeated soldiers that once decorated the forum are treasured today by Romanians as clues to how their Dacian ancestors may have looked and dressed. The column was deeply influential, the inspiration for later monuments in Rome and across the empire. Over the centuries, as the citys landmarks crumbled, the column continued to fascinate and awe. A Renaissance pope replaced the statue of Trajan with one of St. Peter, to sanctify the ancient artifact. Artists lowered themselves in baskets from the top to study it in detail. Later it was a favorite attraction for tourists: Goethe, the German poet, climbed the 185 internal steps in 1787 to enjoy that incomparable view. Plaster casts of the column were made starting in the 1500s, and they have preserved details that acid rain and pollution have worn away. Debate still simmers over the columns construction, meaning, and most of all, historical accuracy. It sometimes seems as if there are as many interpretations as there are carved figures, and there are 2,662 of those.

Filippo Coarelli, a courtly Italian archaeologist and art historian in his late 70s, literally wrote the book on the subject. In his sun-flooded living room in Rome, he pulls his illustrated history of the column off a crowded bookshelf. The column is an amazing work, he says, leafing through black-and-white photos of the carvings, pausing to admire dramatic scenes. The Dacian women torturing Roman soldiers? The weeping Dacians poisoning themselves to avoid capture? Its like a TV series. Or, Coarelli says, like Trajans memoirs. When it was built, the column stood between the two libraries, which perhaps held the soldier-emperors account of the wars. The way Coarelli sees it, the carving resembles a scroll, the likely form of Trajans war diary. The artistand artists at this time didnt have the freedom to do what they wantedmust have acted according to Trajans will, he says. Working under the supervision of a maestro, Coarelli says, sculptors followed a plan to create a skyscraping version of Trajans scroll on 17 drums of the finest Carrara marble. The emperor is the storys hero. He appears 58 times, depicted as a canny commander, accomplished statesman, and pious ruler. Here he is giving a speech to the troops; there he is thoughtfully conferring with his advisers; over there, presiding over a sacrifice to the gods. Its Trajans attempt to be not only a man of the army, Coarelli says, but also a man of culture. Of course Coarellis speculating. Whatever form they took, Trajans memoirs are long gone. In fact clues gleaned from the column and excavations at Sarmizegetusa, the Dacian capital, suggest that the carvings say more about Roman preoccupations than about history. Jon Coulston, an expert on Roman iconography, arms, and equipment at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, studied the column up close for months from the scaffolding that surrounded it during restoration work in the 1980s and 90s. He wrote his doctoral dissertation on the landmark and has remained obsessedand pugnaciously contrarianever since. People desperately want to compare it to news media and films, he says. Theyre overinterpreting and always have. Its all generic. You cant believe a word of it. Coulston argues that no single mastermind was behind the carvings. Slight differences in style and obvious mistakes, such as windows that disrupt scenes and scenes of inconsistent heights, convinced him that sculptors created the column on the fly, relying on what theyd heard about the wars. Instead of having what art historians love, which is a great master and creative mind, he says, the composition is being done by grunts at the stone face, not on a drawing board in the studio. The artwork, in his view, was more inspired by than based on. Take the columns priorities. Theres not much fighting in its depiction of the two wars. Less than a quarter of the frieze shows battles or sieges, and Trajan himself is never shown in combat. Meanwhile legionariesthe highly trained backbone of Romes war machineoccupy themselves with building forts and bridges, clearing roads, even harvesting crops. The column portrays them as a force of order and civilization, not destruction and conquest. Youd think they were invincible too, since theres not a single dead Roman soldier on the column.

Trajans Dacian Wars

The column emphasizes Romes vast empire. Trajans army includes African cavalrymen with dreadlocks, Iberians slinging stones, Levantine archers wearing pointy helmets, and bare-chested Germans in pants, which would have appeared exotic to toga-clad Romans. Theyre all fighting the Dacians, suggesting that anyone, no matter how wild their hair or crazy their fashion sense, could become a Roman. (Trajan was born to Roman parents in what is now Spain.) Some scenes remain ambiguous and their interpretations controversial. Are the besieged Dacians reaching for a cup to commit suicide by drinking poison rather than face humiliation at the hands of the conquering Romans? Or are they just thirsty? Are the Dacian nobles gathered around Trajan in scene after scene surrendering or negotiating? And what about the shocking depiction of women torturing shirtless, bound captives with flaming torches? Italians see them as captive Romans suffering at the hands of barbarian women. Ernest Oberlander-Tarnoveanu, the head of the National History Museum of Romania, begs to differ: Theyre definitely Dacian prisoners being tortured by the angry widows of slain Roman soldiers. Like much about the column, what you see tends to depend on what you think of the Romans and the Dacians. Among Roman politicians, Dacian was synonymous with double-dealing. The historian Tacitus called them a people which never can be trusted. They were known for squeezing the equivalent of protection money out of the Roman Empire while sending warriors to raid its frontier towns. In 101 Trajan moved to punish the troublesome Dacians. After nearly two years of battle Decebalus, the Dacian king, negotiated a treaty with Trajan, then promptly broke it. Rome had been betrayed one time too many. During the second invasion Trajan didnt mess around. Just look at the scenes that show the looting of Sarmizegetusa or villages in flames. The campaigns were dreadful and violent, says Roberto Meneghini, the Italian archaeologist in charge of excavating Trajans Forum. Look at the Romans fighting with cutoff heads in their mouths. War is war. The Roman legions were known to be quite violent and fierce. Yet once the Dacians were vanquished, they became a favorite theme for Roman sculptors. Trajans Forum had dozens of statues of handsome, bearded Dacian warriors, a proud marble army in the very heart of Rome. The message seems intended for Romans, not the surviving Dacians, most of whom had been sold as slaves. No Dacians were able to come and see the column, Meneghini says. It was for Roman citizens, to show the power of the imperial machinery, capable of conquering such a noble and fierce people.

Trajans Column may be propaganda, but archaeologists say theres an element of truth to it. Excavations at Dacian sites, including Sarmizegetusa, continue to reveal traces of a civilization far more sophisticated than implied by barbarian, the dismissive term the Romans used. The Dacians had no written language, so what we know about their culture is filtered through Roman sources. Ample evidence suggests that they were a regional power for centuries, raiding and exacting tribute from their neighbors. They were skilled metalworkers, mining and smelting iron and panning for gold to create magnificently ornamented jewelry and weaponry. Sarmizegetusa was their political and spiritual capital. The ruined city lies high in the mountains of central Romania. In Trajans day the thousand-mile journey from Rome would have taken a month at least. To get to the site today, visitors have to negotiate a potholed dirt road through the same forbidding valley that Trajan faced. Back then the passes were guarded by elaborate ridgetop fortifications; now only a few peasant huts keep watch. The towering beech trees that have grown thick over Sarmizegetusa blot out the sun, casting a chill shade even on a warm day. A broad flagstone road leads from the thick, half-buried walls of a fortress down to a wide, flat meadow. This green expansea terrace carved out of the mountainsidewas the religious heart of the Dacian world. Traces of buildings remain, a mix of original stones and concrete reproductions, the legacy of an aborted communist-era attempt to reconstruct the site. A triple ring of stone pillars outlines a once impressive temple that distantly echoes the round Dacian buildings on Trajans Column. Next to it is a low, circular stone altar carved with a sunburst pattern, the sacred center of the Dacian universe.

For the past six years Gelu Florea, an archaeologist from Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, has spent summers excavating the site. The exposed ruins, along with artifacts recovered from looters, reveal a thriving hub of manufacturing and religious ritual. Florea and his team have found evidence of Roman military know-how and Greek architectural and artistic influences. Using aerial imaging, archaeologists have identified more than 260 man-made terraces, which stretch for nearly three miles along the valley. The entire settlement covered more than 700 acres. Its amazing to see how cosmopolitan they were up in the mountains, says Florea. Its the biggest, most representative, most complex settlement in Dacia. There is no sign that the Dacians grew food up here. There are no cultivated fields. Instead archaeologists have found the remains of dense clusters of workshops and houses, along with furnaces for refining iron ore, tons of iron hunks ready for working, and dozens of anvils. It seems the city was a center of metal production, supplying other Dacians with weapons and tools in exchange for gold and grain. The site is lush and quiet. Not far from the altar rises a small spring that could have provided water for religious rituals. Flecks of natural mica make the dirt paths sparkle in the sun. The few tourists speak in hushed voices. Its hard to imagine the ceremonies that took place hereand the terrible end. As Florea conjures the smoke and screams, looting and slaughter, suicides and panic depicted on Trajans Column, theres a rumble of thunder. The sky is suddenly menacing, the air sticky and humid.

The destruction of Dacias holiest temples and altars followed Sarmizegetusas fall. Everything was dismantled by the Romans, Florea says. There wasnt a building remaining in the entire fortress. It was a show of powerwe have the means, we have the power, we are the bosses. The rest of Dacia was devastated too. Near the top of the column is a glimpse of the denouement: a village put to the torch, Dacians fleeing, a province empty of all but cows and goats. The two wars must have killed tens of thousands. A contemporary claimed that Trajan took 500,000 prisoners, bringing some 10,000 to Rome to fight in the gladiatorial games that were staged for 123 days in celebration. Dacias proud ruler spared himself the humiliation of surrender. His end is carved on his archrivals column. Kneeling under an oak tree, he raises a long, curved knife to his own neck. Decebalus, when his capital and all his territory had been occupied and he was himself in danger of being captured, committed suicide; and his head was brought to Rome, the Roman historian Cassius Dio wrote a century later. In this way Dacia became subject to the Romans.
The South Pacific territory of New Caledonia chose to remain French on Sunday, narrowly rejecting independence in a tightly-fought referendum marked by a high turnout.

The vote rejecting a breakaway from France after almost 170 years came in at 53.26 percent, down from 56.7 percent in a referendum two years ago.

French President Emmanuel Macron -- who had said previously that "France would be less beautiful without New Caledonia" -- on Sunday said he was grateful to the archipelago's voters.

"I welcome this sign of confidence in the republic with a profound sense of gratitude," Macron said from his office.

He added that he also felt "humility" at the outcome which showed a clear progression of the pro-independence vote compared with the referendum in 2018.

Sunday's vote was part of a carefully negotiated decolonisation plan agreed in 1998 which ended a deadly conflict between the mostly pro-independence indigenous Kanak population and the descendants of European settlers.

That violence culminated in a bloody, drawn-out hostage crisis in 1988 that saw 19 separatists killed, along with six police and special forces personnel.

- 'Quite surprising' -

Another referendum can be held by 2022 so long as the poll is requested by at least a third of the local legislature.

"We are going to get a third referendum," said Roch Wamytan, president of the pro-independence Congress party, as yes-voters celebrated their performance across the territory.

Macron said in his Sunday address that "we now have two years for dialogue and to imagine the future, and not just the institutional future."

Political observers had forecast a win for the no-vote, but few expected it to be so close.

"The results are quite surprising, with numbers showing real progress for the yes camp," said Pierre-Christophe Pantz, a New Caledonia-based geopolitics expert.

In the capital Noumea, a loyalist stronghold, the pro-independence vote added nearly four points to come in at 23.3 percent.

Story continues

Overall turnout was 85.64 percent, more than four points higher than last time, as the prospect of a tight race brought voters out in droves, patiently awaiting their turn at polling stations.

"I waited 45 minutes. It's very important for me to vote," said retiree Germaine Le Demezet in Noumea.

"I have children and grandchildren here, the future needs to be clear and we need to know what's going to happen to us."

- 'We need to know' -

New Caledonia has taken strict measures to keep coronavirus out of the territory, and with case numbers low, the referendum took place without masks and other measures.

New Caledonia, situated between Australia and Fiji and sometimes called "The Pebble", was seized by France in 1853 and is home to 270,000 people.

The economy's mainstays are the production of metals, especially nickel of which New Caledonia is a major global producer, as well as tourism and financial support from mainland France.

The French government, from more than 16,000 kilometres (10,000 miles) away, subsidises the territory with around 1.5 billion euros ($1.75 billion) every year, the equivalent of more than 15 percent of New Caledonia's gross domestic product.

The last colonies to gain independence from France were Djibouti in 1977 and Vanuatu in 1980.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex said in the run-up to the poll that he planned to talk to all the main actors after the referendum.

burs/jh/dl
You understand, I trust, why I must begin with the rescue dog.

Her name is Kailani. A Lab-Great-Dane-something-Border-Collie mix, says Valerie Carey, who lives on North Denver Avenue, just 'round the corner from Portland Police Association headquarters.

Kailani doesnt easily rattle. Fourth of July fireworks? They dont bother her at all, Carey says. Nor was the dog alarmed on the summer nights when Black Lives Matter protesters first descended on union headquarters. The first march? The drums? Whatever. She would sit and watch with me.

No longer. As soon as the cops in riot gear showed up, shooting rubber bullets, she ran inside, Carey says. Now it only takes a small platoon of protestors to send her racing for her kennel, distressed by whats to come.

I put a blanket over it and keep the doors closed, Carey said. Thats her safe space.

Her sanctuary from the anger and the impasse. The frozen water bottles and the bull rushes. The sirens, smoke and, yes, the late-night White House COVID alerts.

Jealous, anyone?

Kailani was shivering inside her kennel last Monday  Night 113  when Carey approached two Portland police cops standing at the edge of her front yard. Police had aggressively moved to disrupt demonstrators earlier that night at Kenton Park, and were still out in force, making arrests.

Carey didnt complain about the tear gas that so often invades her living room. She did something unique. She started a conversation.

Do you know how to change and end this, she asked the cops? Im not trying to throw shade in your direction, she added. Is there a way we can take you guys out from having to be in this position?

Carey owns Sankofa Lumber, which turns waste wood into custom interior panels and surfaces. While she hasnt marched in Portland, I was heavily involved in Occupy in Oakland. I always try to talk to the police to get their thoughts. Theyre members of the community. Its pretty rare when an officer will engage.

These cops engaged. Sergio Olmos of Oregon Public Broadcasting filmed and tweeted the exchange.

Youre asking how we end it? Its gotta be citizen and political will, the first cop says.

If they were not out here, we wouldnt be out here. And if people liked our Trump government a lot more, we probably wouldnt have this issue in the first place, the second officer says.

Many of the angriest responses to the Olmos tweet hear support for the President here. I dont. I think the officer is simply arguing that protestors are energized as much by their disgust with Trump as their impatience for police reform.

We know its gonna run all the way to at least the election, the first cop says. This could run all the way to inauguration.

Well, it could run all the way until cops stop killing Black people, Carey says.

Its the pivotal moment in the video. The first cop takes it in, then says, All true.

The second officer challenges Carey. I mean, whens the last time in Portland, you know? Do you know the last time we killed a Black person in Portland?

Im sure you do, Carey says.

But Im asking you: Do you know? the officer says. If youre going to make the claim that we keep killing Black people, you should be able to tell me when that is.

(For the record: Jan. 16, 2019. Andre Gladen, who was, by all accounts, in the midst of a mental-health crisis.)

The video, and the conversation, ends there, as spectators begin shouting at the cops, whom the bureau will not identify. Carey thinks the second officer was defensive and confrontational, at the very least.

But she was encouraged by the first cops All true.

That gave me some hope, Carey says. What inspired me to approach them was reading different comments online from members of the Police Bureau whove said, Yeah, we need change. I was asking, Are there reforms in the police department that would support you and support what people are protesting about? Is there any overlap of interest?

If there are Portland cops who believe that overlap exists, Carey says, They need to know the rest of us have their back.

Last Wednesday's Patrick Kimmons vigil

Last week was a tough one for conversations. Ask Chris Wallace. Ask anyone at the Wednesday night memorial for Patrick Kimmons, killed by Portland police in 2018 after hed shot two fellow gang members on Southwest Third Avenue and ran toward the two cops with .38-caliber revolver in hand. Two hours of that vitriol left me thinking theres no reason for these protests to continue and no reason to believe they will ever end.

But on Monday night in North Portland, Valerie Carey  who believes in rescue operations  went looking for common ground. She reached out to two Portland cops. They heard her frustration and answered her questions.

If they didnt find that essential overlap, I hope they keep talking  and the rest of us share that resolve.

-- Steve Duin

stephen.b.duin@gmail.com
Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) speaks at the podium during a press conference at the U.S. Customs House on Tuesday, August 6, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pa. Toomey released a statement for Congress to act in the wake of the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio Read more

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey has decided not to run for reelection or for governor of Pennsylvania in 2022, according to two people familiar with his plans, a surprise decision by the Republican with significant implications for the states next elections.

 UPDATE: Pat Toomey announces he will not run for reelection to Senate or for Pa. governor in 2022

He is planning to serve out his current Senate term but wont run for either of those offices, seemingly ending his career in elected office, at least for now. A formal announcement is expected Monday.

Toomeys office on Sunday neither confirmed nor denied the senators plans. The people familiar with his plans spoke on condition of anonymity because they werent authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

As the only Republican holding statewide office other than judges, Toomey was widely seen as the likely Republican favorite for governor in 2022. His decision not to run for that office or for Senate could create two wide-open contests on the Republican side, while depriving the party of running its most established current political figure in Pennsylvania.

It will also open a prime Senate target for national Democrats, regardless of who controls the chamber after this years election. A large number of current and former members of Congress, state lawmakers, and other local elected officials in both parties are likely to begin jockeying for position in both races.

Most political insiders had expected that Toomey, 58, would wait until after the 2020 election to decide his future. It was not immediately clear why he had decided to make an announcement now, weeks before the Nov. 3 presidential election.

Toomeys surprise decision comes at an already tumultuous and perilous time for Republicans in Washington. President Donald Trump is hospitalized with the coronavirus. Three GOP senators have also contracted the virus, which could hamper the partys push to install Judge Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court. And Trump and fellow Republicans face increasingly dire poll numbers, threatening their hold on both the White House and Senate.

Its incredibly surprising, said Charlie Gerow, a Republican consultant in Harrisburg. It throws dozens of wild cards into the mix.

The coming Republican primaries for governor and senate will be a free for all, Gerow said, with dozens of candidates emerging from the political and business communities. Half the legislatures going to want to run.

Toomeys absence from the ballot in 2022 could also create an easier path for Democrats hoping to hold the governors office and flip his competitive Senate seat. Toomey has won his two Senate elections by the slimmest of margins, but is experienced in statewide races and is a savvy campaigner with significant cash in his campaign account.

However, since his 2016 election he has also become a lightning rod for liberals who have criticized him for, in their view, not standing up strongly enough to Trump. Since that year, protesters have regularly held events outside his offices. If Toomey had run again, he would almost certainly have drawn far more vehement opposition than he has faced in either of his previous statewide campaigns.

Toomeys decision not to run for Senate isnt entirely surprising. He has long supported term limits and before his 2016 reelection campaign said it was likely to be his last Senate bid.

Toomey also has fulfilled some longtime goals during the Trump presidency, including playing a major role in writing the 2017 bill that cut taxes and rewrote key pieces of the tax code. Earlier this year, he helped craft major provisions in Congress' coronavirus rescue package.

Still, he was seen as a potential gubernatorial candidate and had made several moves that fueled speculation he would run, including playing an unusually vocal role in critiquing Gov. Tom Wolfs coronavirus response  a relatively rare foray into a state-government issue. He also helped raise money for Heather Heidelbaugh, the Republican running against Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Shapiro is seen as a likely Democratic candidate for governor, so bruising him could have helped Toomey in a potential 2022 match up.

Thats now off the table, leaving no clear Republican favorite for either the senate or gubernatorial races in 2022. If Toomey were to leave office early, Wolf, a Democrat, could appoint his replacement, likely altering the narrow political balance in the chamber.

Charlie Dent, the former Republican congressman from Allentown, met Toomey when the senator moved to the city in the early 1990s and opened a sports bar, Rookies. He helped Toomey run for a seat on the citys charter study commission, which studied local tax laws and other issues.

Dent said Toomey was always serious and thoughtful about issues, but not someone who enjoyed the glad-handing side of politics.

Pat wasnt one who was thrilled with the politicking and politics that goes with the job. He was always more cerebral, thoughtful, policy-driven, Dent said Sunday. You start talking tax reform and hed salivate.

Tuesdays With Toomey, which organizes protests against him every week, said Sunday on Twitter that Toomeys history of ignoring his constituents and breaking his promises means it is past time for him to leave.

I think he would do better in a line of work that doesnt involve him listening and respecting his constituents, because he did not seem to be able to do that, Vashti Bandy, one of the leaders of Tuesdays With Toomey, said in an interview.

Were not going away, she added. We still have two more years with him, so he still has two more years with us.

A businessman who got his start on Wall Street, Toomey has been a staunch fiscal conservative who focused squarely on economic policy while usually leaving cultural battles aside. He did, however, take on a central role in the national debate on gun laws after the 2012 school shooting in Newtown, Conn., becoming one of the few elected Republicans in the country to come out in support of some tougher gun laws.

Toomey wrote a bipartisan bill with Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) to expand background checks to cover more purchases, breaking with many in his party  though the bill failed in a contentious 2013 vote. After that, Toomey became a go-to figure whenever the gun debate arose, but he was unable to make progress advancing the bill, especially as the Senate added more Republicans.

He had long signaled discomfort with Trump, refusing to say whether he would vote for his partys nominee for president until hours before polls closed in 2016. In the end, he voted for Trump. He has also at times criticized the presidents behavior and rhetoric.

But he has largely backed Trumps agenda and appointments, and has supported his partys push to quickly fill a Supreme Court vacancy before Election Day. That was a reversal of the position he took in 2016, when he cited an election eight months away in opposing a confirmation vote for President Barack Obamas nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to the high court. Republicans now argue this opening is different because the same party now controls the White House and Senate.

There was no indication that his announcement would affect his Supreme Court vote.

Toomey, of the Allentown area, was elected to the U.S. House in 1998 and served three terms. He ran an unsuccessful Senate primary against then-Republican Sen. Arlen Specter in 2004, led the free-market conservative group the Club for Growth, and then in 2010 returned to challenge Specter again. Specter, rather than face the challenge from the right, switched parties. Specter lost the Democratic primary to then U.S.-Rep Joe Sestak, and Toomey beat Sestak in the general election to win the Senate seat.

Staff writer Catherine Dunn contributed to this article
(Natural News) President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. is poised to make a strong economic recovery, even as the coronavirus continues its rampage. We had to turn off the economy. Now we are turning it back on, and thats going to be very strong, Trump added.

In a press conference at the White House, Trump said that the stock market is showing signs of whats known as a V-shaped economic recovery, or a sharp rise back to a previous peak after a sharp recession. He also added that currently, the U.S. stock market is stronger than  competitors anywhere in the world.

Trumps statements are similar to that of his top economic advisers. White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said that despite the economic impact of the coronavirus  in particular, on consumer behavior and business activity  the economy is set for a huge rebound.

I still think the V-shaped recovery is in place, Kudlow said in an interview last month. I dont deny that some of these hot-spot states are going to moderate that recovery, but on the whole the picture is very positive.

Federal data also reveal signs of a sharp economic upswing, added Kudlow. In June, sales of existing homes jumped 20.7 percent, after dipping by 9.7 percent the previous month. The manufacturing industry is also showing signs of recovery, expanding for the first time since February.

Unemployment claims, which reached record highs at the height of the pandemic, are also slowing down. In an interview with CNN, the White House economic adviser said that increased hiring and employers recalling workers helped stop the claims.

I do think the odds favor a big increase in jobs creation and a big reduction in unemployment, Kudlow added.

Recovery in line with second-term economic agenda

Trumps claim that the economy is well on its way to recovery means that he has already delivered some of his campaign promises well ahead of the November elections. The president unveiled his economic plan for when he is reelected for a second term in November during a visit to Ohio last week.

Pledging to make the U.S. more prosperous and resilient than ever before, Trump also laid out six promises to workers during his sortie to a Whirlpool manufacturing facility in northwestern Ohio.

Today, to define our path forward, Im making our incredible workers six more promises that I will keep over the next four years, and Im very proud to make them at your plant and in the state of Ohio, Trump said.

The Wuhan coronavirus, which has now infected over 5 million Americans and caused over 166,000 deaths, has become a central issue in the upcoming election. On Thursday, the president vowed that he will defeat the virus, adding that the government now knows how to pinpoint it, and who to protect. He added that his administration is attacking the virus from every angle. This aggressive strategy, Trump said, is the key to winning the war.

It will happen sooner than people think, he noted.

In response to the virus, the president also vowed to bring back manufacturing jobs to America. In his next term, the government will onshore new manufacturing jobs, in particular, those that are vital to national security and prosperity.

In addition, Trump promised to put American workers first, saying that his administration has already laid the groundwork that he says he can build on.

Over the last four years, weve made extraordinary strides, and over the next four years together, we will turn the United States into the unrivaled manufacturing superpower of the world. Weve been through a lot together.

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

WSJ.com

TheEpochTimes.com

TheFederalist.com
THE deadline for objections to the compulsory acquisition of a house in Tullamore will expire next Wednesday, October 7.

On August 24 last Offaly County Council posted a notice on a house in Church Hill indicating its intention to acquire it under the Derelict Sites Act.

Any owner, lessee or occupier of the property is entitled to object in writing to the proposed acquisition on or before the deadline date.

The house is one of three which are the subject of compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) by the council, housing direct Sharon Kennedy told councillors last month.

CPO under the Derelict Sites Act is one of a number of steps the council is taking in the battle against anti-social behaviour on its estates.

Ms Kennedy said derelict houses can provide a location for all sorts of anti-social behaviour.

We've already commenced a CPO process for three houses. We'll see how that process goes, she said.

CPO can be quite a difficult process, she added. The intention is that we would acquire these houses and then renovate them and that will cost a significant amount of money and then put them back into proper use.

If acquired, they will add to the council's housing portfolio and also reduce the opportunity for people to congregate in areas which result in anti social behaviour.

The council director made her remarks when councillors were adopting an updated anti-social behaviour policy.

Its adoption was unanimous, proposed by Cllr Danny Owens, the Fianna Fail chair of the strategic policy committee which drew it up, and seconded by Cllr Sean O'Brien, an Independent councillor from Tullamore.

Ms Kennedy said the policy's purpose is to prevent and reduce anti-social behaviour in council housing estates and homes owned by the council.

It tries to promote the building of sustainable communities, improve estate management, encourage and foster participation and develop a sense of ownership and pride of place.

Its objective is to allow people to live without conduct that violates their basic rights.

Other measures which the council will use to achieve the aims of the policy are pre tenancy information sessions, estate management initiatives, tenant consultation and inter agency collaboration with the gardai, the HSE and Tusla.

Punitive actions include repossession of homes and securing excluding orders against individuals.

It's one thing to have a policy, it's another thing to implement it and to implement it well, said Ms Kennedy.

She stressed that a very small minority of council tenants were responsible for the issues of concern, a sentiment which was shared by all councillors who welcomed the policy.

Cllr Owens said anti-social behaviour had increased during the Covid period. Reacting to the use of compulsory purchase, he stated: It's a long winded process but it does get results and hopefully will get more results in the future.

Cllr O'Brien, who sits on a Tullamore Municipal District committee charged with dealing with the issue, said the causes of the behaviour had to be addressed and urged all agencies to work together.

The other councillor on that Tullamore committee, Cllr Tony McCormack, Fianna Fail, called for zero tolerance to help the law abiding citizens and said it is important to protect those living in fear who are being intimidated by those going around with their chests out.

Cllr Ken Smollen, Irish Democratic Party, welcome the CPO process on properties in Tullamore and also said there will not be a lot of cooperation from tenants who are terrified.

I know it's not our role but I think that local councillors on the ground should have some input into the allocation of housing, said Cllr Smollen.

He said he knew of one house where the tenants had been evicted up to three times and a neighbour had been forced out and their house was boarded up.

Cllr Declan Harvey, Fianna Fail, also welcomed the CPOs and said those responsible for anti-social behaviour will have to see that the council is serious. CPO will help.

Cllr John Leahy, Independent, Kilcormac, praised the Tullamore councillors for their work on the Municipal District committee and commended Cllr Smollen for being very brave previously for brining the issue to the fore.

Cllr Eddie Fitzpatrick, Fianna Fail, said some people were reluctant to come forward with written complaints because of huge fear.

He urged early intervention if there is an indication of a problem after the allocation of a house.
Have you ever wondered what drove people to form societies? Why did people begin to live in villages, towns, etc.? The answer is very simple. And that answer is mutual safety. It is far easier to defend family and/or property if you have neighbours who can assist you. And that leads us to the most sacred duty any government has. That duty is the safety of its citizens. Nothing else a government does is more important than its duty to ensure that citizens are safe.

This is not something that Canadians traditionally concern themselves with. Before and after Confederation we were part of the British Empire and defended by that empire. Since the Second World War we have always known that if our nation was threatened, the United States would defend us. But what if that threat was coming from the United States?

We are now seeing American society engulfed in turmoil. Riots have broken out in various cities such as Portland Oregon, New York City, and Seattle Washington, just to name a few. There are concerns of even more heated violence/civil unrest depending on the outcome of the Nov. 3 Presidential election.

Why does this concern Canada? The answer is simple. Such violence could spread across the border into our nation. Lets remember back to July 1967 when the city of Detroit was engulfed in five days of rioting. The violence was so intense that the various police forces and Michigan National Guard were unable to contain it. President Lyndon Johnson finally ordered in the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions; recently back from Vietnam, to quell the violence.

Concerned that the violence could spread across the Detroit River into Windsor, Ontario the government of Prime Minister Lester Pearson ordered heavily armed Canadian Army units along with armoured personnel carriers to the Canadian ends of the Ambassador Bridge and Detroit/Windsor tunnel. Pearson knew that the safety of those Canadians living in Windsor trumped everything else at this time.

Three years later, in October 1970 we saw the movement of American troops toward the border areas of the United States and Quebec. Americans living in those border areas were frightened at the civil unrest in Quebec and the imposition of martial law in Canada. By sending troops to the border President Richard Nixon was sending a very clear message that the unrest in Quebec had better not cross into the United States.

This brings us to the situation we see today. I suggest that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should follow the lead of President Nixon in 1970 and take the following actions.

First, all units of the active duty Canadian military should be put on alert toward the end of October and begin to deploy toward border regions.

Second the Emergencies Act should be invoked. Invoking the Emergencies Act would allow the federal government to mobilize the approximately 24,000 members of the Canadian military reserves (Naval, Air Force and Army.) Canada oddly requires that members of the reserves consent to being put on active duty  unless the Emergencies Act is invoked. If that act is invoked reservists must report for duty. Prime Minister Trudeau should do exactly that.

By the time Nov. 3 arrives we should see units of the Canadian Army (regular forces and reserves) at every border crossing we have with the United States. We should see the Royal Canadian Air Force flying patrols over the entire length of the border. Prime Minister Trudeau should make it clear that this is not in any way meant to be provocative. Under no circumstances would Canadian military units enter the United States. We are simply ensuring that Canadian citizens who in live in such border towns as Niagara Falls, Windsor, and Surrey, British Columbia know their government is taking seriously its most sacred duty  and that is the defence of our citizens.
New South Wales has recorded zero new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases for the ninth day in a row.

The feat is a major boost in the state's attempt to secure the reopening of the Queensland border on November 1.

Two new cases of the deadly respiratory virus were identified in returned travellers already completing their mandatory two-week hotel quarantine.

New South Wales Health conducted 8,305 tests in the 24 hours to Sunday, and again thanked the community for seeking testing for even the mildest of symptoms.

Medics are treating 51 COVID-19 cases in the state, including three in intensive care.

There are no cases in the state requiring ventilation.

The feat is a major boost in the state's attempt to secure the reopening of the Queensland border on November 1. Pictured: Gladys Berejiklian

Two women in bikinis are seen walking towards the water at St Kilda beach over the weekend in Melbourne

While Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk last Friday announced she would reopen her border to all of NSW on November 1, it was later revealed that this still relied on the state completing 28 days without any cases of community transmissions.

With nine days already under the state's belt, there are just 19 more days standing between NSW residents and Sunshine State getaways.

If there is just one 'unlinked' community transmission case recorded in NSW the border reopening could be pushed back.

Queensland has already reopened the border for more than 120,000 residents in NSW border towns, including Byron Bay and Ballina.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has openly criticised the 28-day policy as a 'pretty tall order'.

To add insult to injury, the state premier said she only learned of the November reopening date through a press conference.

Pictured: Social distancing circles have been painted on the grass and people in this photo appear to be keeping to their circles. Groups of five are permitted, from only two households

Ms Berejiklian said she held back her excitement when she learned the November reopen date was based on a 28-day-free community transmission policy (pictured, officers patrol the Queensland and New South Wales border on October 1)

While Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk last Friday announced she would reopen her border to all of NSW on November 1, it was later revealed that this still relied on the state completing 28 days without any cases of community transmission

Communication between Ms Berejiklian and Ms Palaszczuk has deteriorated as the two premiers clash over the closure of the state border.

Ms Berejiklian has constantly insisted Queensland lift its border closure while Ms Palaszczuk has remained firm on her policy to keep it shut.

In September, Ms Berejiklian said the pair had completely lost communication with each other and only spoke about the border issue at National Cabinet.

Ms Berejiklian now says she has becoming increasingly frustrated with 'hard' border states like Queensland and Western Australia.

'What happened in NSW was not what happened in Victoria,' she said.

Meanwhile in Victoria, a further 12 cases of coronavirus were diagnosed, along with one death overnight.

Meanwhile in Victoria, a further 12 cases of coronavirus were diagnosed, along with one death overnight

New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian has warned the state border with Queensland may not reopen on the promised date of November 1 (pictured, cars queued at the Queensland and New South Wales border)

The critical 14-day rolling average once again dropped to 11.9 in Melbourne and 0.2 in regional Victoria.

The latest statistics come as beach closures loom after residents were seen flouting social distancing rules.

With sunny weather forecast in Melbourne, police will maintain a presence at beaches after a furious premier slammed 'selfish' residents not wearing masks and failing to maintain social distance.

Patrols will continue at St Kilda Beach after large groups flouted restrictions on Friday, raising concerns that such behaviour could thwart the state's COVID-19 recovery.

'No one has the right to break the rules and potentially put at risk everything that good, decent law-abiding Victorians have created, have built,' Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said on Saturday.

A significant easing of restrictions may occur on October 19, but authorities are looking for the daily case average to drop to five.

Australia's Deputy Prime Minister demanded state leaders open their borders in time for Christmas.

Michael McCormack said it's 'not good enough' that Australians still can't travel within the country despite daily coronavirus cases continuing to plummet.

'We want the Premiers of those states who have still got very tight lockdowns to ease those restrictions,' he told Sunrise on Monday.

'People want to travel, particularly as we approach the warmer months where people want to go on holiday and they want to catch-up with their loved ones over Christmas.

'It's not good enough that we've got tight border restrictions that are preventing many people from travelling where they want to be around this great nation.'
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump started their quarantine after they tested positive for COVID-19. This is a reminder that the coronavirus has no boundaries, and that older people are at a higher risk of acquiring the virus.

At this point, President Trump, at the age of 74, does not appear to share lots of risk factors that older people have become more susceptible to infection and severe diseases. The highest rate of death among older COVID-19 patients occurs among those with compromised health or those with other medical conditions in shared living facilities, including nursing homes.

The science shows that the elderly are more vulnerable to the coronavirus infection and are also more likely to develop severe complications, according to TIME. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, about 80% of deaths in the U.S.from the COVID-19 disease occurred in those aged 65 or older.

President Trump's physical from last summer revealed that he had a body mass index that categorized him as obese, as per CNN. Obesity is one of the CDC's risk factors for developing severe coronavirus disease. However, health experts learned that it's hard to predict how a person will respond to an infection.

"It's not a black and white picture at all. We know this is a bizarre disease and all sorts of things happen," says Lesley Russell, adjunct associate professor at Menzies Center for Health Policy at the University of Sydney and former health policy advisor to the Obama Administration.

Doctors have also learned that more in recent months about reducing that risk, while advanced age may increase the risk of severe disease. The increased testing capacity that Trump has been criticized for suppressing in the early days of the pandemic helps to detect cases earlier. It allows doctors to monitor COVID-19 patients better when the symptoms worsen.

President Trump and First Lady Melania tested when one of Trump's staff members, Hope Hicks tested positive for the virus. Hicks travelled with President Trump to the presidential debate this week.

Experimental medications like remdesivir have been authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on an emergency use basis to treat the disease. However, there is no formal approval of any antiviral medicines to treat COVID-19. The agency authorized as well as steroid and other anti-inflammatory medications to help suppress inflammations that are linked to severe disease and can help suffering patients to breathe on their own.

The lowering rate of death rates are due to these efforts that contribute among those infected people, says the co-director of global health at the National University of Singapore's Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, Dr.Li Yang Hsu.

"Hospitals in most countries around the world are no longer overwhelmed the way they were in Wuhan or northern Italy, for instance," Dr.Li Yang Hsu says. He added that supportive care could help to prevent deaths, mainly in high-income countries with good healthcare systems.

President Trump and First Lady Melania have begun to self-isolate and can only wait if they develop symptoms, for now. Sean Conley, the President's doctor, said that Trump and the First Lady "are both well at this time."

Studies showed that starting antiviral or other therapies in the initial stages of the disease can prevent the progress of the disease. However, knowledge in treating early the infection is still under process, including when and how to use medicines like remdesivir.

Russel says, "At the point that President Trump is now in the disease process, there is no treatment. The country now enters wait-and-see mode as President Trump, and his First Lady' result added to chaos to an already turbulent election season.

Check these out:

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The congresswomen have complained about receiving threats on social media

On Friday, the four progressive congresswomen known as The Squad expressed bewilderment regarding Twitters new policy that bans from its platform anyone who wishes harm or death upon someone in light of President Donald Trumps COVID-19 diagnosis.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) participate in a town hall hosted by the NAACP moderated by CNN Commentator Angela Rye, center, on September 11, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images)

Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts have all complained about receiving threats on social media, but feel that Twitter has done little to protect them.

Read More: Study shows Black women are the most abused group on Twitter, but you may be surprised WHO is abusing them

As previously reported in theGrio, Twitter said in a statement: Content that wishes, hopes, or expresses a desire for death, serious bodily harm or fatal disease against an individual is against our rules.

Twitter also stated that users who call for the death of the president will have their accounts removed or put into a read-only mode.

Independent reports that the announcement of the new policy from the Twitter Communications team has prompted fierce accusations of double standards in its application of rules, as the site is well known for being riddled with aggressive abuse.

Twitter wants to suspend/delete accounts that wish bodily harm, or death to 45. But, when people use death threats against women of color, or The Squad  Twitter does nothing. @TwitterComms  is there some special set of rules for Tiki-Torch Kings that we should know about? https://t.co/uO48tu60Gb  Jeremy Royer  (@JeremyRoyer_) October 3, 2020

In response to Twitters statement, Tlaib tweeted: Seriously though, this is messed up. The death threats towards us should have been taken more seriously by Twitter.

Story continues

Ocasio-Cortez, Omar and Pressley also suggested in Twitter posts that the company had not taken threats made against them seriously.

According to CNN, members of The Squad have often been the targets of brutal social media attacks that included death threats.

Read More: Twitter to suspend users who hope for Trumps death

At Twitter, it is our top priority to improve the health of the public conversation, and that includes ensuring the safety of the people who use our service. Abuse and harassment have no place on Twitter, a Twitter spokesperson told CNN.

As CNN regularly reports, tweets that violate Twitters rules are often missed or not removed by the company.

Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now!

The post Twitter bans people wishing death on Trump, Dem. Congresswomen wonder where that policy was for them appeared first on TheGrio.
WASHINGTON -- Ukraines role in the U.S. presidential campaign has been more a matter of politics than of policy.



The country of 44 million has had an outsized share of the spotlight in Washington at times -- for what many of its citizens might consider the wrong reasons.



The impeachment case against President Donald Trump, who was charged by the Democratic-led House of Representatives but acquitted by the Republican-controlled Senate in February, centered on the allegation that Trump "used his official powers to pressure" Ukraines government to "interfere in a United States election for his personal political gain."

Trump and his Republican allies, meanwhile, have sought to discredit his opponent in the election, Democratic Party nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden, by questioning the propriety of Bidens actions in relation to Ukraine and of his son Hunter Bidens former position on the board of a Kyiv-based natural-gas producer, Burisma.



These issues came to the fore briefly again in late September, a few weeks before the November 3 election, with a controversial report by Republican senators focusing on the older and younger Bidens activities in Ukraine and when the two candidates sparred over the same matters in their first of three televised debates, on September 29.

But despite the heated political battles, some analysts say the outcome of the election may have little effect on U.S. policy toward Ukraine after the president is inaugurated to a four-year term on January 20.



These observers said the next administration -- Trumps or Bidens -- is likely to continue to provide Kyiv with military support, including lethal weapons, to help Ukraine amid an ongoing war against Russia-backed separatists in the eastern region known as the Donbas.



The United States is also likely to push the Ukrainian government to implement economic reforms, fight corruption, battle the influence of billionaire tycoons, and reduce reliance on Russia energy, they said, and to continue to reject Russias claim to Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula it occupied and seized control over in 2014.



The policy will be similar, John Herbst, who was U.S. ambassador to Kyiv in 2003-06 and now heads the Eurasia Center at the Atlantic Council think tank, told RFE/RL. He said that the main difference could be in the language on Ukraine coming from the White House.



Trumps remarks about Ukraine have sometimes diverged from his administrations approaches and actions -- or signaled a possible change in policy. During the 2016 campaign, he said that he would consider recognizing Crimea as part of Russia and that as he understood it, the people of Crimea would rather be with Russia.



Officials in Trumps administration have checked what critics say is Trumps tendency to favor Russia over Ukraine, according to Herbst. And they steered him to approve sending lethal military aid to Ukraine, something President Barack Obamas administration refrained from doing amid concern it could provoke more aggression from Moscow.



Style And Substance



Still, the dynamics could change if Trump is reelected, some analysts believe.



Steven Pifer, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute think tank who was U.S. ambassador to Kyiv in 2000-01, said he is concerned that Trump could feel he has a freer hand in a second term, in part because he would be constitutionally barred from seeking a third one.



If Trump wins, I fear the foreign policies he may pursue on Ukraine, NATO, and Russia, when he will not face another reelection campaign and the Republican Party will be entirely in his pocket, Pifer told RFE/RL.



He has also expressed strong distrust for Ukraine, according to former advisers, and while he has asserted that he has been tougher on Moscow than Obama was, he has sometimes appeared to show a preference for Russia. But so far, he has been boxed in by the U.S. Congress on foreign policy.



In 2017, Congress passed a major Russia sanctions bill with overwhelming bipartisan support.

The Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) legislation codified into law Obama-era sanctions that were imposed on Russia mainly for its seizure of Crimea and involvement in the war in eastern Ukraine, and stipulated that congressional approval is required to lift them.



The sanctions are aimed to impose high economic costs on Russia to coerce it to return Crimea and withdraw from the Donbas, where more than 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict since April 2014. It has thus become a cornerstone of foreign policy toward Russia and, in effect, toward Ukraine.



The most important thing to remember is that Congress has driven most of our policy toward Ukraine and Russia, William Courtney, a regional analyst for the Rand Corporation think tank and a former diplomat and national security official with postings in Russia and other former Soviet republics.



By and large, we have had bipartisan support through both [the Obama and Trump] administrations because Congress is concerned about Russia's imperialist behaviors, Courtney said.



'Ground Zero'



That Congressional support has included more than $1.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine since 2014 -- including, under Trump, lethal anti-tank weapons, though these are not being used in the conflict with the Russia-backed separatists who hold parts of the Donbas.



U.S. congressional leaders have described Ukraine as ground-zero in what they say are the Kremlins efforts to undermine democracy in former Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries, and have called a well-protected and democratic Ukraine vital to U.S. security interests.



The importance of that military aid in the eyes of many in Washington became clear when Trump was accused in 2019 of seeking to withhold nearly $400 million worth of weapons and other defense items as he pressed President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate Bidens activities in Ukraine -- the moves that led to Trumps impeachment. Congress, including its Republican members, immediately called for the aid to be released.



This year, a bipartisan group of senators submitted a bill that would mandate up to $300 million a year in military aid to Ukraine. Courtney called it a bipartisan attempt to hold Trump's feet to the fire on support for Kyiv, and the bills sponsors cast it in a similar light.

Strong, bipartisan support remains for our relationship with Ukraine and its clear Congress recognizes the strategic value of the partnership, Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, said in a July 30 statement about the legislation.



Against that backdrop, however, the optics and the tenor of ties between Washington and Kyiv could potentially differ substantially depending on who wins the U.S. election.



Trumps relationship with Kyiv has been fraught since his successful presidential campaign in 2016.



Less than three months before the U.S. election, Ukraines National Anti-Corruption Bureau announced that it received secret documents indicating that Paul Manafort, then Trumps campaign chairman, may have received $12.7 million in undisclosed cash payments from the Moscow-friendly Ukrainian political party he had advised.

Manafort soon stepped down. He was later arrested and sentenced to prison for money laundering and tax evasion.



No Visit



Meanwhile, several Ukrainian lawmakers, officials, and diplomats, Kyivs ambassador to the United States among them, publicly expressed concern over Trumps statements about Ukraine during the campaign, including his remark about potentially recognizing Crimea as Russian territory.



In June 2017, Trump appeared to give visiting Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko the cold shoulder, interacting with him briefly in what the White House described as a drop-in after a meeting between Poroshenko and Vice President Mike Pence.

Poroshenkos successor, Zelenskiy, was initially expected to visit the White House in the summer of 2019, a few months after the TV comic and political novice won the Ukrainian presidency by a landslide in April.

Then came the July 25 phone call that ended up at the center of the impeachment case against Trump: the claim that he pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals, including Biden, by withholding aid approved by Congress and Zelenskiys White House visit until the government in Kyiv made a public announcement of a probe.



Trump has denied he did anything wrong in his dealings with Ukraine and has called the impeachment process a "sham."



Sixteen months after his inauguration, Zelenskiy has yet to visit the White House. Analysts said the bitter backdrop of the months-long impeachment process, which ended with Trumps acquittal by the Senate in February, could keep relations cool if Trump wins a second term.



I can't ever picture Trump going to Ukraine, said David Kramer, a former senior State Department official who is now a nonresident fellow at the McCain Institute think-tank.



Point Man



By contrast, Biden has been there a lot. As vice president throughout Obamas two terms in 2009-2017, he visited Ukraine six times -- most recently in January 2017, a few days before Trump took office, when he sought to reassure the country of continued U.S. support.



Biden helped oversee U.S. military support for Ukraine starting in 2014, when the Maidan protests pushed Moscow-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych from power. The pro-Western government that came to power immediately faced challenges from Russia, which seized control of Crimea and fomented separatism in eastern Ukraine, where Moscow backed militants who seized parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.



Biden also assertively pushed the new government to carry out the kind of economic and justice-system reforms that Western countries and liberals say are crucial for Ukraine if it wants to resist Russian influence and thrive.



But much as Trumps dealings with Kyiv led to his impeachment, it is Bidens involvement with Ukraine, as well as his sons former seat on the board of Burisma, that have been the touchstones of Republican criticism and allegations of impropriety.



At the heart of those accusations is the claim by backers of Trump that when Biden pressured Poroshenko to fire then-Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin, he did so in order to protect Hunter Biden.



Biden denies he had any such motive. Trump and his allies have produced no concrete evidence supporting it, and Bidens backers point to the fact that many Western governments and international institutions calling for reforms in Ukraine believed that Shokin, who was dismissed in March 2016, had been a significant obstacle to anti-corruption efforts.



More broadly, Trump has suggested that Hunter Biden, who was on the Burisma board for five years and reportedly had a salary of $50,000 a month, profited off his fathers name. He walked away with a fortune from Ukraine, Trump said in early September.

Biden has said his sons work in Ukraine may have looked bad but was not wrong. In the debate against Trump on September 29, he asserted that the accusations had been totally discredited" and reiterated that his son did nothing wrong at Burisma."



'Tough Love'



The report released on September 23 by Republican Senators Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Chuck Grassley of Iowa, both committee chairmen, said that Hunter Bidens position created a potential conflict of interest that undermined U.S. policy, but that it was "unclear" whether the former vice president altered U.S. policy or took any other actions to assist his son.



Perhaps underscoring how separate the U.S. political battles over Ukraine appear to be from U.S. policy on Ukraine, Johnson is a member of the Senate Ukraine Caucus -- a group that focuses attention on ties with Kyiv -- and a staunch supporter of the country.



Still, some analysts say that even assuming that Trump does not depart from his current Ukraine policy if elected to a second term, a White House led by Biden might be more active in pursuing some of the U.S. goals while also soothing concerns in Kyiv.



The tough love policy of pressing for economic reforms and a robust fight against corruption would happen under both administrations, but maybe a little more vigorous under Biden because he has personally been involved with Ukraine, Courtney said.



Kramer said that if Biden is elected, he would be likely to invite Zelenskiy to the White House and also to visit Ukraine, which would make him the first U.S. president to do so since George W. Bush in 2008.
Muzaffarnagar (UP): Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) activists staged a protest and blocked roads in different places in Uttar Pradeshs Muzaffarnagar district against police baton charge on its party leader Jayant Chaudhary on Sunday when he had gone to meet the Hathras victims family. In a press statement issued in Lucknow, the RLD alleged that its vice-president Jayant Chaudhary and party workers were baton charged by police when they were on their way to meet the family.

Hundreds of activists led by its Muzaffarnagar district president Ajit Rathi staged a dharna and blocked Circular Road in Civil Lines area in protest against the baton charge on RLD activists, including Chaudhary, and lodged a complaint against the police regarding the incident. A similar road blockade was held as they blocked Meerut-Karnal highway at Phugana in the district. The RLD activists blocked the road for several hours led by former state minister Yograj Singh while a demonstration was also carried out in Morna.

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
Think about this: despite a rocketing budget deficit, Scott Morrison is planning to press on with, and even bring forward, highly expensive tax cuts for high income-earners at just the time we're realising that the 40-year pursuit of Smaller Government has been a disastrous failure.

Wake-up No. 1: the tragic consequences of the decision to outsource hotel quarantine in Victoria have confirmed what academic economists have long told us, and many of us have experienced. Contracting out the provision of public services to private operators cuts costs at the expense of quality.

Wake-up No. 2: efforts to keep the lid on the growing cost of aged care have given us appalling treatment of the old plus high profits to for-profit providers and some not-for-profits seeking to cross-subsidise other activities.

The growing cost of aged care has led to some appalling outcomes for the elderly. Credit:Virginia Star

A new report by Dr Stephen Duckett and Professor Hal Swerissen, of the Grattan Institute, summarises the aged care system's "litany of failures", as revealed by the royal commission, as "unpalatable food, poor care, neglect, abuse and, most recently, the tragedies of the pandemic".
It is an excoriating verdict that will, undoubtedly, give voice to the rage and anguish of thousands of families: the Government's pandemic policies violated the fundamental human rights of vulnerable older people in care, a major report has concluded.

'Inexplicable' decisions were made that were 'heedless at best'.

The measures exposed elderly residents to the virus and then, crucially, blocked them from receiving life-saving medical care. And ultimately this led to tens of thousands of deaths, according to the Amnesty International analysis, shared exclusively with The Mail on Sunday, ahead of publication.

The report will show, starkly, that Ministers 'knew from the outset' that Covid-19 posed an exceptional danger to the 400,000 residents of UK care homes, many of whom are frail and live with multiple health conditions. But while claiming time and again that the need to protect them was at the very heart of policy, what actually happened was quite the opposite.

Homes were 'overwhelmed' by infections and older people were subjected to 'inhuman and degrading' treatment. The review paints the Government as 'directly responsible' and lays bare a litany of failures and sinister edicts that resulted in tragedy.

Amnesty International's report will show that Ministers 'knew from the outset' that Covid-19 posed an exceptional danger to the 400,000 residents of UK care homes, many of whom are frail and live with multiple health conditions. But while claiming that the need to protect them was at the very heart of policy, what actually happened was quite the opposite (pictured, a nurse sitting beside a resident of Wren Hall care home in Selston)

Homes were 'overwhelmed' by infections and older people were subjected to 'inhuman and degrading' treatment. The review paints the Government as 'directly responsible' and lays bare a litany of failures that resulted in tragedy (pictured, a careworker with a resident in Elstree)

Over three months, the care sector was hit by a tsunami of deaths: 28,186 excess deaths recorded in care homes, with 18,562 of these attributed to Covid-19  40 per cent of all deaths from the virus.

The other deaths, about 10,000, are believed to be unrecorded Covid  due to lack of testing  and as an indirect result of the pandemic.

Amnesty are now calling for an independent public inquiry to begin without delay  a move that would compel officials to produce documents and records that they have, so far, kept secret. Ministers, including Secretary of State for Health Matt Hancock  who is ultimately responsible for the strategy  would also be summoned to give evidence under oath and forced to justify their actions.

In July, the Prime Minister agreed to an independent inquiry 'in the future'  yet Amnesty stress the urgency of the matter. They say that, while such deliberations can take years, it should be possible to begin a rapid 'interim' phase immediately, giving swift recommendations. With Covid infections spiralling and a looming threat of a second national lockdown, it is imperative that steps are taken immediately to establish what went wrong, in order to prevent further avoidable deaths, they say.

'Too much time has been lost already,' the report adds. Aptly entitled 'As If They Were Expendable', the report also details how:

Care home residents with suspected Covid-19 were 'outright refused' hospital treatment and died in distress from the virus without appropriate medical care  despite local hospitals having 'hundreds' of empty beds;

Health chiefs instructed GPs to pressure care home staff to put blanket 'do not resuscitate' orders on all residents without discussion. Instructions were often given verbally rather than written  leaving no paper trail;

One manager who tried to get a severely unwell resident into hospital in March was told: 'He's at the end of his life anyway, so we're not going to send an ambulance';

Care bosses have continued lockdowns  banning families from visiting loved ones, causing further distress and death  because they feared not following 'excessive' Government guidance would lead to them being sued or stripped of their licence to operate;

Despite repeated appeals, the Government and public bodies have withheld crucial data about the spread of Covid-19 in care homes and refused to reveal how many key decisions came to be made.

Amnesty are calling for an independent public inquiry to begin without delay  a move that would compel officials to produce documents and records that they have kept secret (pictured, a careworker with a resident in Elstree)

The study was headed by Amnesty's senior investigator on crisis response Donatella Rovera, who spent months speaking to families and whistleblowers.

Despite having reported on conflict zones including Libya, Syria, Yemen and Sudan, she was 'disturbed' by what emerged.

'We are used to people in war zones being scared to speak out because there is a direct threat that they or their family will suffer repercussions,' she said. 'But what I didn't expect was to find such fear to go on the record in a progressive country like Britain.'

As the pandemic tore across Europe, on March 3  just over a month after the first UK case of Covid-19 was reported  the Government's Coronavirus Action Plan emphasised that the risk of severe disease and death 'increases among elderly people and in people with underlying health risk conditions, in the same way as for seasonal flu'.

By this time, harrowing scenes were emerging of hospitals in northern Italy swamped with patients, alongside terrifying stories of doctors being forced to make unbearable decisions about who to treat and who to let die.

British doctors, speaking to The Mail on Sunday at the time, insisted 'this would never be allowed to happen here'.

And it remained true, partly  NHS hospitals never reached capacity, and the landmark Nightingale facilities that were set up, with thousands of intensive care beds, were barely used.

But what has emerged from the Amnesty investigation is that, in a bid to 'protect the NHS' and avoid politically disastrous images of emergency departments overflowing, the elderly in care homes were effectively thrown under the bus.

A pivotal moment came on March 17: NHS England instructed hospitals to urgently discharge patients, including those with Covid-19, into care homes. In just a month, 25,000 such transfers occurred. Such was the rush to empty beds, care managers told Amnesty that elderly patients arrived 'without teeth or glasses'.

'The day Dad started coughing, they wrote him off': How 'fit as a fiddle' Geoffrey Ward, 76, died with Covid symptoms because carers did NOT take him to hospital Before the pandemic struck, Martin Ward's father, Geoffrey, 76, was 'fit as a fiddle' (pictured with his grandchild) Before the pandemic struck, Martin Ward's father, Geoffrey, 76, was 'fit as a fiddle'. In 2005, the former printer suffered a serious brain injury in a car accident  which left him requiring round-the-clock care. 'He was healthy, but he would wander off, and had no spacial awareness, so he needed watching,' explained Martin, 44, a married father-of-two from Ulverston, in Cumbria. Geoffrey lived with family members until 2017, after which time he moved into a care home just five minutes down the road  and his sons would visit regularly. In March, visits were halted. 'We were allowed to see each other through a window, which wasn't perfect as his attention span wasn't long and he'd wander off. But under the circumstances, it was fine,' said Martin. Then, on April 18 came the call. 'The care home manager told us he was coughing and had a temperature,' Martin said. 'She said it was probably Covid, but seemed calm. So initially, I thought it was something he'd get over. 'But the next day  this is the most upsetting part  a doctor called and told us there was no doubt it would end his life, that he wouldn't go to hospital, and the home would give him morphine to keep him calm. 'My father hadn't been tested, but the doctor said they'd assessed him in a video call, and from his symptoms they believed it was Covid.' Over the next few days, as they received reports that their father's condition was worsening, Martin and his brother Andrew had a number of conversations with the GP. 'I asked whether he needed oxygen and was told it would not benefit a man of his age,' he said. That week, Geoffrey was found on the floor of his room. 'The paramedics came and assessed him, found no injuries, put him in bed, and left,' Martin said. 'We were allowed to visit, in full PPE, standing on the other side of the room. My father was sitting up in bed, but his breathing was laboured and he seemed really unwell. We asked again if he needed to go to hospital, as that's what would have happened if he'd still been living with us, but the answer was no. They said he'd just be given morphine when the time came.' On April 26, the home called to say Geoffrey had taken a turn for the worse. By the time his sons arrived, he was dead. Martin is left bewildered and heartbroken: 'To this day, I still don't understand why he wasn't offered intervention. He was physically fit, had no ailments and enjoyed life. They should have tried. I think from the day he started coughing, it was decided that he would die, and that was it.' Advertisement

Amnesty have questioned the need for such urgency. A member of a discharge team in the South of England said: 'We had between 500 and 600 empty beds and nobody coming into A&E, so there really was no need.'

Homes that resisted taking discharged patients faced threats of funding cuts from local councils.

And, astonishingly, Government guidance was that Covid testing was not required  nor was it provided when requested.

Homes were unprepared for the influx: more than half of managers in one survey claimed they were unable to effectively isolate suspected Covid-19 residents coming from hospital.

Care staff continued to work even when they had coronavirus symptoms, the report added. Some said they were pressured to by managers, while others did so for financial reasons.

To add to this, a second, unfathomable and utterly shocking decision was apparently made.

Amnesty has received multiple reports of care home residents being denied hospital admission  which could not be explained by need, as hospital bed capacity was never reached. Some, suffering worsening and painful breathing difficulties, were denied oxygen treatment and subsequently died.

Care home managers claimed sending residents to hospital was 'heavily discouraged or outright refused.' A care home manager in Yorkshire told Amnesty: 'In March, I tried to get [a resident] into hospital. The doctor said, 'Well, he's at the end of his life anyway so we're not going to send an ambulance.' Under normal circumstances, he would have gone to hospital.'

And a manager in Hampshire recalled: 'There was an assumption that people in care homes would die if they got Covid, which is wrong. We managed to send one patient to hospital because the nurse was very firm, and insisted the lady was too uncomfortable.

'In hospital she tested positive for Covid and was treated, and survived. She's 92 and now in great shape.'

Exacerbating the situation, in early March GPs also limited face-to-face consultations except for 'when absolutely necessary'.

One large care home group told Amnesty: 'GPs and district nurses have not come into the majority of our homes since the beginning of the pandemic. Not even to change a [urinary] catheter, which care workers cannot do. Staff were forced to carry out work which they should not do, but there was no choice.'

Managers also told of pressure from local health chiefs to rush through blanket 'do not resuscitate' orders  known as DNARs  on residents.

'Discussions on advanced care should be warm and neutral conversations,' said one manager.

'This is not how it should be done. One home with 26 residents had to sign 16 DNARs in 24 hours, which was distressing for staff and residents.

'Care homes were being turned into hospices, and being asked to manage deaths instead of managing life.'

The combined result: official figures show there were 11,800 fewer care home residents admitted to hospital during March and April, compared with previous years. And of the 18,562 residents of care homes in England who died with Covid-19, 13,844 died in the homes themselves.

One emergency medicine senior consultant  who asked to remain anonymous, as their NHS Trust is blocking doctors from speaking to journalists about the pandemic and threatening them with suspension if they do  called the situation 'horrific'.

They added: 'A DNAR specifically relates to giving CPR  it should not influence whether or not a person receives hospital treatment, or even intensive care. It is absolutely appalling that political influence has led to this misinterpretation, and it needs urgent investigation.'

The problem of testing has remained stubbornly unsolvable.

In June, the Department of Health and Social Care finally pledged to offer weekly testing to care home staff, and tests for residents 'every 28 days'.

But Amnesty say they have reports that this still has not happened in some cases.

As the pandemic subsided, Covid deaths in care homes fell  however, they represent 40 per cent of all fatalities in the UK from the virus. Perhaps even more worryingly, during the peak, more than 10,000 'excess deaths' in care homes that were not directly linked to Covid-19 were recorded. The exact causes have not been revealed  yet figures show vastly fewer patients being treated for heart attacks, cancer, strokes and diabetes since the pandemic began. Dementia deaths  unrelated to Covid  have also surged by more than 50 per cent.

Could this be 'collateral damage' of the decision to divert all resources and attention to tackling the virus?

As this newspaper has reported over the past five weeks, while pandemic restrictions eased across the UK, care homes remained in lockdown  barring families from being with their loved ones. It means many residents have been effectively isolated for almost eight months now. Hundreds of families have written to us, almost all telling harrowing tales of watching a husband, wife or parent slowly waste away and 'give up'  starved of any human contact.

Amnesty International has had similar reports  and recognises the devastating impact on health of prolonged isolation, which has been well documented in medical literature. They attempted to collaborate with the Government, NHS England and Public Health England on their report, requesting information that has, thus far, remained hidden.

This includes details about how and why decisions were made to restrict care home residents' access to NHS services during the pandemic and implement blanket 'do not resuscitate' orders.

Importantly, they also asked for data in order to compare the death rates of older people in hospital with those in care homes.

This would give clearer pictures as to how many  had they been allowed treatment  might have survived. But at time of going to press, the official bodies had failed to provide any of this.

The human rights group hit out at this 'lack of transparency', warning that the Government was hindering accountability for decisions taken, and hampering efforts to ensure failures not repeated.

At every opportunity, when questioned on the matter, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Secretary of State for Health have claimed that 'the situation in care homes is improving'  when the facts, almost always, indicate otherwise.

As recently as Thursday, Mr Hancock was claiming in the Commons that Government pandemic policy has meant care in homes have been offering a better service.

Among the few printable responses on social media to Mr Hancock's Commons appearance was the simple question that, in light of Amnesty's shocking summary, seemed apt: 'What planet is he on?'

In a statement, The Department of Health and Social Care said the use of blanket do not resuscitate orders is 'unacceptable' and it has commenced a review.

Government violated the human rights of vulnerable care home residents in its pandemic response, claims damning Amnesty International report

The Government's response to the coronavirus pandemic violated the fundamental human rights of vulnerable older people in care, a damning report by Amnesty International has concluded.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said 'a protective ring' was thrown around the care sector when the outbreak began.

But an investigation by the human rights organisation found the decision to protect the NHS led to the 'inexplicable' move to deny hospital treatment to older people in care who developed Covid-19.

Amnesty International has blasted Health Secretary Matt Hancock's handling of the care home crisis, accusing him of violating the fundamental human rights of older people in care

Amnesty's report said residents died in distress without appropriate medical care, despite local hospitals having 'hundreds' of empty beds

Amnesty's report said residents died in distress without appropriate medical care, despite local hospitals having 'hundreds' of empty beds.

In one shocking episode, a care home manager who sought a hospital bed for a seriously ill resident in March was told: 'He's at the end of his life anyway, so we're not going to send an ambulance.'

More than 28,000 excess deaths were recorded in care homes from March 2 to June 12, with 18,562, or 40 per cent, attributed to Covid-19  though a lack of testing means the number may be higher.

Continued restrictions, resulting in a ban on or limiting of visits from loved ones, has caused further distress and also broke international law, says Amnesty, which is calling for an independent public inquiry.

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said: 'There are serious questions to be answered about whether at the top levels of government, a decision was made to see tens of thousands of people's loved ones as entirely expendable.'
OTTAWAToronto lawyer and human rights advocate Annamie Paul was elected leader of the Green Party of Canada on Saturday night, edging out her rivals in eight rounds of votes after campaigning for the job on a pledge to refresh the movement and bring in new supporters.

Paul is the first Black woman elected to a lead a federal party with representation in Parliament. She will now take on the role held for more than 13 years by Elizabeth May, a British Columbia MP who led the party to the greatest successes of its history.

Of the almost 35,000 Green members, 23,877 cast ballots in the race, making for a turnout of 69 per cent. The winner needed 11,939 votes to win, and Paul secured the victory after eight rounds of voting with 12,090 votes.

She was perceived as the front-runner in the race, having raised more money than her opponents, and her victory marks a defeat for the eco-socialist wing of the party that wants the Greens to move farther to the left. The second-place candidate, Dimitri Lascaris, led for two rounds after other leftist candidates were eliminated. He finished with 10,081 votes.

Asked how she will respond to the strong support for leftist policies from the party membership, Paul pointed to the partys 2019 platform, which included proposals for universal pharmacare, free post-secondary education, a wealth tax and a proposal to spend billions on a guaranteed livable income.

She also pledged to unify the party in the face of the climate change, which she called the greatest existential crisis of our time.

We have consistently been at the forefront of progressive policies in this country, she said. To any progressive person who is looking for the most progressive party in Canadian politics, that is the Green Party of Canada.

Speaking to the Star before the results, Lascaris said the first job of the new leader will be to unify the party.

There is some healing to be done within our party, he said.

But he also added the movement to push the party further left wont end with the leadership race. Were not stopping here, he said. We have an obligation to continue to build.

In her victory speech Saturday night, Paul  who is Black and Jewish  pointed to female, Black and Jewish politicians who preceded her, and thanked her campaign team for helping her make history.

She said her role as new leader will be to convince more Canadians to support a Green Party that will be daring in its policies to tackle climate change and social inequalities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Paul is already in the midst of another election, running in the federal byelection in Toronto Centre on Oct. 26.

To every person in Canada that has tuned out of politics because they didnt see themselves reflected, I say make your home with us. To every person that is worried about the future of their children and their communities and make your home with us, I say join us, she said.

The 47-year-old, Princeton University graduate takes over a Green Party at the height of electoral success, having received almost 1.2 million votes to elect three MPs in the House of Commons  its best results ever. Those MPs include May, who told the Star this week that Green leader does not have the power to impose new policy positions on the party without the support of the membership. The leader will be the chief spokesperson for the Greens, not the boss, she said.

May, who will run in the next federal election, also said she might want to become leader again in the future, though this would be highly unlikely.

In her own speech Saturday night, May praised female leaders in the global Green movement, and stressed the increasing urgency of the climate crisis, with heat waves and forest fires amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In the 14 years since she was elected Green leader, May said the world has become less fair, climate change has become an emergency amid rising hate that needs to be condemned.

We must hang together, believing and knowing that we have it within ourselves to change our society, May said, moments before the results were announced.

We are now the single biggest threat to our own survival, and we have to, as Greens, make sure everyone understands that we should have and we must have hope, she said.

The former leaders presence became an issue during the campaign. Some candidates questioned her decision to help the lead fundraiser, Paul, raise money in the early stages of the race. May, who insists she stayed neutral in the race, has said she offered to fundraise for all candidates from equity-seeking groups.

Two distinct visions for the future of the party emerged during the leadership race.

One is represented by candidates who describe themselves as eco-socialists and argue the Greens need to shift to the far left of the political spectrum. Lascaris, the candidate in this camp who raised the second-most money in the race, told the Star on Saturday that the vision is defined by opposition to poverty, violence, racism and extreme wealth.

Lascaris also ran on proposals to nationalize key industries of the Canadian economy, including internet providers, education and transportation. He would also create a publicly owned banking option, he said.

We just happen to have a different view of how to organize society, and that view is not being represented in Parliament, Lascaris said.

The other vision  espoused by candidates like Paul, David Merner, Glen Murray and others  does not involve major changes to the partys current policies, with calls for a carbon tax on imports from countries with weaker emissions pricing, the creation of a guaranteed basic income, free post-secondary education and improved organization in the Green Party so it can win more seats.

There were also controversies in the race over the contest itself. This week, Murray blamed the party for bungling fundraising in a way that shortchanged his campaign several thousand dollars.

Meryam Haddad, a Montreal lawyer running as an eco-socialist, has also criticized the party after she was ejected then reinstated as a candidate in the final weeks of the race. While the party has refused to comment on why this happened, Haddad has said she criticized the B.C. Greens for not being left wing enough.

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President Donald Trump. Carolyn Kaster/AP

President Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19 just hours after his aide and close adviser Hope Hicks did.

Speaking with Fox News' Sean Hannity Thursday evening, Trump suggested that members of the military or law enforcement may be responsible for giving Hicks the coronavirus.

"It's very hard when you're with soldiers, when you're with airmen, when you're with the Marines, and the police officers," the president said. "When they come over to you, it's very hard to say, 'Stay back. Stay back.' You know, it's a tough kind of a situation."

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Just a few hours before he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for COVID-19, President Donald Trump suggested that interactions with the military and police were to blame for a member of his staff falling ill.

After news broke Thursday evening that senior aide and presidential adviser Hope Hicks had tested positive for COVID-19 after traveling with the president, Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity that she might have caught the virus from a member of the military or someone from law enforcement.

"She wears masks a lot, but she tested positive," Trump told Hannity before saying that he and the first lady had gotten tested because they spent a lot of time with Hicks.

"It's very hard when you're with soldiers, when you're with airmen, when you're with the Marines, and the police officers. I'm with them so much," he said. "When they come over to you, it's very hard to say, 'Stay back. Stay back.' You know, it's a tough kind of a situation. It's a terrible thing."

"You know Hope very well. She's fantastic, and she's done a great job. But, it is very, very hard when you are with people from the military or from law enforcement and they come over to you," Trump said. "They want to hug you, and they want to kiss you because we really have done a good job for them."

Story continues

"You get close, and things happen. I was surprised to hear with Hope, but she's a very warm person with them," he said. "She knows there's a risk, but she is young."

While Hicks regularly comes in contact with active-duty military members who fly the president's aircraft, serve as ceremonial guards, and greet him and top officials when he visits their bases, it is extremely unlikely that a service member in uniform would breach protocol with a hug, especially during a pandemic. The president did not mention a specific instance when troops recently hugged Hicks.

Early Friday, Trump announced on Twitter that he and Melania had tested positive for COVID-19.

It remains to be seen if the president will attempt to use the military or law enforcement as an explanation for his positive test.

Trump has repeatedly downplayed the severity of COVID-19, a virus that has infected millions in the US and claimed the lives of more than 200,000 Americans.

He has also mocked his political opponent and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for wearing masks and keeping his distance from supporters at events.

It is unclear where the president may have contracted the virus. He attended the first presidential debate this past week, as well as several rallies and political events. In his travels, he has passed frequently through Joint Base Andrews-Naval Air Facility Washington.

On Sunday, Trump attended a Gold Star family's event at the White House with Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, and other senior military leaders. Both Esper and the chairman tested negative.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Manama

The administrative, educational and technical staff returned to public schools today after completing medical checkups in preparation for the commencement of the new academic year and the start of virtual lessons on October 11, 2020, and in-person classes on October 25th, 2020.

Education Minister Dr. Majid bin Ali Al Nuaimi visited a number of schools to follow-up on the resumption of work there, ensure all precautionary and health measures are taken and ascertain of preparations to implement virtual or in-person lessons. He got informed about the preemptive measure being adopted and visited a number of workshops in a technical school which was prepared for practical lessons. He was also informed about the timetables prepared by the schools administrations for teachers attendance alternately at 50% and the students timetables in various grades.

Dr. Al Nuaimi praised, in a statement, the royal support to the educational process in Bahrain which helped improve services and implement many development projects. He congratulated the administrative, educational, and technical staff at the beginning of the new academic year, wishing them every success. He commended the efforts of the Education Ministrys personnel during the previous semester to ensure continuity of education and success of the academic year despite the exceptional health situation witnessed by Bahrain and the whole world. He also lauded the efforts made by teachers and specialists during the summer holiday to prepare lessons and pave the way for the new academic year.

The Education Minister stressed that in light of a questionnaire distributed on students parents to choose between online or in-person learning, the central and visual lessons will be broadcast on Bahrain TV, in cooperation with the Ministry of Information. He noted that the number of lessons reached 800, pointing out that 14 YouTube channels and other social networks will be used to secure the best methods for students to learn. He said that the Ministry of Education will take all necessary procedures to receive the students whose parents want them to attend ordinary classes while adhering to the preemptive and health guidelines to ensure their safety.
BBC journalist Martin Bashir misled Princess Diana's brother Earl Spencer to secure her 1995 bombshell Panorama interview, sources claim.

Nearly 23 million tuned in to witness the Princess of Wales tell Bashir, 'There were three people in the marriage,' a reference to Camilla Parker Bowles.

But Bashir engineered the scoop of the century by showing fake bank statements to Diana's brother Charles Spencer, according to The Sunday Times.

Bashir, then 32, is further accused of preying on the princess's fears that she was being spied on by MI5 to secure the meeting.

Nearly 23 million tuned in to witness the Princess of Wales tell Bashir, 'There were three people in the marriage,' a reference to Camilla Parker Bowles (pictured: the interview which was broadcast in November 1995)

In 1996, the BBC carried out an internal review of Bashir's behaviour which judged that the fake bank statements  forged by a BBC graphics designer  had not helped to gain the interview.

But the fake dossiers showed that a former employee of Spencer's had been selling information about the family.

Earl Spencer attends an event at the National Portrait Gallery in February 2016

Bashir claimed that they had been given to him by a source in the intelligence community, The Times reported.

Bashir first contacted the earl, who was protective of his sister, three months before the interview, a source close to the Spencer family told the paper.

The source said Bashir told Spencer that he was looking into media ethics.

Spencer went on to arrange a meeting between himself, his sister and Bashir at a friend's apartment in London in September 1995.

Spencer, who kept notes of the discussion, warned his sister against dealings with Bashir over the sensational allegations he was making, the source told The Times.

The family friend described Bashir as 'awful' and said that Spencer apologised to Diana afterwards.

The source added that the bank statements were crucial to Bashir's meeting Diana.

'Without Spencer, Bashir wouldn't have got to her,' they added.

The BBC's own investigation which concluded on April 13, 1996, said: 'The BBC has been able, independently, to verify that these documents were put to no use which had any bearing, direct or indirect, on the Panorama interview with the Princess of Wales.'

The review was overseen in part by Tony Hall, then head of news and current affairs, who retired as director-general in August.

Bashir first contacted Spencer's secretary in August 1995. He then visited the earl's estate at Althorp, Northamptonshire, at the end of that month where he allegedly made wild accusations about journalists, courtiers and MI5 operatives.

Friends of Diana's have described how she was convinced the intelligence services were spying on her.

Diana, Princess of Wales, during her interview with Martin Bashir for the BBC

Princess Diana and Prince Charles during a Royal tour of West Germany in November 1987

Bashir's fake bank documents appear to have been designed to exploit those fears because they showed payments of 10,500 to Alan Waller, Spencer's former chief of security, from two companies: News International, then parent company of The Sunday Times, and an offshore company, Penfold Consultants.

These payments were never made.

The Mail on Sunday published copies of these fake documents in 1996 after it emerged that Bashir had a BBC graphics designer work around the clock to deliver them to deadline.

It has been claimed that Bashir showed them to Diana, but this has been denied by him and the BBC.

Diana believed she should give the interview after Prince Charles's interview with Jonathan Dimbleby the year before, in which he admitted adultery.

Just weeks after Diana's interview with Bashir, the royal couple started divorce proceedings.

It catapulted Bashir to stardom and he won awards for the spellbinding Panorama special.

But the top brass at the BBC were concerned about how he had gained such access and opened an internal investigation.

In Richard Lindley's book on the history of Panorama, Hall and Anne Sloman, a senior BBC staffer, summoned Bashir to Broadcasting House.

Sloman is quoted as saying: 'It was a silly thing to do. It didn't get him the interview; why he did it, God only knows.'

Journalist Martin Bashir attends the 'Railway Man' premiere on April 7, 2014 in New York City

The Prince and Princess of Wales return to Buckingham Palace by carriage after their wedding, 29th July 1981

The BBC said in a statement: 'Martin Bashir is seriously unwell so we are unable to put these questions to him. We would urge you to consider carefully the implications of running a story where the central figure concerned is unable to provide a right of reply.

'More broadly, questions surrounding Panorama's interview with the Princess of Wales a quarter of a century ago, and in particular the 'mocking-up' of bank statements, were covered in the press at the time.

'BBC records from the period indicate that Martin had explained to the BBC that the documents had been shown to Earl Spencer, and that they were not shown to the Princess of Wales. They indicate that Martin had met the Princess of Wales before the mocked-up documentation existed.

'These BBC accounts also say that the Princess of Wales confirmed in writing that these documents played no part in her decision to give what was, and still is, one of the most iconic interviews of the last half of the twentieth century.'

MailOnline has contacted Spencer for comment.
ODonnell, 56, will be tough to beat. He is a member of the House leadership and is known to be close to Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka.

ODonnell has been particularly involved in criminal justice reform legislation and thinks more work could be done in that realm during the coming session.

A lot of times people have been sentenced to long terms in prison because were mad at them, ODonnell said. What I would like to see are sentencing guidelines like we have in federal court.

Such guidelines would provide more uniform penalties, he said.

ODonnell said hed also like to raise the felony limit for some financial crimes from $1,000 to $2,500. He knows prosecutors dont like the idea, but ODonnell said many of those being convicted are guilty of paper crimes like writing bad checks.

In many cases, he said, the people involved are in tough financial straits and have families.

You hate to put them behind bars, because where are their kids going to go? he said.
Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, an honest look at President Biden's press conference.

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A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:

CLAIM: A photo of mail bins and envelopes on the side of the road shows discarded Trump ballots found in states such as California, Texas and Pennsylvania.

THE FACTS: The photo does not show ballots with votes for President Donald Trump. It shows mail bins and envelopes abandoned by a mail carrier in New Jersey who quit in 2018. Still, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram users this week shared a photo of plastic mail bins and envelopes piled on the side of the road as alleged proof of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Boy oh boy, there finding thrown away Trump ballets everywhere now, California, Texas, n Pennsylvania, read a Sunday tweet shared more than 12,000 times. How does the USPO explain this?? Similar posts on Facebook and Instagram also received thousands of likes and shares. However, a reverse-image search revealed the photo does not show abandoned Trump ballots. Instead, the two-year-old photo shows mail left by a mail carrier in New Jersey in 2018. The mail was scheduled for delivery on Aug. 8, 2018, and the carrier resigned a month later, according to local news reports at the time. When the mail was discovered in October 2018, Pennsylvanias Roxborough Station Post Office planned to send it out for redelivery, according to a statement at the time from the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General. The claims circulating this week about trashed ballots come as Trump and others have argued without evidence that a nationwide increase in mail-in voting means a higher potential for voter fraud. The Associated Press has debunked a range of false claims on the topic, and experts say voter fraud is exceedingly rare. Mail-in ballots are subject to the same level of scrutiny as absentee ballots, which Trump supports.

 Associated Press writer Ali Swenson reported from Seattle.

___

Massachusetts primary ballots were not destroyed

CLAIM: Massachusetts destroyed over 1 million primary ballots and committed election fraud. Ballot images that must be saved for 22 months are nowhere to be found.

THE FACTS: No physical Senate ballots have been destroyed in Massachusetts, according to Debra OMalley, a spokesperson for Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Galvin. A federal statute requires election officials to preserve ballots from federal races for 22 months. The ballots, as required by law, are still under seal in each of the 351 local election offices, OMalley told The Associated Press. Yet Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai, who lost in the Massachusetts Republican Senate primary earlier this month, is making the misleading claim that the state committed election fraud by destroying over 1 million ballots. In a tweet that was picked up by the right-wing site The Gateway Pundit and has been shared on Facebook, he wrote, Massachusetts Destroys Over 1 MILLION Ballots in US SENATE PRIMARY RACE committing #ElectionFraud. MA Elections Attorney confirms to #Shiva4Senate ballot images - used for counting votes - that MUST be saved by FEDERAL LAW for 22 months are nowhere to be found! OMalley called Ayyadurais tweet election misinformation. In an email exchange with the AP, Ayyadurai did not dispute that election officials have preserved physical ballots. He argues state election officials acted improperly by not preserving ballot images when the ballots were counted and scanned -- and that ballot images should be considered ballots. It is true that Massachusetts does not capture and preserve ballot images, but federal law does not require it, according to Charles Stewart, an elections expert and political science professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Newer generations of scanners are capable of capturing ballot images or a similar thing, called the cast-vote record, Stewart wrote in an e-mail. Neither is addressed in federal law. Very few states make these available to the public, even when they have been captured by the scanning equipment. One can disagree with this as a policy choice, but theres nothing illegal, or even uncommon, about it. In the Sept. 1 Republican Senate primary, Ayyadurai lost to Kevin J. OConnor. He is now running in the general election as a write-in candidate for the Senate.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 21:51:06|Editor: huaxia

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ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) Commission on Sunday called for addressing non-tariff barriers in order to realize the major aspirations of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement.

"The African continent is about to become the world's largest free trade area. If not addressed, non-tariff barriers may slow down this effort," the AU stressed in a statement issued on Sunday.

According to the AU, although the negative impact of non-tariff barriers on intra-regional trade is recognized, "so far there has been limited success in addressing them."

"The success of the AfCFTA depends in part on how well governments can track and remove non-tariff barriers," an AU statement quoted Albert Muchanga, AU Commissioner for Trade and Industry, as saying.

Amid the urgent need to remove non-tariff barriers towards the success of the continental free trade deal, the AU has launched a new campaign to spotlight and remove non-tariff barriers in intra-continental trade launches this week.

According to the AU, the "Trade Easier Campaign" envisaged promoting the uptake and use of the African Union's trade barriers platform, a non-tariff barriers reporting mechanism tool, it was noted.

The tool, developed by the AU in partnership with UNCTAD, supports efforts to make continental trade easier and less costly by helping African businesses report such barriers and supporting their elimination with the help of governments, it was noted.

Noting that non-tariff barriers slow down the movement of goods and costs importers and exporters billions of dollars annually, the AU also stressed that non-tariff barriers "stand in the way of the success of the AfCFTA."

"If we want the AfCFTA to thrive, we have to ensure operational barriers are dropped and businesses and traders, especially small ones; don't suffer from undue limitations placed on them as they try do the basic thing that makes economies work -- trade," Muchanga said.

The AU, however, stressed that trade barriers require bold solutions.

"Every day many African traders and businesses face barriers to trade. From quotas to excessive import documents or unjustified packaging requirements, these barriers are a big hindrance to trade between African countries and make it complicated and expensive to move goods across the continent," the AU said.

According to the AU, regulatory and procedural barriers include customs operations and border documentation requirements, rules of origin documentation and pre-shipment inspections.

According to an UNCTAD report, if these barriers are removed, the African economy could gain 20 billion U.S. dollars - much more than the 3.6 billion U.S. dollars it could recover by eliminating tariffs.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) also estimated that the AfCFTA has the potential to boost intra-African trade by 52.3 percent by eliminating import duties and could double trade if non-tariff barriers are also reduced.

The AfCFTA, which was launched in March 2018 in Rwandan capital city Kigali, has so far garnered 54 signatories, offering a new hope and continental exhilaration in terms of boosting intra-African trade, and eventually facilitating Africa's development and industrialization. Enditem
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, October 4, 2020 12:28 475 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c48f9bbf 1 National COVID-19,COVID-19-vaccine,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,halal-certificate,halal-certification,haram,Sinovac,BioFarma,Bio-Farma,coronavirus,vaccine,ulemas,MUI,MUI-edict,fatwa Free

Vice President and senior Muslim cleric Maruf Amin has said the COVID-19 vaccine currently being prepared by the government does not have to be halal, a spokesperson said on Friday.

Vice presidential spokesperson Masduki Baidowi said Marufs statement came during a meeting with Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan about the progress of the vaccine currently being developed by Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac in partnership with state-owned pharmaceutical firm PT Bio Farma.

The vice president explained an important thing: If the vaccine is halal then thats good, theres no problem, but if it is not halal its also not a problem, Masduki said in a statement on Friday. Because its an emergency situation its okay to use [a non-halal vaccine].

This statement seems to contradict a previous statement made by Masduki in August, in which he said the vice president had urged Bio Farma to ensure that the much-anticipated COVID-19 vaccine would have halal certification before it was distributed.

Masduki said Maruf, who is also currently the non-active chairman of the Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI), would ask an MUI team to go to Beijing to verify whether or not the vaccine was halal.

But that will not be an obstacle. Why? I reiterate once again that a non-halal [vaccine] in an emergency situation is permitted, he said.

Read also: Govt gears up for future COVID-19 vaccination

The halal status of vaccines had previously become an issue in 2018, during a government measles and rubella vaccination campaign.

At the time, the MUI issued a fatwa declaring that the measles-rubella (MR) vaccine was mubah (permitted for use by Muslims) despite containing materials derived from pigs, because a halal vaccine had yet to be made, constituting a "sharia emergency."

However, despite the fatwa, the Riau Islands chapter of the MUI still urged Muslims to reject the vaccine.

"If the MR vaccine is really so important then we call on the government to quickly make one that is halal and safe for Muslims," Riau Islands MUI secretary Ustadz Santoso said at the time. (kmt)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 4)  A lawmaker is pushing for an electronic registration system for new voters ahead of the 2022 elections.

House Assistant Majority Leader Anthony Peter "Onyx" Crisologo filed House Bill 7746 or the Electronic Voters Registration Act of 2020, which seeks to amend the Voter's Registration Act of 1986.

"The government has continuously campaigned for the protection of the rights of the Filipino people and has relentlessly encouraged the people to exercise voting as one of their civic duties," Crisologo said in a statement. "But with the ongoing health crisis that the country is currently experiencing, various challenges continue to emerge that may impede the participation of many individuals in the coming election."

With the pandemic affecting the "mobility of the people and the safety of human interaction," Crisologo said HB 7746 will equip the Commission on Elections (Comelec) with a strategy that can help promote the utilization of available national resources while minimizing health risks.

Under the measure, an alternative electronic mode of registration will be put in place in response to potential national critical situations that may restrict the movement of people and the conduct of personal transactions.

It also seeks to have Comelec implement a security system that allows the proper verification of the identity of each applicant, and require them to submit two valid government-issued identification cards with photo and signature, scanned legible left and right thumbmarks, three specimen signatures, and a 2x2 photo taken within three months prior to the registration.

According to Crisologo, the method shall only be used temporarily. After the government lifts the national emergency declaration, all individuals who registered online shall appear personally at the nearest Comelec office to have their biometrics captured.

The nationwide voter registration figure is only at about 250,000 so far, with the Comelec citing the pandemic as the cause of the low turnout.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 21:35:05|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- As of the end of the second quarter, China's enterprise annuity funds totaled nearly 1.98 trillion yuan (about 290.7 billion U.S. dollars), up 181.1 billion yuan from the end of last year, official data showed.

The funds generated 70.9 billion yuan in accumulated investment income so far this year, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

The weighted average return on investment of the funds amounted to 2.99 percent in the second quarter, outperforming that in the previous quarter and the same period last year, the ministry said.

China launched enterprise annuities in 2004 as a form of a supplementary pension plan. In recent years, as the country's elderly population has increased, more and more employees have signed up for the annuity plans.

Data from the ministry showed that as of the end of June, a total of 99,693 enterprises and 26.37 million employees had joined such programs. Enditem
The killing of three labourers in Shopian on July 18 is a litmus test for New Delhi and the newly-created Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Indian Army has conceded that the Armed Forces Special Protection Act (AFSPA)  meant to provide protection to its men operating in conflict areas  was exceeded. An initial enquiry conducted by it has established that three youth from Rajouri, who had travelled for work to South Kashmirs Shopian, were likely killed in a fake encounter. Their DNA samples have matched with their family members, who had written to the UTs Lieutenant -Governor (L-G), Manoj Sinha, seeking justice. Their bodies have now been exhumed and taken home for burial in compliance with legal procedures; this speaks further of the Armys transgression.

The fake encounter is a test case for the new L-G who is seeking to reach out to an angry population, stunned by the sudden and overnight hollowing out of Article 370 that gave the former state its special status.

Sinha needs to ensure that the disciplinary proceedings, initiated by the Army after the initial enquiry established excesses under AFSPA, are taken to their logical conclusion. The post-mortem report of the young men reveals that their deaths were caused by multiple firearm injuries causing hemorrhagic shock, leading to cardio-respiratory arrest and death. There are too many instances of the Army shielding its own men despite their having been proved guilty. In the past, ordinary Kashmiris have been passed off as foreign terrorists after they have been killed and their bodies burnt.

In 2010, Kashmiris took to the streets after the Army killed three civilians in a fake encounter and passed them off as infiltrating terrorists. The violation was proved beyond a doubt. Unsuspecting civilians had been lured to Machil, a forward sector along the Line of Control, and killed in cold blood. Despite an Army court martial pronouncing five of its men guilty and sentencing them for life, the Armed Forces Tribunal suspended the sentence, arguing that civilians ought not to have been in a forward location, wearing Pathan suits. In 2016 too, the civilian toll crossed 100 after stone pelters  angry with the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani  took to the streets. Kashmir gave vent to deep anger and betrayal  not only because Wani was eliminated  but because the trust deficit between the Valley and Delhi had eroded over the years.

The pellet gun became the symbol of oppression. It blinded, maimed and killed. The government, however, dismissed a report released by the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in July last year. The report called out the basic tenets of injustice: There is no information about any new investigation into excessive use of force leading to casualties. There is no information on the status of the five investigations launched into extrajudicial executions in 2016 No prosecutions have been reported.

The government  both at the Centre and in the UT  needs to pursue justice for the Rajouri families who had sent their sons in search of sustenance. The three had rented a room, not far from an Army camp, but their bullet-ridden bodies were found in an apple orchard, about 12 km away.

These brazen killings must not go unpunished, not only because they are a violation of human rights; but also because, in Kashmir, they feed into the cycle of violence. Sinha has been attempting several outreach programmes. He also visited the hallowed Hazrat Bal mosque in Srinagar but the people are not going to respond to such optics.

Several standard operating procedures appear to have been given a miss on July 18 when the three young men were killed. The Army went into an operation alone, instead of taking the local police along. The three were not given a chance to surrender as is common practice during most encounters. All of this will, of course, be examined in the course of the disciplinary proceedings. The clear message, at the end of the day, must be that the lives of the residents of Jammu and Kashmir matter. This is imperative.

The views expressed are personal
DOJ backs Capitol Hill Baptist over DC mayors worship restrictions

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The Department of Justice is backing Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., in its lawsuit against Mayor Murriel Bowser for unfairly applying a ban on outdoor church services of more than 100 people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The department said it has filed a statement of interest in support of the 850-member church, which filed a complaint in federal court last week, arguing that the city had violated the First and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

The DOJ has argued that the Constitution and federal law require the District of Columbia to accommodate Capitol Hill Baptist Churchs effort to hold worship services outdoors, at least to the same extent the District of Columbia allows other forms of outdoor First Amendment activity, such as peaceful protests.

The right to free exercise of religion and the right to protest are both enshrined in the First Amendment of the Constitution, Eric Dreiband, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division, said in the DOJ statement. We are a nation dedicated to freedom of conscience and freedom of expression. The District of Columbia has, unfortunately, neglected these rights. The Justice Department is committed to defending both of these fundamental freedoms and in supporting all Americans rights to worship as they choose.

Represented by attorneys at the First Liberty Institute and WilmerHale, LLP, the church, led by 9Marks co-founder Mark Dever, filed a complaint in federal court Tuesday.

For CHBC, a weekly in-person worship gathering of the entire congregation is a religious conviction for which there is no substitute, the church stated in its complaint. The Church does not offer virtual worship services, it does not utilize a multi-site model, and it does not offer multiple Sunday morning worship services.

In March, Mayor Bowser issued an executive order that, among other things, barred CHBC and other churches from gathering for indoor and outdoor in-person worship.

According to the churchs lawsuit, the city is prohibiting worship gatherings of over 100 people or 50% of building capacity (whichever is fewer) even if held outdoors and even if worshippers wear masks and practice appropriate social distancing.

Under the districts four-phase re-opening plan, the churchs in-person worship gatherings will be prohibited until a widely-available vaccine or an effective therapy for COVID-19 is available, the lawsuit explains. The city has been in phase 2 for over three months.

Justin Sok, a pastor at CHBC, stressed earlier, A church is not a building that can be opened and closed. A church is not an event to be watched. A church is a community that gathers regularly and that community should be treated fairly by the District government.

Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin for the District of Columbia stated, One of the most foundational rights protected by the Bill of Rights is the free exercise of religion. The Justice Department is committed to upholding all the civil rights protected under the first amendment, be it peaceable assembly in protest or practicing faith.

The DOJ pointed out its statement of interest is part of Attorney General William P. Barrs initiative, announced April 27, directing Dreiband and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Matthew Schneider to review governmental policies around the country to ensure that civil liberties are protected during the new coronavirus pandemic.
BETHESDA, Md.  President Donald Trump went through a very concerning period Friday and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care as he battles the coronavirus at a military hospital, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Saturday.

The comments came after it was revealed that Trump was administered supplemental oxygen Friday morning at the White House before he was transported to the hospital, although staff insisted he had only mild symptoms.

Trump's doctors, for their part, painted a rosy picture of the presidents health in a press conference at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. But the briefing by Navy Commander Dr. Sean Conley and other doctors raised more questions than it answered.

Conley left murky the issue of whether the president needed supplemental oxygen and declined to discuss exactly when he fell ill. Conley also revealed that Trump began exhibiting clinical indications of COVID-19 on Thursday afternoon, earlier than previously known.

According to a person familiar with Trumps condition, Trump was administered oxygen at the White House on Friday before he was transported to the military hospital. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity,

Conley also said the president was 72 hours into his diagnosis, which raised questions about the timeline provided by the White House, given that Trump first tweeted about his positive test early Friday morning. Conley released a statement later Saturday saying that he meant the president was on day three of his illness and Trump's initial positive test came late Thursday night.

Conley, updating the nation on the presidents condition from Walter Reed on Saturday afternoon, said Trump had been fever-free for 24 hours.

While Conley said the president was not currently on oxygen, he refused to say whether the president had ever been on oxygen, despite repeated questioning.

Thursday no oxygen. None at this moment. And yesterday with the team, while we were all here, he was not on oxygen, Conley said. He said that Trumps symptoms, including a cough and nasal congestion are now resolving and improving.

Hes in exceptionally good spirits, said another doctor, Sean Dooley.

Trump is 74 years old and clinically obese, putting him at higher risk of serious complications from a virus that has infected more than 7 million people nationwide and killed more than 200,000 people in the U.S.

The administration has consistently been less than transparent about the presidents health as the virus spread inside the White House. Aides declined to share basic health information about the president, including a full accounting of his symptoms, what tests hes undertaken and the results. The first word that a close aide to Trump had been infected came from the media, not the White House.

In a memo released late Friday, Conley did report that Trump had been treated at the hospital with remdesivir, an antiviral medication, after taking another experimental drug at the White House. He added that Trump is doing very well and is not requiring any supplemental oxygen.

Conley declined to say when Trump had last been tested before he was confirmed to have COVID-19 late Thursday. He initially suggested that Trump was 72 hours into the diagnosis, putting the confirmation of the infection to Wednesday. Conley later clarified that Trump was administered an accurate test for the virus on Thursday afternoon, after White House aide Hope Hicks was confirmed to be positive and Trump exhibited unspecified clinical indications of the virus.

The White House said Trump was expected to stay at the hospital for a few days and he would continue to work from the hospitals presidential suite, which is equipped to allow him to keep up his official duties. In addition to accessibility to tests and equipment, the decision was made, at least in part, with the understanding that moving him to the hospital later, if he took a turn for the worse, could send a worrying signal.

On Saturday, Conley said Trumps blood oxygen level is 96%, which is in the normal range. The two experimental drugs he has received, given through an IV, have shown some promise against COVID-19. On Friday, he was given a single dose of a drug Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. is testing to supply antibodies to help his immune system fight the virus.

Friday night, he began a five-day course of remdesivir, a Gilead Sciences drug currently used for moderately and severely ill patients. The drugs work in different ways -- the antibodies help the immune system rid the body of virus and remdesivir curbs the virus ability to multiply.

Were maximizing all aspects of his care, attacking the virus in multiple ways, Conley said. I didnt want to hold anything back if there was any possibility it would add value to his care.

Trump campaign to continue with Pence on trail in Arizona

With COVID-19 putting President Donald Trump at least temporarily in a hospital, his re-election campaign has announced that Vice President Mike Pence will make a campaign stop in a Phoenix suburb on Thursday.

The announcement of Pence's planned Arizona stop followed Trump's cancellation of multiple planned campaign stops after he contracted COVID-19. Those included Arizona rallies that were scheduled in the coming week in Tucson and Flagstaff.

The vice presidential debate between Pence and Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris is still set for Wednesday. The Commission on Presidential Debates and both campaigns agreed Friday to increase the space between Pence and Harris on the debate stage from seven to 12 feet.

Pence again tested negative for the virus, an administration official said Saturday.

GOP seeks to pause Senate work, but not Barrett hearings

Republicans on Saturday sought to call off legislative work in the Senate until Oct. 19 as the coronavirus reached into their ranks. But they vowed that hearings for Trump's Supreme Court nominee would push ahead as planned even as lawmakers increasingly demanded testing for everyone on Capitol Hill.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett will still begin Oct. 12, even if Democrats agree to cancel the regular Senate session to avoid further spread of COVID-19. Since Friday morning, three GOP senators have announced they have tested positive.

The Senates floor schedule will not interrupt the thorough, fair and historically supported confirmation process, the Kentucky Republican wrote. Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, who is running for reelection in South Carolina, added that senators can attend the hearings virtually.

But Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer took aim at that plan, saying that if the COVID threat is too great for Senate sessions, it makes Barrett's confirmation perilous, too.

The Republicans monomaniacal drive to confirm Judge Barrett at all costs needlessly threatens the health and safety of Senators, staff, and all those who work in the Capitol complex, Schumer said in a statement.

Chris Christie tests positive for coronavirus

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who helped President Donald Trump prepare for the first presidential debate earlier this week, has tested positive for COVID-19, he announced on Twitter Saturday.

"I just received word that I am positive for COVID-19," Christie wrote. "I want to thank all of my friends and colleagues who have reached out to ask how I was feeling in the last day or two. I will be receiving medical attention today and will keep the necessary folks apprised of my condition."

Christie was among a group of senior Trump campaign staffers who were tested Friday following news of the President's positive diagnosis.

No course correction for state Republicans after Trump's illness

Republican governors and lawmakers in many states have followed President Donald Trumps lead on their response to the coronavirus, declining to impose mask mandates and pushing to lift restrictions on businesses and social gatherings as swiftly as possible.

Revelations that the president and first lady are now among those who have tested positive for the disease appeared to do little to change their thinking.

In the hours after the nation learned that Trump had tested positive for the virus, Republican-controlled courts, conservative groups and Republican lawmakers continued to move against mask mandates and other coronavirus restrictions.

These are the world leaders who have tested positive for COVID-19

Photos: A look at Trump's busy week leading up to positive coronavirus test
General Sir Richard Dannatt written letter asking Prince Harry to help veterans

Said they 'miss him' and the high-profile support he provides veteran charities

Despite his letter, General admitted he cannot envisage the royal returning

The former head of the British Army has written a letter to Prince Harry pleading with him not to 'stay away for too long' - before claiming the veterans need him.

General Sir Richard Dannatt admitted that, despite his public plea and hopes the royal may have a change of heart, he cannot envisage the Duke of Sussex, 36, returning to his traditional duties.

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He told Sunday People the veterans and people connected to the charities he was associated with 'miss him' and his support while he is living in America with wife Meghan Markle and their son Archie, one.

General Dannatt, who served as Chief of the General Staff between 2006 and 2009 and sent Harry to Afghanistan in 2007, said: 'Harry and Meghan are very much involved in other things and that's their life choice and I don't criticise them for that.

General Sir Richard Dannett told Sunday People that he wrote a letter to Prince Harry pleading with him to return to the UK to help veterans who 'miss him' and need his help. Pictured, the Duke of Sussex and General Sir Richard Dannatt during a tour of the Royal Norfolk Show, Norwich, in 2008

Despite his pleas, the General admitted he cannot envisage Prince Harry returning to his traditional royal duties since he moved from the UK in April with Meghan Markle and son Archie. Pictured, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey in March

'But it means that he is not as available, not supporting in such a high-profile fashion, the work of charities and the needs of veterans.

'I don't criticise him for that, he makes his own choices, but we miss him and I hope that in a change of circumstances, that I can't envisage, he returns to take up more traditional royal duties in this country.'

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The General's pleading letter also follows the latest suggestions of a feud between Prince William and Prince Harry, with historian and royal biographer Robert Lacey set to release a book called Battle Of Brothers, which picks apart  in uncompromising detail  the brothers' battle.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: 'When I started to look into this supposed feud between the two princes, I didnt believe it.

General Dannatt served as Chief of the General Staff between 2006 and 2009 and sent Harry to Afghanistan in 2007. Pictured, together during a tour of the Royal Norfolk Show, Norwich, in 2008

The former head of the British Army said Prince Harry living in the US means he is not as available and therefore unable to provide as much high-profile support for charities and the needs of the veterans. Pictured, Prince Harry examining the cockpit of an Apache helicopter with a member of his squadron (name not provided) at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan in 2012

'I thought it was newspapers stirring up something that wasnt there. I didnt want to believe it, in truth. None of us does. Yet it most definitely exists. Actually, its worse than anyone thinks.'

He continued: Some say, Oh, it doesnt matter. It will blow over. But thats not what historians will be saying in ten years time.

'If this breach between the brothers is not healed in some way it will come to stand with the Abdication crisis and the death of Diana as one of the traumas that changed the monarchy.

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'There is time to change things in a positive direction, but at the moment the Palace is not working in that direction.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 16:32:37|Editor: huaxia

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Security personnel stop a motorcyclist at a checkpoint in Minuwangoda of Gampaha in the outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka on Oct. 4, 2020. Sri Lankan authorities on Sunday imposed a curfew in some parts of Gampaha in the outskirts of capital Colombo after a 39-year-old garment factory worker was detected with COVID-19. (Photo by A.Hapuarachchi/Xinhua)

COLOMBO, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan authorities on Sunday imposed a curfew in some parts of Gampaha in the outskirts of capital Colombo after a 39-year-old garment factory worker was detected with COVID-19.

The government information department, in a statement, said the patient had been diagnosed with the virus and had been admitted to the National Infectious Disease Hospital in the outskirts of Colombo.

It was the first case of the virus to be detected in society in months.

The statement said nearly 15 staff members from the Gampaha hospital, where she was initially warded and 40 staff members of the private company where she was employed, have already been taken into quarantine.

"Further close associates of her are being identified and tests are being carried out on how the woman became infected. Further action will be taken on the PCR investigations carried out on the associates," the statement said.

"At this juncture, the health authorities are urging the public to take more precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19," the statement added.

Till Sunday noon, over 400 people have been identified as having come in contact with the patient and they had been subjected to home quarantine. Authorities said further contact tracing was ongoing to identify more associates in order to prevent a spread of the virus within the society.

The Education Ministry said that all schools islandwide would remain closed until further notice from Monday and all tuition classes would also remain closed.

The public has been urged to follow all health guidelines strictly and those leaving homes without masks would face stern action.

Sri Lanka has so far detected over 3,300 COVID-19 cases since the first local patient was detected in March.

The country had recorded 13 deaths from the virus. Enditem
Shortly after taking office, President Donald Trump puffed himself up in full Trumpian pomposity to proclaim to us rubes: We will honor the American people with the truth, and nothing else.

Well, nothing else ... unless you count a record-shattering number of more than 20,000 documented lies that this huckster has uttered in only three-and-a-half years, making dishonesty the cornerstone of his corrupt administration. Hes now spewing a furious torrent of lies, insisting that a tsunami of voter fraud is about to hit our land and deny him reelection. He practically shrieks like Chicken Little, claiming that Democrats are meeting in secret cabals across America to pervert millions of ballots and steal the White House from him (as though its one of his personal properties).

Of course, as every investigation has concluded  including ones run by Republican partisans  the only widespread voter fraud in our country is the GOP fraud that voter fraud is rampant. But whats really at work here is that The Donald is in a cold panic about losing, so his only hope is to do two things: First, use the fraud bugaboo as an excuse to restrict voting in precincts that vote for Democrats, and, second, delegitimize a Democratic win in advance by creating the myth that his loss could only be caused by hordes of illegal voters.

Thus, were seeing an egomaniacal incumbent whos so weak and nefarious that he and his obsequious political party are actually spending untold millions of dollars in a disgraceful effort to try to keep American voters from casting ballots. Their tactics are worthy of the sleaziest of tinpot dictators from the banana republics of old. For example, theyve simply closed the neighborhood voting places in thousands of Democratic areas, forcing people to scramble to get to the polls, and theyve monkeyed with our nations postal service in a crude effort to restrict mail-in voting. Then, William Barr, Trumps pathetic toady of an attorney general, even tried to boost the tricksters chances by ludicrously suggesting it might not be illegal for his backers to vote twice!

So now, nearly four years after promising hed tell us nothing but the truth, the fabricator in chief declared this year that hes entitled to reelection because Unlike so many who came before me, I keep my promises. Obviously, thats his fattest lie yet.

How extreme and needlessly nasty is the Republican Partys massive campaign to thwart democracy? Ask the good people of Florida.

This was one of only three states with an antiquated law permanently taking away the voting rights of felons  even after theyd completed their punishment. In 2018, though, a whopping 64% of Floridians voted for a state constitutional amendment that finally struck this malicious bit of legal ugliness from the books, thus offering public grace to the redeemed. At last, about a million people whod served their time would have their political personhood restored.

But  look out!  here came a raving gaggle of Republican operatives rushing to court to slam the door once more on the rights of discharged felons. Led by Ron DeSantis, Floridas right-wing goose of a governor, the GOP demanded that an appeals court of hyperpartisan federal judges overrule the 2018 landmark vote by the people. Formerly incarcerated citizens are not entitled to vote, squawked these vindictive ballot suppressors, unless and until theyve paid off the full amount of court costs and fees they were assessed.

Yes, once again, Republican leaders are asserting that money  even a few hundred dollars  must trump social justice, human decency and political rights. They knew, of course, that most people coming out of Floridas prisons are indigent and unable to pony up a thousand bucks or so. Even if ex-felons are regularly making payments to clear the debt, the Republican repressors say tough luck  no vote until every penny is paid.

Its a flagrant case of rigging the system to steal the votes of a low-income constituency generally inclined to support Democratic policies and candidates. It also amounts to an unconstitutional poll tax, made more intolerable by applying it to one class of citizens (largely people of color) specifically to disenfranchise them.

The courts six-judge Republican majority (five appointed by Trump) cynically defied the U.S. Constitution and the Florida electorate just weeks before Novembers presidential election, effectively incarcerating some 774,000 potential voters in a partisan debtors prison. Yet, these peoples battle for justice goes on. To stay connected, go to the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition website.

Populist author, public speaker and radio commentator Jim Hightower writes The Hightower Lowdown, a monthly newsletter chronicling the ongoing fights by Americas ordinary people against rule by plutocratic elites. Sign up at HightowerLowdown.org.

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Police in Uttarakhand have set up a special cell in Dehradun to address the grievances of residents of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), which became a union territory (UT) on October 31, living in the hill state.

The cell was launched on Saturday following an order of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to stop incidents involving attacks, intimidation, social boycotts or harassment against the J&K residents, including students, said police.

Ashok Kumar, director-general (D-G) (law & order), Uttarakhand Police, said, The cell was set up in line with the MHAs order to stop attacks, intimidation or other similar incidents against the J&K residents. We have appointed Mamta Vohra, additional superintendent of police (ASP), as the cells nodal officer.

Kumar said, The cell will take action against any person found involved in these incidents against the J&K residents living in Uttarakhand. The cell will safeguard the J&K residents.

The state shared the contact details of ASP Vohra, where any J&K resident living in Uttarakhand can contact her for redressal of a grievance. Her mobile number and email id is 9412029346 and mamtavohra@gmail.com, respectively.

A delegation of J&K Students Association (J&KSA) had met Kumar a few days ago and pleaded with him to set up a similar cell.

Nasir Kheuhami, spokesperson, J&KSA, expressed his gratitude to the Uttarakhand Police for the launching of the cell.

We are grateful to the Uttarakhand Police for acceding to our request and setting up a special cell for redressal of our grievances. It will be of great help as many J&K residents, including students, are living in Uttarakhand, he added.

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Health care, cybersecurity, and trade union jobs are the most recession-proof jobs, according to Quill Intelligence CEO Danielle DiMartino Booth. However, other industries are facing more insecurity.

With 837,000 Americans claiming initial unemployment in the most recent weekly data, many are left wondering how they will jump back into the workforce.

"You have to start thinking about how I can reinvent myself," Booth said.

On the other side of the pond, many European workers aren't focused on this question. In Europe, unemployment support was given to workers through companies to maintain that relationship. For example, furloughed workers in the U.K. received up to 80% of their original salaries.

Booth said the approach in Europe has yet to be tested, but it could come back to bite them once the economies reopen.

"You're keeping people in positions that ultimately might not exist in the end," Booth said. "If the same person ends up being out of work at the end of that period, they're going to have had several years of their skills atrophy[ing] as opposed to being a little bit more productive."

Booth suggested the U.S. government should invest in reskilling workers in the hardest-hit industries like energy. She also pointed out that engineers have already identified necessary infrastructure improvements and think the U.S. could create jobs by taking up these projects.

Watch the video above to see the full interview.




Can India be the next AI superpower? What are the challenges and opportunities? NeGD CEO Abhishek Singh sheds light on these topics ahead of Indias mega summit on AI.

Indias road to becoming an Artificial Intelligence superpower will begin with a framework that will help different walks of life in the longer-term. The government is also working with C-DAC to develop a supercomputer to facilitate the AI framework.

Globally, we are recognised as a country which has a huge AI-skilled workforce. We have a good network of startup companies which are creating products. The only thing they lack is compute capability that they require. So, the government is working on a framework and an ecosystem, said NeGD CEO Abhishek Singh in an interview with Hindustan Times.

Singh further said that compute facilities are being set up in India and will allow the AI, startups, tech entrepreneurs and researchers to leverage the infrastructure that has been built to run their algorithms and to build world-class AI products.

Singhs comments come ahead of the RAISE 2020 (Responsible AI for Social Empowerment 2020) summit on Artificial Intelligence. Scheduled to start on October 5, the summit will also feature startups working in AI-related fields. Those shortlisted through the AI Solution Challenge will also showcase their solutions in the AI Startup Pitchfest that is scheduled for October 6.

Artificial Intelligence is widely believed to play a key role in improving governance. Some of the top use cases include social welfare, policymaking, and healthcare. Countries such as the US and China have already made giant strides in this direction.

ALSO READ: Robots beat humans in test of predicting financial meltdowns

India is in a unique position to become the new AI superpower. As said earlier, India already has a robust IT ecosystem and all the capabilities to democratise any technology.

Singh pointed out that India ranked among the top countries in a Stanford AI index. It also ranks high among the countries when it comes to a requisite skilled workforce, the number of startups, and number of IT experts and professionals that are skilled in AI.

ALSO READ: Augmented identity could be need of the hour as the world goes contactless

He further stressed the need for a necessary computing capability to run the complex algorithms.

If you look at the top 500 supercomputers in the world, which are required for running these complex algorithms, um, the majority is in China. About 140 or 50 are in the US. India so far has only two such computers with one currently in use for weather prediction, he explained.

AI to tackle Covid-19 pandemic

Singh revealed that India is leveraging Artificial Intelligence to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. He added that the AI leverages the data that comes through platforms such as Aarogya Setu to predict the next hotspot model. He said that the process is purely based on data science and data analytics.

ALSO READ: In conversation with Debdoot Mukherjee, the AI man at ShareChat

The government has also extensively used AI for communications on the Covid-19. It has already placed an AI-powered chatbot on Mygov portal. So, all these examples helped people to access the right information and bust myths and fake news on the virus. India is also helping other countries such as Australia and the UK with its learnings in the field of AI.

Incentives for AI ecosystem

Singh asserted that there was a need for public investment in Artificial Intelligence. He also sought to ramp up the AI efforts in order to catch up with the likes of the European Union, the UK, and China.

I'm sure very soon when the national programme on AI is launched, the amount of support the government will do towards researchers in AI, towards startups in AI, to create a compute infrastructure in for AI, this will go up. So, already the national strategy on AI talks about a lot of this, about the creating AIRAWAT compute infrastructure, or about the course about the centre for research in artificial intelligence, centres of excellence in artificial intelligence. So, all of it is something that is in works and, and public investment will also happen, which will further fuel private investment in such technologies, he said.
A recent joint operation against computer software service fraud offences between the and Indian security forces has led to raids on 10 suspect offices in six cities of India, according to authorities.

The City of London Police, the UK's lead force for fraud, revealed this week that it confirmed people in the had been defrauded by these companies to its counterparts in India, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

They provided vital witness statements, detailing the victim's dealings with the companies concerned, evidence which is a key requirement to enable the police in to take action against fraudulent companies.

We welcome this enforcement action on the part of the Central Bureau of Investigation and will support their efforts to bring offenders to justice through the Indian courts, said Alex Rothwell, Temporary Detective Chief Superintendent at the City of London Police.

At the time of the lockdown in India, we saw a sharp decline in reports of computer software service fraud in the UK, but we know that criminals adapt quickly to continue to try to defraud people. As more people work from home, the need to prevent fraud of this nature has become more urgent, he said.

The companies are alleged to have displayed pop-up messages on victims' computers warning them about serious technical problems with their device including the presence of malware infection.

Victims were then advised to call a helpline to gain assistance and were charged a premium fee for the fix and on-going support.

Victims were then made to pay this fee online or over the phone, meaning their financial details were shared with criminals.

On September 17, officers from the CBI conducted raids on 10 premises based on this information across six Indian cities. Some home addresses of people associated with the various companies were also visited.

According to the City of London Police, the CBI investigation into the case remains ongoing.

The latest operation follows previous joint operations, resulting from a partnership between the City of London Police, American tech giant Microsoft and Indian police forces to tackle such online fraud, which the UK authorities said has led to action against 37 call centres and resulted in 88 arrests.

We are pleased to have been able to support this action taken against criminals defrauding UK citizens and those of other countries. Our ongoing close working relationship with Microsoft and the Indian authorities has led to sustained action against this type of fraud, demonstrating that we can and will seek out criminals wherever they are, added Rothwell.

The police force is warning people to not call phone numbers, or visit websites, mentioned on pop-up messages which indicate there is a problem with your computer and also to be wary of callers, especially cold callers, who claim to be from Microsoft, your telephony provider or internet service provider.

Don't be afraid to hang up and call the organisation back on a number you have researched yourself. For example, one from the back of a bill or one listed on their official website, they advise.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
6,184 pupils have received higher marks after they were wrongly downgraded due to coding errors with the system, which Canadian contractor Polymetrika was involved in.

Education Minister Norma Foley has asked for an independent review of the calculated grades system once the process is complete.

Labour's education spokesperson, Aodhan O'Riordain, says there are still issues which a state inquiry could look at.

Polymetricka

He said: "Who made the decision to cancel the written Leaving Cert? Why were those decisions taken? Who decided that Polymetricka were the best group to go with?"

Mr O'Riordain feels these questions need to be addressed with an inquiry.

In total, 6,184 students will see their grades improved with the mistakes in the calculated grading system now rectified.

This will result in 340 students moving from a H2 to a H1 grade while 892 will go from H3 to H2.

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Being moved by a single grade is the equivalent of a jump of around 10 CAO points.

Ms Foley had previously estimated that around 6,500 students had received lower grades than they should have due to the error in the calculated grades system.

The coding error could have resulted in a similar number receiving higher grades, but Ms Foley said these marks would remain the same.

New CAO offers may well come as a result of the clarification in grades. However, students have been warned that they may be forced to defer for a year in courses that are already fully subscribed.

Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris has been engaged in talks with third level institutions over funding for an additional 1,000 places in college courses.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer pulled no punches during a television appearance Sunday with her thoughts about the state Supreme Courts decision over her use of emergency powers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During a five-minute appearance Sunday morning on CNNs State of the Union, Whitmer told host Jake Tapper she was disappointed in the outcome two days ago by Michigans high court striking down her use of two emergency acts to continue the state of emergency.

Neither act, the court ruled, gave Gov. Gretchen Whitmer the authority to continue declaring states of emergency or issuing unilateral orders under them past April 30, when her initial declaration would have expired.

Related: Gov. has no authority to continue state of emergency, Michigan Supreme Court rules

Responding to a question by Tapper on the rise in COVID-19 cases in the state in recent days, Whitmer noted an increase in cases in the Upper Peninsula to levels seen early on during the pandemic. She also referenced news that broke Friday of President Donald Trump testing positive for COVID-19.

This threat is still very real and the sad irony is on the day that the president was admitted to the hospital with the very virus he called a hoax, the Supreme Court in Michigan undermined my emergency rule, my emergency orders that Ive had to enact that puts us in the same state as all other states in this nation, to save lives, the governor said. Weve saved thousands of lives and the Supreme Court, on a slim majority Republican vote, undermined that effort.

Whitmer previously said the emergency orders would remain in place for 21 days from the state Supreme Courts decision and that many of her responsive measures would continue under alternative sources of authority.

Tapper offered a clarification to Whitmers comments, saying President Trump has not called the virus a hoax, but acknowledging he had called the Democratic and media concerns over it a hoax.

Thats an important clarification," Whitmer said in response. "He didnt call the virus a hoax, but he called all of the concerns, all of the efforts  he undermined that and ridiculed us, ridiculed the press, and now we see that even he is susceptible to this. The most protected person on the planet is susceptible which means we all are.

She expressed no worries about a visit by former vice president and Democratic candidate Joe Bidens visit to Grand Rapids on Friday, after he had been near President Trump earlier in the week at the first of three scheduled presidential debates.

Related: Joe Biden urges patriotic national mask mandate at Grand Rapids campaign stop

Bidens campaign has said he tested negative since the debate and is being tested regularly for the virus.

I didnt (have any concerns) because we know that Joe Biden has been taking this virus seriously, Whitmer said during the interview with Tapper. He has been following the science. The Trump administration, on the other hand, has been misleading America, has been ridiculing mask wearing, has downright undermine the efforts that governors like me and your earlier guest (Ohio) Governor (Mike) DeWine have been trying to get people to mask up.

Whitmer noted state residents have an opportunity to weigh in on the state Supreme Court during the Nov. 3 general election, touting her backing of current Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack and Elizabeth Welch, an attorney, former East Grand Rapids school board trustee and former president of Michigan League of Conservation Voters.

Two of the seven seats on the Michigan Supreme Court are up for election. That includes the seats currently held by McCormack and Justice Stephen Markman, a GOP nominee. Markman cant run for his seat again because state law bars judges 70 or older from being elected or appointed.

Related: Michigan GOP, Dems nominate candidates for state Supreme Court, university boards

The Michigan Republican Party nominated Mary Kelly and Brock Swartzle for the Supreme Court. Kelly has worked for the St. Clair County Prosecutors Office for 30 years, according to her campaign Facebook page. Swartzle was appointed to the states Court of Appeals by former Gov. Rick Snyder in 2017.

More on MLive:

Sunday, Oct. 4: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan

5 big coronavirus orders from Gov. Whitmer thrown into question by recent court ruling

Whitmer vehemently disagrees with Supreme Court ruling, says emergency orders remain in place for 21 days

Michigans coronavirus numbers are creeping up. Is it the start of a fall surge?
Sudan's fragile interim government is sharply divided over normalising relations with Israel, as it finds itself under intense pressure from the Trump administration to become the third Arab country to do so in short order  after the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Washington's push for Sudan-Israel ties is part of a campaign to score foreign policy achievements ahead of the US presidential election in November.

Sudan seemed like a natural target for the pressure campaign because of US leverage  Khartoum's desperate efforts to be removed from a US list of states sponsoring terrorism.

Sudan can only get the international loans and aid that are essential for reviving its battered economy once that stain is removed.

While Sudan's transitional government has been negotiating the terms of removing the country from the list for more than a year, US officials introduced the linkage to normalization with Israel more recently.

Top Sudanese military leaders, who govern jointly with civilian technocrats in a Sovereign Council, have become increasingly vocal in their support for normalization with Israel as part of a quick deal with Washington ahead of the US election.

Now, whether we like it or not, the removal (of Sudan from the terror list) is tied to (normalization) with Israel, the deputy head of the council, Gen. Mohammed Dagalo, told a local television station on Friday.

We need Israel ... Israel is a developed country and the whole world is working with it, he said.

We will have benefits from such relations ... We hope all look at Sudan's interests. Such comments would have been unthinkable until recently in a country where public hostility toward Israel remains strong.

The top civilian official in the coalition, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, has argued that the transitional government does not have the mandate to decide on foreign policy issues of this magnitude.

When US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Sudan last month, Hamdok urged him to move forward with removing Sudan from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and not link it to recognizing Israel.

It needs a deep discussion within our society, Hamdok told reporters earlier this week.

Several Sudanese officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media, said civilian leaders prefer to wait with any deal until after the US election.

The officials said military leaders seek a quick US-Sudan deal, including normalization with Israel, in exchange for an aid package.

The officials said the military fears incentives being offered now could be withdrawn after the US election.

One sticking point is the size of future aid to Sudan.

A meeting in Abu Dhabi last month  attended by Sudanese, US and Emirati officials  ended without agreement.

Less than USD 1 billion in cash was being offered, mostly to be paid by the Emirates, said a Sudanese official who took part in the meetings.

The Sudanese team, had asked for USD 3 billion to help rescue Sudan's economy.

Dagalo, the military official, tweeted Friday, after meeting with the US envoy to Sudan, Donald Booth, in South Sudan that he received a promise to remove Sudan from the terror list as soon as possible. An Israeli official said the talks on normalization remain purely between the US and Sudan.

We're still not there, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing a confidential diplomatic matter. He said the Israeli government hopes a deal can be wrapped up before the US election on November 3.

For Israel, a cordial relationship with Sudan would be a symbolic victory.

Sudan, a Muslim-majority African country, has long said it supports the Palestinian people in their calls for an independent state.

Khartoum hosted the historic Arab League summit after the 1967 Mideast War in which Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem  lands the Palestinians seek for that state.

The conference approved a resolution that became known as the three no's"  no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel and no negotiations.

The designation of Sudan as a state sponsor of terrorism dates to the 1990s, when the nation briefly hosted Osama bin Laden and other wanted militants.

Sudan was also believed to have served as a pipeline for Iran to supply weapons to Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

Osman Mirghani, a Sudanese analyst and editor of the daily newspaper al-Tayar, said Sudanese leaders don't have unlimited time to decide.

The US offer of incentives .. will not last too long. It is related to the US presidential election on one side, and the number of Arab states that normalize, he said.

(This story has not been edited by www.republicworld.com and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
There was always this idea there was some magical person who could be all things to all people and be a new police chief in Albuquerque. People would say (the chief would) have to have done all the DOJ reforms, and theyd have to be respected by front-line officers and they also have to be from outside Albuquerque but they also have to know Albuquerque. The amazing thing about this is the closest person to that is Chief Geier.

 Mayor Tim Keller, June 13, 2018

Keller made those comments at a news conference announcing his decision to remove the title of interim in front of Michael Geiers name after a compressed national search that took just six months, rather than the initial one-year projection, to find a chief for the Albuquerque Police Department. There was no need to drag things out, the mayor told reporters back then, because Geier checked all the boxes.

So much for the magic. Its long gone in a city thats plagued by violent crime and a police force operating under a Department of Justice oversight agreement that has no end in sight  and is once again in need of a new chief.

Earlier this month, after two years and nine months in the job, Geier was shown the door by Keller and Chief Administrative Officer Sarita Nair. The departure was initially billed as a voluntary retirement where everybody made nice  a day earlier Nair had even chastised a city councilor who had asked during the council meeting whether the chief still had the administrations support.

Its now turned into something of a free-for-all.

The voluntary retirement cease-fire lasted until the day after Geiers last official day on the city payroll, Sept. 18. Then, the chief, who had kept an unfortunately low profile during this tenure whether by choice or, as he claims, by orders from a mayor who does love the cameras  had a lot to say.

Geier, who had a 45-year career in law enforcement that included stints as an officer in the Chicago area, as an APD commander and as chief in Rio Rancho, says the Keller administration micromanaged the department and put a higher priority on dog-and-pony press conferences than on real crime-fighting. Geier says he wasnt allowed to call his own briefings without including the mayor and was handed talking points by the administration. Im not a cop anymore; Im just a politicians aide, is the way I describe it, he told the Journal.

The outgoing chief says the man Keller named as interim chief to succeed him, Deputy Chief Harold Medina, worked against him on key initiatives including one dealing with gun violence. Geier told the Journal he had recommended to Nair that Medina be moved out of his position for insubordination. Instead, it was Geier who was out the door and Medina moved up to the top spot as interim chief.

Nair said this was not a quick decision  that the administration had had concerns about Geiers job performance since early this year and had met with him multiple times over the summer.

Keller told the Journal it had become clear to him this was the time to make a change. As mayor, it is my job to hold my team accountable. I offered Geier an honorable retirement, and while he has taken the low road on the way out, full of sour grapes and new-found complaints, I will not follow suit.

The mayors chief of staff, Mike Puelle, however, showed no such reluctance. He said Geier wasnt putting in the work, that he was rarely at important incidents like officer-involved shootings, protests, staff meetings or press conferences. The job just wasnt getting done, Puelle said.

The back-and-forth goes on, but the end result doesnt change. The department needs another chief to oversee a department with roughly 1,000 officers in a city with a big-time crime problem.

While the city has posted the job and begun its search  and its worth noting Kellers pick is subject to City Council approval  Medina would seem to be a front-runner. After all, it appears hes been angling for the position for some time and is openly lobbying for it now.

But his record with APD throws up red flags.

Medina shot and killed a 14-year-old boy in the sanctuary of a West Side church in 2002. The boy had a BB gun in his hand and Medina says the incident haunts him to this day. Thats why its imperative you have a police chief that knows what people go through on both sides, he said. The boys mother says learning Medina has been named interim chief was like ripping the scab off the wound.

Medina was the ranking officer on the scene of APDs fatal shooting of 25-year-old Iraq War veteran Kenneth Ellis in 2010  one of the departments most controversial that ended with a jury awarding the family $10.3 million. Ellis had been holding a gun to his own head when another officer shot him in the neck.

Geier and Medina clashed on APDs controversial handling of protests that turned violent concerning the Onate sculpture at the Albuquerque Museum. The outgoing chief says he told Medina to have uniformed officers  like bicycle cops  at the scene as a deterrent but that his directive was ignored. Medina says he was concerned that having officers there in riot gear would escalate tensions  so APD officers stayed behind the building until things went south. The administration points out that Geier was not at the scene.

Keller has been lavish in his praise of Medina, saying that in just the last few weeks, this change at the top has reinvigorated our crime-fighting and reform efforts.

From the outside it looks as though Medina already was the power at APD and Geier had been marginalized. And Medina may, in fact, be the right person for the job  especially if there is a preference for an insider.

But the city needs to move carefully. It should do a bona fide national search  which wont be any easier given the micromanagement allegations, Geiers messy departure, the appearance Medina may be the chosen one, a mayoral election coming up next November and a global pandemic.

Those are good reasons the City Council should consider playing a bigger role, even though its the mayors appointment subject to council approval. Why not have a council listening session or two that allow the public, the business community, activists and others to express their frustrations on crime and lawlessness in the city? And give officers a chance to explain why more than 80% in a recent survey said they felt the mayor didnt support them? (Geier didnt fare much better at 62%, and the City Council was worse at 96%.)

Chief of police is perhaps the most critical job in the city of Albuquerque. If this city is to ever reach its potential, we must get on top of the crime problem. And we cant afford another pick where the seemingly perfect candidate is told to hit the road after less than three years on a job thats a long way from being done.

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.
Bahujan Samaj Party supremo on Sunday expressed concern over allegations of Hathras district magistrate threatening the family of the Dalit woman who died after being allegedly gang-raped.

In a tweet in Hindi, said, "There have been serious allegations of the Hathras DM threatening the family of the victim. Despite this, the UP Government is maintaining silence, which is sad and extremely worrying."



"The government has agreed for a CBI probe but with the DM staying there (Hathras), how can the matter be impartially probed? People are feeling apprehensive," she said.

On Saturday, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had demanded the suspension of the district magistrate after meeting the Hathras victim's family.

The 19-year-old woman was allegedly raped by four men on September 14. After her condition deteriorated, she was referred to Delhi's Safdarjung hospital where she breathed her last on Tuesday.

She was cremated in the early hours of Wednesday, with her family alleging that the local police forced them to conduct the last rites in the dead of night.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday recommended a CBI probe into the incident.

(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.)
Topping the list is none other than Shiv Nadar, who is the founder of HCL enterprise. As per the list he has a wealth of  1,41,700.

IILF Wealth Hurun India Rich List of 2020 is out and its time to know who all in the tech industry are on top of the list in the country. In the updated list we have some known personalities from Infosys, HCL, Wipro and much more.

Topping the list is none other than Shiv Nadar, who is the founder of HCL enterprise. As per the list he has a wealth of 1,41,700. Nadar is followed by the founder of Wipro, Azim Premji with a wealth of around 1,14,400 crore. At the third position comes Jay Chaudhry, founder of cloud computing company Zscaler. As per the list, his total wealth is about 65,800 crore. The fourth and fifth positions are taken by Sunil Mittal, founder of Bharti Enterprises and Vijay Shekhar Sharma, founder of Paytm with 25,500 crore and 23,000 crore respectively.

Also read: Paytm, other Indian startups vow to fight 'big daddy' Google's clout

In the lower half of the top 10 ranking, Byju Raveendran is on the 6th position with 20,400 crore while S Gopalkrishnan, one of the co-founders of Infosys, is on 7th. They have a wealth of 20,400 crore and 18,100 crore respectively. Following them is Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy with 16,400 crore and Divyank Turakhia, founder of Media.Net advertising company with 14,000 crore reported wealth.

And on 10th position is Amod Malviya, co-founders of Udaan with 13,000 crore. He shares his position with two others from the same company  Sujeet Kumar and Vaibhav Gupta.

Nandan Nilekani, another co-founder of Infosys is further down the list with 12,000 crore wealth.
PATNA: A 37-year-old Dalit leader was gunned down at his residence in Bihars Purnea district on Sunday and his wife alleged that it was a political killing as her husband was preparing to contest Assembly election as an independent candidate after he was expelled from the RJD.

After the killing, a video in which the deceased, Shakti Malik, accused RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav of seeking Rs 50 lakh as donation to give him party ticket to contest the poll from Raniganj seat and threatening to eliminate him if he continues with his good work in the constituency, went viral.

The ruling JD(U) claimed that Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav has exposed his true colours before the nation. Repeated efforts to reach senior RJD leaders for their reaction were unsuccessful.

Police said that three bike-borne men entered the house of Shakti Malik in Purnea in the morning and shot him in the head while he was sleeping, killing him on the spot, and fled.

A country-made pistol and an empty cartridge were found from the spot, K Haat police station Station House Officer Sunil Kumar Mandal said.

Superintendent of Police Vishal Sharma and Sadar Sub- Divisional Police Officer Anand Pandey visited the spot.

In the video that went viral, Malik claimed that he, along with the RJD's SC/ST cell state unit president, met Tejashwi Prasad Yadav in Patna where the RJD leader sought Rs 50 lakh as donation to give him party ticket to contest Raniganj assembly constituency.

According to the video, when Malik said that he would let him know of his decision later, Tejashwi made a casteist remark against him and threatened to eliminate him.

It was not immediately clear when Malik made this statement to a Purnea based television channel.

The deceased's wife also alleged that there is a political conspiracy behind her husband's killing and named several leaders who could be involved in it.

JD(U) spokesman Rajiv Ranjan Prasad claimed that Malik was a Mahadalit and his family members' statements corroborate the allegations levelled by him.

"We have been raising the issue of dynastic politics, corruption, Tejashwi's inexperience especially in dealing with alliance politics but the latest allegations has completely exposed him," Prasad told reporters.

Allegations that RJD leaders distribute party tickets after taking money or land are not new, he alleged.

Prasad also alleged that Tejashwi's "concern" for Dalits was exposed when former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi had to leave the Grand Alliance after the RJD leaderships shabby treatment meted out to him.
Dimitri was standing on the street looking up an address on his phone when two men, their faces hidden in black balaclavas as they ran through startled shoppers, slammed him on the ground then dragged him off to a van with darkened windows.

His nose was broken instantly in the melee. But worse was to follow as the 21-year-old student was pushed to the floor of the vehicle, his hands tied with plastic cuffs and brutally beaten for more than two hours as they drove around Minsk.

'I was in shock  it was a kidnapping,' he told me as he recovered in hospital from a cerebral haemorrhage sustained during the horrifying attack three weeks ago.

'My nose, my face, my legs were in such pain. I was screaming  it was really terrifying.'

Dimitri, a 21-year-old student, was accused of being an organiser of huge anti-government protests by Belarus security services. Above: Law enforcement detain an individual at the Bright March for Women's Solidarity opposition event

The thugs were members of the Belarus security services. They accused Dimitri of being an organiser of huge anti-government protests that have broken out after Europe's last dictator blatantly stole the presidential election in August.

At one point the unit's commander brandished a baton and threatened to rape him if he did not give up his phone security code. They threw water in his face when he was losing consciousness. They taunted him, saying he was gay and a drug addict.

This young man still suffers headaches and is scared he may have brain damage.

'These people are not human,' he said. 'They tortured me. I'm lucky I can still talk to you. We are seeing fascism in 21st Century Belarus, in the middle of Europe.'

Certainly such state-sponsored savagery is sickening. Dimitri is among thousands of people in this former Soviet republic to have been arbitrarily arrested and beaten over the past eight weeks as Alexander Lukashenko, its ruler for 26 stagnant years, clings to power.

Many have suffered grotesque injuries, physical and mental, while at least three people have been killed amid tear gas and rubber bullets.

Sinister gangs of masked militiamen prowl the streets grabbing suspects, as I saw several times for myself.

So IS this the final stand for the autocratic ruler of a country that feels like a strange leftover from the Soviet Union  or could people power really oust this ruthless ruler who crushed his nation's brief flowering of freedom after the fall of Communism?

'People have stopped being scared and started to feel free,' said Sergei Dylevsky, one of the protest leaders, when we spoke after his release from 25 days in prison. 'This is a people's revolution, since they have decided to stand up for their rights.'

This burly punk rock fan won fame after starting a strike at his tractor factory in fury at seeing injuries inflicted by Lukashenko's goons on workers who joined protests. 'I have a son who is three and I don't want him to live in fear,' he told me.

The demonstrations erupted after Lukashenko defied reality to claim he won 80 per cent of the presidential ballot.

Independent observers said Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, his main rival who entered the race after her husband was jailed, won by a hefty margin despite the government saying she picked up fewer than one in ten votes.

Demonstrations erupted after Alexander Lukashenko defied reality to claim he won 80% of the presidential ballot. Above: Law enforcement officers detain a woman at a protest in Minsk

As incensed citizens poured on to the streets, security forces responded with extreme violence and torture.

'This was something new since it was massive and systemic,' said Valiantsin Stefanovic, vice-chairman of Viasna, a human rights body. 'It was politically inspired to punish people who participated in anti-government protests.'

I spoke to Valeryja, a young woman left traumatised by her hideous experiences. 'I had grown up with the belief that the police are saints but I saw them beating people on the street. It changed my view of the world,' she said.

The 20-year-old was helping casualties when she was carted off to a prison, where she saw naked men on their knees being beaten and floors swimming in blood. She was thrown into a tiny cell with 50 other women.

'Everyone could not sit down at the same time,' she said.

Valeryja was held for four days without food. The women suffered regular beatings, with a journalist left so badly injured that she ended up in hospital for three weeks.

One cell-mate's body was lacerated with cuts after being dragged through broken glass.

On the third day, guards started picking out groups for questioning. 'The first ones said they were taken to another cell, stripped naked in front of four men and then told to either sign their protocols or they would be gang-raped.'

The courageous women refused and were returned to their cell.

Even some members of the security forces were horrified. 'I am ashamed to wear the shoulder straps of a police officer,' said Colonel Jury Makhnach, a veteran with 23 years' service who quit after seeing friends left with 'bruises from the neck to the lower limbs.'

But this crackdown backfired since such tactics merely fuelled further protests, and on every subsequent weekend substantial numbers of people have marched with impressive determination.

During ten days undercover in the country, I observed five marches. Three times I had to dive into bars or restaurants to avoid the round-ups, once just a few feet in front of the feared militia whom I watched then charge into the next-door pizzeria and throw an unfortunate man on the ground before taking him off.

Thousands of people in this former Soviet republic have been arbitrarily arrested and beaten over the past eight weeks as Alexander Lukashenko (above) clings to power

Yet each march was good-humoured and peaceful as people chanted, clapped, drummed, played music and waved the red and white flag from their nation's brief times of independence, rather than the official green and red one adopted from Soviet days.

The first protest I watched was for women, many of them strolling along in summer dresses in the sun since they were urged to look 'shiny'.

Cars honked in support as they passed, then 50 bikers drove by waving flags, one stopping to kiss a marcher.

'I go on every march I see,' said Dasha, 23, a part-time modelling instructor. 'I want freedom in Belarus, I want an honest government and I don't want to see my friends dying.'

It felt festive. Yet as they passed a shopping centre, ten vans and autozaks  lorries used to transport detainees  pulled up, then security operatives rushed out and trapped protesters. I saw some flee but 430 people were detained that day.

Among them was Angelina Akunevich, 26, whose image became a social media meme after a photographer caught the symbolic contrast between a fashionable woman in sunglasses, dress and mint-green heels with beefy men clad in boiler suits and balaclavas dragging her off. I met the cashier in her flat after her release, where she laughed off the incident.

'I'm never scared because I never see other women afraid,' she said. 'I want my country to be free of violence and reform of the bureaucratic machine in charge.'

This is in many ways a revolt led by brave women against a male despot in his mid-60s desperately clinging to the past, although several key female figures leading the fight for justice have been locked up or forced into exile abroad.

Each protest had its own character. About 100,000 people turned out the following day, with bursts of applause for those going on to balconies to wave red and white flags as the march snaked through the streets.

'Look at the windows, not the TV set,' chanted the crowds below.

A man suddenly yelled out a roll-call beside me: 'Are prostitutes here? Are drug addicts here? Are parasites here?'

And each time the crowd roared back 'Yes!' This was their sarcastic response to Lukashenko's claim that only such types take part in protests.

One elderly woman started weeping as they passed. Another, cheering them on, told me she was a 72-year-old kindergarten teacher who had been gassed in an early demonstration. 'Look at the youth  they are not the aggressive ones,' she said.

As incensed citizens poured on to the streets (above, a woman at an opposition rally to protest presidential election results), security forces responded with extreme violence and torture

The unlikely pin-up of the movement is a diminutive great-grandmother called Nina Bahinskaya, who first joined pro-democracy protests in Soviet days. Videos of the 73-year-old activist defying, kicking and ticking off the police have gone viral.

A former geologist, Bahinskaya has been fined so often, the state has halved her state pension to just 60 a month but she remains implacable.

'We don't want to be slaves,' she said. 'Everyone must be free to express their views and live their lives.'

Although she told me life was 'calmer' under the Communists, since they did not abuse power so obviously, she is fighting to overthrow the vestiges of the Soviet era with statues of Lenin in city squares and streets named after Russian figures.

'What does Lenin have to do with our culture in this country?' she asked, after showing me the ancient sewing machine in her flat that she uses to churn out flags. 'The Soviet Union will only end when power here belongs to the people.'

The security forces try different tactics to thwart the protests: stopping people from entering the centre of Minsk, blasting warnings from loudspeakers, blocking streets.

Each march ends with round-ups  there were at least 1,500 arrests at them during my ten days in the country. But still large numbers pour out and not just in Minsk.

Meanwhile, women rip the masks off militiamen so they can be identified and hackers from the country's thriving IT sector have posted online the personal data of 1,000 officers.

Ten days ago, I watched baton charges and water cannon fired on crowds massing after Lukashenko's secret inauguration.

It worked as they fled into a shopping mall and surrounding streets but the protesters, many wearing paper crowns to mock their ruler, simply fanned out across the city to block roads into the early hours.

During last Sunday's march, I came across Ales Michalevic, a dissident who dared stand against Lukashenko in 2010, only to be arrested by KGB agents and tortured.

'We are sure we are winning,' he said. 'Fewer policemen are willing to beat people. I hope there are just months left before he resigns.'

Michalevic told me he had been hoping to see such a popular uprising for a decade. 'I am happy that we have it now. It is very emotional for me.'

But there are two key questions in this fight to overthrow the former factory-boss-turned-dictator, whose election has not been recognised by Western nations.

Last week, Britain and Canada imposed sanctions on the president, his son and six officials.

The first is whether the determination, energy and optimism of these protesters can sustain through the long Belarussian winter, especially as the regime jails and drives into exile more of the leading opposition figures.

Each march ends with round-ups  there were at least 1,500 arrests during my ten days in the country. But still large numbers pour out and not just in Minsk. Pictured: Dacha, a protester

The second is whether neighbouring Russia would accept regime change when such displays of people power implicitly challenge Vladimir Putin's own style of rule.

This is not like Ukraine, where Moscow ripped open divisions using sympathetic citizens in a divided country. But Lukashenko is now reliant on Russian support, although he may be too weak to deliver the closer union that Putin desires.

Even one loyalist I found walking through Minsk with the official flag on his shoulders  a furniture-maker who insisted Lukashenko won the election  was adamant he did not want closer ties with Russia.

Analysts believe Putin does not want another conflict, especially with his economy facing a pandemic-fuelled downturn.

Yet one diplomat in Minsk told me ominously that they believed the Russian leader would never tolerate true democracy here.

Whatever happens, every person I spoke within Belarus said their country had already changed for the better. They believe they have already won some kind of victory.

'No one expected this and it is amazing to see since it shows our society has changed,' said Stefanovic, the veteran human rights activist.

Then he added those words I kept hearing during ten extraordinary and rather moving days in Belarus: 'The people have lost their fear.'
In the wake of President Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis, "60 Minutes" correspondent John Dickerson reflects on how the power and profiles of vice presidents have grown in recent decades:

This week, when the vice presidential candidates debate, they will be five feet further apart than originally planned, in a campaign taking place a world apart from the one inhabited by the presidential candidates just the week before.

Vice President Mike Pence was at the same event where the president might have been infected, but so far it appears he was out of the loop. Still, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris has asked for the extra distance just to be safe.

What it means to be safe and what accommodations are necessary during the pandemic will be a key debate topic. The matter of national importance on which the campaigns disagree has also distinguished the way they carry out their campaigns.

President Donald Trump mocked Democratic nominee Joe Biden's mask-wearing and precautions. He repeatedly ignored the guidance of his own health officials.

The debate over these issues is no longer abstract, and makes the inevitable abstract questions about whether the vice presidential candidates can step into the job if required a little too on-the-nose.

Trump hospitalized at Walter Reed after COVID-19 diagnosis

That used to be the most important question asked at vice presidential debates. Otherwise, they were characterized by peppery exchanges, because the role used to require playing the attack dog.

The vice presidency once had a low reputation. John Adams called it "the most insignificant office that ever the invention of Man contrived or his imagination conceived." FDR's sidekick, John Nance Garner, said the job was "not worth a bucket of warm " Well, let's just say it wasn't fresh milk.

Admiral James Stockdale, Ross Perot's running mate, famously felt this way during a debate: "Who am I? Why am I here?"

Story continues

Many vice presidents have felt that way in office, too.

But the modern vice presidency is a more muscular job, and the role a president picks for his number two tells us something important about how the chief executive builds their team and deploys talent. Dick Cheney shaped energy policy and the war on terrorism. Biden negotiated with Congress, managed the economic recovery, and played chief skeptic on Afghanistan. Pence leads the task force combatting coronavirus.

The vice presidency in no longer about just being up to the task if something awful happens. In the modern version of the office, if something awful happens, the vice president might also bear some responsibility for it.

Don't miss CBS News' coverage of the Vice Presidential Debate, Wednesday, October 7.

For more info:

The Vice Presidential Debate, Wed., October 7, at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City (Commission on Presidential Debates)Massachusetts Historical Society

Story produced by Ed Forgotson. Editor: Chad Cardin.

Hours of grand jury recordings in Breonna Taylor case released

What Trumps hospitalization means for his administration

President Trump undergoes aggressive and experimental coronavirus treatment
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi sharpened his attack against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government over three new farm-related laws on Sunday, saying the legislation would promote corporate and not farmers interests, as he launched a kheti bachao yatra (save agriculture journey) in the heartland of Indian agriculture.

The prime minister says the laws are being framed for farmers. If the laws are being made for farmers, then why didnt you debate in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, he said, flagging off the three-day campaign of tractor rallies in Punjabs Moga district.

And if farmers are happy with these laws, then why are they agitating across the country? Why is every farmer of Punjab agitating?

Addressing a public meeting in Badhni Kalan in village of Moga district, Gandhi said the contentious laws would be revoked if the Congress was voted to power. He also questioned the hurry and the need to implement the legislations amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Their target is to end the MSP and food procurement system. They know the day that happens, farmers of Punjab and Haryana will be finished, Gandhi said. But the Congress will not allow this to happen, we stand firmly behind you {farmers}. We will not back down an inch, he added.

President Ram Nath Kovind has given his assent to the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill; Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill; and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, which were passed by Parliament last month.

Claiming that they will lead to more efficient farm markets, the government last month enacted the three laws, allowing farmers to bypass state-controlled market yards run by agricultural produce market committees (APMCs) and enter into five-year farming contracts with agribusinesses. The government also freed up several commonly consumed food items from strict stocking limits that discouraged private investment in cold storages.

Farmers groups are protesting against the reforms, including the move to end the monopoly of APMCs, because they fear deregulation will leave them vulnerable to powerful agribusinesses and in an even weaker negotiating position than before. They also fear the reforms may weaken the MSP mechanism.

The central government has maintained that the MSP system will remain and has accused the Congress and other opposition parties of misleading farmers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has alleged that those opposing the bills want middlemen to thrive, while his government is concerned about the interests of farmers who will now be able to get a better price for their produce. It was merely opposition for the sake of opposition, he has said.

Gandhi, the Congress MP from Keralas Wayanad, alleged that corporate houses were setting the agenda for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government.

A couple of chosen corporate houses are issuing diktats to the central government on policy formation. Lands of farmers in states such as Punjab and Haryana that have contributed significantly to the national food security for decades are now facing the threat of acquisition by the powerful corporate houses.

For six years, Narendra Modi has been speaking lies. When he brought demonetisation, he had then said black money will be curbed. When GST {goods and services tax} was implemented, it hit small shopkeepers, traders and the poor., he said.

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh, finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, state Congress president Sunil Jakhar, partys Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat and other leaders were present at the launch of the campaign. Former minister and MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu, who has stayed away from all Congress programmes since he resigned from the state cabinet last year, too addressed the gathering.

The Punjab chief minister urged Gandhi to bring farmers at the national level under one roof for an organised protest against the Centre. The Congress will fight back unless the black laws on farm sector are withdrawn, said Singh.

Punjab BJP president Ashwani Sharma, meanwhile, hit out at the Congress and said that the farming community has been misinformed about the new legislations. The BJP, he said, has started a campaign to explain the benefits of the laws to farm leaders. These are the visionary rules where the existing food procurement exercise including, purchase by the government agencies and MSP will continue. Rahul Gandhi owes an explanation on an electoral promise made by the Congress in 2014 Lok Sabha and Punjab assembly in 2019 promising liberalization of the farm sector. The Congress leadership is exposed for opposing the provisions that it backed earlier, said Sharma.

(With agency inputs)
When the 55th Wings RC-135 reconnaissance jets hop from Offutt Air Force Base to their temporary quarters at Lincoln Airport next spring, they will be following in the tire tracks of some of the Air Forces earliest, and most historic, jet bombers.

From 1954-65, the newly renovated north hangar, its south twin and adjacent apron for parking aircraft were home to two Strategic Air Command bomb wings at what was then the Lincoln Air Force Base. As many as 100 of the new B-47 Stratojets were assigned to Lincoln, along with KC-97 flying fuel tankers to keep them airborne on their extended missions. The Stratojets stood on alert to carry nuclear bombs in case of war with the Soviet Union.

It has quite a history, said Rob Branting, a Cold War historian and project manager of the Lincoln Air Force Base Legacy Project.

The 55th Wing has nearly completed a $31.6 million project to renovate the historic north hangar and adjacent apron, plus erect a smaller temporary hangar. The Air Force will also pay $27,000 a month to lease the space.
Regal Cinemas  which operates 543 theaters in the U.S. including MGM Springfield and nine others in Massachusetts  is considering closing its doors this week in light on the ongoing pandemic, Variety has reported.

The trade paper reported a reopening date has not yet been set, but cinemas could potentially stay closed until 2021.

Two months ago, Regal had begun reopening the theaters it had closed on March 16 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Its parent company, Cineworld, reported a loss of a $1.6 billion in the first half of 2020, according to The Wrap.

Britains Sunday Times first reported of Cineworlds plans to close theaters in the United Kingdom and Ireland. A tweet from Cineworld Cinemas late Sunday morning confirmed the company was considering temporary closure, but stated a final decision has not yet been reached.

An employees group, Cineworld Action Group, retweeted a complaint from a union that workers in Europe should not have had to learn of the closings in the newspaper.

Word of the possible closings comes after Universals decision to delay the release of the James Bond movie No Time to Die until next year.

Regal Cinemas is the second largest domestic chain in the U.S. behind AMC.

In addition to the MGM Springfield theaters, the chain includes the Regal Bellingham in Bellingham, Regal Fenway in Boston, Regal Cape Cod in Hyannis, Regal Berkshire Mall in Lanesboro, Regal Solomon Pond in Marlborough, Regal Mashpee Commons in Mashpee, Regal Independence Mall in Kingston, Regal Swansea in Swansea, and Regal Silver City Galleria in Taunton.

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Interruption in internet connectivity, power outages and other disruptions like computers and mobiles hanging in the middle of the examination are some problems faced by students appearing for University of Mumbai final year exams, being held online due to coronavirus crisis.

Colleges on their side are trying to tackle some of the issues faced in organising online examinations by allocating more manpower to operate helplines, conducting a series of mock tests and continuous invigilation during the tests.

We selected a software provider who assured us that the exams will be conducted through a cloud server requiring minimum bandwidth, so that students, no matter what part of the country they are in, can appear for the exam without getting bogged down by low internet connectivity, said Hemalata Bagla, principal of K C College.

She added that while the fresh candidate exams are scheduled to begin on October 7, the college is currently handling backlog--allowed to keep term (ATKT) exams.

Our helpline works in a way that during an exam, students can directly clear doubts about a question with a teacher from the department. We also have some students complaining about load shedding in some parts of the state, which is why we devised a method to send reminders to students, hours before the exam, asking them to charge their phones/laptops in advance and keep it ready, added Bagla.

Also Read: UPSC Prelims 2020: Candidates reach centres for exams, say mature enough to follow precautions

D G Ruparel College has conducted mock tests to ensure all students get a good understanding of the system before final exams.

Still, weve had cases where students could not access the exam link because either they had provided a wrong email id or their mail inboxes were full and therefore, couldnt appear for the paper. We have considered such cases and assured rescheduling of examination for such students, said Tushar Desai, principal of the institute.

On Saturday, a small batch of students from the institute received a wrong question paper due to a technical error. The college will conduct a re-examination for the subject once all other exams are over.

No one will miss out on appearing for the exams, said Desai and added that on the first day of the exam, 1,128 students appeared without any complaints.

Also Read: CLAT 2020: Modifications in questions and the answer key for UG, PG exams released

While several affiliated colleges to Mumbai University started online exams from October 1 itself, others have decided to conduct exams starting the coming week.

Most colleges are using a combination of software and applications in order to ensure invigilation during the exam.

The software continuously tells us if a student is writing the exam or not and when we find a student isnt appearing for the paper, we contact him/her immediately to find out the reason, said Anushree Lokur, principal, Ruia College.

Most colleges have opted for randomisation of questions and answers in order to avoid any form of cheating during the exam. We had a case of a student automatically logging out of the exam due to very low internet connectivity.

Once he re-started the exam, the remaining questions had been reordered including the options of answers to each question. With technology at hand, we are trying to do our best to conduct exams as fairly as possible, said a senior professor of a south Mumbai college.

Final year (summer 2020) exams for all state universities have to be conducted online this year due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. Close to 2.3 lakh students from the University of Mumbai will be appearing for exams online this year.
Ambassador Norland is currently in Cairo for talks with officials

US Ambassador to Libya Richard B. Norland thanked Egypt on Sunday for hosting a successful round of talks between Libyan factions in Hurghada last week.

"Here, I will express thanks to Egypt for hosting the successful Hurghada talks on security in Libya," Norland said on Twitter on Sunday.

Norland stated that he is currently continuing his consultations in his latest visit to Cairo.

He also added there would an exchange of views on how best to support the upcoming Libyan political dialogue forum.

The Red Sea resort city of Hurghada hosted two days of talks last week between delegations representing the Government of the National Accord and Libyan National Army facilitated by the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSML).

According to the UNSML's statement, the talks focused on the military and security aspects as well as the resumption of oil production and export.

The talks in Hurghada also yielded a set of recommendations, including the immediate release and exchange of all those detained during military operations before the end of October; and putting a stop to all hate speech campaigns in Libyan media, replacing it with a discourse of tolerance and reconciliation.

The 5+5 Libyan Joint Military Commission talks between the Libyan rivals will continue this week.

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Scout officials hold confab View(s):

Lay Member officials (non uniformed) from Branch Associations of Sri Lanka Scout Association participated at the Sri Lanka Scout Key Office Bearers conference held at the Hilton Hotel in Colombo last week. The Chief Guest was Prof. Kapila C. K. Perera  Secretary, Ministry of Education. Ms. Visakha Tillekeratne- Chief Commissioner of Sri Lanka Girl Guides Association was the Guest of Honour. 27 Scout Districts of Sri Lanka were represented.

The Chief Commissioner Major General Milinda Peiris delivered the welcome address and stressed on the need for lay officials to work together in harmony for the efficient functioning of the Scout Districts and briefed the gathering on the Strategic Plan for Sri Lanka Scout Association.

Chairman of the World Scout Committee of the World Organisation of the Scout Movement Craig Turpie, addressed the Conference on Zoom from Scotland. He said that Sri Lanka Scouting has made positive progress in the recent period and during the pandemic.

He further said there has to be quality scouting and effective team work. He stressed the need to listen to young people and support them to be the change in order to achieve the goals of the movement.

The Chief Commissioner Girl Guides in her address stressed on the Change Management of the Child. She said Scouts and Girl Guides should work together to bring in young people as there are a large number who could be recruited to both organisations.

Scouting is skills for life, said Chief Guest Prof. Kapila C.K. Perera, a President Scout from Sri Sumangala College in Panadura sharing many of his personal experiences in Scouting and how it helped him in his career. He has sought health clearance to restart scouting after the pandemic, he said, adding there are 4.5 million students in the country and he expects to have scout units in every school with a programme to bring awareness to Principals.

The Deputy Chief Commissioner and World Scout Committee Member Janaprith Fernando proposed the vote of thanks and thanked Mr. Turpie  Chairman World Scout Committee for addressing on Zoom and appreciated the presence of the Chief Guest, Guest of Honour and all participants from almost all Scout Districts. He requested the assistance of the Education Ministry to achieve their goals in Scouting. Quoting the Founder Lord Baden Powell The most worthwhile thing in life is to bring happiness to others he thanked all those involved in the Scout and Guide movement for their commitment and doing what the Founder expected.

The Conference continued with sessions on related subjects by Janaprith Fernando  Deputy Chief Commissioner, Sarath Matararachchi  National Program Commissioner and M. F. S. Muheed  Special Commissioner.
Dubai: Iran has temporarily released French-Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah, who has been in jail after being convicted of security breaches, her lawyer said on Twitter on Saturday.

"Fariba Adelkhah has come out [of prison] on leave with an electronic ankle bracelet," Saeid Dehghan said in a tweet, without giving any other details of the release.

French-Iranian anthropologist and academic Fariba Adelkhah, who is currently detained in Iran. Credit:Georges Seguin

There was no immediate official statement on the case from Iran's judiciary.

France had in June demanded that Adelkhah, 61, an anthropologist held since 2019, be released immediately, saying her detention was harming trust between the two countries.
Published on 2020/10/04 | Source

/Yonhap

Seoul has snatched the title of best-paid city in Korea from the industrial port of Ulsan for the first time since 2006.

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According to a survey on nationwide wages released Monday by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the per-capita pre-tax wage of a company in Seoul employing more than five workers stood at W4.18 million (US$1=W1,173). Ulsan came second with W4.17 million.

The government announces the ranking once a year based on April data.

Ulsan overtook Seoul for the first time in 2007 and held the top rank since. But now the per-capita monthly wage in Ulsan has fallen 4.3 percent on-year, the biggest decline among major regions.

The main reason was the lackluster performance of the manufacturing industry, the backbone of Ulsan's economy.

Shipbuilders' overseas orders shrank drastically due to the coronavirus pandemic, and carmakers also suffered a sharp decline in worldwide demand, while petrochemical exports took a hit from low international oil prices and weak global economies.

As a result, the number of workers in Ulsan shrank 0.4 percent on-year in April and 2.9 percent more recently.
A Portarlington author has written a book for children which has been illustrated by a firm in Clane.

Bella and Bob is written by Helena Kirwan Emerson, who, as the mother of four young children, searched high and low for a simple workbook about ponies, but to no avail.

Hence, Bella and Bob was written and her children were the first readers!

Helena said: The book is made with the child in mind, with simple language, relatable images with each explanations, fun activities such as word searches, colouring and crosswords, and of course your own rosette to paste at the end of each chapter.

Bella and Bob equips children with the basic knowledge of ponies, parts, colours, breeds, tack, disciplines, games and lots of fun.

Doodlemoose Design in Clane illustrated the book with beautiful illustrations that children both understand and love.

The A5 size book was printed by McGettrick printers in Portarlington making Bella and Bob 100% Irish.

Helena is a member of Portarlington Library.

A Library spokesperson said: "We are always delighted to discover that one of our library members have taken the plunge and become an author.

We will of course have copies available in the library."

The book costs 12.50 including postage and can be bought on the Bella and Bob on Facebook.
Following are the editorial boards endorsements in select contested candidate and issue elections for the Nov. 3, 2020 election. Early voting starts Oct. 6. To read the full endorsement editorial, click on the name or issue recommendation. Audio of the candidate endorsement interviews is posted with the endorsement editorials.

ISSUES

CUYAHOGA COUNTY

Issue 70, the Cuyahoga County Public Library 1-mill levy continuing: Yes

CLEVELAND

Issue 68, the Cleveland schools 15-mill renewal and 5-mill increase 10-year levy: Yes

CANDIDATES

U.S. PRESIDENT: Joe Biden

CONGRESS

4th Congressional District: Shannon M. Freshour

7th Congressional District: Quentin Potter

13th Congressional District: Tim Ryan

14th Congressional District: David P. Joyce

16th Congressional District: Anthony Gonzalez

OHIO SUPREME COURT

Jan. 1 term: John P. ODonnell

Jan. 2 term: Judi French

CUYAHOGA COUNTY

Judicial office

8th District Court of Appeals, Feb. 11 term: Emanuella D. Groves

8th District Court of Appeals, unexpired term: Ray Headen

Common Pleas Court, Jan. 3 term: Kenneth R. Callahan

Common Pleas Court, Jan. 6 term: Robert C. McClelland

Common Pleas Court, unexpired term: Wanda C. Jones

Domestic Relations Court, Jan. 8 term: Colleen Ann Reali

Ohio Statehouse

24th Ohio Senate District: Matt Dolan

6th Ohio House District: Phil Robinson

7th Ohio House District: Thomas F. Patton

16th Ohio House District: Dave Greenspan

Cuyahoga County Council

District 8: Pernel Jones Jr.

LAKE COUNTY

61st Ohio House District: Jamie Callender

LORAIN COUNTY

55th Ohio House District: Gayle L. Manning

PARTS OF GEAUGA AND PORTAGE COUNTIES

76th Ohio House District: Garrett Westhoven

PORTAGE COUNTY AND PARTS OF LAKE, GEAUGA COUNTIES

18th Ohio Senate District: Jerry Cirino

LORAIN, MEDINA, SUMMIT AND WAYNE COUNTIES

9th District Court of Appeals, Feb. 9 term: Julie A. Schafer

ASHTABULA, GEAUGA, LAKE, PORTAGE AND TRUMBULL COUNTIES

11th District Court of Appeals, Feb. 9 term: Timothy P. Cannon

11th District Court of Appeals, Feb. 10 term: Cynthia Westcott Rice

About our editorials: Editorials express the view of the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer -- the senior leadership and editorial-writing staff. As is traditional, editorials are unsigned and intended to be seen as the voice of the news organization.

Have something to say about this topic?

* Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication.

* Email general questions about our editorial board or comments or corrections on our endorsement editorials to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com.

Other resources for voters:

Judge4Yourself judicial ratings in Cuyahoga County.

Judicial Votes Count, submitted information from judicial candidates statewide.

League of Women Voters vote411.org voters' guide.
It was October of 1859 when the fateful event of John Brown's raid of Harpers Ferry took place, turning a politically tense nation into one of mutual distrust, fear, and misunderstanding. The attack on federal property with the intention to create an armed, violent insurrection alarmed the nation.

Since its founding, the country had often engaged in heated, intense, and even personal political feuds. Citizens need only think of the battles between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, or that of Andrew Jackson and central banker Nicholas Biddle, for reminders of how pressurized these contests of wills and intellects could be. However, at the end of the day, despite who "won or lost," Americans viewed it as a natural, healthy part of the political discourse and an organic process of national growth.

Brown's raid, however, was far from that  it was an avocation of violence, of blood, and an assault on the peaceful institutions of their Founders they so revered. A tumultuous election followed by a bloody civil war ensued, hundreds of thousands of lives were lost, cities were razed to the ground, and citizens of all regions of the country were faced with the question of whether such catastrophe could have been avoided. Regardless, post-1865 America was reunified, the ancient evil of slavery had been rectified, and Americans could be American  not Unionist or Confederates  once again. This reunification lasted for nearly a century and a half  until the country seemed to witness another outbreak of John Brownstyle rage across its cities beginning in the summer of 2020.

In his gripping biography of legendary Virginian general Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, author S.C. Gwynne ponders how Jackson, a West Point graduate, a noted veteran of the Mexican-American War, a deeply devout Christian man who opposed secession and war, and a man who personally provided time and resources to help educate blacks in his community, came to become one of the Civil War's most accomplished Confederate commanders. His conclusion may be surprising: he posits that it was the North's reaction to John Brown's bloody raid on Harpers Ferry that ultimately determined the divided nation's fate. Virginians believed that the North's "presses, pulpits, public meetings and conversations, disclosed such a hatred of the South and its institutions as to lead them to justify the crime" and that it was "wealthy Northern benefactors who had helped Brown finance his enterprise" (Gwynne, p.26). The result, Gwynne argues, was that Virginians felt that, more than anything, they had to repel hostile, violent invaders from their lands; it was, they believed, the North's "maligned intent" that drove them to war (31). For the average man, it was not politics that motivated him to fight, but fear of unchecked civil unrest and violence spreading to his towns and cities. These people feared, at the root, the destruction of principles that they believed the country was founded upon. For the average man today, the recent events in cities Portland, Seattle, and numerous other places may not seem so different from what the 19th-century man saw in Harper's Ferry.

In a recent speech at Hillsdale College, prominent historian Victor Davis Hansen made the case that the "2020 election is about civilization vs. anarchy." It's no accident that he discusses heavily how media, academic, and political institutions have sided with, funded, or simply attempted to justify the looting, violence, and the suppression of competing ideas is effecting not just the election, but the culture. The goal, he states, is to transform "the structure of America so that it can't revert back to America." He clarifies the statement by predicting that should the radical left take control of the presidency and Senate, the abolishment of the Electoral College, the packing of the Supreme Court, removal of the filibuster in the Senate, and perhaps even altering senators to be redistributed via population instead of two per state would soon follow.

Unlike previous political epochs in the last half-century or longer, this one is effectively driven by raw, unabashed ideology. When an individual, or a well funded group, becomes so possessed with his ideology that he believes that their pursuit of power with the subsequent use of that power justifies any action they are taking, they create the situations that, if not checked, lead to political upheaval, civil violence, and destruction.

The situation seems strikingly similar today; most Americans actively want to live among each other peacefully and prosperously and be able to work out their differences in a politically non-destructive, non-venomous manner. Yet divisiveness has reached a fever pitch, and continuing violence looms over the nation. The crux of the issue, both for the observers of Harpers Ferry and for the modern rioting, therefore centers on two central concepts: fear of being hurt, punished, or ostracized for political philosophy and, secondly, the inability to adequately articulate one's political and moral philosophy to combat the possessed ideologues' hostile approach due to incomplete education. Both can be remedied.

Philosopher Edmund Burke famously opined that "the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." Truly being effective in overcoming the aforementioned fears faced by the American citizenry has to begin with learning about virtues  from Marcus Aurelius and the Romans from Benjamin Franklin and Washington, from ethical philosophers ranging from Aristotle to Ayn Rand. Only from the foundation of ethics can we properly teach our people about its history and the political systems that logically derive from the code of ethics a people holds. If men are properly trained in virtues and ethics, they cannot so easily be deceived by events like Harpers Ferry or the 2020 urban destruction. On the contrary, they will be able to utilize their education of ethics, history, and politics to prevent the fear of violence and ostracism and will be able to articulate a defense of virtuous living within the framework that the Founders devised, all the while being able to acknowledge its faults and limitations.

If one is to battle the ideologically possessed, then he cannot cede them any ground in the arena of virtue. In Gibbon's epic Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, he warns that the end of the empire was marked by "minds corrupted by education, luxury, and despotic power" that depended on one or two virtuous people for their survival, oblivious to their internal and external dangers, and mostly notably ignorant of the virtuous nobility of their ancestors (Gibbon, p. 527). For the Romans, the result was corruption and decay, with inevitable subjugation and humiliation. To avoid such an end, the United States would be wise to avoid losing touch with its virtuous roots.

References

Gibbon, Edward. Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire . Edited by D.M Low. 1960

Gwynne, S.C. Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson. Simon & Schuster, Inc. 2014.
For decades, the artist Jenny Holzer has projected phrases  often borrowed sayings  on surfaces such as building facades, ocean waves and mountains. But her new project, called You Be My Ally after a line by Sappho, includes her first smartphone app designed to let users at home superimpose some loaded quotes on their own surroundings.

Commissioned by the University of Chicago, the project uses 29 quotes from authors in its Core Curriculum or great books program, selected in collaboration with students. Most of the quotes come from female authors. Many touch on weighty, also timely, issues like justice, truth and violence  including The Cause of War Is Preparation for War (W.E.B. Du Bois) and You Sit Among the Ruins and Lament the Fall (Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley).

You can have the content anytime and anywhere you want, Ms. Holzer said. If youre awake in the wee hours of the morning fretting, you can have Plato or Toni Morrison in your room.

The project also has strong ties to the University of Chicago campus. When the app, which is free, is released on Monday, trucks with LED lights will drive through the city displaying many of the sayings. Quotes within the app are initially set to scroll over campus buildings, with only the project title (from Sappho as translated by Anne Carson) also accessible for users to place anywhere within their phones camera-view. On Oct. 30, all quotes will become available for users to virtually project wherever they want using augmented reality technology.
The Department is Education is reviewing the latest set of proposals for a badly needed expansion of capacity in a secondary school in Offaly.

Fianna Fail Senator Fiona OLoughlin said in a statement that she has been updated by the Minister for Education Norma Foley on the progress of plans for Colaiste Iosagain in Portarlington which caters for hundreds of pupils from Offaly and Laois.

She said the Taoiseach Micheal Martin knows the shortcomings with the school first had having visited with Sen O'Loughlin last year.

A number of options and plans have already been through the Department of Education. At present, the school is heavily reliant on prefabs to accommodate more than 1,000 students. The latest proposal involved the building of a new extension or the preferred choice of complete new schools.

Minister Foley has given me an update on the project which is currently at end-stage of Stage 1 of architectural planning; entailing preliminary site surveys, location suitability and initial sketch scheme," said Sen O'Loughlin.

The Stage 1 report has just been received by the Education Department. Upon review, the Department will then be in contact with the school and its design team with regard to the further progression of the project. I`m really pleased that the process is moving forward.

I remain committed to working with school management, staff and parents to progress through the next stage of detailed design, costings, planning and preparation of tender documentation, she said.

Sen O'Loughlin said the Taoiseach knows what is needed.

An Taoiseach Micheal Martin saw the building for himself when I brought him to visit the area in February last year and we are both aware that the preferred option is to go for a new build on a different location on the same site, with capacity for 1300 students. This will be future-proofed for the provision of more second level students as the population of Portarlington continues to grow," she said.

The former Kildare South TD said Portarlington should get a new school soon.

The Colaiste Iosagain school community has waited for too long for a bigger, better equipped school building and I look forward to works starting in the not too distant future, concluded Senator OLoughlin.

It is more than six years since the first proposals were submitted for Colaiste Iosagain.
LONDON, Oct 4 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday he did not particularly wish for the Brexit transition period to end without a new trade deal being in place, but that Britain could live with such an outcome.

The transition period ends on Dec. 31 and intensive negotiations are ongoing between London and Brussels. Johnson said a deal was there to be done but there were still difficult issues that needed to be fixed.

Asked during a BBC television interview whether he was worried about the potential impact of a no-deal situation in the middle of the COVID pandemic, Johnson said: "I don't want the Australian WTO-type outcome particularly, but we can more than live with it." (Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Toby Chopra)
New Delhi, Oct 4 : In view of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, all schools in Delhi will remain closed till October 31, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced on Sunday.

According to the new guidelines released by the Centre, the state governments could open schools from October 15. However, it was up to the state governments concerned to take the final call.

The Delhi government had on September 18 ordered all schools in the city to stay shut until October 5, and has now extended the closure to the end of October.

"The decision to close the schools in Delhi will continue. I have instructed to shut all schools till October 31. The order for the same will be released soon," Sisodia, who also holds the Education portfolio, said.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said: "As a parent, I understand the seriousness of the situation. At this time, it would not be appropriate to take any risk regarding the health of children." The Centre had given permission to states to open the schools provided all guidelines and precautions related to Covid-19 are strictly followed. The Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry has issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) which will have to be followed by state governments in case they decide to reopen schools.

However, the Delhi government wants to continue studies through online mode. There have been several surveys carried out in recent times which reveal that parents do not want to send their children to schools yet. According to a survey, 71 per cent of parents are not ready to send their children to schools while 9 per cent were indecisive.
Priti Patel used Tory conference speech to pledge major asylum system overhaul

Home Secretary said help vulnerable by stopping people 'taking country for ride'

Accused Labour of bid to 'silence' her as she doesn't 'conform' to stereotypes

Priti Patel today vowed to stop people 'taking our country for a ride' by overhauling the 'broken' asylum system and cracking down on migrant crossings.

The Home Secretary pledged the 'biggest overhaul in decades' as she warned that the current arrangements are not 'firm or fair'.

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In her keynote speech to Tory conference, Ms Patel said that toughening enforcement and preventing abuse of the rules was the best way to 'protect the vulnerable'.

The Cabinet minister also lashed out at Labour MPs berating her over her strong stance on law and order issues, saying she would not change tack just because she did not 'conform' to their idea of the views ethnic minorities should hold.

Ms Patel told the conference, being held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic, that 'do gooders and lefty lawyers and the Labour Party' had to stop 'defending the indefensible' on asylum system.

'We will protect those most in need and put the rights of those who respect the rules above those who take our country for a ride,' she said.

The impassioned speech came after a furious row over the leaking of 'blue sky' ideas for reforming asylum arrangements and stemming migrant crossings.

Proposals have been floated including introducing a processing centre on Ascension Island, 4,000 miles away, and even using wave machines in the Channel.

However, government sources have insisted the ideas were only ever considered in brainstorming sessions, and complained that they are being leaked to damage ministers.

Border Force brings a group of would-be migrants back to shore in the Channel last month

In her keynote speech to Tory conference, Ms Patel said that toughening enforcement and preventing abuse of the rules was the best way to 'protect the vulnerable'

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Patel hits out at 'disrespect' of Cenotaph during protests Priti Patel took aim at the tactics of Black Lives Matter and Extinction Rebellion protesters today as she criticised the 'hooliganism and thuggery' seen on the country's streets. Social media video clips showed police in Westminster having objects hurled at them by anti-racist campaigners earlier this year, while a statue of Sir Winston Churchill had to be boarded up to protect it from vandalism during the Black Lives Matter protests. In Bristol, those taking to the streets as part of the protests, sparked by the death of George Floyd in the US, tore down a statue of Edward Colston, who made his wealth through the slave trade. There was also widespread condemnation last month when Extinction Rebellion climate change protesters blockaded the printing presses of national newspapers. Ms Patel, addressing the virtual Conservative Party conference on Sunday, said there was 'no excuse' for the behaviour shown. She said police had the 'backing of the Government, backing of our party, our Government and our Prime Minister' in their efforts to police the demonstrations. She told members: 'This Government will always defend the right to protest. 'That right is a fundamental pillar of our democracy, but the hooliganism and thuggery we have seen is not  it is indefensible. 'There is no excuse for pelting flares at brave police officers, for throwing bikes at police horses, for disrespecting the Cenotaph or vandalising the statue of Sir Winston Churchill, one of the greatest protectors of our freedoms who has ever lived. 'It is not acceptable for mobs to tear down statues and cause criminal damage across our streets. 'And it is not acceptable for thugs to assault our police officers, just for doing their job.' She said the Government had already agreed to double the maximum sentence for assaults on emergency workers and confirmed she was working with chief constables to ensure their officers 'have the tools, support and the powers they need' to police such incidents. Ms Patel also paid tribute to 'hero' Pc Andrew Harper, who died when he became entangled in a tow rope as he tried to stop quad bike thieves, and Sergeant Matt Ratana, who was shot as he prepared to search a suspect who was handcuffed. She vowed to work with Pc Harper's widow, Lissie Harper, to 'ensure anyone who kills an emergency worker gets the sentence they deserve'.

Ms Patel said that under the Conservatives the UK 'has and always will provide sanctuary when the lights are being switched off on people's liberties'.

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'A fair asylum system should provide safe haven to those fleeing persecution, oppression or tyranny,' she said.

'But ours doesn't. Because our asylum system is fundamentally broken. And we have a responsibility to act.'

Ms Patel said: 'From the expulsion of Ugandan Asians from a repressive regime, to proudly resettling more Syrian refugees than any other EU country, to supporting campaigners fleeing political persecution in Hong Kong.

'Under Conservative leadership, the United Kingdom has and always will provide sanctuary when the lights are being switched off on people's liberties.

'So, I will introduce a new system that is firm and fair.

'Fair and compassionate towards those who need our help. Fair by welcoming people through safe and legal routes.

'But firm because we will stop the abuse of the broken system.

'Firm, because we will stop those who come here illegally making endless legal claims to remain.

'And firm, because we will expedite the removal of those who have no claim for protection.

'After decades of inaction by successive governments, we will address the moral, legal, practical problems with this broken system. Because what exists now is neither firm nor fair.

'And I will bring forward legislation to deliver on that commitment. I will take every necessary step to fix this broken system. Amounting to the biggest overhaul of our asylum system in decades.'

The Home Secretary promised 'accelerate' the operational response to illegal migration.

She said: 'We will continue to hunt down the criminal gangs who traffic people into our country.

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'I will continue to use the full force of our outstanding National Crime Agency and intelligence agencies to go after them.

'We will make more immediate returns of those who come here illegally and break our rules, every single week.

'And we will explore all practical measures and options to deter illegal migration.'

Ms Patel went on: 'As for those defending the broken system  the traffickers, the do gooders, the leftie lawyers, the Labour Party  they are defending the indefensible.

'And that is something I will never do.

'If at times it means being unpopular on Twitter. I will bear it.

'If at times it means Tony Blair's spin doctor mocking my accent. So be it.

'And if at times it means Labour Members of Parliament attempting to silence me because I do not conform to their idea of what an ethnic minority woman should stand for. I will stomach it.

'Because as Conservatives, we do not measure the depth of our compassion in two hundred and eighty characters on Twitter, but in the actions we take and the choices we make.'

Ms Patel also took aim at the tactics of Black Lives Matter and Extinction Rebellion protesters, as she criticised the 'hooliganism and thuggery' seen on the country's streets.

Social media video clips showed police in Westminster having objects hurled at them by anti-racist campaigners earlier this year, while a statue of Sir Winston Churchill had to be boarded up to protect it from vandalism during the Black Lives Matter protests.

In Bristol, those taking to the streets as part of the protests, sparked by the death of George Floyd in the US, tore down a statue of Edward Colston, who made his wealth through the slave trade.

There was also widespread condemnation last month when Extinction Rebellion climate change protesters blockaded the printing presses of national newspapers.

Ms Patel said there was 'no excuse' for the behaviour shown.

She said police had the 'backing of the Government, backing of our party, our Government and our Prime Minister' in their efforts to police the demonstrations.

She told members: 'This Government will always defend the right to protest.

'That right is a fundamental pillar of our democracy, but the hooliganism and thuggery we have seen is not  it is indefensible.

Discarded clothes and and shoes were spotted strewn across the beach on Tuesday morning

'There is no excuse for pelting flares at brave police officers, for throwing bikes at police horses, for disrespecting the Cenotaph or vandalising the statue of Sir Winston Churchill, one of the greatest protectors of our freedoms who has ever lived.

'It is not acceptable for mobs to tear down statues and cause criminal damage across our streets.

'And it is not acceptable for thugs to assault our police officers, just for doing their job.'

She said the Government had already agreed to double the maximum sentence for assaults on emergency workers and confirmed she was working with chief constables to ensure their officers 'have the tools, support and the powers they need' to police such incidents.

Ms Patel also paid tribute to 'hero' Pc Andrew Harper, who died when he became entangled in a tow rope as he tried to stop quad bike thieves, and Sergeant Matt Ratana, who was shot as he prepared to search a suspect who was handcuffed.

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She vowed to work with Pc Harper's widow, Lissie Harper, to 'ensure anyone who kills an emergency worker gets the sentence they deserve'.
An alert auto driver stopped a 14-year-old girl from being preyed upon by an unidentified accused in Haryana. The person had induced her to run away from home, as per a report in TOI. The girl ran away from her house in Mandsaur and boarded an Indore-bound bus. She then changed buses and reached Bhopal.

She was planning on boarding another bus for Delhi when the driver met her at ISBT. He saw she was tensed and realised what was going on when he heard her giving wrong information to her family on the phone. He called Govindpura police and handed her to them.



TOI

On investigation, police found out that a missing persons complaint had been filed at Sitamou police station about the girl in question. They contacted the family.



CSP Ankit Jaiswal said that the auto-driver, Manoj Gaikwad, informed constable Sunil Rathore that a 14-year-old girl was in Bhopal from Indore and appeared nervous. Rathore arrived at the scene with SI Neetu Kunsaria and constable Sonia Patel.



PTI (Representational)

They spoke to the girl and learned that she was on her way to Haryana to meet the unidentified man in person for the first time as she had been promised a job.

CSP Jaiswal added that police felicitated Manoj Gaikwad for his alertness.



He prevented a girl from being possibly put into an illegal trade. The police and the girl's family are grateful.
In a short time the CBD industry has grown massively, with small and large producers and retailers springing up in an effort to grab a piece of the action. While the medicinal benefits of Cannabinoid products have become widely known, the government regulation of creams, oil drops, edibles and bath bombs is severely lacking. One of the biggest issues currently plaguing this nascent industry is deceptive product labeling, which takes on a dangerous side when claims of miracle cures are touted by retailers and manufacturers.

Kazmira, an industrial scale producer of THC free broad spectrum products, takes pride in the purity of their products and wants the CBD industry to be viewed by the public as reliable and honest. An article posted on the Kazmira website indicates "that there is no regulation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulators on these products. The lack of oversight and routine quality checks has resulted in many companies selling mislabeled products without anyone knowing."

When any new industry begins to market products touting medicinal benefits, the ability of local, state and federal regulators and lawmakers to catch up is generally ponderous and slow. With the explosion of new products hitting store shelves and websites, the process of weeding out, so to speak, of less-than-honest retail and wholesale operators requires swift government action, or people will get hurt.

Kazmira, founded by co-CEOs Dr. Priyanka Sharma and Mr. Pulak Sharma, takes pride in their cutting edge products such as Imperial Oil, a THC free, high potency CBD extract with concentrations in the 90% range. When viewing the Hemp industry as a whole, Kazmira is unrivaled in their ability to produce "broad spectrum CBD extract of hemp with no additives or artificial enhancements."

With backgrounds in chemical engineering, this dynamic husband and wife team started on their CBD journey while Mr. Sharma was searching for a CBD product to help with his mother's chronic insomnia. Starting out with various experiments in distilling hemp elements in their kitchen, they created a substance which proved effective and now they running one of the top manufacturers of THC-free CBD products. Only in business for five years, Kazmira's commitment to innovation is evidenced by their top-notch chemical engineering research division led by eight Ph.Ds.



Kazmira's 200,000 square foot facility, located just outside of Denver, has partnered with hemp farmers across Colorado to plant over nearly a quarter-of-a-million acres of land for producing top-quality hemp. With nearly 90% of the industry operating outside of sufficient oversight, Kazmira is committed to making the industry, as a whole, accountable and honest.

About Kazmira LLC:

From its inception, Kazmira has been led by Mr. Pulak Sharma and Dr. Priyanka Sharma. As co-CEOs, they have had the unique ability to share the leadership load required for a young company such as Kazmira to become the world's leading CBD manufacturer and wholesaler. Their backgrounds in oil, gas, and pharmaceuticals have given them a unique perspective on the CBD industry. They understand CBD's future both as a nutraceutical and pharmaceutical.
(Photo : Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) UNLV students, including senior Nick Ferrari (C), attend Jury Decision Making, a criminal justice class taught by UNLV Department of Criminal Justice chairman and professor Dr. Joel Lieberman, at UNLV amid the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on September 9, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Although it is an in-person class, Lieberman allowed the students to choose how they would attend, in person or online, with the choice almost evenly split between the two. To lower the number of people on campus to allow for social distancing because of the pandemic, the university moved fall 2020 courses with more than 50 students, about 80 percent of its classes, to remote instruction, with 20 percent of courses held in-person or hybrid. (Photo : Photo by Miguel Schincariol/Getty Images) SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - OCTOBER 02: Teachers in an empty classroom conduct an online class at Santa Maria school amidst the coronavirus (COVID - 19) pandemic on October 2, 2020 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The school classroom is ready with protection measures and safety distance among tables waiting for students to return.



Nowadays, it is hard to tell if a student is cheating during an exam since classes are already conducted online because of the ongoing global pandemic. To help the professors properly monitor their students, an "anti-cheating" software was developed.

Also Read: AI Robot "Curly" Beats the Korean Olympic Silver-Medalist Curling Team

However, can the schools trust this new artificial intelligence? ProctorU, the proctoring exam program, already accused a college student of cheating during an exam. The student, under the username DaynuhJoe, posted her reaction on TikTok.

The AI flagged some of her behavior during an exam as suspicious. Because of ProctorU's report, her professor decided to give her a zero on the assessment.

"So, just to let you know how online school and college is going, I just took an exam that I studied really, really hard for, and I got a B on it. And it's a pretty difficult exam, so a B is pretty good," she said.

"And my professor is giving me a zero, because the Review+ said I was talking when I was just, like, re-reading the question so I could better understand it," she added.

The video went viral in less than a week, receiving 3 million views. Viewers supported the girl in the commenting section and condemned the professor for his action.

One of the TikTok users said that he is so sorry that the student had to deal with the situation. Even Alonzo Lerone, a popular YouTuber and comedian, also commented on the video, asking her professor's name because he wants to talk to the teacher.

DaynuhJoe is not the only student affected by the new technology

The proctoring software is also causing problems for other students because of the skin color. Another student named Alivardi Khan said that the ExamSoft, a monitoring tool used during the Bar exam, can't recognize him because of low lighting.

However, he said that he is inside a well-lit room. He even posted a photo of his room on Twitter to show that the lightings were fine. The student said that he is pretty sure that all of the students already predicted that the software wouldn't work for people of color.

Ok @ExamSoft support told me to sit directly in front of a lighting source such as a lamp. Im receiving the same issue preventing me from completing the NY UBE mock exam. Facial recognition technology is racist. @DiplomaPriv4All do yall think I have adequate lighting? pic.twitter.com/7tFdwfpyHB  Alivardi Khan (@uhreeb) September 11, 2020

This kind of technology has already faced criticism because it misidentifies people of color. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) conducted a study in 2019 and discovered that facial recognition technology usually misidentifies Asian and African-American faces.

For more news updates about new artificial intelligence, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Also Read: Ripjar Wants to Develop an AI That Detects Financial Crime; Here's How Labyrinth Works

This article is owned by TechTimes,

Written by: Giuliano de Leon.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The pandemic and its consequences may be getting all the attention - but there is an awful lot else happening in the world right now. Much of what's happening will have consequences for the people of this island. Most of those consequences will not be good.

Look at a map of Ireland and Europe: in almost every direction - east, south and west - the world is becoming less stable and less democratic. The pandemic has caused the biggest global economic contraction on record and, though by now almost cliched to say, that is causing even more instability and a further weakening of democracy.

Let's start this gloomy survey in the west. The polarisation of American society is gathering pace. Extremist ideologies are becoming more popular. The extreme right and the extreme left are feeding off each other.

The two great political parties are increasingly influenced by these ideologies. It is unlikely that Americans will move back towards the moderate centre, regardless of who wins next month's elections. Never has the winner-takes-all presidential system seem less suited to underlying political conditions.

As Ed Luce, the Financial Times' man in Washington DC, told me recently on a webinar at the Institute of International and European Affairs, a second term would result in "Trump times three" compared with his first victory four years ago. Should US president Donald Trump recover from Covid and win a second (and final) term, the uncertainty on many issues that he has generated or exacerbated would become more extreme.

Such uncertainty would be bad for Ireland's two-way relationship with the superpower. It would also be bad for US-EU relations, further affecting this country's economy, given how integrated it is with both sides of the Atlantic.

A victory for his rival Joe Biden is being prayed for in Ireland and across most of Europe among those who practice statecraft. A 'normal' US presidency would certainly remove the huge level of uncertainty and unpredictability that Trump has generated for allies and adversaries alike. The prospects for transatlantic co-operation - on everything from addressing climate change to pushing back against China's growing hyper- assertiveness - would improve almost immeasurably.

But it will not be back to business as usual if Biden wins. Much of corporate America is fearful of a Democratic party that has swerved sharply to the left, not least on trading freely with other countries. A protectionist America is certainly not in Ireland's interests - it is our largest national export market, and new barriers into that market would have painful consequences for Irish jobs.

Thankfully, amid the gloom, there are some potential upsides. If a Biden administration and a Democrat-controlled congress were to introduce measures that businesses didn't like, companies could exercise their exit option. US corporations already do a huge amount of business in Ireland and some have relocated their headquarters here. Capital fleeing big and grasping government in Washington would find a welcome home in Ireland.

To the east, opportunities are few and threats multiplying. Russia is becoming ever more disruptive. Its interference in the internal affairs of countries, including Ireland, is a growing concern.

This country's data hub status is a real vulnerability. The threat of the sort of full-scale cyberattack other countries have suffered is real. Ireland's neutrality, to which many people feel attached, is of little interest to the sort of countries that launch cyberattacks on other countries. Indeed, our non-membership of Nato, which has a mutual defence clause, makes Ireland a softer target and one that is in no position to disincentivise attacks with threats of retaliation.

Russia has few interests in Ireland, and limited resources to pursue those that exist. China is another matter. It is becoming a global power. Its interests are going global too. As it is on course to overtake the US as the world's largest economy, it increasingly has the resources to pursue its interests to the ends of the earth.

Beijing is using all means available, including espionage, to advance its interests everywhere. Ireland is not treated exceptionally. Having taken to describing China as a 'strategic rival', last Friday, EU leaders again talked tougher towards Beijing than they once did, including on giving European business in China the same market access that Chinese ones have in Europe. They also raised developments in Hong Kong and the treatment of minorities, however meekly.

Turkey is one of the handful of countries with which Democratic Europe will always have a strategic relationship. A huge, partly European country, it is the gateway to one of the world's most unstable regions. Its autocratic leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, knows that he can send millions of refugees into Europe if he chooses. He exploits that power relentlessly and in multiple ways.

One such way is Turkey's energy exploration in the territorial waters of two EU nations: Cyprus and Greece. Turkey's behaviour in the region has caused tensions in the eastern Mediterranean to rise to levels last seen in the 1970s when it invaded Cyprus and carved out an ethnic Turkish enclave in the north of the island. Greece, too, has a long history of military clashes with its bigger neighbour.

In dealing with Turkish incursions, both countries expected the sort of solidarity from other EU members that Ireland has enjoyed in dealing with its own much bigger, non-EU neighbour.

When it was not forthcoming, Cyprus vetoed EU sanctions on the dictatorial Belarusian regime. That was resolved at the end of last week when the bloc's leaders collectively came down squarely in favour of their fellow member countries.

Most European leaders fear a wave of refugees of the kind that washed over Europe in 2015 much more than they do a no-deal Brexit. This partly explains why EU cohesion on the latter matter has been so unusually strong.

It was in evidence again last week when the EU launched (largely symbolic) legal proceedings against the UK after the British government won parliamentary support for laws that could breach the Brexit deal agreed 12 months ago.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney declared from the US last week that Ireland would not be 'collateral damage' in the Brexit process. It is unclear what such statements are designed to achieve. These are akin to man waving his fist at a storm and telling it that it will not damage his house. The hard reality is that the exit of our nearest neighbour from Europe's quasi-federal system of government was always going to be a strategic nightmare for Ireland. It was always going to cause damage.

Limiting that damage will be a challenge for this Government and its successors for as far into an uncertain future as one can see.
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Sunday refused to entertain queries concerning three projects in Goa that he as chairman of the Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Changes standing committee had approved back in April and instead said that he would study the matter if those affected by it submit a memorandum to him.

Javadekar was in Goa as part of the BJPs strategy to send out ministers across the country to speak of the benefits of the recently passed contentious farm bills.

During his press conference in the state capital reporters asked questions on the diversion of forest land for the expansion of a railway, highway and a new power line which he had cleared in a meeting held via video conference during the lockdown in April this year.

But he feigned ignorance on the topics as well as his ministrys advice to the Karnataka government that it would not need an environment clearance for the Mhadei river diversion project that Karnataka is constructing to Goas detriment.

If I receive the memorandum, I will definitely study it, Javadekar said when asked to respond to concerns raised by locals over the diversion of forest land for the projects.

The standing committee of the ministry granted its approval to the diversion of forest land from notified wildlife sanctuaries in Mollem along Goas eastern frontier with Karnataka for three projects -- the doubling of an existing railway line between Hubli in Karnataka and Vasco da Gama in Goa, the expansion of the national highway 4A between Belgaum in North Karnataka and Goa and a power line.

The railway line, by far the biggest of the three will come at a cost of diversion of 113.857 ha. of forest land from the protected area and felling of 18,541 trees. The second project -- the four laning of the existing two lane highway that was constructed by the Portuguese colonial government between Panaji in Goa and Belgavi in Karnataka will cost 31.015 ha of forest land and 12,097 trees proposed to be done partly by widening the existing highway, but largely by creating completely new roads on viaduct structures parallel to the existing highway, wherever it cannot be widened due to the difficult nature of the terrain. Thirdly, a 400KV power line -- 3.5 km of which passes through protected forest to augment power supply between Goa and Karnataka to provide additional feed to Goa is also proposed.

These clearances have now been challenged before the High Court as well as the Central Empowered Committee constituted by the Supreme Court on grounds that they have been cleared in haste and threaten the rich biodiversity of the region.

Javadekar was also questioned over his ministrys advice to the Karnataka government ahead of the by-polls in Karnataka last year that their projects would not need an environmental clearance.

The CM will respond to you on this. The matter is in court and nothing at all is happening, Javadekar said before walking away.

The MoEF, in a letter to the Karnataka government noted that the scheme doesnt envisage creating new command area or providing water to suffering existing command areas for irrigation. Also the project doesnt involve hydroelectric power generation [and] is purely a drinking water supply scheme and [hence] does not attract the provisions of the EIA notification 2006 and its subsequent amendments.

The Congress was quick to accuse the BJP minister of betraying one state in favour of another.

Avoiding questions betrayer of Mother Mhadei, makes it clear that @BJP4India in connivance with @BJP4Goa and @goacm sold our Lifeline to Karnataka for Political Gains. The defective @DrPramodPSawant once again stands exposed, State Congress president Girish Chodankar said.
Commuters in a bus and pedestrians on the street wear masks in Kolkata, India. (Bikas Das / Associated Press)

Four days after India locked down in late March to fight the spread of the coronavirus, Jagat Bains got a call from a group of migrant working families in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh. With construction work having ground to a halt, the laborers had run out of money and their children were going hungry.

Bains, a freelance reporter for a regional television channel, drove to the encampment and found two dozen people hunkered down in shanties consisting of plastic sheets held together by bamboo. They said local officials had failed to give them food they were supposed to receive under a government relief program, and that when they tried to fetch water, police beat them because they were violating the lockdown.

Bains report on the workers was posted on the YouTube channel of a small local news outlet March 30. That evening, he learned that police were opening an investigation against him on criminal charges including spreading false information.

They are trying to pressure and harass any journalist who was writing stories criticizing them, said Bains, 33.

Amid the escalating COVID-19 crisis, Indian journalists reporting on government mismanagement of the pandemic are facing prosecution or intimidation from authorities while at the same time being hindered by restrictions on accessing information.

Since March, at least 55 journalists have been arrested, investigated or questioned by police across India in connection with their COVID-19 reporting or for alleged lockdown violations, according to a report by the Rights and Risks Analysis Group, a New Delhi-based think tank.

Authorities have opened criminal investigations against many of the journalists for allegedly publishing false reports and for violating the Epidemic Diseases Act, a colonial-era law that grants the state sweeping powers. In conjunction with other statutes, the law has been cited by authorities threatening journalists with fines and up to two years in prison.

Story continues

The space for press freedom has been shrinking since the COVID-19 crisis began in India, said Daniel Bastard, Asia-Pacific director at Reporters Without Borders. Journalists have been arrested for talking about the effects of the lockdown on the poorest sections of the Indian population.

For Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is battling the worlds second-worst coronavirus outbreak  with more than 6.4 million people infected and the most new daily infections  controlling the media narrative has been a top priority.

On March 25, Modi initiated a nationwide lockdown, widely described as the toughest in the world, stranding hundreds of thousands of low-wage migrant laborers without work and with no way to get back to their rural homes.

Hours before the announcement, Modi held a video conference with the owners and editors of 20 mainstream news outlets and asked them to publish inspiring and positive stories about the pandemic.

A week later, Modis government asked the Indian Supreme Court to direct media outlets to publish stories on the disease only after ascertaining the governments true factual position. Although the subsequent order issued by the court did not prohibit independent reporting, it has served as a warning to journalists  along with a government Twitter account that tweets corrections to news stories regarded as incorrect.

Sanjoy Ghose, a New Delhi-based lawyer, said the governments broad legal authority and the court order empower the government to then embark on this mission of ensuring that journalists who are reporting uncomfortable issues are booked. They have such vast powers that you don't even need to declare a formal emergency.

But most journalists have persisted in reporting the news.

In April, a month after his original report for the regional channel News18 Himachal, Bains filed a report based on surveillance footage showing that private vehicles were crossing state lines in violation of lockdown orders. Days later, he got a call from another group of migrant workers who said they had blocked a highway to protest being denied food by passing government supply trucks. Bains hesitated to cover the story until his editor assured him the channel would support him.

There was some fear in my mind, said Bains. I thought that if I highlight the failings of the government, they might charge me again.

The day after his report on the protest aired, local officials finally provided food to the migrants. But that evening he got a call from police who said two more criminal investigations had been opened against him, one for each story.

His curfew waiver was also revoked, making it difficult for him to report until the lockdown was eased May 1. Rohit Malpani, the superintendent of police for Baddi district, where Bains is based, did not respond to requests for comment .

Most journalists targeted in the crackdown  like Bains  report for regional-language media far from the glare of big cities. They have the least protection and fewest resources for legal defense, and their cases have often gone unnoticed by advocacy groups.

In July, Gammat Bhandari, publisher of Parshwabhoomi, a respected regional newspaper in the western state of Maharashtra, was arrested at his office after he wrote a story about a police officer who violated travel restrictions. Bhandari was released after a night in custody but his laptop was seized and hasn't been returned.

Last month, Parashar Biswas, a newspaper reporter in the northeastern state of Tripura, was beaten by unidentified individuals after the states top official  a member of Modis Bharatiya Janata party  criticized overexcited journalists for exaggerating the threat of COVID-19.

In a case that has drawn outrage from global press freedom groups, Supriya Sharma, executive editor of the news website Scroll.in, was charged with defamation and negligence for reporting on hunger and unemployment in a village near Modis parliamentary constituency of Varanasi.

Such charges rarely bring convictions, but Indias slow-moving justice system means that cases can drag on for years.

Critics say the accusations and arrests have had a chilling effect on media outlets. Journalists say officials are providing little transparency on issues such as access to care, diagnostic testing and health insurance.

Since Modi came to power in 2014, press freedom has declined and India was ranked 142nd out of 180 countries  two spots lower than the previous year  in the 2020 press freedom index compiled by the watchdog group Reporters Without Borders.

Journalists in India have always faced attacks and intimidation, but what were seeing right now is quite intensified and more brazen, said Aliya Iftikhar, senior Asia researcher at the international Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). There is definitely a different, harder environment for journalists under the Modi administration.

The Indian government has denied muzzling the press. On World Press Freedom Day in May, Prakash Javadekar, the junior information minister, tweeted: Media in India enjoy absolute freedom.

That month, the CPJ wrote to police officials in Himachal Pradesh asking for comment on the cases filed against Bains and two other journalists but said it received no reply. Bains said that following pressure from advocacy groups and support from the states chief minister, police have not pursued the charges against him.

Thirani Bagri is a special correspondent.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Noida police has ordered a probe after a photo went viral on social media in which a male police personnel is seen grabbing Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadras kurta during a protest at DND Flyway on Saturday afternoon. The incident took place when the Congress party workers tried to follow former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to cross the DND Flyway at 4 pm and police lathi-charged the supporters to disperse them.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut had tweeted this photograph on Saturday and had asked the state government if there were no woman police officers in Uttar Pradesh.

Vadra had got down from her car and tried to shield the party workers. In the melee, a male police personnel in uniform, wearing a blue helmet, was seen grabbing Vadra by her kurta. People on social media criticised the Noida polices handling of the protest and its behaviour towards a woman.

Noida police on Sunday took suo motu cognizance of the matter after and launched a probe.

Noida police profoundly regrets the incident while handling an unruly crowd at DND Flyway. The DCP Headquarter Noida has taken suo motu cognizance of it and ordered an inquiry to be conducted by a senior lady officer. We, Noida Police, are committed to ensure safety and dignity of women, Noida police said in a tweet.

Also read: Hathras gang-rape accused defended at meeting held at ex-BJP MLAs residence

Nitin Tiwari, deputy commissioner of police, headquarters said that a probe has been ordered but refused to share details. He said that the matter will be investigated by the DCP (women safety) Vrinda Shukla. Meanwhile, Shukla did not take the calls or reply to messages for a comment.

On Thursday, Amrita Dhawan, chief of Delhi Mahila Congress, alleged that a woman police personnel tore her clothes during the protest at Yamuna Expressway when the Gandhi siblings were going to meet the kin of Hathras gang-rape victim. Noida police had denied the allegation.

Noida Sector 20 police has registered a case against 502 Congress party workers for protest at DND Flyway on Saturday.
Press Release

October 4, 2020 Gatchalian raises need to strengthen safeguards vs. sale of counterfeit goods in online market Senator Win Gatchalian said the booming online business and growing paperless transactions following the lockdowns across the country due to the coronavirus pandemic has spawned the need to further safeguard against fraudulent traders and sale of counterfeit items. "The very nature of online business which has borderless market, unlike the traditional brick and mortar stores, has practically provided the platform for the sale of counterfeit goods and has now necessitates us to strengthen consumer protection," Gatchalian said, in defending the enactment of Senate Bill No. 1591 or the proposed Internet Transactions Act. During the Senate's latest hearing on the said bill which Gatchalian authored, the senator noted the lack of any liability in the country's laws of online sellers for counterfeit products. "Definitely, we have to find a solution to minimize or totally eliminate the exposure of these counterfeit items in our market and ensure that our consumers will not buy those items," he said. "This is where the challenge comes in and this is where the problem lies. Anyone can sell and anyone can buy but do we have enough safeguards to prevent counterfeit items to come in to the Philippine market?" Gatchalian asked. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Ruth Castelo told senators that, currently, they have no means to protect consumers from sellers that are not known in the country or which they have no access with. While the proposed Internet Transactions Act, through the DTI, may be able to address consumer complaints with the registry of all online platforms or sellers in the country, the agency admitted it faces the difficulty in imposing liability to those that cannot be located or do not provide any physical address. Gatchalian's Senate Bill No. 1591 proposed the creation of an e-commerce bureau, a virtual one-stop shop for consumer complaints and internet transactions and regulatory body for online selling in the country. The senator ensured that the enactment of the measure would be responsive to the needs of the consumers while promoting the growth of e-commerce in the country. # # # Gatchalian: Proteksyon ng mga mamimili sa online na negosyo dapat paigtingin Mariing sinabi ni Senador Win Gatchalian na dapat paigtinign pa ang mga patakaran sa online na negosyo kaugnay ng pagbibigay ng proteksyon sa mga mamimili lalo na sa mga nagogoyo ng online sellers. Kasabay kasi ng pag-usbong ng mga negosyo sa online bunsod ng pagpapatupad ng lockdown sa bansa dahil sa pandemya ay ang pagdami din ng mga binebentang pekeng produckto, bagay na ikinababahala ni Gatchalian. "Kailangang palakasin natin ang consumer protection sa ganitong panahon na halos sa online na ang pamimili ng karamihan at dumarami ang mga nagbebenta ng mga counterfeit items o pekeng produkto," ayon kay Gatchalian, na nagsusulong ng Senate Bill No. 1591 o ang panukalang Internet Transactions Act. Nagpahayag ng pagkadismaya si Gatchalian sa kawalan ng batas na magpaparusa laban sa mga mapanlinlang na online sellers. "Dapat masolusyunan ito. Kung hindi mabawasan, ay mapigilan ang pagpasok sa ating merkado ng mga pekeng produkto o mga produkto na malaki ang pagkakaiba sa naiprisinta sa online market," dagdag ni Gatchalian. Aminado siya na hindi madaling matunton ang ibang online sellers dahil sa lawak ng merkado ng online business, na sinigundahan naman ni Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Ruth Castelo. Sa pinakahuling pagding sa senado, sinabi ni Castelo na walang sapat na panuntunan hinggil sa counterfeit items laban sa pagbebenta sa online. Dagdag pa ni Castelo na walang kakayanan sa ngayon ang DTI na mapanagot ang mga online sellers lalo na kung hindi sila rehistrado at walang anumang impormasyon para makipag-ugnayan sa mga kinauukulan. Sinabi ni Gatchalian na sa panukalang batas na Internet Transactions Act, maaring tugunan ng DTI ang anumang reklamong ipaaabot sa kanila ng mga kunsyumer lalo na kung rehistrado na ang lahat ng online sellers. Ayon kay Castelo, mahihirapan silang tugunan ang mga hinaing ng mga mamimili kung walang contact information o address man lang ang online seller. Layon ng panukalang batas ni Gatchalian na magbuo ng isang e-commerce bureau, isang online one-stop shop na ahensya kung saan maidudulog ang mga reklamo ng mga namimili sa online market. Ito rin ay magsisilbing regulatory body sa online selling sa bansa. Layon din ng naturang panukala na magbigay ng daan para sa mas maayos na pagtataguyod ng e-commerce sa bansa.
CONSTITUTION BALLOT PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE 1970 ILLINOIS CONSTITUTION Explanation of Amendment: The proposed amendment grants the State authority to impose higher income tax rates on higher income levels, which is how the federal government and a majority of other states do it. The amendment would remove the portion of the Revenue Article of the Illinois Constitution that is sometimes referred to as the flat tax," that requires all taxes on income to be at the same rate. The amendment does not itself change tax rates. It gives the State the ability to impose higher tax rates on those with higher income levels and lower income tax rates on those with middle or lower income levels. You are asked to decide whether the proposed amendment should become a part of the Illinois Constitution. For the proposed amendment of Section 3 of Article IX of the Illinois Constitution, YES/NO.
Struggling before the pandemic, department store chain J. C. Penney said this year it would close dozens of stores.
The top state officials who staged a mutiny against Attorney General Ken Paxton warned that he was using his office to benefit campaign donor Nate Paul, an embattled Austin real estate investor.

Paul, a once high-flying businessman whose offices were reportedly raided by the FBI last year, gave Paxton $25,000 ahead of the attorney generals hard-fought re-election battle in 2018.

The No. 2 official in the attorney generals office, First Assistant Attorney General Jeff Mateer, put Paul at the center of allegedly illegal activities by Paxton in a text message sent Thursday. Mateer, who resigned Friday, joined six other high-ranking employees in accusing Paxton, the states top law enforcement officer, of abuse of office, bribery and improper influence.

Each of the individuals on this text chain made a good faith report of violations by you to an appropriate law enforcement authority concerning your relationship and activities with Nate Paul, Mateer wrote in the text message, which was obtained by Hearst Newspapers.

RELATED: Midnight Rodeos operators locked out by landlord

The group requested an immediate meeting with Paxton, but the attorney general said he was out of the office and asked them to email him with their concerns. The Austin American-Statesman, which first reported on the allegations against Paxton, published a letter the officials sent to the attorney generals human resources office on Oct. 1.

TEXT MESSAGE SHARED WITH HEARST NEWSPAPERS

Neither Paul nor his attorney returned calls or messages left on their voicemail.

More for you Report: Ken Paxton allegedly took bribes, abused office

Paxton said in a statement Sunday: The Texas attorney generals office was referred a case from Travis County regarding allegations of crimes relating to the FBI, other government agencies and individuals. My obligation as attorney general is to conduct an investigation upon such referral. Because employees from my office impeded the investigation and because I knew Nate Paul, I ultimately decided to hire an outside independent prosecutor to make his own independent determination. Despite the effort by rogue employees and their false allegations, the AGs office will continue to seek justice in Texas.

The uprising against Paxton crystallized when a special prosecutor he appointed, Houston lawyer Brandon Cammack, issued grand jury subpoenas last week targeting adversaries of Paul, a senior AG official told Hearst Newspapers.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

The official who spoke with Hearst Newspapers said those subpoenas spurred the seven top deptuties in the attorney generals office into action. One of the signatories on the letter accusing Paxton, deputy attorney general for criminal justice J. Mark Penley, filed a motion in state district court in Austin to halt the subpoenas. The motion to quash them was granted on Friday, records show.

In filing the subpoenas, Cammack represented that he was acting on behalf of the office of the Attorney General as a Special Prosecutor, Penleys motion said. He is not properly authorized to act as a Special Prosecutor, and  has no authority to appear before the grand jury or issue grand jury subpoenas.

Cammack declined to comment.

An official with the Travis County District Attorneys office said the agency does not have an investigation into Paxton. The FBI and U.S. Attorneys offices declined to comment.

Top Republicans statewide on Sunday acknowledged the gravity of the allegations but stopped short of calling for Paxton to step down.

These allegations raise serious concerns, said Gov. Greg Abbott, who served as Attorney General for 12 years prior to Paxton. I will withhold further comment until the results of any investigation are complete.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called the matter obviously concerning.

I will wait until the investigation is complete before making any additional comments, Patrick said.

Neither responded to questions about what they believe should happen to Paxtons office in the meantime.

A real estate empire under a cloud

The genesis of Paxtons relationship with the real estate investor Paul was not clear on Sunday.

Paul cut a wide swath through Texas real estate circles in a short time, amassing a large portfolio of valuable holdings  particularly in Austin, his home since 2002  in less than a decade and by the age of 30.

According to published reports, his World Class Holdings owned the 156-acre former 3M campus, in northwest Austin, as well as prime downtown parcels. Together with a portfolio of storage facilities located in several states, the companys worth at one time reportedly approached $1 billion.

Personally, Paul owns a 9,000 square-foot mansion west of downtown Austin appraised at $2.4 million, according to Travis Central Appraisal District records.

Recently, the business empire has shown signs of severe stress. Over the past year, 18 of Pauls companies have declared bankruptcy, according to the Austin Business Journal, which has covered Pauls comings and goings extensively since his name suddenly became the most-searched phrase on the newspapers website, in 2014.

World Class also is embroiled in several lawsuits involving investors and partners. And in August 2019, his business and home were reportedly raided by federal and state agents, although no criminal charges have been filed.

According to published reports, Paul, the son of Indian immigrants, moved to Austin from Victoria as a teenager in 2002. He attended the University of Texas for three years before dropping out.

In 2006, he formed World Class, acquiring his first property in 2007. I started with zero. There was no legacy. Im self-made, he said in a 2015 Austin Business Journal article.

His sister, Sheena, joined the company as chief operating officer, according to a profile of her in Austin Woman.

Nate came into the world as a business person, she told the magazine. When he was 4 or 5 years old, he wouldnt carry around trucks or G.I. Joes; he carried around a yellow note pad. And he still does, writing down ideas. Its almost like a security blanket.

Paul said he was quickly able to acquire properties because of real estate prices suppressed by the 2009 recession. In 2015, he made a splash by bidding $800 million for a portfolio of properties including New York Citys legendary Plaza Hotel.

He also began raising his personal profile. In 2015, he was photographed with then-candidate Donald Trump, a meeting set up by a business associate who once worked for Trump.

He has reportedly hobnobbed with celebrities, including Los Angeles Lakers guard Avery Bradley, whom he met at UT; and actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

In 2018, he donated just under $50,000 to a variety of Republican politicians, Texas Ethics Commission records show.

Paxton criminal case could be affected

The recent allegations against Paxton are compounded by an ongoing criminal case against him that has been churning for more than five years with no trial in sight. It now sits before a Harris County judge who will decide whether to move the case to Collin County, as Paxtons lawyers have requested, or keep it under his jurisdiction.

In that case, Paxton is charged with two felonies, accused of soliciting investments in a technology company without notifying investors that he would be compensated for it. Hes also charged with a third-degree felony of failing to register with the state as an investment adviser. Paxton has denied the claims and characterized the case as politically motivated.

Kent Schaffer, a special prosecutor in that case, said Saturday that the latest accusations, if they lead to charges, could imperil Paxton's odds of securing any kind of deal to resolve the criminal case.

We were trying to get this case resolved, but if this guys out committing crimes while hes on bond, then its going to become an extremely serious matter, Schaffer said. Im not saying that he has  I dont know the specifics, (but if he has) then its game on.

Maybe the people that reported him are not shooting straight, but I want to hear from both sides, if possible. Were going to do what we can to investigate.

Schaffer said he contacted the Texas Rangers on Saturday immediately upon hearing the news. He declined to comment on whether the agency mentioned any existing investigation on the matter.

Paxton has also been accused by his staff of accepting bribes in the past.

In 2016, Paxton faced allegations of bribery and corruption lodged by an anonymous employee. He had accepted money for his criminal defense fund from a CEO whose company was being investigated by his office.

While state law prohibits accepting gifts from parties subject to the offices authority, Paxton claimed the donors were friends, family friends and others with whom he had relationships that were independent of his position as Attorney General. A special prosecutor for the Kaufman County District Attorney agreed with Paxtons interpretation and declined to file charges.

The revelations over the weekend appeared to have shaken the agency, where Ryan Bangert, deputy first assistant attorney general and one of the seven officials who reported Paxton to the authorities, sent out a letter of reassurance to staff.

I write to assure you that the executive team remains committed to serving you, this office and the people of Texas, Bangert wrote. Your work, your sacrifice, and your dedication to this office inspire us all.

Jordan Berry, Paxtons political adviser, said he resigned after news of the allegations broke.

As news trickled into the political sphere, members of the Texas Legislature began speaking out  among them Houston Republican State Rep. Sarah Davis.

Although innocent until proven guilty, AG Paxton has been under indictment for the past five years, Davis said in a tweet Sunday. With these new allegations of bribery and abuse of office, Paxton needs to quickly address these allegations or resign so he can devote his time to his own personal legal matters.

Democrats, who are waging an all-out battle to flip the Texas House this November, said the allegations prove Paxton is not fit for office.

Ken Paxton is the top law enforcement official in the state, Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa said in a statement Saturday. Yet, he has proven for years that he cannot follow the law himself.

Justin Nelson, who ran against Paxton in 2018 and lost by four percentage points, on Twitter on Sunday called for Paxton to resign.

Chris Turner, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, echoed that sentiment, saying the ethical storm clouds over Paxtons head had grown darker and more ominous than ever.

jay.root@chron.com

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to lead a tractor rally here on Sunday to protest against the Centre's new farm laws. Gandhi, who arrived in the district on Sunday afternoon, will lead tractor rallies for three days beginning today.

He will hold a public meeting at Badni Kalan in Moga Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, AICC general secretary in-charge of Punjab affairs, Harish Rawat, Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal and other leaders have arrived here for the rally.

Former minister and MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu, who had been staying away from all Congress activities, is among those present in the district.

The tractor rallies, which have been named as 'Kheti Bachao Yatra', will cover more than 50 km, spread over three days in various districts and constituencies.

Farmers in Punjab have been protesting against the new farm legislations.

Farmers have expressed apprehension that the Centre's farm reforms would pave the way for the dismantling of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporates.

The government has maintained that there will be no change in the MSP.

President Ram Nath Kovind had given assent to the three contentious bills -- Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill; Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill; and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill.
A 44-year-old married Dalit woman was allegedly raped here by four men, of whom two have been arrested, police said on Sunday. Superintendent of Police Ram Badan Singh said a case has been registered against the two men based on a complaint lodged by the womans husband. The incident took place in Gyanpur area of the city, police said.

Citing the complaint, Singh said, On Saturday, the woman was returning from a bank after withdrawing money, when her husbands two friends told her that they would drop her home. But, they allegedly raped her.

The husband has accused the four men of raping his wife." On Sunday, a case was registered at Gyanpur police station against the four men. Two men have been arrested, while the hunt is on for the remaining two accused, Singh said. The woman has been sent for medical examination, police said.
In a bizarre and unexpected event, a black bear was spotted on top of a garbage truck in Pennsylvania and the news has now created a buzz among netizens. Shared on Facebook by the Kidder Township Police, a post shows photos of the animal sitting on top of the truck.

Bear Complaint this morning. He managed to come right to the police station on the garbage truck, reads the caption shared along with the post.

The department was in lookout for the animal as some of the locals alerted them about the bear spotted in the neighbourhood. Later in the day, the bear was found atop a garbage truck that pulled over near the police station so that the animal could be safely rescued.

We can only assume it was sick of going for the small, small amount of trash in the garbage pails and went for the big prize, Officer Vincent Murrow of the Kidder Township Police told WNEP.com.

Take a look at the post:

Posted on September 30, the post has garnered over 1,700 reactions and more than 700 comments from netizens.

The department also informed in the comments that the bear was safe and unharmed. He did make it down safe. The truck backed to the tree and he made his way down. All is good! they commented.

People shared all sorts of reactions in the comments section of the post. While some asked about the status of the bear, others couldnt stop appreciating the departments efforts to make sure that the animal was fine. Many also tried guessing the bears perspective and wrote that the animal was probably smiling about its unexpected adventure.

Was the bear questioned upon arrival? joked a Facebook user. Thank you for letting us know the bear is ok! wrote another. The fact hes smiling, he deserves that truck, commented a third.

Bears in Pennsylvania are so advanced with their mobile self driving lunchboxes, wittily expressed a fourth.

What are your thoughts on this unusual event?
A police officer has been stabbed as she attempted to arrest two teenagers who were trying to rob a grocery store in central London.

Two officers were in Chapter Street, Pimlico, when they witnessed two men armed with knives attempting to rob the store shortly after 3.40pm on Sunday, the Metropolitan Police said.

The shopkeeper had managed to push the suspects, both believed to be 15 years old, out of the store and the officers then tried to detain them.

As they challenged the men, one of the officers was stabbed in the stomach but continued to chase the suspects along Vauxhall Bridge Road, police said.

The suspects were arrested shortly afterwards with the help of firearms officers.

The injured officer was taken to hospital, police said, and her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

Chief Inspector Simon Brooker said: "This shows precisely the kind of danger officers face every single day as they work to keep the public safe.

"For this officer to be stabbed on duty is unacceptable but, fortunately, she does not appear to be seriously injured.

"I applaud her bravery in responding to this call. This courage is typical of Met officers as they go about their duties."

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: My thoughts and prayers are with this brave police officer who is receiving treatment in hospital after she was stabbed while on duty, intervening in a robbery, this afternoon.

"Every day our courageous police officers put themselves in harms way to keep Londoners safe. I am sure all Londoners will join me in wishing her a speedy recovery.

"Attacks on our police are utterly unacceptable and perpetrators will feel the full force of the law."

Councillor Rachael Robathan, leader of Westminster City Council, said she the incident was a "vivid reminder" of the dangers police officers face every day.

She said on Twitter: "Shocked by news of a policewoman being stabbed in Chapter Street @CityWestminster.

"Relieved she appear not to be seriously injured but a vivid reminder of the dangers police officers face every day keeping us safe."
A father who abducted his three children from their foster home 'smuggled them out of the UK in the back of a van', police believe.

Imran Safi, 26, snatched Bilal, 6, Ebrar, 5, and Yaseen, 3, from a foster home in south London, just before they were due to be adopted before taking them to his red Nissan car and driving off on August 20.

Detectives now believe the father received support from a group of relatives in order to escape the police and smuggle his kidnapped children out of the country.

A total of 16 people have since been arrested and released in connection with the abduction, including Safi's wife Lubna, 25.

Imran Safi, 26, abducted his three sons from a foster home in south London, just before they were due to be adopted

However this weekend, the father's brother-in-law Ali Safi refuted the claims that the family knew of his plans and said he last heard from Imran Safi on the morning of the abduction.

He told The Times: 'He said, ''Look after yourself and look after Lubna.'' We had no idea what he was planning.'

The brother-in-law went on to say that Safi 'did the wrong thing by taking the law into his own hands'.

He added: 'He did the wrong thing by taking the law into his own hands, but in his eyes the law and everyone else had failed him, so he could not stop what he was doing out of love for his children.'

The three boys' disappearance has sparked a major investigation involving more than 100 police officers.

It is understood that the boys were due to be formally adopted by a new family -which detectives believe could be a motive for the abduction- when they were taken from their foster home.

Safi, who is originally from Afghanistan, is suspected of threatening the children's foster carer at knifepoint before taking the three boys to his red Nissan car and driving off.

The three boys Bilal, 6, Ebrar, 5, and Yaseen, 3, had been staying at a foster home in south London

Last month police released an image of a man, pictured in a red Nissan Qashqai, registration PK13 WFO, at the time of the disappearance, who they would like to speak to

Neighbours told last month how the children's foster mother had moved out of her home out of fear Safi might return following the harrowing abduction.

Detectives fear the children may already be abroad, despite having circulated their father's mugshot and details to all ports and borders as they attempt to close off escape routes.

In September, police released an image of a man who was the passenger in the red Nissan Qashqai, registration PK13 WFO, at the time of the children were taken, who they would like to speak to.

They also offered a 20,000 reward for any information in their search for the three boys.

Met Police Commander Bas Javid, said: 'I can't imagine how distressing this whole situation has been for the three young boys, who have been taken away from their safe environment, and our efforts to locate Imran Safi continues.

'We are now offering a 20,000 reward for any information that will help us to bring the children home safely.

'We also need the public's help to identify a man who was the passenger in the red Nissan at the time the children were taken. He may hold valuable information as to where the children and Imran Safi are.

Detectives fear the children may already be abroad, despite having circulated their father's mugshot and details to all ports and borders. Pictured left to right: Bilal, 6, Ebrar, 5 and Yaseen, 3

'We appreciate that the image is not the clearest quality but we still need people to really study it and see if the man in the picture is one that they may recognise.'

Commander Javid, continued: 'The investigative team has been working tirelessly on this case and we are appealing again because someone reading or seeing this knows the whereabouts of these innocent children and I need them to contact us urgently and provide that knowledge.

'We believe that Safi and the children have most likely left the UK, but our investigation continues and we will continue to do everything we can to locate the children and arrest Safi.

'Our working theory is that they have left via a clandestine route, but to where? We remain unsure, and that is why we need people across the country, and abroad to share this appeal for information.

'The focus of this operation is returning these innocent children to the UK which is our top priority. We hope that offering this reward will lead to some significant information being passed to us.'
(Newser)  Bad news for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton: Several of his top aides are asking the feds to investigate him for alleged crimes including abuse of office and bribery, KVUE reports. "We have a good faith belief that the Attorney General is violating federal and/or state law, including prohibitions relating to improper influence, abuse of office, bribery and other potential criminal offenses," they write in a letter to the state agency's director of human resources. The accuserswho include Paxton's former first assistant, Jeff Mateer, and five deputy attorneys generalgive no details about the AG's alleged conduct. Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday the allegations "raise serious concerns" but he'll "withhold further comment until the results of any investigation are complete."

story continues below

Mateer, a fellow Christian conservative and political ally to Paxton, may be the letter's most important signatory. After all, Paxton praised Mateer in 2017 as "a principled leadera man of characterwho has done an outstanding job for the state of Texas" when Mateer was tapped by President Trump to be a federal judge, the Austin American-Statesman reports. Mateer's nomination was later rescinded when his anti-LGBT comments emerged, including remarks about transgender kids being part of "Satan's plan." Mateer resigned his job with Paxton on Friday. Meanwhile, Paxton faces felony indictments dating back to his private business deals in 2011 and 2012. He denies the charges, and criminal proceedings remain tied up in appeals and other legal squabbles. (Paxton's office appeared to play a role in Chick-fil-A getting a lease in San Antonio.)
By PTI

KOLKATA: BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Sunday said that West Bengal cannot be made a shelter for infiltrators who indulge in anti-national activities, and accused the state's Trinamool Congress government of following appeasement policies for the sake of vote bank.

Addressing a programme to felicitate newly appointed BJP national vice-president Mukul Roy here, Vijayvargiya, who is the party's Bengal minder, gave a call to defeat the "corrupt, undemocratic and autocratic" TMC in Assembly elections due next year.

"Bengal cannot be turned into a dharmsala where anyone can come, stay and indulge in anti-national activities," he said and charged the TMC government with being responsible for the alleged influx of infiltrators.

Asking people to "fight against enemies inside", Vijayvargiya claimed that the Mamata Banerjee government has been pursuing appeasement policies for the sake of vote bank.

Even the cultural identity of Bengal propagated by Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Swami Vivekananda and others was facing threat, the BJP leader alleged.

The TMC wants to indulge in politics on every move the Narendra Modi government is making in favour of the poor "as it only thinks about power while the BJP thinks about the nation", he claimed.

Vijayvargiya also said that West Bengal had once been a front-ranking state in the education sector, but that glory has become a thing of the past.

He said that, if elected, the saffron party will restore the glory of Bengal in every field.

The senior BJP leader alleged that "the TMC has been unleashing violence against opposition party activists.

Vijayvargiya lavished praises on Mukul Roy stating that his "prudence and vast experience will guide the BJP in the state.

" Roy was named a vice-president during the organisational restructuring of the BJP's central unit late last month.

Once considered the number two in the TMC, he had switched over to the saffron party in 2017 following differences with party supremo Mamata Banerjee.

Roy, in his speech, said that he will remain with the BJP till his last breath.

On the alleged discontent within the party's state unit following the restructuring, Roy said, "Who holds which post is not important.

What is imperative is a united fight to dislodge the TMC in the assembly polls.

" He also complimented state unit president Dilip Ghosh saying he is a brave soldier who never backs out of a battle.
Government plans to utilize 400-500 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to cover 20-25 crore people by July 2021, says Harsh Vardhan (Pgoto/ANI)

New Delhi [India], October 4 (ANI): The government plans to receive and utilize 40-50 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses to cover 20-25 crore Indians by July 2021, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan said on Sunday.

"The Centre is also working on plans for building capacities in HR, training, supervision, etc on a massive scale and roughly estimates to receive and utilise 400-500 million doses covering approximately 20-25 crore people by July 2021," he said, while responding to questions asked by social media users said on the fourth episode of his 'Sunday Samvaad' today.

The union minister said that the Health Ministry is currently preparing a format in which states will submit lists of priority population groups to receive the vaccine, especially health workers engaged in the management of COVID19, and this exercise is targeted to be completed by the end of this October.

He further informed that the Government is also keeping an eye on immunity data with regard to COVID-19 disease while finalizing these plans.

The Health Minister further informed that there is a high-level committee under the chairmanship of Niti Aayog Member (Health) VK Paul is drawing up the entire process.

"Vaccine procurement is being done centrally and each consignment will be tracked real-time until delivery to ensure it reaches those who need it most," he said.

On a question regarding Phase 3 Clinical Trial of Russia's "Sputnik-V" vaccine in India, Harsh Vardhan clarified that the matter is still under consideration, and no decision has been taken as yet on the Phase 3 trials. (ANI)


Pakistan resorted to heavy shelling and firing on Sunday at Indian posts and forward villages along the Line of Control (LoC) in Mankote sector of Poonch district, the army said.

Around 0320 hours (3.20 am), Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and intense shelling with mortars along LoC in Mankote sector. Indian Army retaliated befittingly, said a Defence spokesman.

There were no adverse reports on the Indian side in the latest skirmishes.

Pakistan has been violating the truce deal with impunity since August 5 last year when the Centre revoked Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

Meanwhile, security forces on Sunday recovered some arms and ammunition during a search and cordon operation in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said

A joint search operation was carried out by a special operations group of local police and 16 Rashtriya Rifles at Gali Girjjan in Surankote, leading to the recovery of an assault rifle with three magazines and 150 rounds along with a pistol, the officials said

They said the arms and ammunition were found hidden at a secluded place in the remote area during the operation which was carried out on specific information. However, no one was arrested in connection with the recovery so far, the officials added.
Alec Baldwin posted a selfie in costume and makeup as U.S. President Donald Trump for Saturday Night Live's season premiere this weekend.

The 62-year-old actor has drawn acclaim for playing Trump on the NBC iconic sketch show - even earning Emmy nominations.

His latest appearance in the role comes just two days after the president announced that he and First Lady Melania Trump have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Incoming: Alec Baldwin tweeted a selfie of himself in costume and makeup as U.S. President Donald Trump for Saturday Night Live this weekend

'Tonight at 11:30 eastern,' Baldwin wrote in the caption of his selfie.

The coronavirus lockdowns began while the show was still in the midst of its 45th season, which had to pivot to virtual performances.

However for the latest season the cast are returning to the studio in New York City to work together again with a limited studio audience.

The president and first lady tested positive for the virus after discovering that his senior counselor Hope Hicks had contracted it.

He's a hit: The 62-year-old actor has drawn acclaim for playing Trump on the NBC iconic sketch show - even earning Emmy nominations

A report run by TMZ Saturday morning stated that the president's illness left the show 'scrambling' to adjust the episode to include it.

Although it was thought that the presidential debate Tuesday night would be the week's main news fodder, Trump's health situation has now become prominent, with the show trying to adopt a 'sensitive' approach.

Chris Rock will be hosting the premiere which also welcomes three new cast members - Punkie Johnson, Andrew Dismukes and Lauren Holt.

Jim Carrey, who became a star on the sketch show In Living Color, will be playing Trump's presidential challenger Joe Biden on the new season.

What a news cycle: On Thursday the president announced that he and First Lady Melania Trump have been diagnosed with COVID-19; they are pictured at Tuesday's presidential debate

People working on the show were reportedly up late the night before the premiere figuring out how to incorporate the president's COVID-19 into the episode.

Saturday's premiere episode will air just hours after Trump delivered a taped address to his Twitter followers updating them on his condition.

He shared that he is 'starting to feel good' and called his treatments, which include the Ebola drug remdesivir, 'miracles from God.'

Trump quipped: 'Melania is really handling it very nicely. As you've probably read, she's slightly younger than me, just a little tiny bit.'

'Starting to feel good': Saturday's premiere episode will air just hours after Trump delivered a taped address to his Twitter followers updating them on his condition

Melania, who is the president's third wife and the mother of his fifth child, is 50 years old which makes her 24 years his junior.

The president was transferred to Walter Reed hospital Friday out of what the White House referred to as 'an abundance of caution.'

However he is said to have repeatedly asked his aides if he was going to die, with a Vanity Fair reporter claiming he asked: 'Am I going out like Stan Chera?'

Stan Chera was a longtime friend and supporter of the president and succumbed to the virus this April at the age of 77.
Hordes of pilgrims in Senegal have begun to converge on the holy city of Touba, ahead of a giant traditional celebration on Tuesday known as the Grand Magal, despite the threat of coronavirus.

The religious festival of the Mouride brotherhood, a powerful Sufi Muslim order, celebrates the date French colonial authorities exiled its leader Sheikh Amadou Bamba, known as Serigne Touba.

It is one of the most important dates on the religious calendar in Senegal, and usually attracts hundreds of thousands of worshippers from across the West African country.

But this year's Magal marks the first mass festival of its kind in Senegal since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, raising fears of a potential superspreader event.

Religious authorities are confident they have the situation in control, however.

"We can be reassured because Serigne Touba will erect a shield between the disease and us," the brotherhood's spokesman told local media this month.

In contrast to previous celebrations, the Mourides will hold no official ceremony this year, and will stream conferences online.

Worshippers will also have to wear facemasks, and queue in single file to enter the lavish Great Mosque of Touba.

More than 90 percent of Senegal is Muslim and most of the faithful follow Sufi brotherhoods, which retain considerable economic and political clout in the nation of 16 million people.

Holy city

The Magal -- when means 'celebration' in the Wolof language -- celebrates the life and teachings of Sheikh Amadou Bamba, the Mouride Brotherhood's founder who died in 1927.

A peaceful opponent of colonialism, French authorities exiled him to Gabon from 1895 to 1902, and then to Mauritania from 1903 to 1907 before he was allowed to return to Senegal, where he was placed under house arrest at his home in the north of the country.

The religious leader founded the holy city of Touba, in the centre of Senegal, in 1888. It has since grown to be Senegal's second-largest after the capital Dakar, with some 1.5 million inhabitants.

As well as being a religious festival, the Magal has a political dimension too, with senior politicians often making an appearance.

Health officials will be keeping a close eye on the huge crowds this year, but the government has endorsed the brotherhood's ability to manage the event.

"If your recommendations are followed to the letter, we can hope for a risk-free Magal," local press reported Senegalese President Macky Sall as telling the current Mouride leader in Touba on Monday.

Health Minister Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr -- who is due in Touba on Thursday -- has also said he was "reassured," adding that he will deploy 5,000 ministry officials to the city.

Senegal's Sufi brotherhoods initially cancelled gatherings in March, when the coronavirus pandemic reached the country.

The move was in line with government anti-virus measures, which included a night-time curfew and a state of emergency. The restrictions were lifted in July.

'Emotions aroused'

There are still fears the virus will spread during the Magal, however, and some government departments adopted a more cautious approach.

Microfinance Minister Zahra Iyane Thiam, for example, last month instructed her staff to observe a two-week quarantine if attending the festival, to be taken from their annual holidays.

But the ministry on Friday reversed its decision "in view of the emotion aroused", according to a statement.

Senegalese authorities have recorded over 15,000 coronavirus cases to date, with 311 fatalities.

The Tidianes, another powerful Sufi brotherhood, has not yet decided whether to hold its own annual festival this month, known as the Gamou.
Tamie Cline liked to think she knew most everything going on at Good Shepherd Health Care System, the small Umatilla County hospital where she works as a nurse.

Then came the day in June when she picked up her newspaper to read that the Hermiston hospital was suffering an outbreak of COVID-19. Five of her colleagues tested positive for the coronavirus.

Cline, a negotiator for the union representing 130 nurses, fumed. How did this happen, she wondered? And why werent we told?

In a subsequent meeting, top brass informed Cline and others that Good Shepherd was adopting new COVID-19 procedures that would dramatically reduce the hospitals involvement in tracking the virus. The hospital was also narrowing the circumstances under which it would notify employees of possible exposure.

The nurses were furious. Here they were working in a hospital that eventually suffered two major COVID-19 outbreaks that sickened at least 48 people. And management unilaterally decided it would adopt a new policy of, effectively, non-disclosure?

Its unforgivable, said Kevin Mealy, an organizer for the Oregon Nurses Association, which represents nurses at Good Shepherd. This policy puts everyone in our communities at risk. Workers cant protect their patients or their families if they dont know theyve been exposed.

But Good Shepherd wasnt doing anything improper. In fact, the hospital was simply following new guidance from Oregons public health agency recommending that health care providers didnt need to perform internal contact tracing that would identify potentially infected employees and inform them of their condition.

State officials defend that controversial guidance stating that it came from the U.S.Centers for Disease Control. The Oregon Health Authority issued the advice in part because it recognized the financial and practical burden COVID-19 posed for hospitals, said Dr. Melissa Sutton, the agencys medical director for respiratory viral pathogens.

Contact tracing, the painstaking and expensive work of tracking the virus' spread, is no longer necessary for hospitals under the states guidance. That will save the hospitals money and ease fears of staff shortages. Since the virus arrived in Oregon, hospital officials have worried that they could run out of qualified employees if too many of them were forced into quarantine due to possible COVID exposure.

Many of the states largest health care systems say they have ignored the states guidance and continue to notify employees about any exposure. But other Oregon hospitals have adopted the same strategy as Good Shepherd, Sutton said, though shes not sure how many.

The lack of disclosure offers another stark example of how the pandemic has strained the relationship between some hospitals and their employees.

Doctors and nurses working to save COVID-19 patients at considerable risk to themselves have faced pay cuts and furloughs. The state has identified more than 3,300 confirmed or suspected infections among health care or care facility workers, about 10% of total cases in Oregon.

Seven months into the pandemic, some health care workers are still fighting with management over what constitutes adequate personal protective equipment. And now some workers are frustrated their employers can stay silent even if they know workers have been exposed.

Its simply one more example of how hospitals are attempting to keep people in the dark, said Mark Brenner, an economist and professor of labor studies at the University of Oregon.

Workers at Good Shepherd and other hospitals have filed multiple complaints to state regulators claiming, among other things, that management is not informing them they theyve come into contact with a COVID-19 patients or co-workers. Officials at Oregon OSHA, the states workplace safety agency, confirmed it has launched an ongoing review of the matter.

Good Shepherd in particular stands out, suffering two COVID-19 outbreaks that, as of Sunday, had led to four dozen confirmed and presumed cases, according to data from the Oregon Health Authority.

Thats more than any other hospital in Oregon except for the much-larger Salem Hospital, where the number is also 48.

Patrick Allen, director of the Oregon Health Authority, said cases linked to Good Shepherd could be the result of broader spread in the community. So devoting a lot of time and resources to internal contact tracing wouldnt capture the whole picture. Plus, he said. we dont have evidence in Oregon that Im aware of that patient to provider transmission is a significant source of spread, he said.

Allens agency is now putting new emphasis on preventing infections in the first place by ensuring employees are equipped with first-rate masks, gowns and other personal protective equipment.

But ending contact tracing does have a downside, he admitted. You have to do the contact tracing to figure out who you notify that they might have been exposed.

Good Shepherd management readily admits it has changed its COVID-monitoring program. It jumped at the chance to halt most contact tracing when the state allowed it. With our limited resources, we thought it made senses said Good Shepherd CEO Dennis Burke.

Burke argues the whole situation has been blown out of proportion. In certain types of exposure deemed high-risk, the hospital will continue to do contact tracing and will inform the employees. In other cases, the county health department will do the tracing.

Hermiston is hot zone

Dennis Doherty, a genial former Umatilla County commissioner, is an unabashed booster of Hermiston, a small agricultural town of about 18,000 best known for its prized melons. He likes nothing better than to rib residents of archrival Pendleton about Hermistons latest achievement.

But on this morning, Doherty is downcast. He had just recently learned that a longtime friend who did work for him had been diagnosed with COVID-19. His friends wife was in quarantine.

Its tough on morale when you dont have any control over your life and fortunes, he said.

Coronavirus has hit Umatilla County, and its largest hospital, like few other communities in Oregon.

At 376 known cases for every 10,000 people, it has had more than four times the rate of infections as the state average cumulatively. About 18% of people whove been tested since the start of the pandemic learned they have the virus -- more than three times the state average.

Hermiston was hit the hardest. Residents in the local ZIP code accounted for 1,545 coronavirus cases since the pandemic began  more than any other ZIP code in Oregon.

At one point in late July, Oregon State University researchers estimated one in six Hermiston residents actively had the virus. Gov. Kate Brown ordered Umatilla County back into shutdown mode July 31, although shes since lifted full restrictions after seeing progress.

Its become clear that workplace outbreaks have fueled the virus in Umatilla County. Sprawling food processing plants, with hundreds of employees often working in close proximity, were among the first to experience large outbreaks.

The sites of the outbreaks tend to be large, manual labor jobs that cant be done by phone and where employees work in close proximity to one another.

In all, the county has recorded more than 3,000 coronavirus cases. Workplace outbreak in the county have accounted for more than 1,300 cases alone with only a few larger than Good Shepherds.

Working remotely is a fine alternative for people who can make it work, said George Murdock, a current county commissioner. But for the working poor who are working on farms or food processing plants, they have to report for work in person.

Hospital workers need to show up, too.

Ironically, transparency and full disclosure have become buzz words in the county, Murdock said. Early on, businesses were reluctant to air their dirty laundry. But the sense of urgency has dispelled those misgivings.

At the outset, I think there were some problems, there was probably some reluctance about coming forward, he said, But with so many outbreaks theres certainly no stigma there now, he added.

A labor dispute

Nurse Jessica Barnes works in Good Shepherds intensive care unit, which doubles as the COVID-19 ward.

She has watched many patients pass through  and some pass on.

Sometimes theyre in for weeks or months, she said in an interview this summer, speaking, along with Cline, as a representative of the nurses' union. Theyre alone. Its really depressing right now.

Nine patients have died at the hospital due to coronavirus infections, according to state records.

The nurses, with the help of their union, the Oregon Nurses Association, had been trying for months to hammer out a memorandum of understanding that would govern operations during the pandemic.

The union successfully reached similar agreements with most hospitals in the state, including Oregon Health & Science University and PeaceHealth, operator of the two largest hospitals in Lane County.

PeaceHealth, for example, agreed to provide all nurses or healthcare workers who have been exposed to COVID-19 with notice as soon as possible. The notice will include: the date of exposure, assessment of exposure risk and the Medical Centers decision on whether to permit the nurse or healthcare worker to work or placed on paid leave.

Dr. Renee Edwards, vice president and chief medical office at OHSU, said a strong in-house occupational health program, which includes full transparency with employees, protects patients and OHSUs workers.

Nurses at Good Shepherd have pushed for a similar promise from their managers. Among other things theyve asked for a pledge from management to notify any employee within eight hours of known exposure.

Burke dismissed the workers' proposal, calling it a non-starter.

Negotiations sputtered and tensions rose. Management reminded employees of a zero tolerance media policy first issued in March. Workers who went to the press or sounded off about the hospital on social media would be be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination, according to a memo signed by Jim Schlenker, the hospitals chief operating officer.

We have to differentiate who speaks officially for the hospital, Burke, the CEO, told a reporter, justifying the hospitals threat.

Good Shepherd and the nurses union remain at odds.

For now, in the place of notifications to all employees exposed to coronavirus, Good Shepherd will rely on employees to self-check every day for COVID-19 symptoms.

Many employees are pleased with the hospitals new policy, said Devin Goldman, Good Shepherds director of quality and infection prevention, because it reduces burdensome paperwork required under the prior system.

The hospital CEO will soon leave Good Shepherd after three decades. Burke admits that the pandemic has not allowed the smooth glide path to retirement he hoped for. But no one in Umatilla County has had it easy.

Our employees are going through a lot, Burke said. Their spouses may or may not be working. They may be victims of the recession and the shut-down order. Theyre all just tired of this and we certainly understand that.

Brown, the Good Shepherd nurse, said the hospital could lower employees' stress levels if it agreed to fully disclose potential exposures.

We are in the front lines, she said. They need to hear us out. Its very exhausting. Its tough on morale. Were burnt out.

David Cansler contributed to this report.
Fired police officer said he thought his colleagues were being 'executed' during Breonna Taylor raid, grand jury recordings show
Bulgadi : , Oct 4 (IANS) Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad reached Bulgadi village in Hathras on Sunday to meet the family members of the alleged gang-rape victim.

Other colleagues with him have been allowed to meet the family inside. Only 5 people have come to meet the family along with the Bhim Army chief.

Azad's convoy was stopped by the police administration before Hathras to keep the situation under control.

After this, he left his convoy and came to meet the family on foot.

Azad told the media as soon as he came to the village, "I have not met them for a long time, the situation does not seem to be any good. We will brief the press after meeting the family."
The Sharjah Executive Council (SEC) has issued decision No.30 of 2020 setting up the Organising Committee of the Ports and Border Checkpoints, which will be affiliated to the Sharjah Seaports, Customs and Free Zones Authority.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of SEC, a WAM report said.

The Council reviewed several issues on its agenda concerning the emirate's various affairs and issued several resolutions that would support the development work of the Sharjah government at all levels and sectors.

The Council discussed the proposals submitted by the Sharjah Education Council regarding the development of the work system in the parents' councils of male and female students in the emirate, contributing to the integration between schools and families.

SEC reviewed the report submitted by the Department of Town Planning and Survey, DTPS, on the urban observatory project in Sharjah, which was established in March 2019 in cooperation with 18 government agencies, as a specialised centre that collects data on various development areas to improve the standard of living for residents in a specific area, as well as analysing data and transforming them into indicators.

The meeting of the Council was held at the Sharjah Rulers office, in the presence of Sheikh Abdullah bin Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and SEC Deputy Chairman.-- Tradearabia News Service
Dr. Sean Conley, a Navy commander who serves as Donald Trump's personal physician, said he was trying to 'reflect the upbeat attitude' of the president and the medical team when he didn't disclose certain details about the president's condition on Saturday.

But, after a briefing on Sunday at Walter Reed Medical Center, where President Trump is being treated, several crucial questions about the president's health remain unanswered.

Conley gave an upbeat assessment on Saturday but, after that briefing, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said Trump went through a 'very concerning' period on Friday.

On Sunday, Conley addressed the differences.

'I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude of the team, that the president, that his course of illness has had,' he said.

He added that he 'didn't want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction. And in doing so, came off like we're trying to hide something, which wasn't necessarily true.'

Additionally, Dr. Brian Garibaldi, a specialist in pulmonary critical care on the president's medical team who practices at John Hopkins, said the president may be discharged on Monday.

'If he continues to look and feel as well as he does today, our hope is to plan for a discharge as early as tomorrow to the white house where he can continue his treatment course,' he said.

WHAT DID WE LEARN ABOUT TRUMP'S HEALTH ON SUNDAY?

President Trump's oxygen levels have dropped twice since his diagnosis but never below 90 per cent, Dr. Sean Conley said on Sunday, also admitting for the first time the president received supplemental oxygen. A normal oxygen reading is between 95 and 100 per cent.

Conley said the president received supplemental oxygen for about an hour on Friday at the White House and the drop - along with a 'high' fever - is part of what prompted the decision for Trump to go to Walter Reed. He could not say if the president received supplemental oxygen on Saturday. 'I would have to check with the nursing staff. If he did, it was very limited,' Conley said. Conley, on Saturday, evaded questions on whether the president received extra oxygen.

Additionally, Dr. Brian Garibaldi, a specialist in pulmonary critical care on the president's medical team who practices at John Hopkins, said Trump received a second dose of the experimental drug remdesivir along with a first dose of dexamethasone, a steroid, on Saturday. He noted the president isn't showing any side effects 'that we can tell.'

Dexamethasone has been shown to help patients who are severely ill with COVID but it's not typically used in mild cases. In could be harmful early on as it could dampen the body's own immune response. On September 2, the World Health Organization recommended the steroid only be given to patients with 'severe and critical Covid-19.'

TO WHAT EXTENT HAS TRUMP BEEN GIVEN SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN AND WHEN?

Dr. Conley revealed publicly for the first time Sunday that over the course of his illness the president has experienced two episodes of transient drops in his oxygen saturation. A drop in the bodys ability to transport oxygen through the blood is one of the dangerous complications associated with COVID-19. Physicians like to see the number above 95 per cent.

As a response, the team decided to initiate use of Dexamethasone, a steroid and anti-inflammatory. Trumps first dose of the drug, added to his numerous other medications, came Saturday. The presidents oxygen level was in the high 90s Thursday night and Friday morning, Conley said.

But later Friday morning, the oxygen saturation level was transiently dipping below 94 per cent, Conley said. At that point, Conley recommended we try some supplemental oxygen, see how hed respond. He was fairly adamant that he didnt need it. He was not short of breath. He was tired, had the fever and that was about it. And after about a minute, on only two liters, his saturation levels were back over 95 per cent, he said.

He stayed on that for about an hour, maybe, and it was off and gone, said Conley. When questioned, Conley said that on Saturday there was another episode where the level dropped down about 93 per cent. He doesnt ever feel short of breath. We watched it, and it returned back up.

Asked point-blank if Trump was put on oxygen for a second time Saturday, Conley dodged.

Id have to check with the nursing staff, said Conley, who is overseeing Trumps care. I dont think that  if he did, it was very, very limited. But hes not on oxygen. And the only oxygen that I ordered that we provided was that Friday morning, initially.

Asked when the second incident occurred, he said it was over the course of the day  yesterday morning. His comments, vague and sometimes contradictory as they were, went far beyond what he was willing to say Saturday, when he refused to answer whether Trump had ever been on oxygen during his still-early bout with COVID-19.

On Saturday, when pressed, he said: He's not on oxygen right now. Asked if Trump had received any, he said then: He's not needed any, this morning, today at all. That's right. Then he said that right now, all indicators are that that he'll remain off of oxygen going forward.

Pressed yet again on whether Trump had ever been on oxygen, Conley said: He, right now he is not on oxygen.

I understand, I know you keep saying right now, but should we read into the fact that he had been previously? a reporter continued.

Yesterday and today he was not on oxygen, said Conley.

That statement is contradicted by his Sunday statement that the president was put on oxygen Friday morning.

White House physician Sean Conley answers questions surrounded by other doctors, during an update on the condition of President Donald Trump at Walter Reed Medical Center on Sunday

HOW CAN DOCTORS PLAN TRUMP'S RELEASE WHEN HE IS ON A STEROID USED FOR VENTILATOR PATIENTS IN ICU AND REMDESEVIR, WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO BE TAKEN IN HOSPITAL ONLY?

Garibaldi said the president 'continues to look and feel as well as he does today, our hope is to plan for a discharge as early as tomorrow.' But what hasn't been clarified is how the president will continue his treatment of drugs that are usually only given in hospital settings. President Trump received a second dose of remdesvir, an antiviral drug given temporary FDA approval to treat severe cases of COVID, on Sunday, according to his medical team. The drug, which is injected in the arm, is only supposed to be given in a hospital setting. A typical course of it lasts five days. Additionally, the president's doctors said he received a first dose of dexamethasone, a steroid that has been found to significantly reduce the risk of death among patients who are on a ventilator.

DO WE KNOW THE FULL TRUTH ABOUT TRUMP'S HEALTH?

Among the questions not answered at the briefing about the president's health: how low did his blood oxygen levels go, does he show signs of pneumonia, does he have heart and lung damage, and is he in a negative pressure room. Additionally, Conley said the president's temperature was 'high' but did not say how high it went. When asked about President Trump's oxygen levels, Conley said: 'It was below 94%. It wasn't the low 80s or anything.' He was asked about any damage to the president's heart or lungs, which can happen to COVID patients, but only said it was being tracked. 'There's some expected findings but nothing of any major clinical concern,' Conley said. He declined to answer several specific questions on the president's health and about his treatment, including whether Trump was in a negative pressure room, which can help combat the spread of COVID. 'I'm not going to get into the specifics of his care,' Conley said. The White House still hasn't answered when the president last tested negative for COVID.

HAVE DOCTORS TOLD THE TRUTH ALL ALONG?

Conley was asked why he and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows gave different pictures of the president's health on Saturday with Conley painting a positive picture and Meadows saying the president went through a 'very concerning' period. 'I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude of the team, that the president, that his course of illness has had,' Conley said. He added that he 'didn't want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction. And in doing so, came off like we're trying to hide something, which wasn't necessarily true.' Dr. Conley grinned on Saturday as he repeatedly said Trump as 'not on oxygen now.' Pressed repeatedly about the president ever having had it he said: 'Thursday, no oxygen, none at this moment, and yesterday with the team, while we were all here, he was not on oxygen.' About an hour later the New York Times and Associated Press reported Trump was given oxygen at the White House residence. There has been no official denial or confirmation but Dr. Conley had left that possibility open. Why he would not confirm it is unknown.

HAS THE PRESIDENT OR ANYONE ELSE ORDERED DOCTORS NOT TO BE FULLY TRANSPARENT?

This is simply unknown. Dr. Conley has never spoken to reporters before Saturday, and read initially from a prepared statement on both Saturday and Sunday. He has had lengthy time with the president and as a patient, the president has veto over any aspect of revealing his medical information, such as when and how he was diagnosed, his use of oxygen and his maximum temperature. Also present at Walter Reed is Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff. He does not formally control Dr. Conley who is in the military chain of command, but is a member of the Cabinet and would be seen as having authority to act on the president's behalf to control the release of information.

Dr. Brian Garibaldi said President Trump may be able to return to the White House on Monday

WHAT TEMPERATURE DID THE PRESIDENT'S FEVER SPIKE AT?

This simple question was not answered. On Sunday, Dr. Conley said Trump had a 'high' fever but did not say what it was. It is a crucial clinical indication but all Dr. Conley would say on Saturday is that he had been fever-free for 24 hours - since Friday morning. A Vanity Fair report said it reaches 103F on Friday early in the morning.

DOES THE PRESIDENT HAVE HEART OR LUNG DAMAGE?

Dr. Conley was asked about heart and lung damage, which can happen to COVID patients, but said it was being tracked. 'There's some expected findings but nothing of any major clinical concern,' Conley said. On Saturday, he said: 'We're following all of that. We do daily ultrasounds. We do daily lab work. The team is tracking all of that.' But that does not say if there is any damage to his lungs.' He simply ignored a question about Trump's heart.

DO WE KNOW EVERY DRUG OR TREATMENT HE HAS TAKEN?

The White House in two statements has detailed drugs Trump has been given. On Friday's afternoon it said he was given the experimental Regeneron antibody 'cocktail' as well as zinc, Vitamin D and the histamine-blocker famotidine. Then late on Friday night a statement from Dr. Conley said he had been given the antiviral Remdesvir and, on Sunday, doctors said Trump received a second dose. Additionally, Dr. Brian Garibaldi said Trump received a first dose of dexamethasone, a steroid, on Saturday. Trump previously took hydroxychloroquine in late May and early June despite its use at the time being at best questionable and at worst risky. In June Dr. Conley said Trump takes three daily drugs: 40mg of Rosuvastatin, a statin; 1mg of finasteride, the hair-loss drug generally marketed as Propecia; and 81mg of aspirin.

DO WE KNOW ALL THE PRESIDENT'S UNDERYING CONDITIONS?

We do not know if we do. The last medical report in June said he was clinically obsess but had health cholesterol, resting heart rate and blood pressure., normal kidney, liver and thyroid function, normal blood count and normal Vitamin V12 and Vitamin D levels. But the White House has never explained fully his mystery trip to Walter Reed in November 2019 when Mike Pence was told to be on 'standby' to assume the powers of the presidency. Since then Trump's struggle to walk down a ramp at West Point and his strange drinking of water with two hands has been the subject of widespread speculation about cognitive issues. He has denied having 'a series of mini-strokes' in an angry tweet but his physician has never fully addressed the visit or his cognitive state.

WHO IS TREATING THE PRESIDENT?

His treatment is being led by Dr. Sean Conley, who introduced other Walter Reed staff  including pulmonary specialists  and Dr. Brian Garibaldi who has been brought in from Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. But the White House has not answered questions on the names of his full team. It has also not said if he or Dr. Conley have consulted other doctors on the coronavirus task force including Dr. Tony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx, both renowned specialists. And it has not said if he has consulted Dr. Scott Atlas the controversial member of the taskforce who has spoken in favour of 'herd immunity' and minimized the importance of masks, and been called an 'outlier' who gives 'bad information' by Dr. Fauci. Also unaddressed is whether Dr. Conley has reached out to Admiral Ronny Jackson, Trump's last White House doctor. He quit after his nomination to run Veterans Affairs was withdrawn and an investigation opened into whether he was drunk on the job and gave out prescription drugs to staffers, earning the nickname 'Candyman.' He had previously claimed the president could 'live to 200.' On Friday he tweeted that the president was 'asymptomatic' which quickly became plainly untrue. He is running for Congress as a Republican and it is unclear if he retains a medical registration.

WHEN PRECISELY WAS HE DIAGNOSED WITH COVID-19?

We still do not know. We now have had three different versions of when Trump was diagnosed from the White House, ranging from Wednesday morning to Friday at 1am. The White House has also not said what 'diagnosed' means  it could mean spotting clinical symptoms or testing positive.

The White House first announced Donald Trump's positive test result  and that of the first lady  at 1am EST on Friday morning. But Dr. Sean Conley said on Saturday morning just before midday that the president was ' 72 hours into the diagnosis.' That would mean he was diagnosed with COVID on Wednesday and as early as Wednesday morning  after he returned from the presidential debate with joe Biden and before he took part in a White House South lawn event then flew to Minnesota for an indoors fundraiser and outdoors rally. Dr. Conley then offered a different version saying that on Thursday afternoon 'we repeated testing' and Trump was given a PCR test  the most accurate kind because he 'gave a kind of clinical indication.' He did not say if that was before or after he flew to New Jersey for an indoors fundraiser. Trump himself told Sean Hannity shortly after 9pm that night that he was waiting for a test. After Conley spoke a White House source said 'on background': 'The doctor meant it's day 3, not yet 72hrs. Diagnosis made Thursday night.' Then in another turn, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany issued a written statement from Conley saying he 'incorrectly used the term 'seventy two hours' instead of 'day three' and 'forty eight hours' instead of 'day two.' He added that the first diagnosis was on 'Thursday evening.'

The White House on Saturday released a photo of President Donald Trump working in Walter Reed but still has not answered many questions about his health

WHEN PRECISELY WERE SYMPTOMS FIRST DETECTED AND WHEN PRECISELY WAS HE TESTED?

Again we do not know. There is no clarity over when Trump was last tested before his positive result. Dr. Conley repeated the White House claim that he is tested 'frequently' but did not say what that meant. They have never said if he was routinely given the less accurate Abbott Labs 15 minute test or the advanced OCR test.

When he arrived at Tuesday's presidential debate Trump was too late to be tested by the Cleveland Clinic. Moderator Chris Wallace said there was an 'honor system' for the candidates; Trump's team told the Debate Commission he was negative. That night he was said to have fallen asleep on Air Force One home from the presidential debate, in contrast to normally watching television and tweeting. But it is unknown if this was seen as a possible symptom at the time.

Dr. Conley initially said Trump was diagnosed '72 hours' before the Saturday statement which would mean Wednesday morning.

Trump then went to Minnesota on Wednesday for a fundraiser and a rally, where he spoke for 45 minutes, far less than his usual performances of more than an hour. It is unknown if this was treated as a symptom. Hope Hicks' positive result came on Thursday morning but nobody has said if Trump was tested as soon as it was given or if it was until late Thursday afternoon that he was given a full nasal swab.

DID HE GO TO ANY EVENTS WHEN DOCTORS SUSPECTED HE WAS UNWELL OR HAD BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH CLINICAL SYMPTOMS OF COVID?

The White House doctors and series of statements offer no insight into when Trump first felt unwell; when anyone suspected he was unwell; when he was first tested; and if a doctor had seen clinical signs of COVID before he was nasally swabbed. That means that Trump could have gone to any or all of a Minnesota fundraiser and rally; a White House South Lawn event; and a New Jersey fundraiser with doctors suspecting he had COVID or even having tested him for it.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut Sunday likened the Hathras incident in Uttar Pradesh, wherein a 19-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped and killed, to atrocities being committed against Hindu girls in Pakistan.

In a write-up in the party mouthpiece Saamana, Raut also took a veiled jibe at actress Kangana Ranaut over her Mumbai-Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) remark wondering why nobody has called Hathras a Pakistan yet.

The Hathras victim was not a celebrity and she was not on drugs. She did not have any illegal construction (built by) spending crores of rupees. She was a simple girl whose dead body was illegally burnt in the dead of the night. All this happened in Yogi's (Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanaths) Ramrajya (concept of ideal rule).

We hear that such incidents happen in Pakistan where Hindu girls are kidnapped, raped and murdered. What happened in Hathras was no different. So far no one has called Hathras a Pakistan," he said in his weekly column Rokhthok.

Raut said that identity of a rape victim should never be revealed, but a photograph of the Hathras victim in a hospital was circulated. Those who supported Kangana Ranaut's baseless comments against Mumbai and Maharashtra and demanded justice for her when her illegal construction was pulled down (by the Mumbai civic body last month), are now silent and have become invisible when it comes to demanding justice for the Hathras victim, he wrote.

He questioned the silence of National Commission for Womens chairperson Rekha Sharma, who had filed a case against Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik for his remarks against Ranaut, in the Hathras case.

Has justice eluded the Hathras victim because she was a Dalit?" Raut asked. He also criticised Union minister and Dalit leader Ramdas Athawale for keeping mum on the case.

"The Dalit movement and Ambedkar thoughts have been destroyed," he said.

Raut said 12,257 incidents of gang-rape have taken reported in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh from 2014 to 2019, but justice is given considering caste, religion and political affiliations.

If a Hathras-like incident had taken place in Maharashtra, demands would have been raised for dismissal of the state government and for imposition of President's rule, he added.

(This story has not been edited by www.republicworld.com and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Perhaps it's time for Prince Harry to head back to the UK after being in the US for seven months.

He and his wife, Meghan Markle, along with their son, Archie, purchase a Californian mansion for $14 million in May after leaving a rented mansion in Vancouver Islands, Canada, in March.

Before purchasing their home, the couple reportedly stayed at producer's Tyler Perry Beverly Hills mansion in March and only moved to their new place in May.

As of writing, the Duke of Sussex has been in the US for at least 152 days. If it reaches 183 days, the 36-year-old may be legally liable to start paying for his taxes there.

Top Los Angeles lawyer David Holtz assumed that the Internal Revenue Service is looking at the Brit "very closely."

"This is a big deal," he added. "If Harry's been in the US for 183 days straight, then he's done. But it is safe to assume they have had lawyers and tax experts grinding away on this issue for months."

Prince Harry is facing to pay both US federal and Californian state taxes under the "substantial presence test" that demands any foreigner who stays in the country for 183 days in three years to start paying US taxes on their worldwide earnings.

Not only is the dad-of-one paying a "monumental amount" for his taxes, but this could also open an investigation for the Royal Family, as the IRS wants to know all of the Prince's sources of income.

It won't just be his Netflix deal or speaking engagements. This includes monetary allowances from Prince Charles, trust funds, savings accounts, or assets in the UK.

"That includes paying gift tax on any monetary gifts he received from Prince Charles, and he will have to show any other source of income, including trust funds set up after the death of Princess Diana."

"That means the Royal books will be open to scrutiny. The US taxman is far more zealous than his UK counterpart," another accountant said.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will reportedly earn $1 million for each speech; their deal with the streaming giant is worth to be $3 million to $5 million annually.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have an estimated net worth of $24 million.

Another critical factor is the type of visa Prince Harry used to enter the US. Since he is not using a diplomatic visa, he will be liable for the same taxes in the US as everybody else.

Meanwhile, Meghan Markle's tax-paying duties still haven't changed, as she is still a US taxpayer.

News of Prince Harry's monumental US taxes comes after a former head army issued a public plea for the Duke of Sussex to go home to the UK.

According to General Richard Dannatt, veterans will lose out because Prince Harry decided to quit royal life and move to the US with Meghan Markle and Archie.

The General believes that it is a shame that Prince Harry is no longer connected to the arm forces charities, Invictus Games, to help injured or troubled veterans.

READ MORE: Prince Harry Criticizes UK for Being Racist; Thanks Meghan Markle for Educating Him
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra Government has issued COVID-19 safety guidelines for restaurants and other eateries which have been allowed to reopen from October 5. Although the state government has extended the coronavirus-induced lockdown till October 31. "Hotels, food courts and restaurants can operate from Monday at 50 per cent of their seating capacity," Maharashtra government said.

1) As per the safety guidelines issued by the Maharashtra government, customers should be screened at the entry point for coronavirus symptoms such as high temperature, cough, and cold.

2) Only asymptomatic customers will be allowed inside hotels, food courts and restaurants.

3) As per the guidelines, face masks will be mandatory, except while eating.

4) Customers must follow social distancing while waiting for service.

5) Hand sanitizers must be made available.

6) Payment through digital mode should be encouraged while precautions should be taken during cash transactions.

7) Rest rooms and hand-wash areas must be cleaned regularly.

8) Plexiglass screens or similar barriers must be erected at counters where interactions with customers occur frequently, the guidelines said.

9) There should be separate entry and exit points.

10) CCTV cameras on the premises must be fully functional.

11) Only cooked food should be included in the menu and raw or cold food like salads should be avoided, the guidelines said.

12) Furniture should be disinfected on a daily basis, the guidelines added.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra's total Covid-19 tally stands at 14,30,861, state health department said. 37,758 people have succumbed to the deadly virus till date in the state. 11,34,555 people have recovered from Covid-19, as per the state health department data.

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The 7th India-China corps commanders meet will take place on October 12 and it is expected that during the meeting the two sides will not only take stock of the situation on the ground but also discuss on steps taken for de-escalation by the Chinese side.

The 6th round of Indian and Chinese Senior Commanders took place on September 21 after which both sides issued a joint statement. The statement called for "earnestly" implementing the "important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries" and among other things "stop sending more troops to the frontline".

Last week, the 19th round of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMMC) talks between India and China happened in which both sides agreed to strengthen communication between ground commanders at Line of Actual Control to "avoid misunderstandings and to maintain stability on the ground."

A statement by the Ministry of External Affairs on the meet said both sides "noted that the agreement between the two Foreign Ministers should be sincerely implemented to ensure disengagement at all the friction points along the LAC."

Live TV

While this was the 5th WMCC meet between the two sides since the Galwan incident in June, the meet happened in the backdrop of two important meetings - the first in-person meeting between foreign ministers of two countries which happened in Moscow and 6th corps commanders meet.

The Moscow foreign-ministers pact called for the easing tensions via dialogue, disengagement and maintain a proper distance between troops at Line of Actual Control.
Radio hams team up with Scouts for JOTA News Dakota reports the Jamestown Amateur Radio Club will be teaming up with Scouts BSA Troop 5555 to host the Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) on October 17



Jamboree on the Air is the largest Scouting event in the world. Held anually on the third full weekend in October, JOTA uses amateur radio to link Scouts and hams around the world, around the nation, and in the community.



[It] is one of World Scoutings longest-running global events dating back more than 60 years to 1958, Amateur radio operator Doreen Eckman states. The digital educational event has seen steady annual growth in participation over the years and with a focus on the future aims to reach millions of more participants in the years to come.



The local jamboree will be held on Saturday, October 17th from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM at Gussner School. All scouts are welcome and will be able to receive their Radio Merit Badge. The public is also welcome to see the event.



The use of amateur-radio techniques offers an extra educational dimension for Scouts, Eckmann adds. Many grasp the opportunity to discover the world of wireless radio techniques and electronics. Thousands of volunteer radio amateurs assist the Scouts over the JOTA weekend with their knowledge, equipment and enthusiasm.



Source News Dakota

https://www.newsdakota.com/2020/09/28/amateur-radio-club-hosting-jamboree-on-the-air/
Japanese fashion designer Kenzo Takada dies from COVID-19 FILE PHOTO: Japanese designer Kenzo poses for the media in front of his works at an art gallery in Buenos Aires

By Sarah White

PARIS (Reuters) - Japanese fashion designer Kenzo Takada, better known as Kenzo, who created his label in Paris in the 1970s, died on Sunday, the brand that still carries his name said.

Aged 81, Takada died of complications linked to COVID-19 at the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a residential suburb on the western outskirts of the capital, his spokesman told French media.

Known for his colourful motifs and original silhouettes, which mixed inspirations from Japan, such as the kimono, with other cuts, Takada also branched into perfumes and skincare lines, helping his business boom.

He had retired from his eponymous label several decades ago, however, after selling it to LVMH <LVMH.PA>, the world's biggest luxury group, in the early 1990s.

Kenzo has since had several other creative directors, while Takada maintained close links to the world of fashion but explored other areas of design, including furniture.

Confirming his death in a statement on Instagram, the Kenzo brand paid tribute to his use of colour, and said the label was still inspired by his zest for life and optimism.

Takada, who has described how he first reached France via a long boat journey in the mid-1960s, was known an avid traveller, and played with a mix of cultural inspirations in his designs.

A New York Times review of one of Takada's early fashion shows in 1973 hailed an "ethnic mishmash that was joyous and full of fun", describing him as "one of the most imaginative designers in the world".

Takada, who has also designed opera costumes, started out with a small store in Paris before soon reaching star status, and remained in his adopted city. His contemporaries in a thriving period for Parisian fashion included Jean Paul Gaultier and Yves Saint Laurent.

"Paris is mourning one of its sons today," Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said on Twitter.

LVMH's Chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault said in a statement that Kenzo had "infused into fashion a tone of poetic lightness and sweet freedom which inspired many designers after him".

Story continues

Ralph Toledano, chairman of France's fashion federation, credited Takada with contributing to writing "a new page in fashion, at the confluence of the East and the West".

Takada early this year launched a new venture in Paris, a home and lifestyle brand called K3, in collaboration with other designers.

(Reporting by Mathieu Rosemain, Nicolas Delame and Sarah White; Editing by Giles Elgood, Frances Kerry and Barbara Lewis)
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I was lost in the moment  hypnotised by the Pearl of Dorset twinkling gently in the gloaming.

From my breathtaking vantage point my gaze drifted along the beach, past the pastel-coloured beach huts to the small harbour and the 13th-century Cobb that Meryl Streep stood dramatically at the end of in The French Lieutenant's Woman, putting Lyme Regis on the map for good.

Bliss had enveloped me. And for that I had David, the impressive general manager of the Rock Point Inn, where I was staying, to thank (ok, plus a glass or two of lovely rose).

The Rock Point Inn - an 18th-century tavern with rooms in Lyme Regis that the St Austell Brewery spent millions refurbishing

Ted's deluxe king bedroom. The two chairs by the feature window mean guests can gaze upon the seascape and the Pearl of Dorset's charms in comfort

The Lyme Regis Cobb features on the poster for The French Lieutenant's Woman

He told me he'd spotted that two chairs placed by the long sea-view window of our top-floor deluxe king/twin room were a bit too low for gazing activities.

He had them replaced with higher chairs - and now my partner and I were reaping the rewards.

I would recommend booking this room at the Rock Point Inn for the window-chair set-up alone.

But just in case that doesn't do the trick, and since the St Austell Brewery, which owns it, went to the trouble of spending millions to restore this enticing 18th-century seafront tavern, which reopened in July, I'll reveal a bit more about it  and the delightful town it's located in.

My stay, with my partner and three-year-old daughter, was something of a nostalgia trip.

My dearly departed nan used to live in Axminster, just a few miles inland, and a visit to Lyme Regis was a highly anticipated annual family outing in the 70s and 80s.

I remember loving the cute harbour and majestic Cobb, but most of all the calm swimmable bay and golden sand that forms a perfect arc in front of the town's quaint buildings.

In my mind's eye, in later years, the town always had a halo around it.

And what I found down memory lane was, thankfully, still utterly charming.

We strolled around the harbour  unchanged to my eye - and watched its contingent of small yachts and fishing boats bob in the water, sandcastles were erected on those golden grains and fish and chips from a gem of a seafront takeaway called Herbies were munched on the beach as we gawped at the dramatic fossil-rich cliffs that march eastward to Weymouth.

Lyme Regis, you see, sits on the Jurassic Coast  a stunning 96-mile-long Unesco Heritage Site stuffed with dinosaur remains.

The sizeable standalone bathtub in Ted's bedroom on the top floor of the Rock Point

The deluxe king's ensuite features classic sideways tiling and a rainshower, plus a smattering of exposed beam action

The bar at the Rock Point, an inn with nine rooms located mere seconds from the beach

And its major claim to fame is that Mary Anning, born there in 1799, discovered nearby the skull, with the help of her brother, of one of the first dinosaur fossils to be described by science, according to the Jurassic Coast Trust. It was named an ichthyosaur, and Mary went on to form an international reputation as a fossil hunter.

(So more accurately Meryl Streep put Lyme Regis back on the map.)

With memory lane ticked off, it was time to inspect our lodgings  via the nearby Seriously Good Wine Company shop for rose acquisition.

The Rock Point Inn, a pub with nine rooms, occupies quite an eye-opening spot  at the mouth of the Lym River and probably just 25 footsteps from the beach.

The Cobb has served as a breakwater in Lyme Regis since 1313. According to lymeregis.org, the earliest known drawing of it dates to 1539

This picture was taken from just in front of the Rock Point Inn, looking towards the harbour and Cobb and the neighbouring sandy section of beach, which can just be made out on the far right

The pretty harbour is a top spot for a gentle stroll. And it's here you'll find the town's excellent aquarium

FROM THE DOG THAT INSPIRED HOLLYWOOD'S LASSIE TO THE JANE AUSTEN CONNECTION: LYME REGIS THROUGH THE YEARS The town was mentioned in the Domesday Book and received a Royal Charter from King Edward I in 1284. A post box dating back to between 1799 and 1853 can be found on Coombe Street. It's one of the oldest in the country. Survivors from the torpedoed battleship HMS Formidable came ashore in 1915 in lifeboats and were taken to the Pilot Boat Hotel. The landlord's dog, Lassie, is said to have licked one unresponsive sailor back to life. Lassie went on to become a celebrity and is said to be the inspiration for the Hollywood hound. Jane Austen stayed in the town in 1803 and 1804 and partly set her last great novel, Persuasion, in it. Mary Anning, born there in 1799, discovered nearby the skull, with the help of her brother, of one of the first dinosaur fossils to be described by science. J R R Tolkien stayed in the town's former Three Cups Hotel. Beatrix Potter once stayed in Lyme Regis and is thought to have checked into what is now the Mariners Hotel. While there she worked on The Tale of Little Pig Robinson and made several sketches of the town. The Cobb has served as a breakwater in Lyme Regis since 1313. According to lymeregis.org, the earliest known drawing of it dates to 1539. The town was given a Victorian makeover for the shooting of The French Lieutenant's Woman. Advertisement

Sturdy defences spare it from the wrath of stormy seas, but in days of yore its south-facing wall was the defence.

So it was built fortress-thick.

During the refurbishment it was decided that a big window should go in it  and it took workmen six days to cut a hole in the stonework.

But they left plenty of time in the schedule, it seems, for reworking the rest of the interior, which is homely from top to bottom.

Our boutique-y bedroom  'No7' - was wonderfully inviting. Big, with a vaulted ceiling, but still cosy, thanks to a huge comfy bed with multiple pillows and cushions, exposed beams and soothing pastel tones.

An impressively swish ensuite offered up classic sideways tiling, a rainshower and gigantic standalone tub.

And let's award bonus points for the nautically themed balustrade and stair handrail made from thick rope and handily placed plug sockets  by the bed on both sides and by the sea-view window, to eliminate the possibility of a dying battery thwarting a quick Instagram upload.

The view from the cute beach huts towards the Rock Point Inn, which is lost here in the glare of the rising sun

The Rock Point Inn has a superb terrace area from which you can munch comfort food and stare at the seascape

Ted had a peek into a few of the other rooms while they were being cleaned - and was impressed

Ted's room isn't the only one that affords guests the chance to gaze upon the glistening sea in comfort

Ted says that the only slight wobble was the food - but partly because the rooms set the bar so high. Pictured left is his full English and right his burger and fries. Both tasty and comforting, but standard, he says, compared to the gourmet accommodation

We had a peek at a few of the other rooms while they were being cleaned  Guncliff, Lynch and Somers  and they were smaller, but similarly beguiling.

Downstairs David and his consistently chirpy, helpful and efficient team ensure you always feel looked after and there are more sea views to be lapped up on the terrace, where we had breakfast. Come winter, the bar room with the new window will become the prime spot I'd imagine, thanks to its wood-burning stove.

The only slight wobble was the dining, but partly because the rooms set the bar so high.

I had a comforting burger with fries for dinner with a good French red wine (Chateau Sergant) and a tasty, nicely presented full English the next day. But there was no wow factor - standard fare compared to the gourmet accommodation.

All the same, we have vowed to return to the Rock Point Inn - a pub that definitely brightens the Lyme Regis halo.
CHICAGO - The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) today presented Robert D. Sanders, B.Sc., M.B.B.S., Ph.D., F.R.C.A., with its 2020 James E. Cottrell Presidential Scholar Award in recognition of his outstanding work in anesthesia and translational research. His research is vast and diverse and, in its entirety, has significantly improved the understanding of how anesthesia impacts the brain. The award is presented annually to an ASA member who has dedicated their formative career to research.

Dr. Sanders is Nuffield Chair of Anaesthetics at Sydney Medical School/Central Clinical School and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Australia. Previously, he was assistant professor and chair of Research and Development in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Wisconsin (UW), Madison, where his research attracted more than $5.6 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

In his neuroscience research program at UW, Dr. Sanders' research focused on the mechanisms behind delirium and cognitive decline and the changes in sensory perception and consciousness under anesthesia. His research is improving outcomes for elderly patients because it identifies factors that can be used to identify patients at high risk for delirium, who should receive additional attention before surgery, in hopes of reducing their morbidity and mortality. Dr. Sanders' research is also informing physicians on the physiological processes that are the basis for perioperative delirium and cognitive decline with the aim of developing novel therapeutics for these conditions.

Prior to moving to Wisconsin, Dr. Sanders studied and practiced in London, where he contributed to diverse research on cognitive function. He led multiple projects involving anesthetics such as xenon and dexmedetomidine, using them to address neuroprotection and neurotoxicity. Perhaps of most significance, he investigated the impact of surgery on patients' long-term cognitive health, which has provided great insight to anesthesia professionals.

"I congratulate Dr. Sanders on earning this well-deserved honor," said ASA President Mary Dale Peterson, M.D., MSHCA, FACHE, FASA. "His inquisitive spirit and persistence have opened doors for improving outcomes for patients at risk for delirium and cognitive decline, a significant issue for the many elderly patients undergoing surgery. He carries the passion he has for his research into his work as a mentor for junior faculty, residents, graduate students and undergraduates."

Dr. Sanders received his doctorate in biological sciences from Imperial College London in England and completed his residency in anesthesia at London's Imperial School of Anaesthesia. Following his residency, he began working as an assistant professor at UW.

With his outstanding dedication to academia, Dr. Sanders has had more than 40 peer-reviewed articles published during the past five years, and received a Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award and three research project grants from the National Institutes of Health. In addition to and as a result of these achievements, he was awarded the 2020 Royal College of Anaesthetists Macintosh Professorship.

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THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS

Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific society with more than 54,000 members organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology. ASA is committed to ensuring physician anesthesiologists evaluate and supervise the medical care of patients before, during and after surgery to provide the highest quality and safest care every patient deserves.

For more information on the field of anesthesiology, visit the American Society of Anesthesiologists online at asahq.org. To learn more about the role physician anesthesiologists play in ensuring patient safety, visit asahq.org/WhenSecondsCount. Join the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2020 social conversation today. Like ASA on Facebook, follow ASALifeline on Twitter and use the hashtag #ANES20.
Married At First Sight star Jules Robinson has shared the first photo of her newborn son, Oliver Chase Merchant.

The 37-year-old welcomed her first child with husband Cameron Merchant on Saturday, posting a video of the birth and the little boy's finger clutching her own.

And on Sunday, Jules was ready to show off the new arrival to the world, cradling her tiny son in a sweet Instagram photo taken in hospital.

Mama bear: Married At First Sight star Jules Robinson (pictured) has shared the first photo of her newborn son, Oliver Chase Merchant. She posed in a blue shirt with gold lettering reading 'mama lioness' across the front, as she sat in a hospital bed, staring down lovingly at Oliver

The redhead posed in a pastel blue T-shirt with gold lettering reading 'mama lioness' across the front, as she sat in a hospital bed, staring down lovingly at Oliver.

At her feet sat a sign which read: 'Welcome to the world baby cub Oliver Chase Merchant'.

Jules captioned the adorable photo: 'Hear me roar. #mamalionessandhercub #proudmumma #newborn'.

On Saturday, Jules shared an emotion-filled video of her birthing experience before confirming their son's arrival.

He's here! On Saturday, Jules announced the birth of her baby boy Oliver in a sweet Instagram video. Pictured with husband Cameron Merchant

'I would do it a thousand times again for you Oliver Chase Merchant. Our little man has arrived,' she gushed.

'Surprise, it's a boy, healthy and beautiful and my heart is full. We are home now and enjoying the love bubble and getting to know our lil (sic) man Ollie who has the world ahead of him.'

The heartwarming footage showed Jules and her husband, 36, dancing next to her hospital bed - with Cam sweetly stroking his wife's body as she prepared to go into labour.

Adorable! Jules confirmed the little one's arrival with a sweet image of his tiny hand against hers

The short clip then cut to the arrival of their baby boy, showing a tiny little hand clinging on to his mum as she recovered in hospital.

Proud new dad Cameron shared a picture of himself holding his son's hand shortly after the birth, praising 'amazing' Jules in the process.

'Hold on tight little one. This thing called life is an amazing ride,' he said. 'So thankful to welcome a healthy and gorgeous little Oliver Chase Merchant into our lives.

'What an incredible experience and one that I will never forget. Mum was amazing throughout and doing well and I'm not sure I can describe the love I have and so thankful to hold your little hand throughout.'

So sweet: Proud new dad Cameron later shared a picture of himself holding his son's hand shortly after the birth, praising 'amazing' Jules in the process

There was speculation their newborn had arrived yesterday, after Cameron was seen bringing a number of supplies to the Sydney hospital where Jules is currently a patient.

After her Instagram announcement, Jules also gushed about the new arrival on her new 'mummy blog' Instagram page, Baby Cub and Lady Lumps.

She shared a picture which read: 'Welcome to the world baby cub. Oliver Chase Merchant.'

She captioned the snap: 'Babycub has a name! I couldn't love you anymore lil Ollie.'

Over the moon: Jules also announced the news on her new 'mummy blog' Instagram page, Baby Cub and Lady Lumps

The happy couple announced they were expecting their first child in April, via a spread in Stellar Magazine.

Jules had initially said her little one was supposed to be due last Friday.

The popular reality star had always been open and honest with fans during her baby journey, most recently said she was 'struggling to walk' late last month after gaining 17.5kg during her pregnancy.

Love: Jules and her husband Cameron met on season six of Married At First Sight. They were legally married in November 2019, airing their wedding day on A Current Affair

Jules and her husband Cameron met on season six of Channel Nine's Married At First Sight, which was filmed in late 2018 to early 2019.

They were legally married in November 2019, airing their wedding day on A Current Affair.

It was reported the couple recently bought a $1.8million property on Sydney's Northern Beaches.
A dad is fighting for his life after suffering a very rare brain bleed on the first day of his familys holiday.

Rob Turner, who runs a family-owned construction company in North Queensland with his wife Gabrielle, and the couples three children, aged 5, 3 and nine months, travelled to Karumba last month for their once-a-year trip.

After arriving on September 24, the family were setting off for the day when the 37-year-old suddenly fell extremely ill, family friend Caitlin Francis said in a GoFundMe fundraiser.

They were all in the car together when Mr Turner felt a severe pain in his head and stopped the vehicle.

Rob Turner, his wife Gabrielle, and the couples three children, travelled to Karumba last month for their once-a-year trip. Source: Turner family

As soon as he opened the door and stepped out, the builder collapsed and became paralysed.

A terrified Gabrielle called for help and the dad was airlifted to Townsville Hospital and placed in intensive care, Ms Francis said.

Doctors soon discovered an Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) located deep in Mr Turners brain.

AVM is an abnormal tangle of blood vessels connecting arteries and veins, which disrupts normal blood flow and oxygen circulation, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Brain surgery is now considered too high of a risk considering its location, Gabrielle told Yahoo News Australia in a statement on Friday.

Doctors are working to prevent another brain bleed so he can undergo surgery in Brisbane in a few months, she said.

Mr Turner will have to undergo up to 18 months of rehab. Source: Turner family

In the meantime, he will be monitored in hospital and begin speech and occupational therapy.

Since his condition is still unfolding, its estimated he will have to undergo up to 18 months of rehab and recovery.

The last few days have changed the future of our family, Gabrielle said.

One thing that is certain is that we will never take another day for granted. It is overwhelming to think Rob has been a ticking time bomb since he was born and we didnt even know.

Since his condition is still unfolding, its believed he will have to undergo up to 18 months of rehab and recovery. Source: Turner family

The family is now facing financial difficulties because they are unable to operate their business while Mr Turner is unwell and have had to relocate from Atherton in the Tablelands to Townsville.

Story continues

Rob is a down-to-earth, generous and hardworking man who adores his wife and children, Ms Francis wrote in the fundraiser.

It is vital to his proper recovery that his family are taken care of, so that he does not face further stress and can focus on getting better.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
M ary Berry will be made a dame in the forthcoming Queens Birthday Honours list, it has been reported.

The 85-year-old former Great British Bake Off judge has been marked out for the honour after six decades of cookery broadcasting and writing, The Sunday Telegraph said.

The paper said the honours list will also including medical workers, fundraisers and volunteers who have been involved in the response to the coronavirus.

The list was finalised before the pandemic took root in Britain, but was postponed from June until this coming week in order to include people involved in the battle against Covid-19.

Mary Berry said her cooking habits have changed during lockdown / Getty Images

Mrs Berry, who received a CBE eight years ago for services to culinary arts, has written more than 70 cookbooks.

She revealed her kitchen habits had changed during lockdown while living with her husband Paul, who she has been married to since 1966.

"My cookings changed considerably because theres only been two of us," she said speaking last month.

"And I know exactly that its just two of us every week, so I dont need any spare food for people who drop in.

"I didnt use an awful lot of tinned food  I used my freezer as my store cupboard. I made things like fish cakes  we love fish cakes  and I did batches of minced beef and a fairly basic sauce, so I could take that out of the freezer and turn it into something with pasta, or into cottage and shepherds pies."
Manchester United were humiliated 6-1 at Old Trafford by Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, thanks to goals from Heung-Min Son (brace), Harry Ka...

Manchester United were humiliated 6-1 at Old Trafford by Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, thanks to goals from Heung-Min Son (brace), Harry Kane (brace), Tungay Ndombele and Serge Aurier.





The Red Devils conceded four first half goals for the first time in English Premier League (EPL) history, while it was also the first time in nine years that United would concede six times in the league, following defeat via a similar scoreline at the hands of Manchester City in October 2011.

Man United got the perfect start with a penalty in the first minute when Anthony Martial was brought down by Davinson Sanchez, and Bruno Fernandes stroked in the spotkick for a 1-0 lead.

Tottenham, however, responded with two goals in three minutes as they were heavily helped by atrocious defending from Manchester Uniteds comical defenders led by the shambolic Harry Maguire.





The club captain and England international failed to clear an innocuous ball which was picked up by Ndombele who smashed in the loose ball from four yards out for 1-1 in the fourth minutes.

Tottenham took the lead through Heung-Min Son. The on-form South Korean striker latched onto Kanes quick free kick that caught Man Uniteds defence unawares and clinically dispatched his shot past David de Gea.

It went from bad to worse for Ole Gunnar Solskjaers men who had Anthony Martial sent off for retaliation, after the French striker was provoked by Erik Lamela, with the Argentine midfielder falling like a pack of cards from the slightest touch.





Jose Mourinhos team fully capitalised with two more goals before the interval, with Kane pouncing on further comical approach in defence to steal the ball off Eric Bailly, exchange passes with Son before burying his shot into the bottom corner.

Son completed his brace six minutes later when he buried Serge Auriers cross at the near post for 4-1 lead to Tottenham at the interval.

The North London side continued from where they left off, scoring their fifth goal six minutes after the interval through Aurier. The Ivorian, who totally dominated the right flank, was found in the area and his drilled flew across Uniteds keeper for 5-1.

Uninspired and putting in one of their worst performance in years, Man United folded and Paul Pogba brought down Ben Davies to gift Tottenham a penalty kick that Harry Kane dispatched for his second goal of the match.

RESULTS

Arsenal 2-1 Sheffield United

Leicester 0-3 West Ham United

Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 Fulham FC

Southampton 2-0 West Bromwich Albion
A memorial plaque, inscribed with the names of David, Patrick and Statia Clancy, was erected recently at Upper Cush Cross, Kilfinane on the land once farmed by the Clancy family.

The erection of the plaque was organised by local men, Patrick McGrath and Robert OSullivan, in recognition of the sacrifices made by the Clancys during the revolutionary period. The plaque is mounted on a slab of local sandstone and the surrounding stone walls were constructed by stonemason, Michael Fitzgerald.

In May 1919, after the momentous events at Knocklong Station the Clancy familys farmhouse in Cush was one of the two local safe houses in which the rescued Sean Hogan was hidden. His wounded companions received medical care there before the party was moved to West Limerick. In February 1921 the same Clancy home was burned down by the military in reprisal for the burning of a British military plane in nearby Bosnetstown.

David Clancy (known as Davy), an active member of Cush Company of Volunteers, participated in every military engagement in the area during the War of Independence. After the Treaty he took the Republican side and was interned for a period. He died in 1955 aged at 68 years.

Patrick Clancy, born in 1891, also took a very active part in the War of Independence until he met his untimely death on 16 August 1920. Earlier that year he had been among the group of untried Irish political prisoners detained in Wormwood Scrubs who succeeded in securing their own release by going on hunger strike. Along with Donnchadh O h-Annagain he is regarded as the originator of the scheme which grew into the East Limerick Flying Column. He served with that unit before taking up his position as Creamery Manager in Allensbridge near Kanturk.

He had just been selected to command the North Cork Flying Column of the IRA before he was fatally wounded while trying to escape from a British military raid in Derrygallon outside Kanturk.

The Clancy sisters, like their Cumann na mBan colleagues, carried dispatches, scouted and gathered intelligence, kept a safe house in readiness for Volunteers on the run and faced the constant threat of military raids on their home. In local memory Statia Clancy is regarded as a Constance Markievicz figure such was her involvement in the struggle for independence.

Like her brother and the majority of Cumann na mBan membership she opposed the Treaty. She was interned for seven months in 1923 by the Free State authorities for her Irregular activities and shortly after her release her health broke down and she died in 1928 at the age of 37 years.
Well-placed sources have told The Age and Sydney Morning Herald that Myer has an estimated 200 containers from overseas suppliers running late with deliveries due to weather conditions and other factors, including industrial action in Sydney ahead of the peak intake period for retailers as they ramp up for Christmas.

With retail industry speculation that Myer will struggle with supplies in the lead up to the Christmas season, things arent looking good for the department store chain.

But after Myer reported a $172 million loss for the year , combined with huge debts and a questionable strategy exacerbated by the global pandemic, Lew felt the need to get active.

When Solomon Lew sent a message to Myer chairman Garry Hounsell in 2017 saying this is round one, we are only getting started, he wouldnt have imagined that in 2020 he would need to re-enter the ring for another round.

For Myer this means a tight turnaround to get the stock unloaded, picked and onto the shelves in the lead up to Christmas. It will be an even tighter deadline to get merchandise ready for November's Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale frenzies.

Fewer supplies and fewer items in stock will likely mean a hit to Myer's sales over the critical trading period which will make it harder to service its $340 million in debt repayments, with $30 million due this financial year.

Some suppliers are so concerned about Myer's future they are reining in supplies and requesting it pay up within seven days of delivery. There is talk that some suppliers are losing their appetite to take orders and deliver in four to five months due to the outlook for the beleaguered department store, particularly when suppliers are unable to obtain trade credit insurance and its lenders hold security over the company's assets.

In response to a list of questions Myer said it was ramping up its stocks in preparation for Christmas "and do not envisage major issues with our planned stock for the upcoming Christmas period at this stage.

It said the delays to the 200 containers was inaccurate but was monitoring the issues associated with the Sydney industrial action. "We have had, and will continue to have, a steady flow of stock arriving over the coming weeks to support what is typically the peak intake period for a retailer as we ramp up for Christmas - and we do not envisage any major issues for this upcoming Christmas period at this stage.
Ex-MLA Rajvir Singh Pehalvan's son said the 'entire scenario' was being 'created to blame the govt'. He also accused the victim's family of 'changing their stand every now and then'

Lucknow/Hathras: Scores of people held a meeting on Sunday outside the house of a former BJP MLA in Hathras where they defended the accused in the alleged gangrape of a Dalit woman who later died, and demanded registration of an FIR against her family members.

Heavy police force was deployed in the vicinity of the residence of former BJP MLA Rajvir Singh Pehalvan, located around 8-9 kilometres from the victims village.

One of the organisers of the meeting and Pehalvans son Manveer Singh denied that the gathering comprised members from the upper caste community and said they were from different sections of society.

We welcome the CBI inquiry ordered by the Uttar Pradesh chief minister. We have faith in the investigation, Singh told PTI while claiming that the victims family members were "changing their stand".

"The entire scenario has been created to blame the government. The accused persons are in favour of any type of inquiry. But the victims are changing their stand every now and then. They do not want a narco test or a CBI probe. Now they want other kinds of inquiries, he claimed.

He said an FIR should be registered by police against the complainants in the case. "Our demand is that a case should be filed against those people who had filed the case in the first instance," he said.

The 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped by four upper caste men in Hathras on 14 September. She died on 29 September at Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital where she had been brought for treatment.

On Sunday, Singh also said various legal options were being explored to defend the accused in the case. He asserted that the arrest of some of the accused people from their homes was proof of their innocence.

Had they been guilty, they would have run away from their homes. Why would they be present in their homes, he said.

He also alleged that the Congress and the Samajwadi Party were trying to influence the victim's family as they wanted to the issue to linger on.

The meeting assumes significance as it was held a day after Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited the victims house and met her family members at a village in Hathras district, and the recommendation of a CBI probe by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The victim was cremated in the dead of the night near her home on Wednesday. Her family alleged that they were forced by the local police to hurriedly conduct her last rites. Local police officers, however, had said the cremation was carried out "as per the wishes of the family".
At a time the Nigerian literary scene is filled with booming young voices who are breaking boundaries as a strong force to reckon with, Olatunde Ojerinde, a graduate of Literature-in-English and English Language from Olabisi Onabanjo University and the University of Lagos respectively, is one of the few who are taking on the theatrical horn to voice their thoughts.

After years of sharing his writing with friends and family, he released his debut book in June this year. The book, Museum of Dreams, is an allegorical play that portrays Nigerian-specific anomalies mired in every class of the society.

The play, set in a fictional nation, Igeria (a possible spinoff from Nigeria), bares the frustrations of a working-class, the youth, who are caught up in a game of ethnoreligious sentiments that pose as barriers on their way to career fulfilment and self-actualisation.

They play this anomaly card regardless of the suitability of the candidates for any position.Out of frustrations, the dreams and lofty goals of dreamers turn mere ashes without any glimmer of hope in the offing, Babatunde Oyeyemi wrote in a review published on Nigerian Tribune.

In this interview with PREMIUM TIMES, the playwright throws some light on why revolution should be hinged on self-redemption before any sudden agitation. He also bares his mind on how he came about writing his first amidst a pandemic.

PT: You are a graduate of English. Did you always know you would become a playwright from the beginning?

Olatunde Ojerinde: Not exactly a playwright. Ive always wished to be an all-round creative writer being a poet, playwright and novelist. Im quite comfortable doing any of these but this drama happens to come ahead of other genres. Generally, Ive always loved to write and the passion to write across the genres is seemingly high and the same.

PT: How long have you been writing?

Olatunde Ojerinde: I started writing creatively from my secondary school days at Abeokuta Grammar School, almost two decades ago; but the art was private and I didnt register anything in the public space. I had the privilege to meet Professor Soyinka in person when he came to AbeoGrams in 2000 with some foreigners to train interested students in drama and creative arts, I was not interested enough to join. I simply watched from a distance.

My writing began to grace the public space when I became convinced I could impact the society better beyond my sphere of privacy. So, purposeful writing dawned at undergraduate days at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye. The Department of English was a good platform and Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) provided a wider and effective platform as well. I wrote for a campus-based magazine, AlBalagh, for three years as well as churning out creative weekly short homilies. My poems also adorned the notice board at the department and I kept doing that until I graduated in 2012.

I became more convinced and conscious of the energy in the art of creative writing so I kept it going and that will continue.

PT: For too many young Nigerian writers, exploring the green lands of poetry and prose comes with much ease than writing plays. Do you think drama is the hardest knot to crack when it comes to literary writing?

Olatunde Ojerinde: Yes, I agree that drama is the most complex of the three genres of literature. I believe it is easier to latch onto the openness of poetry and lay claims to some poetic licence to begin writing in verses; and no one can deny the basic feature of poetry as writing in verses and stanzas, notwithstanding the features such writings have. So, everyone and almost anyone can do this or tend to do this these days.

Prose can be rosy as well for everyone who can afford basic concentration and logic of storytelling. It is straight and how it tells a story is simple enough because of the quotidian structure of its language.

Drama is a distinct genre because what goes into it is beyond the words of a language. The ability of a playwright to imagine a stage as well as infuse meaning into every spectacle that graces the stage is vital. A playwright doesnt just write a plot, he creates a plot, or plots, within a story in a manner that reflects complex interaction of ideas and extensive imagination that must be workable in reality. For me, I feel a playwright must understand the task of a director, a stage manager, a thespian and other human elements of drama production. This knowledge may not come cheaply without a creative mind and a rich experience.

It is not to say that poetry and prose are cheap to come by, quality work of literature, be it any of the three, must be separately evaluated from others that are written with less creativity. Just like every work in life, there are those to be reckoned with for their quality and there are those that must exist on the other side of quality.

PT: Museum of Dreams is your debut book. How long did it take you to finish all writing?

Olatunde Ojerinde: It took me exactly one month to complete the writing but editing and certain adjustments continued for quite a while afterwards.

PT: What were the challenges of writing the book?

Olatunde Ojerinde: The main challenge I had was how to balance the tribal and religious tone in a way that would not be deemed offensive. These twin prejudices  religion and tribe  are the major fault lines defining social interactions in Igeria and Nigeria and I really wanted a depiction that will not be biased against any side of the actual divide for the intent is to have a refreshing narrative that will condemn such biases and promote genuine nationhood among younger generations.

PT: Have you ever acted on a stage play?

Olatunde Ojerinde: Yes, I did at undergraduate level. I took courses in the Department of Performing Arts where I did dance and acted on stage, as well. I acted the role of Baba Fakunle in Ola Rotimis The gods are not to blame. But I cant see myself back on stage again though.

PT: Why?

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Olatunde Ojerinde: Nothing really, not something I fancy I should say.

PT: Your book tackles the many anomalies that characterise our todays reality. Though set in an imaginary country called Igeria, an allegorical spinoff of Nigeria because it shares similitudes of everyday experience warped in despair and agony.

While reading through the play, I became very aware how religious sentiments and ethnocentrism become the dividing line. They often are conflated with each other whenever a situation accords it. Giving out less of the plot, what is the significance of class on the characters attitudes, beliefs, and behaviour in the play?

Olatunde Ojerinde: Let me assume the plot of the drama instead of Nigeria per se. Class struggle is a chronic malaise of a capitalist society because capitalism premised existence, wrongly, on strife. This strife is unfortunately accentuated by such divisive lines as religion and ethnicity common to a pluralistic society as Igeria because in the struggle for resources, as instigated by capitalism, everyone takes advantage of available means for their interests, notwithstanding the implications on the general society.

In this drama, class struggle is depicted along a generational line that pitches the old generation against the younger generation, the youth. The struggle is between those desperate to perpetuate a sulphuric status quo and those that must consciously end the toxicity of the status quo defined by crass prejudices that take sanity to the pit.

It is not about the popular class struggle between the rich and the poor or the rulers and the ruled. The struggle permeates basically all aspects of societal interactions; from academia to the public service and private businesses, with emphasis on the question of what must change and how to change it.

So, class struggle is significant to every society imprisoned in the hell of capitalism and the intent is to continue to project this senselessness of such strife for the progress of the society.

PT: With current happenings around the world, all having one or two things to do with class struggle, the latest example is the current situation in Mali where months-long mass protests against perceived government ineptitude resulted in a coup that eventually ousted president Keita.

To what end do you think class struggle could head in attaining harmony? Do you agree with Friedrich Engel and Karl Marxs view that until the oppressed revolt against the oppressor?

Olatunde Ojerinde: The conception of change and the manner of bringing about changes cannot be seen from a single perspective. Every society must apply appropriate medication to their ailment; it does not have to be the same.

The example of Mali is most recent; Sudan is still as fresh in our minds; Libya and Egypt werent any much different or far off. The fact around these revolts is that they were wrongly conceived and badly executed and at the end, they left the people of those nations in seemingly worse context.

As for Engel and Marx, violent revolt might have been deemed appropriate for their contexts in the nineteenth century but that may not be the case in our context. Causing a change must necessarily be conceived to cause an improvement in peoples situation. What happened in Libya or Sudan is not desired and should not be beatified with the term revolution because it left them worse off. True revolution should leave revolting people better than they were prior to it.

In the Igerian (Nigerian) context, the desired change must emanate from every member of the society because almost everyone is complicit in the overall problems of the society. It appears mainly that everyone is only waiting for an opportunity to perpetuate the same destructive acts harming the society. Hence, the most important revolt is for the younger generation to begin to push back and talk back on all these malaises before moving to take back the initiative of societal progress. By talking back, I mean, each youth must resolve not to join the old generation in their destructive act; let the youth begin to say NO to the old ones who are daily exploiting religious and tribal plurality for selfish gains; and let the youth begin to reenact a narrative of progress and reinvent true loyalty for the nation in their words and actions.

What is needed is a revolution hinged on self-reformations that must involve change of mindset and turn around of action set as well. A violent uprising, even when labelled or seen as a revolution in the guise of what happened in Libya, Egypt or Sudan will leave the society worse off because such conceptions lack harmony that is needed for real societal progress.

So, while I may not dispute Marxs assertion on the necessity of a revolt by the oppressed, I take a different stance based on the context of our society and the recent events around other African nations. In the Nigerian context, the line between the oppressed and the oppressor is very thin and with a single action of accepting a favour, the so-called oppressed becomes an oppressor because most citizens are awaiting oppressors: what I call a victims victim.

Hence, a violent revolt that involves destruction of public property especially basic amenities, and more often loss of human lives, is not a means to harmonious societal change that will bring desired outcome; rather, the concentration, in our context, must be on real behavioural change that must emanate from strong desire to chart a new course and deep loyalty for the nation. So, at every given opportunity, we should expose the ills and name the actors; we must dispose of harmful acts, and repudiate the urge to join them. We must then begin to have a new positive view of progress as something that is inclusive of everyone in the society and not a rivalry based us against anybody approach. Most importantly, we must believe it is achievable, without violent destruction of the public space.

PT: The play is set in a Nigerian mood with its portrayal of intemperate political climate, deep malaise and feelings of betrayal that have enveloped the society. How did you balance being a prophet and a comedic at the same time?

Olatunde Ojerinde: A prophet? No! The trait of prophesying is an innate proclivity of nearly every piece of literature especially when it is a response to the realities of the society. One can recollect Orwells Animal Farm and 1984 as examples of such prophetic literature.

However, Id rather be satisfied with a simple notion of hope. I have hope that Nigeria can be better but things must be done differently for that to be achieved. So, I looked at the morrow with an eye of hope confident that the younger generation can unlearn the habits of todays older generation then embrace a future devoid of caustic divisions and destructive tendencies that are seemingly inclusive of all members of the society.

So, while the tales of the society may be deemed to be more tragic, one can still afford to smile while the withered tree sprouts anew.

PT: The title of the play is allegorical. Museum of Dreams. If Im to interpret it, it seems more like a catalogue of young dreams that may not be realised and only up for display. Is this not antithetical to the belief that the younger generation should brace up for a brighter future when, in fact, they may not live to achieve their dreams?

Olatunde Ojerinde: Youre correct only to the extent that it is a catalogue of young dreams that may not be realised but that is the brutal truth depicted by historical references made in it.

However, for the younger generation, the brighter future is hinged on a change of mindset, on the one hand, and a complementary change of actionset, on the other hand. And that is the reason the youth must necessarily take a different route. The old must be abandoned on their die-hard trade of bias while the younger ones must chart a fresher course to achieve that better morrow.

So, rather than say antithetical, it may be more apposite to consider it a warning, that except a change is embraced and the old generations are abandoned on their trade, the youth also stand to risk their dreams being mere artifacts in a museum where old dreams lay idle as relics.

PT: One of the highpoints in the play is the powerplay within the civil service that is wired to be of integrity and appropriateness but reeks of all forms of corruptions. Could you speak on why you felt it was important to highlight it as against the usual portraiture of corruption among politicians?

Olatunde Ojerinde: It is very important to highlight that particularly because we tend to downplay the role of civil servants in the society. The civil servants tend to hide under their abstract identity to perpetrate the worst form of corruption; and as though the society as a whole is in a conspiracy with them, few people talk about them. The focus is always on the politicians; meanwhile, the politicians are only as powerful as the supporting civil service, for or against the society.

Corruption in this society is not all about the actions of politicians. In fact, if we are to dissect corruption appropriately, the politicians may be somewhere in the fourth or fifth position. The civil service is the domain of corrupt practices and that sector is so powerful that without the cooperation of people there, the politicians lack the potential for the kind of corruption we have.

So, I feel we need to talk about them and demystify their abstract disposition in the discourse of corruption in the society. I agree that it is easier to headline a news story with an elected official or a politically appointed official, the governor did this or the minister did that; but, those behind the scene are more dangerous, and those are the civil servants.

PT: What are your thoughts on rooting out corruption? From the top or bottom?

Olatunde Ojerinde: When we are fully decided to fight this menace, we will not ask either or. It has to be both ways, simultaneously, if we want to achieve any tangible result.

From the top, the leaders must take responsibility and be worthy examples. They must ensure all available machinery is effective in the fight against corruption. This is an exclusive duty of the political office holders in the legislature and the executive, not the common man on the street. Laws must be made and those must be fully followed to the letter.

But, the top needs a strong foundation to stand on and the foundation is the bottom, the ordinary people. The people must decide to do things right as well otherwise whatever is going on at the top and coming down from the top is dead on arrival. The garri seller must decide not to reduce measurement when selling and the wood seller must supply precisely what he is paid to supply, not an alternative of lesser quality.

This way, corruption will be substantially displaced in no time. We have to understand that corruption has been enculturated and to reverse the trend, all hands must be on deck, simultaneously. So, Im afraid it is not a either-or- situation. It has to be top-bottom and bottom-up at the same time.

PT: The characters in the play all have names similar to different figures of speech to tell on their personalities. For example, characters like Ironi (irony), Xymoron (oxymoron), Zeug(zeugma) Imeric (Limerick) showcase what their names underscore.

What are your thoughts on show, dont tell?

Olatunde Ojerinde: The concept of showing rather than telling helps to energise the message a writer is passing across. This is just a way to give life to the characters to further drive home intended messages.

So, if the characters are examined even without deep reading of the drama, the idea each of them represents will have some concreteness of form by virtue of their names.

For me, this is very important especially when a writer intends to have readers/audience draw lessons and also find their own quotidian experience in the storyline. This aids verisimilitude and meaning-making as a whole.

PT: African scholars have argued that writing should be art for lifes sake as against the romantic leaning of art for arts sake. How would you contend this?

Olatunde Ojerinde: The idea of art for arts sake has no basis really. I do not agree that there is such an art. Every artistic product is created for a purpose. If the purpose is just for fun, it doesnt derobe the art for any purpose. So, generally, art delights and teaches without the former negating the latter or vice versa.

In other words, the arts that are deemed to be romantic, for fun, are not without a purpose. An artist has a purpose and she pursues her purpose with her arts.

Therefore, my position is that every artist has a duty to the world, his immediate society and or beyond. This duty is reflected in the purpose for which s/he might decide to create his work: to delight or to teach. For an African, the events of history, especially from the slave era through militarisation of governance, forced most African elites, writers in particular, to use their skills and arts to fight for the society. So, the purpose of their arts is to emancipate the society because of the peculiarities of our context as a besieged land.

So, writing becomes a tool in the liberation of the society and African writers fell for this because they have a duty to their society. I feel the same. I feel the need to impact society using the potential I have discovered in literature as an art.

However, it is not to say that all African writings must be for the same purpose. We can as well not assume that once a book is not about those popular lines of thought, they are not art for lifes sake. So, generally, I consider all arts as created for a purpose but African writers are compelled by historical events to be less concerned with romantic arts.

PT: What writing project are you looking into now?

Olatunde Ojerinde: I have a personal target of 100 literature texts. This is the first and Im focused on the next 99, one after the other until then. I will be touching the three genres along the journey to the 99th.

PT: What do you see yourself grow into for the next 5 years as a writer?

Olatunde Ojerinde: I hope to see my writings making profound impacts in the society. I hope to see myself, the writer, and my writings at the heart of societal reformation. I see myself, five years from now, leading national discourse and driving purposeful changes that will lift Nigeria, especially the younger generation, out of the present doldrum.

PT: How would you advise writers after debut?

Olatunde Ojerinde: Purpose is key and consistency is vital. It is important to have a definite purpose and be consistent with it. While the art of writing is there to be freely used for different purposes, writers must prioritise societal interests that will help create the kind of society that we all desire.
Meditation-based mental wellness startup, Mindhouse, has announced its launch in the UAE.

Founded by Zomato co-founder Pankaj Chaddah and ex-Zomato Chief of Staff Pooja Khanna, the company aims to improve the mental health of its users through app-based meditation and yoga courses that help increase productivity, improve sleep patterns and reduce stress and anxiety.

Mindhouse has launched in the UAE with an initial focus on the consumer (Business-to-Consumer) market, via an exclusive partnership with Emirates NBD, offering 3 months complimentary access to the banks card customers, starting September 20.

In addition to other partnerships with large consumer brands to fuel B2C growth, the company also foresees strong potential for growth on the B2B front. It plans to undertake multiple corporate tie-ups in the coming months, to offer access to the app and bespoke wellness packages to large organisations based in the UAE.

Stress and mental health are major causes for concern in the UAE. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the UAE has the highest regional level of depression, at 5.1 per cent of the population.

The country also ranks high for anxiety, with 4.1 per cent of people admitting to a problem. Seven out of ten people in the UAE have expressed their openness to seek help for their mental health issues, according to a survey carried out by YouGov for Dubai Health Authority in 2019.

The start-up enters the region at a time when Covid-19 pandemic has worsened mental health of consumers suffering from health issues, disorders, anxiety, stress, job-loss, loss in income and business.

The Mindhouse app functions like an online studio, providing meditation, breath work and yoga content in the form of scheduled live classes and a vast library of modules that can be consumed anytime by the user. Built for beginners and advanced meditators alike, the app recommends content based on the users selected goals from sleep, patience, focus, relaxed mind and relaxed body, and their past experience in meditation.

The app allows the user to chat with the instructor for recommendations and queries, and also tracks daily progress against set goals.

It works on a subscription model, with a quarterly plan priced at Dh60, and annual plan at Dh120. Given the current circumstances, the company offers a 1-month free subscription to all its new users.

Pooja Khanna, Co-founder, Mindhouse, said: Mental health has come to the forefront with the on-going Covid-19 crisis, and the entire space has seen a surge in demand - both on the consumer and corporate fronts. This has enabled us to quickly scale up our operations, with over 100,000 downloads of the app, and 600+ corporate tie ups already established in India.

Following our successful launch in India, we have now decided to expand globally, with the UAE as our first international launch. We believe there is a strong need for a mental wellness solution like ours currently and are very excited to enter the market.

Pankaj Chaddah, Co-Founder, Mindhouse, said: With a population of over 9 million people, and high awareness of mind-body wellness solutions coupled with high disposable income, we see tremendous potential in the UAE market. We estimate that 60-70% of the population will adopt digital wellness products and services, which makes the UAE an obvious destination of choice for us. -- Tradearabia News Service
Many more leaders are in contact with me: Tejashwi Yadav after former MLA rejoins RJD from JD(U)

RJD should not worry about caste census after Tejashwi's exogamous marriage: Bihar minister

Dalit leader who accused Tejashwi of demanding money to give him party ticket shot dead

India

oi-Deepika S

Purnea/Patna, Oct 04: A 37-year-old Dalit leader was gunned down at his residence in Bihars Purnea district on Sunday and his wife alleged that it was a political killing as her husband was preparing to contest Assembly election as an independent candidate after he was expelled from the RJD.

After the killing, a video in which the deceased, Shakti Malik, accused RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav of seeking Rs 50 lakh as donation to give him party ticket to contest the poll from Raniganj seat and threatening to eliminate him if he continues with his good work in the constituency, went viral.

The ruling JD(U) claimed that Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav has exposed his true colours before the nation. Repeated efforts to reach senior RJD leaders for their reaction were unsuccessful.

Police said that three bike-borne men entered the house of Shakti Malik in Purnea in the morning and shot him in the head while he was sleeping, killing him on the spot, and fled.

A country-made pistol and an empty cartridge were found from the spot, K Haat police station Station House Officer Sunil Kumar Mandal said.

Mukesh Sahni-led VIP to contest all 243 seats in Bihar polls

Superintendent of Police Vishal Sharma and Sadar Sub- Divisional Police Officer Anand Pandey visited the spot.

In the video that went viral, Malik claimed that he, along with the RJD''s SC/ST cell state unit president, met Tejashwi Prasad Yadav in Patna where the RJD leader sought Rs 50 lakh as donation to give him party ticket to contest Raniganj assembly constituency.

According to the video, when Malik said that he would let him know of his decision later, Tejashwi made a casteist remark against him and threatened to eliminate him.

It was not immediately clear when Malik made this statement to a Purnea based television channel.

The deceased''s wife also alleged that there is a political conspiracy behind her husband''s killing and named several leaders who could be involved in it.

JD(U) spokesman Rajiv Ranjan Prasad claimed that Malik was a Mahadalit and his family members'' statements corroborate the allegations levelled by him.

"We have been raising the issue of dynastic politics, corruption, Tejashwi''s inexperience especially in dealing with alliance politics but the latest allegations has completely exposed him," Prasad told reporters.

Allegations that RJD leaders distribute party tickets after taking money or land are not new, he alleged.

Prasad also alleged that Tejashwi''s "concern" for Dalits was exposed when former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi had to leave the Grand Alliance after the RJD leaderships shabby treatment meted out to him.
B rits will get little respite from downpours over the coming days after the remnants Storm Alex brought a weekend of strong winds and persistent rain.

The weather system may have moved on towards Italy, but showers will continue to cause misery for the nation, with conditions declining further on Thursday across most of the UK.

While the Met Office said it is too early to officially declare that a new storm is heading towards British shores, it is certain that London is in the firing line for "more wet and windy weather" and blustery conditions.

Later in the week, a different low-pressure system will head to the UK and Met Office said that, if it develops, it could be named as a storm in the future.

Speaking to the Standard, forecaster Alex Burkill said the next few days will be unsettled with quite a bit of rain.

Firefighters and water utilities workers are seen dealing with flooding in Hemel Hempstead / REUTERS

"From Sunday there will be persistent rain across south and west regions with windy weather and a risk of coastal gales," he said.

"A weather warning for rain will be in place until 6pm in Northern Ireland but elsewhere they will expire at midday.

"For the North East there will be sunny spells in between showers which will be quite heavy at times.

Storm Alex hits UK - in pictures 1 /37 Storm Alex hits UK - in pictures Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Nigel Howard Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn PA PA Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images PA PA REUTERS Getty Images REUTERS PA

"Generally there will be a cool feeling to the day, and in some places it will just reach double figures."

As the night progresses, rain is predicted across western parts of the UK, with the potential for mist and fog in central England.

Moving into Monday, the UK will see rain broken up with short sunny spells, but the nation may be feeling a little warmer with highs of 16C.

Tuesday and Wednesday will see "blustery strong winds, outbreaks of rain - particularly in western parts but in most regions," Mr Burkill said.

But it is on Thursday that conditions rapidly decline with a day of unsettled weather.

"London is in the firing line for more wet and windy weather," he added. "More exposed areas will see the worst of it.

"Storm Alex is well and truly over the continent, moving to Italy. On Thursday it is a completely different low-pressure system and if it develops it could be named as a storm in the future."

It comes after parts of the UK experienced flooding after a weekend of downpours, with Met Office issuing weather warnings not seen since March.

Some places in Somerset and Hampshire have had more than a months worth of rainfall in 42 hours.

More than 50 flood alerts and a small number of flood warnings were issued.

A family of four had to be rescued by firefighters from a road in Billericay, Essex, on Saturday morning after their car became trapped in floodwater.

Meanwhile, police forces across the country issued warnings to drivers after a number of crashes on waterlogged roads.
Huang Xiaowei, Secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group and Vice-President and First Member of the Secretariat of the All-China Women's Federation, makes an inspection tour in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on September 25-26. [For Women of China]

Huang Xiaowei, Secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group and Vice-President and First Member of the Secretariat of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), went on an inspection tour in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on September 25-26, in a bid to implement the spirit of the important speeches delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping, increase a sense of identity of the Chinese nation, and do the community and family work well.

During the inspection tour, Huang learned about how impoverished women escaped poverty and lived happy life through making traditional Mongolian costumes after they participated in training sessions organized by the local women's federation.

Huang visited Sanshundian Community in Hohhot, capital city of the autonomous region, and spoke with local women, social workers and women volunteers.

Noting that community- and family-based work is foundation of the work of the women's federations, Huang called for efforts in channeling targeted services down to community level, giving full play to the advantages of contacting women, meeting the urgent needs of different groups of women, children and families, and contributing to the innovative development of social governance at the primary level.

Huang Xiaowei, Secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group and Vice-President and First Member of the Secretariat of the All-China Women's Federation, attends a meeting during her inspection tour in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on September 25-26. [For Women of China]

Huang visited the Hohhot Maternity and Child Health Hospital to learn about newborn disease screening. She also went to the People's Procuratorate of Xincheng District to discuss the handling of cases of minors with the prosecutors.

Huang attended a meeting on September 25 with representatives of women delegates to the 12th Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region's Women's Congress. Huang promoted the spirit of the meeting held on September 8 to commend role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic to the attendees, and exchanged ideas with them.

(Source: China Women's News/Translated and edited by Women of China)
The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has proposed relief to thirteen toll booth operators in the state and recommended an aggregate reimbursement of Rs 173.57 crore to them.

The information related to the same was obtained by Right To Information (RTI) activist Vivek Velankar who had filed an application dated September 1 before the MSRDC seeking details of names of toll operators and how much relief has been given to each of them.

Wen all sections of the society have been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, then why are toll booth operators being favoured, questioned Velankar.

A nationwide lockdown was announced on March 23 and the entire transportation sector and roads were closed for vehicular traffic for a period of 24 days. The Union Ministry of Surface Transport decided to free collection during the said period with a decision dated April 20. Following the decision, highway traffic across the country had reduced considerably and toll operators had to sustain losses during the said period.

Taking into consideration their losses, the Union ministry of surface transport and finance ministry came up with a policy to compensate the toll operators for their losses. The policy entailed that the toll operators will be compensated for the lockdown period and also till the traffic returned to normal levels on the highways and tolling roads.

Velankar was furnished with a letter signed by chief engineer SV Sontakke. The letter addressed to the secretary (roads) public works department dated August 21 stated that the relief for the contractors have been sought under Atmanirbhar Bharat programme.

Due to Covid-19 pandemic, the tolling collection operations were stopped all tolling plazas in Maharashtra under MSRDC. The ministry of road transport and highways conveyed that the lockdown period and subsequent low traffic due to the outbreak may be treated as a force majeure of the concession agreement by the ministry of finance. The total period of stoppage of collection works out to be 24 days for the first phase and the reimbursement to all the toll agencies for the second phase i.e., after the resumption of toll collection and attaintment of 90 per cent traffic growth shall be submitted after the closure of lockdown. The traffic at present is well below the 90 per cent of traffic pattern mark, the letter stated.

Velankar said, My reasoning is all the toll booth operators will be given this concession across the country. All sections of the society starting from hawkers, businessmen, municipal corporations and councils and other local self-government bodies have been affected due to the pandemic. How appropriate is giving compensation to only one sector and leaving other sectors to fend for themselves. Why is this step-motherly treatment and unfair treatment being given to all and only toll booth operators are being favoured.

Vijay Waghmare, joint manager, MSRDC, said, Our toll monitoring cell will address these issues which have not been addressed and make necessary recommendations. Most of the issues have been answered.
Prince of Wales travelled to Kuwait on Sunday evening to offer his condolences

Comes following death of the country's ruler, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah

Royal expressed sympathies on behalf of Queen who was 'saddened' by news

The Prince of Wales travelled to Kuwait on Sunday evening to offer his condolences following the death of the country's ruler, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah.

Prince Charles, 71, expressed sympathies on behalf of the Queen to the new Amir of the tiny oil-rich country, His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah.

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The Queen also said she was 'saddened' to hear of his death on Wednesday, adding she deeply valued his friendship with the UK, and praising the late emir's humanitarian work.

The Prince of Wales travelled to Kuwait on Sunday evening to offer his condolences following the death of the country's ruler, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah. Pictured: Charles with Sheikh Sabah at Clarence House in 2016

The Queen wrote in the condolences, which were also shared on the royal family's official Twitter account: 'Your distinguished brother devoted his life to the service of the State of Kuwait and especially its relationship with its allies and friends.

'He will be long remembered by all who work for regional stability, understanding between nations and between faiths, and for the humanitarian cause.

'I have deeply valued his friendship towards the United Kingdom, and his memorable State Visit in November 2012.

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'I offer Your Highness my sincere condolences. I offer also my sympathy to the people of Kuwait.

'May the long history of close companionship between our two families continue.'

Prince Charles has visited Kuwait seven times before, including a trip with the Princess of Wales in 1989, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Independence as the guest of the Amir in 2011, and most recently during his tour of the Middle East in 2015.

The Queen also said she was 'saddened' to hear of his death on Wednesday, adding she deeply valued his friendship with the UK, and praising the late emir's humanitarian work. Pictured: The monarch with The Amir in 2012

The Queen wrote in the condolences, which were also shared on the royal family's official Twitter account: 'Your distinguished brother devoted his life to the service of the State of Kuwait and especially its relationship with its allies and friends'

She added: 'I have deeply valued his friendship towards the United Kingdom, and his memorable State Visit in November 2012'

He also paid respects in the nation on January 17 2006, when the previous Amir died.

Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, 91, was taken to a US hospital in July, and Bayan Palace announced his death on Tuesday.

His coffin will be flown back to Kuwait from Rochester, Minnesota, home of the Mayo Clinic, where he had been receiving medical treatment after falling ill in July.

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His funeral would typically draw tens of thousands of mourning Kuwaitis and scores of foreign leaders and dignitaries, but, because of the coronavirus pandemic, his burial will be a private family service instead.

As ruling emir, he faced falling oil prices, internal political disputes and the fallout from the 2011 Arab Spring, but he will be known for resolving regional disputes including the ongoing deadlock between Qatar and other Arab nations.

Prince Charles, 71, expressed sympathies on behalf of the Queen to the new Amir of the tiny oil-rich country, His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah (pictured taking the oath of office at the end of last month)

Prince Charles has visited Kuwait seven times before. Pictured: The Heir to the throne with the Duchess of Cornwall during a visit to the country in 2007

In 2012, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah enjoyed a state visit to the UK and was entertained by The Queen. Pictured: The monarch walks with the then Kuwaiti ruler at Windsor Castle

His younger half-brother, Crown Prince Nawaf, was sworn in as the new leader on Wednesday, after deputising for Amir since his hospitalisation.

At 83, Sheikh Nawaf is not expected to deviate from the diplomatic path charted by his half-brother, but his accession has sparked speculation about who will become the next crown prince in Kuwait, which is known for its lively elected parliament and relative independence in a region of Gulf Arab monarchies.

Sheikh Sabah was foreign minister for 38 years, establishing Kuwait as a force for peace and stability in the region.

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He was also a strong advocate for the close friendship between the UK and Kuwait and between the Royal Family and the Kuwaiti ruling family.




National Policy Committee is in session at the National Assembly, Sept 22. Korea Times file





By Lee Kyung-min











Heads of state-run and private financial organizations will undergo rigorous scrutiny at the upcoming National Assembly audit over a slew of botched financial policies highlighted by a failure to maintain political neutrality, and employee indiscretions, according to industry sources, Sunday.







Under the tightest scrutiny will be fiascos involving derivative-linked funds (DLF) and funds unredeemed due to mismanagement of private equity funds (PEFs) and their operators. The former is a highly complicated, intricately structured derivative financial product and the latter an alternative investment class consisting of capital not listed on publicly exchange. Both led to immense investor losses with many senior citizens having lost their entire retirement savings.







The National Policy Committee under the National Assembly  a standing committee responsible for the oversight of over 10 entities including the Financial Services Commission (FSC), Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), Korea Development Bank (KDB) and Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK)  will begin the session for the FSC Oct. 12. This will be followed by audit of the FSS, Oct. 13, the KDB and the IBK, Oct. 16 and Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC) and Korea Securities Depository (KSD), Oct. 20.







Among those to be called in for reference are NH Investment & Securities CEO Jeong Young-chae, Daishin Securities CEO Oh Ik-keun and Hana Bank Vice President Park Sung-ho, all of whose firms engaged in the mis-selling of the highly criticized financial products.







They are likely to shed light on why their sales policy neglected consumer protections, and how careless and derelict the financial authorities were in their oversight responsibilities. Also to be present will be a spokesperson for a group representing the victims who will speak on their plans to seek legal remedies.







A heated debate is expected concerning the New Deal Fund, a government policy fund of 20 trillion won ($17 billion) designed to promote the Korean New Deal, comprised of 160 trillion won in investments in two sustainable growth areas.







At issue is whether it is appropriate to cover possible losses of up to 10 percent with taxpayers' money in operating the 20 trillion won, about a third of which will be from government spending (3 trillion won) and state-run lenders (4 trillion won), with the remaining 13 trillion won purportedly to come from a private investors' pool.







The financing of the government-led fund will be questioned by opposition lawmakers, mostly on whether state lenders had to cough up funds due to behind-the-scenes influence, a circumstance that could later develop into criminal coercion or extortion cases.







Concern has been raised by market watchers who find the idea of the government using taxpayers' money to make up for losses  a result that should be owned by individual investors for their choice in investments  "highly concerning".







The policy inconsistency in the process let alone its viability will be laid bare as the government abruptly announced that only 10 percent in investor losses will be reimbursed, in a flip-flop decision after promising that up to 35 percent would be covered.







FSS Governor Yoon Suk-heun and KDB Chairman Lee Dong-gull will be grilled for having attended a book signing event organized by Lee Hae-chan, the former head of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).







The IBK will be grilled for a lack of internal control and prevalent employee moral hazard illustrated by a mid-level worker gaining billions of won in profit after buying 29 pieces of real estate with 7.57 billion won in loans taken out between March 2016 and June 2020 under the names of his family members and corporate entities set up using their names.






Baku: Heavy fighting continues in their conflict over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh as Armenia vowed it would use "all the necessary means and steps" to protect ethnic Armenians from attack by Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijans President said late on Saturday, local time, that his troops had taken a town and several villages while Armenian officials claimed their troops inflicted heavy casualties.

Fighting broke out on September 27 in the region, which is located within Azerbaijan and under the control of local ethnic Armenian forces. It is some of the worst in Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas since the end of a war in 1994.

A residential area that was allegedly damaged by shelling during conflict in the self-proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan. Credit:AP

Armenian Defence Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanian said intensive fighting was taking place place along the entire front line on Saturday and that Armenian forces had shot down three planes.
NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday encouraged children to participate in the city government's anti-dengue campaign.

Marking the fifth Sunday of the government's '10 Hafte 10 Baje 10 Minute' campaign, he asked the children to inspect their houses for 10 minutes at 10 am every Sunday and replace the stagnant clean water. He also asked them to urge their friends to be a part of the initiative.

"Delhi's campaign against dengue continues. Today, on the fifth Sunday of the campaign, I replaced the water at home and eliminated the possibility of breeding of dengue mosquitoes. I urge everyone to be a part of this campaign every Sunday. #10Hafte10Baje10Minute ?Har Ravivaar, Dengue Par Vaar'," Kejriwal said on Twitter in Hindi.

The campaign is witnessing huge participation from children, a statement by the AAP government said.

"In this campaign against dengue, the children of Delhi are doing their homework well. Other students along with Yuvraj who studies in class 8, also checked their houses and replaced the stagnant water. I pray to God that our children remain safe from dengue, stay healthy, and do good in life," the CM said in another post.
Wales are awaiting clarification over whether Aaron Ramsey can join them for their fixtures against England, the Republic of Ireland and Bulgaria after the entire Juventus team went into fiduciary isolation.

Ramsey was named in Ryan Giggs squad for the triple header of fixtures between October 8 and 14 following injury but the former Arsenal midfielders situation is complicated by matters out of his control arising in Turin.

Just five days before Wales are set to take on England at Wembley, Juventus announced on Saturday that two members of staff, neither of whom were players or technical or medical personnel, had tested positive for coronavirus.

While Juve are confident they will be able to take on Napoli in their Serie A fixture on Sunday evening, the apparent quarantining of their entire squad means Ramsey linking up with Wales is not a certainty.

The PA news agency understands Wales are awaiting a response over the Ramsey issue.

Wales take on England in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Thursday in their first meeting since England won a Euro 2016 Battle of Britain clash 2-1 in Lens.

Wales then travel to the Aviva Stadium in Dublin to take on the Republic in the Nations League next Sunday before a trip to Sofia for an encounter against Bulgaria a week on Wednesday.
The story of how Paul Rusesabagina protected Hutu and Tutsi refugees during the Rwandan genocide was the subject of a 2004 Oscar nominated film, Hotel Rwanda. But Rusesabagina was arrested last month in Rwanda, accused of funding rebel groups. Some fear his conviction is a foregone conclusion.
The Independents Stop The Illegal Wildlife Trade campaign has inspired a conservation charity in America to launch their own off-shoot campaign to save the giraffe, a species that we revealed is in grave danger due to demand for its body parts and skin.

To mark World Animal Day on 4 October, Kids Against Animal Poaching [KAAP] has launched #StandTallForGiraffes. The campaign mobilises thousands of the organisations supporters to take part in a viral letter writing to call for a ban on giraffe imports and to demand that the animal is listed under the United States Endangered Species Act.

The Endangered Species Act is the nations most powerful tool for protecting at-risk wildlife. Since it was established 99% of species listed on it have avoided extinction.

Among the supporters of KAAPs #StandTallForGiraffes campaign are supermodel Christy Turlington, actress Gina Gershon and Hollywood makeup artist Jillian Dempsey. They have joined the campaign by writing a letter to the Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt demanding that the government commits to banning the trade of giraffe parts in the US.

The Covid-19 conservation crisis has shown the urgency of The Independents Stop the Illegal Wildlife Trade campaign, which seeks an international effort to clamp down on illegal trade of wild animals (The Independent)

KAAP has designed a letter template for supporters of the campaign to send to Bernhardt via post or email, with the aim of creating a deluge of demands that cannot be ignored. To add your support and help protect giraffes click here.

In what conservationists have dubbed a silent extinction, giraffe populations have plummeted by 40 percent in the past 30 years.

The Independents Stop The Illegal Wildlife Trade campaign recently revealed that America is the worlds biggest market for giraffe products. A 2018 investigation by Humane Society International found that 40,000 giraffe parts were imported into the US from Africa between 2006-2015.

KAAP has helped to politicise this issue, against a backdrop of rising illegal wildlife crime since the pandemic, ahead of the Presidential election next month.

(KAAP)

Emily Walker founded KAAP in 2015 when she was just 13 years old. Walker told The Independent I was stunned to learn about the silent extinction of giraffes that is happening right now. These animals need us now more than ever. "I think a lot of us took giraffes for granted as the focus was on saving species such as elephants and rhinos.

"It's a difficult and challenging time with a global pandemic, racial injustice and ensuring everyones vote is counted in the most important U.S. election of our lifetime, but giraffes cannot be put on the back burner. We need to act now to help them.

For the past four years KAAP has worked with conservation charity Space for Giants to help protect wildlife at risk from poachers. Space for Giants is The Independents charity partner on our Stop The Illegal Wildlife Trade campaign.

Dr Max Graham, Founder and CEO of Space for Giants, said the plight of Africas giraffes has been hidden amid a global focus on saving keystone species, such as the rhino and elephant. But giraffes are under serious threat from poaching and habitat loss.

We must act now to protect them and the natural ecosystems they rely on from unsustainable and dangerous exploitation.

By taking a small amount of time out of your day to write to the Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt, your voice will be heard and you really will help to secure a future for giraffes.
To continue...the first half of the book The Lawudo Lama will provide a lot of background into Sherpa culture and how it transitioned into the society that came into contact with Hillary. It will also provide some introduction to Tibetan Buddhism.

The other book I would suggest is a recent work by Dr Ian Baker that is a culmination in some ways of his many books into Himalayan travel, culture and Buddhism. It is titled Tibetan Yoga. This book helps overcome some basic religious issues a reader might have and gets back to the basics ( though not basic in practice) of Buddhism as form of yoga. Buddhist scholarship is still crucial but not for everyone and there are those who only have time to practice.

The book Tibetan Yoga also connects to the house hold practice of Buddhism in the Khumbu, pre the development of monasteries and the monastic traditions in the area, when most Lamas were married householders. It also offers insight into female practitioners who do not often get much press!

My Sherpa porter / guide on a 2019 walk along the Tamang trail, gave me a mala ( Buddhist rosary) he was given by a Tibetan truck driver on a trip to Mt Kalish. We had a great albeit short walk, investigating the sometimes hidden Buddhist history of the area. The mala was given to me back in Boudhanath as an appreciation as the first tourist he had walked with that appreciated the day to day Buddhist aspects in the culture.

Unfortunately I have never applied myself to learning languages but cultural appreciation is a good way into language and vice versa.

The other thing about a little Buddhist knowledge can be insights into how something like the Nangpa La got its name. Tibetans often refer to themselves as Nangpas or insiders based on their yoga practice being geared towards changing the mind or inner change. It is a sort of put down or historical point of separation towards some Brahmin / Hindu yogas that are outward in nature.

The story however comes from India and a debate between an Buddhist master and Brahmin master and the large crowds that took interest.

On the morning of the debate the Brahmin master was ritually bathing in the Ganges. The Buddhist master came downstairs to the ghats with a golden vase full of dung. The Buddhist master started cleaning the outside of the vase. The Brahmin master commented that ....no amount of cleaning the outside was going to purify the vase of dung. The Buddhist master shot back that ....no amount of bathing the body will cleanse the mind

So Himalayan / Tibetan Buddhist practitioners became known as Nangpas ( those who cleanse their minds) and to get to Tibet, one of the main pass crossings being in the Khumbu, is the Nangpa la.

There will be a lot of stories regarding the Khumbu that would need some Sherpa language and cultural understanding to fully appreciate.

So maybe, if it suits, above are some inspiration to learn some Sherpa and find a good Sherpa porter guide.

Just as an aside and others might correct me. Nepalease only ever use dunyabad if a special favour has been enacted. The head shake is the means of appreciation for service. I was once told that tourist thankyous fall from the lips so often as not to mean much. Nepalese amongst each other (traditionally, ) realise people appreciate a service but keep the concept of a verbal thank you to, as said...a special act.

It could also be noted westerners overuse sorry as well, at home and abroad.

Edited: 1 year ago
Aldersgate United Methodist Church and the Midland County Emergency Food Pantry Network will be coordinating the Community Thanksgiving Food Basket program again this year. The program provides Thanksgiving dinners for some of Midland County's families in need. Last year, many churches, schools, dentists, and businesses provided food, personal care items and cash donations for the Thanksgiving Baskets to about 350 families.

Because of COVID-19, the Thanksgiving baskets will be handled differently this year. Instead of collecting food donations, Aldersgate and Midland County EFPN are ordering a mobile food truck from the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan. The mobile food truck will be a semi-truck full of food similar to the food given to families in prior years. This will allow organizers to prepare and host the Thanksgiving Food Baskets outside, all on one day, Monday, Nov. 23 instead of inside spread out over multiple days. This will also drastically reduce the number of volunteers needed.
Lie, cheat and steal, it's the Trumpy Way. Conservative white men, throughout government, ruling through fear-mongering, untruths and willful ignorance, have been exposed as the naked emperors they are. Rich, white "Trumpys" like Greg Gianforte, Matt Rosendale and Steve Daines guzzled the Kool-Aid from the Chamber of Commerce (worst of the worst climate wreckers) and the NRA (being dismantled for corruption and fraud, and run by a grifter as corrupt as Donald Trump). That's all they've got?

Control women's personal choices and bodies, defile the environment for profit, and suppress the vote for political power. Keep women, young people and minorities oppressed. Oh, and kick vulnerable seniors off of health care during a pandemic while you're at it.

Clark Griswold (National Lampoon's "Christmas Vacation") told his boss how many of us feel, after he got a "Jelly of the Month" gift card instead of his expected bonus, "I want to tell him what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, in-bred, over-stuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, d---less, hopeless, heartless, fat-assed, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, snotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey s--- he is!"

All candidates endorsed by Montana Conservation Voters are Democrats. Save your children's futures. Vote down-ballot, vote Democratic Party.

Beth Taylor Wilson,

Missoula

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UPSC Prelims 2020: Hundreds of candidates arrived at an examination centre to write Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2020 amid COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

I used public transport to reach the centre. It was not safe, but what can I do? I had to appear for the exam, a candidate, said.

I think everyone appearing for the UPSC exam today is well aware of the health risks and were mature enough to follow health precautions prescribed by the authorities, added another candidate.

Father of a UPSC aspirant, Dilip Singh said, I think the most difficult phase of COVID-19 is slowly evaporating. The government needs to bring life back in order and we must cooperate with the best of our sensibilities. We must take responsibility for our personal safety and follow the rules prescribed by the government for institutional safety too.

The Supreme Court (SC) on September 30 declined to postpone the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination scheduled for October 4.

A Bench headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar asked the Centre to consider granting one more chance to those aspirants who may not appear in their last attempt for the exam due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 18:24:43|Editor: huaxia

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JERUSALEM, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Israel will ban fur trade, with a few exceptions, Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection (MoEP) said on Sunday.

MoEP Minister Gila Gamliel said that "the fur industry kills hundreds of millions of animals worldwide and involves indescribable cruelty and suffering."

She stressed that exploiting the skin and fur of wild animals for the fashion industry is "immoral." The new law will stop the fur trade in Israel and do kindness to the animals.

The law will permit the fur trade only for scientific research, teaching, and religious purposes, the minister added.

The maximum penalty for violating the new law will be a fine of 75,000 new shekels (21,865 U.S. dollars) or one-year imprisonment, as Israel's Nature and Parks Authority will be responsible for the enforcement. Enditem
President Donald Trump continues to work and does his job as the president while he continues to fight the infectious and deadly COVID-19.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told the "Justice with Judge Jeanine" on Saturday night that President Trump's situation had deteriorated Friday following his COVID-19 diagnosis. Both the Pres. Trump, the First Lady Melania Trump, tested positive for the virus.

Mark Meadows said "Yesterday, we were really concerned. He had a fever, and his blood oxygen level dropped rapidly," This may be the reason why he was transferred to the Walter Reed General Hospital so that he will be given serious medical care.

Moreover, Meadows confirmed as well that Pres. Trump has made "improbable improvement" seeing that then: The president now has not had a fever, and his oxygen saturation ranges were better. The health condition of the president is now getting better.

Meadows also asserted that the doctors in the hospital who are constantly monitoring the president said that he might be well in the next 48 hours. In fact, despite contacting the virus, Pres. Trump remains to work and has constantly monitored the country over the global pandemic and stimulus bill.

He even posted on his Twitter account that both chambers must reach a stimulus deal. A manifestation that even Pres. Trump is facing his own battle; he is still thinking of millions of Americans who are suffering the negative economic impact of the global pandemic.

Mark Meadows explained "In typical style, this president was up and walking around. He's been an outstanding patient with one exception -- he continues to work and continues to believe that he's got to get many things done for the American people."

However, Meadows was also frustrated in some of the news about the transition of power even if Pres. Trump is still alive. He explained, "I have seen some of the reports and all of the pictures about the transition of power and who's going to replace this person or that person and while that may make for good clicks on the internet and make for great hyperbole on TV, there was never a consideration and never even a risk for a transition of power."

Mark Meadows made sure that President Trump is going well, will make sure to make America even greater again, and will be one with the countrymen to defeat COVID-19. Pres. Trump is optimistic that the country will soon have vaccines to end the virus.

In fact, all stimulus bill proposed in the Congress and Senate included billions of dollars in COVID-19 testing and vaccines. The federal government has also been in contract with the leading vaccine developers in the world to provide the U.S. with millions of COVID-19 vaccines.

Even though the road to end the virus is still too far, Pres. Trump and his administration are trying their best to help millions of Americans. Hopefully, the new stimulus bill will be signed into law so that it will alleviate Americans in the country.

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B oris Johnson has been warned areas in the UK under local coronavirus restrictions have reached a "tipping point".

The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said that the Government is "really in danger of losing the public in the north" if it continues to roll out restrictions without additional support.

Speaking on Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme, Mr Burnham said that people "need a bit of a reset so people can clearly understand what has been asked".

The former Labour minister said that compliance with lockdown rules in Greater Manchester is "pretty high", but said: "I have certainly felt this week that we have reached a tipping point with all of this."

He added: The Government are really in danger of losing the public in the North of England.

And actually if they carry on imposing restrictions on the North without proper support for the businesses and the employees affected in the North, we will see a winter of levelling down and the North-South divide getting bigger.

It comes after Mr Burnham last week told a weekly coronavirus press briefing that coronavirus could do "more harm for the north than Margaret Thatcher".

He said: If we go into a winter with the north under local restrictions, millions of people under restrictions, businesses suffering because of those restrictions, no support for those businesses, we are going to see a widening of the north-south divide.

If you look back in years to come youll think Covid-19 did more harm to the north of England than Margaret Thatcher and whatever she did in the 1980s.

This is a real danger that is staring us right in the face. A Government that says it wants to level up cannot put the north of England under restrictions without support. Its pretty much as simple as that.

Boris Johnson: It will be bumpy until Christmas and beyond

It comes after Mr Johnson said he is working flat-out to make Christmas as normal as possible, but he warned of a tough winter ahead in the battle against coronavirus.

The Prime Minister said there will be bumpy months ahead, though he hopes the situation will be radically different by spring.

He said people should behave fearlessly but with common sense as the UK struggles to both contain the virus and keep the economy going.
Did democracy die the other night when Donald Trump and Joe Biden scuffled, snarled and shouted over each other, showing utter contempt for anyone intelligent who was watching?

People who loathe freedom, such as the Chinese Politburo in Peking, must have rejoiced at this spectacle of incoherence and crudity.

But theres no point in us feeling superior to those raucous Americans. Our own political debates are as mindless in their own way, and our elections decided not by reasoned discussion but by unchecked bending of the spending rules, by unscrupulous hidden persuaders.

To this day, few people have grasped the enormous revolutionary programme of the 1997 Blair Government. Blair, a former student Trotskyist (a fact which was dishonestly concealed at the time and for years afterwards) was in fact a fervent social radical

If this was the end of democracy, it hasnt lasted long. Full democracy only arrived in the USA in 1913 when they first started electing the Senate.

It finally came to Britain in 1948 when they abolished the University seats in Parliament which gave graduates extra votes.

Id say it has not been much of a success, launching an era when people were repeatedly bribed with their own money, by increasingly cynical political careerists.

And since the advertising men got involved in the 1950s, slippery manipulators have taken over. Image, not truth, has been at the centre of every major campaign.

All very well, until the image turns out to be false and the promises undeliverable or untrue. It doesnt matter that Harold Wilson preferred cigars to a pipe and brandy to beer.

Since the advertising men got involved in the 1950s, slippery manipulators have taken over. Image, not truth, has been at the centre of every major campaign

It did matter that his supposedly mainstream 1964-70 Government launched a series of searing, painful and often mistaken changes in our society which had never been put before the people, and whose real nature had been concealed.

Left-wingers might make similar charges against Ted Heath and Margaret Thatcher, as neither of them were what they appeared to be. But to this day, few people have grasped the enormous revolutionary programme of the 1997 Blair Government.

Blair, a former student Trotskyist (a fact which was dishonestly concealed at the time and for years afterwards) was in fact a fervent social radical.

What Wilson had begun  revolutions in family life, crime and punishment, education and welfare  Blair finished. He also browbeat the Tories into going along with it all and leaving it untouched.

This is why you never get what you want when you vote. The debate is elsewhere. You are just required to endorse it by voting for it. Your vote, in the modern age, gives legitimacy to the powerful.

They will spend a lot of money to get that vote, but it is a false bargain. They do not really care what you want, but they have got a lot better at pretending that they do.

To me, it has been obvious for years that we should stop playing this game. The greatest power we have is to refuse to vote for people who insult us. My simple proposal is that the words None Of The Below should appear at the top of every ballot paper.

In all seats where None Of The Below tops the poll, all the losing parties and candidates should be prevented from standing in the rerun which would then be held a month later.

In the interval, new political formations which truly reflect the divisions in our society should select candidates who are quite free from the careerism, conformism and inexperience of life which seem to be the main qualifications for MPs in these times.

After the spineless confirmation of the scandalous Coronavirus Act last week  in which almost all MPs declared that they do not care about the country or the livelihoods and freedom of the people  can you think of a better idea? Begone, all of you, and let us have done with you.

The BBCs big new star? Cannabis

I thought I would at least try the BBCs two new autumn dramas, Us and Life. Well, I have tried them and stopped watching them.

Apart from their incessant anti-marriage propaganda, in which the married family is portrayed pretty much as the root of all evil, they use respectable, much-liked actors and actresses to normalise drug-taking.

Middle-aged respectable Tom Hollander, in Us, is shown boasting in Amsterdam to his son about his youthful drug use, trying to be hip by using druggie jargon (I had a massive whitey).

Middle-aged respectable Alison Steadman, in revolt against her nasty, belittling husband in Life, is shown on a doorstep sharing a joint with the much-liked disability ambassador Melissa Johns, who previously played Imogen Pascoe in Coronation Street.

This is pretty much product placement. In the case of Life, it is also a direct breach of the BBCs own rules against portraying crime in drama, as they well know. But nothing will happen.

Tom Hollander, Tom Taylor and Saskia Reeves in the new drama Us

A crucial clue that links so many killings

The heartbreaking death of respected police officer Matiu Ratana has rightly caused much grief and concern.

But once again, one of the most crucial facts of modern life, quite possibly involved here, has been pushed to one side in absurd speculation about the supposed terrorist links of the suspect, as it was after the stabbings in a Reading park last June.

In both cases I had no need to wait long to find that there were allegations the suspect had been a user of marijuana, a drug whose use is increasingly correlated with mental illness and violent crime.

As it happened, I had also been looking into another case in a major UK city I will not for the moment name, of a young marijuana user. This person, well known to neighbours and police for increasingly erratic and violent behaviour, has also been found in possession of the drug.

And there is little doubt that he is a long-term user. In fact, neighbours recall his transformation from a pleasant and likeable boy into the miserable husk he has now become, after he began using a drug which is absurdly promoted as mild and harmless (see my item on the BBCs new dramas, left).

I begin to think we shall not wake up to this until the time to act has passed.

Hancocks using crude propaganda

The Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, seems to be entirely unaware of many important facts which have become clear over the past few months. Especially, he has not noticed that wild predictions of mass deaths, made in Sweden and this country in March, were not borne out in reality.

The important thing about this is that Sweden did not follow Mr Hancocks policy of severe compulsory restrictions of normal life. The Swedes did not let the virus rip, as the zealots like to claim. They took moderate precautions. Yet the predicted deaths did not take place. In fact, evidence from around the world still shows no connection between dictatorial, punitive rules and lower deaths.

Yet in Parliament on Thursday, Mr Hancock sneered at one of his rare Commons critics, the Shipley MP Philip Davies.

The Minister said: It is perfectly reasonable to make the argument that we should just let the virus rip; I just think that the hundreds of thousands of deaths that would follow is not a price that anyone should pay. Mr Hancock, whose grasp of fact seems to me to be sketchy in general, has no reason to say that hundreds of thousands of deaths would follow a wiser, more proportionate policy.

He could say it was possible, or that he thought it likely, but he does not know that it would happen, and he must be aware of the work of eminent scientists who think it would not happen.

And the caricature, that critics wish to let the virus rip, is shameful, crude propaganda rather than an argument.

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By Nailia Bagirova and Nvard Hovhannisyan

BAKU/YEREVAN (Reuters) - Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev demanded on Sunday that Armenia set a timetable for withdrawing from the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding Azeri territories, and said Azerbaijan would not cease military action until that happened.

In a televised address to the nation, Aliyev said Azeri forces were advancing in a week-long offensive to retake lands that they lost to ethnic Armenians in the 1990s.

"Azerbaijan has one condition, and that is the liberation of its territories," he said. "Nagorno-Karabakh is the territory of Azerbaijan. We must return and we shall return."

"My condition is the following: let them withdraw their troops, and the confrontation will be stopped, but this should not be in words, but in deeds," he added.

He said the international community had failed for three decades to enforce U.N. resolutions or put pressure on Armenia to return Azeri territories.

The content and tone of Aliyev's message made clear that Azerbaijan would not entertain calls for an immediate ceasefire, as Russia, the United States and European Union have urged.

Speaking immediately after Aliyevs speech, Armenian Defence Ministry official Artsrun Hovhannisyan said: "I don't think that there is any risk for Yerevan (the Armenian capital), but anyway we are in war."

The clashes are the worst since the 1990s, when some 30,000 people were killed and are spreading beyond the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave. They have raised international concern about stability in the South Caucasus, where pipelines carry Azeri oil and gas to world markets.

The conflict threatens to drag in other regional powers as Azerbaijan is supported by Turkey, while Armenia has a defence pact with Russia.

Hundreds of people have been killed in the past week of fighting between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces, including more than 40 civilians.

Story continues

Earlier on Sunday, Azerbaijan said Armenian forces had fired rockets at its second city of Ganja, killing one civilian and wounding 32, and also launched a missile attack on the Azeri industrial city of Mingachevir. Azerbaijan threatened to retaliate by destroying military targets inside Armenia.

Both Armenia's and the breakaway region's defence ministries said they denied the Azeri claim of the Armenian attack on Mingachevir in Azerbaijan.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry said: "The attacks of Armenia targeting the civilians in Ganja...are a new manifestation of Armenia's unlawful attitude. We condemn these attacks."

Armenia denied it had directed fire "of any kind" towards Azerbaijan. The leader of Nagorno-Karabakh said his forces had targeted a military airbase in Ganja but later stopped firing in order to avoid civilian casualties.

FIGHTING SPREADS

Until now, the main fighting has been between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave inside Azerbaijan, but it now threatens to spill over into a direct war with Armenia itself.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for an immediate ceasefire in a conversation with Armenia's foreign minister and said Moscow was ready to help seek a solution to the conflict via the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Azerbaijan, however, says it has lost patience with the OSCE's failure to resolve the conflict.

Nagorno-Karabakh once again came under Azeri bombardment on Sunday and an official there said the civilian death toll over the past week had risen to 18, including casualties in the enclave's capital of Stepanakert and nearby Shushi.

Azerbaijan says it has lost 24 civilians, and Armenia two.

Aliyev said on Twitter his forces had captured the town of Jabrail and several villages in what, if confirmed, would be a significant advance on the southern edge of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenian defence ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan dismissed the claim as "yet another fabrication". Independent verification was not possible.

Nagorno-Karabakh leader Arayik Harutyunyan said his forces would target military units located in the large Azeri cities.

(Additional reporting by Margarita Antidze; Writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Angus MacSwan/Frances Kerry/Jane Merriman)
Ive spent the last week reading the reviews of the first presidential debate between President Trump and the private citizen, Joe Biden (or is he the Democrat Party? Im not sure). Some analysts said something like, Trump won, Biden was insulting and could only say the memorized lines and Chris Wallace was a liberal hack. Others said, Biden won, Trump was a rude, uncontrollable clown that even the brave Chris Wallace could not rein in. The one thing just about all the commentators seemed to agree on is that this wasnt Lincoln-Douglas, the debates are broken, and we need to fix them.

Of course, no one agrees on what should be done, only that something needs to be done. Some suggested cancelling the debates altogether; others suggested changing the rules somehow; still others suggested cutting off the microphones at strategic moments. The best prescription I read for fixing these debates was right here on American Thinker, written by Ben Voth.

But, as any doctor will tell you, its unwise to prescribe a treatment before you do the diagnosis. That is, until you know who is to blame for this debacle, you cant really fix it.

Most are blaming President Trump: he was rude, he interrupted, he was bombastic, he was mean. Others blamed Mr. Biden: he was insulting, he was evasive, he spouted allegations that he had to know were lies. Quite a few are blaming Wallace: he lost control, he was debating Trump, he gave the debunked liberal media spin on some of his questions.

Every one of those statements are both true and wrong. They are true in the sense that these things certainly happened, but they are wrong because none of them are the causes of that debacle, they are the symptoms of a much more invasive cultural disease.

The blame for this how low this debate sank lies squarely on the shoulders of the left-wing media, left-wing social media, and left-wing academia that shapes most of the culture in this country.

Im not saying that because the moderators are journalists who think the only reason for staging these debates is because the people want to see them in action. The biggest reason to blame the media is because they have poisoned our national discourse by setting limits on what is believable. You see, as a nation we cant have open discussions about the problems we face and about the various potential solutions to those problems because the media circumscribes every issue and any attempt to speak outside those boundaries will get you mocked, insulted, tagged, canceled, and even attacked.

The left understands better than most that knowledge is power and works really hard to make sure that the only knowledge that gets promoted is the kind that gives them power. For example, how are we supposed to have a discussion about immigration policy when any position aside from open borders is shouted down as racist hate speech?

They do this on every issue, but examine how they handle the environment, which was a topic in the debate. When Al Gore started spouting his convenient lies about the environment, the cultural influencers immediately created an echo-chamber that excluded contrary opinion from being treated as valid. Those who disagreed were not just looking at alternative theories suggested by the data, they were denying science. The media pushed this boundary of discourse on the public by constantly using the phrase settled science about global warming (which was unsettled enough that it had to be renamed climate change).

How does this ruin a debate? Here is Wallaces question to President Trump about the environment:

O.K., the forest fires in the West, are raging now. They have burned millions of acres. They have displaced hundreds of thousands of people. When state officials there blame the fires on climate change, Mr. President, you said, I don't think the science knows. Over your four years, you have pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate accord. You have rolled back a number of Obama environmental records. What do you believe about the science of climate change? And what will you do in the next four years to confront it?

This question is filled with the medias worldview about the environment. Wallace sounds like a prosecutor reading the charges against the president for his crimes against the planet. The idea that short-sighted and stupid environmental policies burned the California forests or that the Paris accords were nothing but a money grab by greedy nations or that the Obama administrations focus on the environment killed American industry isnt even considered, isnt allowed in proper discussion of the issue. The president wasnt being asked to discuss environmental policy, he was called on to defend the indefensible.

The presidents answer to this question was terrible, but what was he supposed to say in the two uninterrupted minutes he had (during which Wallace interrupted him FOUR times)? He could try to explain that what environmentalists call science is really politics with a white lab coat on. He could ask why its assumed that a warmer planet is a bad thing. He could declare that the ridiculous cost of doing what the scientists want is absurdly out of proportion to the meager benefits they promise (but cannot guarantee). Had he said any of those things, how would the entire media react? They would howl at him with all the derision they could muster at his lies and stupidity and heartlessness.

Another reason the media is to blame for this debate is the way they have reported on both the Obama administration and the Trump administration over the last 12 years. Besides worshipping Obama and vilifying Trump, they also hid all the failures and scandals of the Obama years and ignored all the successes and victories of the Trump years. Can you even imagine how different this debate would have been if the media had been objective in their reporting?

Let me help you. First, Biden wouldnt have been on the stage. He would have been tied to Obamas lousy economy and immense corruption, including the attempt to destroy Trumps presidency using the apparatus of the federal government, and wouldnt have made it past the first primary.

But aside from that little detail, this debate wouldve been different because Trump could have talked about what he had done to people who were generally familiar with those actions and policies and Biden would not have been able to call those successes a failure. Biden was able to lay the deaths of all 200,000 Americans at the presidents feet solely because the media refuses to tell the story of how China sent this virus to us, how Trump took immediate action to protect our lives, how he mobilized the entire country to help the sick, and how he has tried to balance peoples risks and peoples need to work. If they had been objective about this all year, Biden would have been forced to explain what he would have done differently and how that would have been better. Instead, he was able to call Trump a mass murderer.

How about the question about white supremacy? The president has denounced racism in all its forms, including the couple of hundred idiots who think that the only thing you need to be better than another person is white skin, dozens of times. The only reason to ask this during the debate is because the media refuses to accept Trumps answer so they can continue to blame him, and not the rioters themselves, for the riots.

Now, you might be thinking that the media have been like this for a long time, so that doesnt explain why this debate was so bad. Thats true. There is one more piece to the puzzle: unlike other Republicans, Trump never surrenders to the narrative, he fights for the truth. We would have seen the same kind of debate if anyoneBob Dole, either of the Bushes, John McCain, or Mitt Romneydecided to fight for America rather than surrender to the establishment. Thats why in the mind of any leftist this is all Trumps fault. He spoke up instead of bowing in submission. And thats probably why, even after this terrible debate, the polling moved in Trumps direction.

Steve Matteucci has degrees in Economics, Law, Taxation, and Theology. His book, How to Be a Trustee: Practical Thinking on Settling a Living Trust, is available on Amazon.

Image credit: WSJ video screen shot, via shareable YouTube.
Navalny accuses Putin of being behind his poisoning Germany said toxicology tests show he was poisoned by Novichok

(ANSA) - BERLINO, 01 OTT - Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has accused President Vladimir Putin of being behind his poisoning, in his first interview published since he left the German hospital where he was treated. "I assert that Putin is behind this act, I don't see any other explanation," he told the German weekly Der Spiegel, which published extracts from the interview on its website Thursday. Navalny collapsed last month while on a flight from Tomsk to Moscow after a campaign trip to support opposition candidates in local elections. Russian doctors who first treated him said their tests did not find any toxic substances. The 44-year-old Kremlin critic was evacuated to Berlin on August 22 in a coma and on mechanical ventilation.



Germany said toxicology tests show he was poisoned by the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok. France and Sweden have independently corroborated Germany's findings. The Kremlin has denied allegations of involvement in the poisoning and accused Western leaders of launching a disinformation campaign over the opposition leader's illness. Navalny was finally discharged after a month from Berlin's Charite hospital, with doctors saying he could make a full recovery. The Kremlin critic has been active on social media since being brought out of the coma.



Posting a photograph of himself sitting on a Berlin bench, Navalny said on Instagram last week he was far from fully recovered and would require rehabilitation. "The plans are always simple: a physiotherapist every day. Possibly a rehabilitation centre. Stand on one leg. Take back control of my fingers completely. Maintain balance," he wrote. (ANSA).





 Copyright ANSA - All rights reserved
The fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces continued on Sunday over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, with Azerbaijans second-largest city coming under attack.

Azerbaijani officials said Sunday that Armenian forces attacked Ganja, the countrys second largest city. Hikmet Hajiyev, an aide to the Azerbaijani president, tweeted a video depicting damaged buildings, and called it the result of Armenias massive missile attacks against dense residential areas in Ganja.

It wasnt immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the video. Hajiyev said in another tweet that attacks on Ganja and other areas in Azerbaijan were launched from territory of Armenia.

Armenias Defense Ministry said that no fire of any kind is being opened from the territory of Armenia in Azerbaijans direction. But Nagorno-Karabakhs leader, Arayik Harutyunyan, confirmed on Facebook he ordered rocket attacks to neutralize military objects in Ganja. His spokesman, Vahram Poghosyan, said the territorys army destroyed a military airport in Ganja, a claim Azerbaijani officials denied.

The attack on the city killed one civilian and left four others wounded, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry tweeted. Harutyunyan said he ordered his forces to stop the attacks on Ganja to avoid civilian casualties. Nagorno-Karabakhs leader added that proportionate and crushing strikes targeting the opponents forces would continue, if Azerbaijan fails to draw appropriate lessons.

The fighting, which broke out on Sept. 27 and has continued for eight straight days, is the biggest escalation in years in the decades-long dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh. The region lies within Azerbaijan, but is controlled by local ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia. Both sides said the hostilities have spread beyond the breakaway territory and accused each other of attacking areas outside Nagorno-Karabakh.

Ganja, with a population of more than 330,000, is located roughly 100 kilometers (about 60 miles) north of Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakhs capital.

Opening fire on the territory of Azerbaijan from the territory of Armenia is clearly provocative and expands the zone of hostilities, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov said in a statement Sunday.

As the fighting resumed Sunday morning, Armenian officials accused Azerbaijan of carrying out strikes on Stepanakert and targeting the civilian population there. Nagorno-Karabakhs leader Harutyunyan said that in response, his forces would target military facilities permanently located in major cities of Azerbaijan.

In a statement issued later on Sunday, Azerbaijans Defense Ministry rejected accusations of targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Nagorno-Karabakh officials have said nearly 200 servicemen on their side have died so far. Azerbaijani authorities havent given details on their military casualties, but said 22 civilians were killed and 74 others were wounded.

Nagorno-Karabakh was a designated autonomous region within Azerbaijan during the Soviet era. It claimed independence from Azerbaijan in 1991, about three months before the Soviet Unions collapse. A full-scale war that broke out in 1992 killed an estimated 30,000 people.

By the time the war ended in 1994, Armenian forces not only held Nagorno-Karabakh itself but substantial areas outside the territorys formal borders, including Madagiz, the village Azerbaijan claimed to have taken on Saturday along with several others.

This weeks fighting has prompted calls for a cease-fire from around the world. On Thursday, leaders of Russia, France and the United States  co-chairs of the so-called Minsk Group, which was set up by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in 1992 to resolve the conflict  issued a joint statement calling for an immediate cease-fire and resuming substantive negotiations ... under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.

Azerbaijani President Ilkham Aliyev said that Armenias withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh is the sole condition to end the fighting.

Armenian officials allege that Turkey is involved in the conflict and is sending fighters from Syria to the region. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said earlier this week that a cease-fire can be established only if Turkey is removed from the South Caucasus.

Ankara has denied sending arms or foreign fighters, while publicly siding with Azerbaijan in the dispute.

On Sunday, Turkeys Foreign Ministry condemned the attack on Ganja, saying it was proof of Armenias disregard for the law. Ankara accused Armenia of attacking civilian residential areas, and claimed that Armenia could commit crimes against humanity.

Armenia is the biggest barrier to peace and stability in the region, the ministry said.
A day after meeting the family of the Hathras gangrape victim, ex-Congress president Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra escalated their attack on the UP government. Vadra recalled the kin telling her that the Hathras District Magistrate had behaved in the worst possible manner. Alleging that the DM was being shielded, she called for his immediate dismissal and a detailed probe into his role. Earlier, Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala had posted a video in which the DM was purportedly seen issuing a veiled threat to the family members on changing their statement.

Moreover, she lamented that the SIT investigation is still underway despite the state government recommending a CBI probe. Urging the Yogi Adityanath-led government to wake up from slumber, the Congress general secretary opined that the demands of the victim's family should be taken into consideration. According to her, the kin sought a judicial inquiry into the case. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi claimed that the UP CM and the DM had threatened the family of the Hathras victim. Addressing the Kheti Bachao Yatra in Moga, the Wayanad MP lamented that no action had been taken against the criminals while her family members were locked up in their house.

                ?            



             SIT     1/2  Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) October 4, 2020

Read: Hathras Horror: BSP Demands CBI Probe Of To Be Under Supreme Court Judge's Supervision

I was in UP where a daughter was killed. No action taken against those who killed her. Family whose daughter was killed is locked up in their house. DM & CM threatened them. Such is the situation in India. Nothing happens to criminal but action taken against victim: Rahul Gandhi pic.twitter.com/gCRwVPdsbw  ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2020

Read: NCW Chief Warns Those Revealing Hathras Victim's Identity, Names Some And Warns Others

The Hathras gangrape case

A 19-year-old woman in a village in UP's Hathras district was reported to have been brutally gangraped by 4 men when she was collecting fodder for her cattle on September 14. The victim, who was initially admitted to a local hospital in Hathras was shifted for further treatment to Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital. She succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday, September 29. Four persons have been arrested by the police in this case.

Amid huge protests outside the hospital demanding justice for the deceased woman, her body was brought to the village by the police at around 1 am on Wednesday. In an official statement, the Hathras Police refuted reports that the body was forcefully cremated in the dead of the night without conducting the final rites. However, the victim's family claimed that its request for the body to be taken to the house and carrying out the cremation after sunrise was turned down by the police. The police has now cited the autopsy report to claim that there was no rape in the incident.

Read: Mamata Banerjee Takes Out Rally In Kolkata Against Hathras Rape

[Image credits: @IYC(Twitter)]
By Tong Kim





North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is back on a busy schedule. On Oct. 3, he reportedly sent "a message of sympathy" to U.S. President Donald Trump who had tested positive for COVID-19, wishing him and his wife a quick recovery. The North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim "sincerely hoped that they would be recovered as soon as possible."



The previous day, Kim visited a reconstruction site in Kimhwa County, one of the areas hit hardest by a recent flood, to encourage North Korean soldiers who were mobilized for reconstruction projects. Kim also asked local officials to make sure the residents were happy with the 1,000 new homes, now 80 percent complete, which they will move into soon.



In Seoul, a controversy continues over the tragic incident in which a South Korean fisheries official was shot to death by North Korean soldiers, Sept. 22. The North's own account of the incident, released Sept. 25 and included an apology from Kim Jong-un, raised more questions than it answered.



North Korea admitted that its navy killed the victim but denied an earlier South Korean report that they had burned his body. Pyongyang claimed that it has taken new measures to prevent any future occurrence of a similar incident.



In an effort to reconcile discrepancies between the conflicting accounts, Seoul proposed a joint inter-Korean investigation. However, the North has not responded so far, and it is unlikely that they will accept the proposal.



On Sept. 27 KCNA warned that South Korean vessels engaged in search operations for the victim's body  that started after the North said they did not burn it  should not intrude on North Korean waters.



The North claims its territorial waters begin north of the "demarcation line" on the West Sea. The South operates by the Northern Limit Line, which was proclaimed unilaterally by the United Nations Command after the signing of the armistice agreement in 1953.



There has been a tentative inter-Korean agreement to establish a peace zone in the West Sea, covering the overlapping claims for territorial waters by both sides. But, no negotiations have taken place to date.



President Moon Jae-in apparently was encouraged by Kim's quick apology in which he said, he was "very sorry for the unsavory incident that should not have happened," as well as by a recent exchange of letters with Chairman Kim regarding the coronavirus pandemic and flood damage.



The KCNA confirmed Kim's intention to make sure that "no more incident spoiling the relations of trust and respect between the North and the South would happen under any circumstances." A complete turnaround from its narrative on the destruction of the liaison office building in June.



There are different takes on Kim's conciliatory response: (1) Kim should be given credit for being forthcoming about his mistake, as he seeks the semblance of a normal leader, and the South should keep working with him; (2) Kim's apology is not genuine and he was simply reacting to being put on the spot with evidence produced by the South Korean military, holding him accountable; and (3) Kim's apology is just lip service to avoid the complete termination of inter-Korean relations, as he needs assistance from the South to carry out his next five-year economic plan that a party congress will announce in January.



President Moon appeared hopeful for a shift from the misfortune toward a transition that will include resumed dialogue and cooperation with North Korea. However, it should be remembered that no policy on the North will succeed without the support of the people.



If anything, the controversy over the latest episode has deepened the schism in the nation's view of, and attitude toward, the regime in the North. Polarization of opinion over the North is not helpful to its national security.



North Korea is struggling hard to endure sanctions and to recover from flood damage, and all the while defending against the pandemic  which it claims has not produced a single case. It should remember that nuclear weapons or missiles do not help its economy, instead they use up more of the country's scarce resources.



On Sept. 28, Pyongyang's U.N. Ambassador Kim Song told the U.N. General Assembly that his country would be focusing on economic development since it has a "reliable and effective war deterrent for self-defense." He said, "We badly need an external environment favorable for economic construction. But, we cannot sell off our dignity just in the hope of a brilliant transformation  the dignity which we have defended as valuable as our own life."



In other words, North Korea will not give up its nuclear program for a U.S. promise of a brighter future that will only come after its denuclearization. He also acknowledged that sanctions are a hindrance to the economic development of his country.



North Korea is likely to decide its next move, after the U.S. presidential election that may go on beyond Nov. 3.





Tong Kim (tong.kim8@yahoo.com) is a visiting professor with the University of North Korean Studies, a visiting scholar with Korea University, a fellow at the Institute for Corean-American Studies, and a columnist for The Korea Times.


Acting White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows holds the door for Sean Conley(front C), Physician to US President Donald Trump, and other members of the President's medical team as they arrive to give an update on the President's health at Walter Reed Medical Center during treatment for a COVID-19 infection October 4, 2020, in Bethesda, Maryland.

President Donald Trump's doctors said Sunday they had begun treating him with dexamethasone, a steroid that has shown promise for critically ill patients but may cause harm to those with less severe cases of Covid-19.

The revelation, which came as part of an upbeat briefing on the 74-year-old president's condition, raised further questions about Trump's health as he wrestles with the virus that has killed more than 200,000 Americans.

Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, an infectious diseases physician at the Boston University School of Medicine, said the steroid treatment suggests that Trump has a level of inflammation that warrants the use of steroids despite the fact that the drug also suppresses the immune system.

"That they made a conscious decision that the benefit of giving steroids outweighs the risk implies a higher degree of severity than what we knew on Friday and Saturday," Bhadelia said in an email.

Another expert, Dr. Vin Gupta, said the doctors' disclosures may indicate that Trump could be suffering from pneumonia.

"The treatment the doctors report they administered suggest the president has COVID pneumonia of at least mild severity," said Gupta, a member of the faculty at the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

The briefing took place outside the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, where the president has been treated since Friday.

White House physician Dr. Sean Conley said the president's medical team had begun treating the president with dexamethasone. The course of treatment came in response to two incidents in which Trump's blood oxygen levels dipped below normal in recent days.

Conley also said that Trump could be discharged as soon as Monday and said his health was improving.

Bhadelia said she generally would not discharge someone who was just put on steroids.

The Trump medical team's announcement complicated assessments of how dire the president's case is, particularly in light of the caginess that has surrounded details about the president's health.

According to the World Health Organization, dexamethasone has been shown to reduce 28-day mortality in patients with severe and critical cases of Covid-19. In contrast, the organization found, it "may increase the risk of death when administered to patients with non-severe" cases of the disease.

The WHO defined severe cases of Covid-19 as causing blood oxygen levels to fall below 90%. Healthy adults generally have blood oxygen levels of 95% or higher. Rapid breathing or other signs of respiratory distress could also cause a case to be considered severe.

One study cited by the WHO showed that dexamethasone reduced mortality to about 22.9% compared with 25.7% for those given usual treatments.

Trump's doctors declined to say how low the president's blood oxygen level has fallen, beyond saying that it has not been recorded in the low 80s. Conley said that Trump's blood oxygen level was 98% on Sunday.

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who led the FDA from 2017 to 2019, said that the two drops in the president's blood oxygen level did not suggest a strong recovery.

"I am concerned about the O2 because that means his lungs are affected (COVID-19 is the disease part and now he has that)," Gottlieb said in an email. He added, "If they are going to discharge him tomorrow, that would mean he is virus negative. I don't think that's possible."

Gottlieb added: "The low oxygen and the statement that his 'chest imaging had findings that were consistent with his condition' suggest he could have a pneumonia of his lungs."

On Saturday, Conley dodged questions about whether the president had received any supplemental oxygen. Then, on Sunday, Conley said the president's oxygen levels fell Friday and Saturday, and he revealed that the president received supplemental oxygen Friday.

It was not clear, however, whether Trump received oxygen Saturday. When asked about it Sunday, Conley deferred to the nursing staff.

"I'd have to, I'd have to check with the nursing staff. I don't think that  if he did it was very, very limited. But he's not on oxygen," Conley said. "The only oxygen that I ordered that we provided was that Friday morning, initially."

The president's medical team has not been forthcoming about his condition, forcing the public to read between the lines.

"I didn't want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction, and in doing so, you know, it came off that we were trying to hide something, which wasn't necessarily true," Conley explained on Sunday.

Still, it seemed curious to physicians that the president only needed supplemental oxygen one or two times, in light of the dexamethasone treatment. The National Institutes of Health Covid-19 treatment guidelines note that dexamethasone has only been shown to have positive effects in patients who require supplemental oxygen.

"Dexamethasone is an incredibly common steroid. But not at the high doses used in COVID-19 which is why the NIH recommends AGAINST using it unless the [patient] requires supplemental oxygen," wrote Dr. Kavita Patel, a former managing director of clinical transformation at the Center for Health Policy at the Brookings Institution, in a post on Twitter on Sunday.

"Not on oxygen for a second here or there," she wrote.

 CNBC's Shepard Smith contributed to this report.

Disclosure: Scott Gottlieb is a CNBC contributor and is a member of the boards of Pfizer, genetic testing start-up Tempus and biotech company Illumina. Pfizer has a manufacturing agreement with Gilead for remdesivir. Gottlieb also serves as co-chair of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and Royal Caribbean's "Healthy Sail Panel."

Correction: This story was updated to reflect that Sean Conley, the president's physician, did not say whether the president received supplemental oxygen Saturday.
Photograph: Sergio Flores/Getty Images

Governor Greg Abbotts announcement of the closure of several mail-in ballot drop-off sites across Texas on Thursday imposed a limit of one to each county. The move came on the same day Travis county, which is largely composed of the states capital, Austin, had just opened four drop-off locations.

In July, Abbott had issued an executive order to ease voting restrictions due to the pandemic by extending the early voting period by six days. But after facing pressure from his own Republican party, Abbott now seems to be backtracking.

Large, populous counties such as Travis and Harris county will be disproportionately affected by this order. These counties includes Texass most diverse cities: Austin and Houston, respectively. Nine per cent of Travis countys population are black and 33% are Hispanic. In Harris county, 20% of the population are black and 43% Hispanic.

Harris county

Harris county is the third most populous county in the country with more than 4.7 million residents. As of 2018, it has nearly 2.4 million registered voters. After Abbotts new order, the vast county has gone from having 12 ballot drop-off sites to just one, located at the NRG Stadium in central Houston.

Harris County spans 1,777 square miles and is larger than Rhode Island. Residents in and around suburbs like Cypress, Tomball and Humble must now travel almost an hour one-way with moderate traffic to reach the single drop-off site. Those living in rural areas like Waller or Hockley will have even farther to travel.

Civil rights organizations in the state have banded together to take legal action against the governor, claiming his order can cause confusion and even undermine public confidence in the outcome of the election itself.

Ralph Edelbach, a resident of Cypress, is 82 and disabled. He is a plaintiff in the lawsuit. Edelbach originally planned on dropping off his ballot to a location 16 miles away from his home. He must now travel 72 miles into the city and back.

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When I saw there was an option to use mail outpost box options, I thought that was certainly something I wanted to consider doing, Edelbach said. Then I saw the governors proclamation. His attempt to suppress the vote is clear.

Edelbach said he should not have to mail in his ballot, citing his distrust of the US Postal Service after the discovery of major mail slowdowns after the Trump appointee Louis DeJoy was appointed postmaster general in June.

Im 82 years old. I do not have to vote in person, Edelbach said. I do, in Texas, have the option of voting absentee and Im exercising that right. There is no evidence that Ive seen at all about any significant fraudulent voting going on anywhere.

Ravi Doshi, senior voting rights counsel at the Campaign Legal Center (CLC), is an attorney in the case.

We wouldnt have filed this lawsuit if we didnt think it had merit, he said. The election in Texas is under way. People are already voting. They made plans on how they would vote based on the rules that were already set, before the election started. To change these rules midstream and get rid of drop-boxes is to make it more difficult for people to be able to exercise their right to vote. That is plainly wrong and it should be stopped.

The voter registration deadline in Texas is 5 October and early voting begins on 13 October. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is 23 October. All mail-in ballots must be postmarked by 3 November and received by 5pm on 4 November.
Bir Lehlou (Saharawi Republic) 29 September 2020 (SPS)- The President of the Saharawi Republic, H.E. Brahim Ghali, congratulated H.E. President Mokgweetsi E.K. Masisi, for the 54th Independence of the Republic of Botswana, in a letter he addressed him on the occasion on Monday 28 September.

I am writing to you today Mr. President and dear brother, to present my most sincere and deep congratulations on this great day, full of lessons, full of glory but also full of challenges that make real leaders arise from within their people to lead them to great achievements and make history, President Ghali stressed.

The Saharawi President further emphasized that the people of the Saharawi Republic, its government, and myself, are grateful to Your Excellency and to the people and government of Botswana, for the principled position and solidarity with our rights to dignity, freedom and independence.

It should be recalled that the two countries established diplomatic relations back in 1980. They upgraded it to Ambassadorial level on 2019, when the Saharawi Republic opened an Embassy in Gaborone. (SPS)

090/500/60 (SPS)
Young wants people to remember that he stood up to his party to make the Republican health care plan better in 2017. It briefly caused then-House Speaker Paul Ryan to pull his support of Young.

Young ultimately voted to repeal the ACA and in support of the amended Republican replacement, which did not garner enough support. Axne and Democrats say that vote to repeal, when Republicans knew that they couldnt replace the ACA, raises questions about whether Iowans can trust Young on health care.

Everybody in Iowa supports protecting those with preexisting conditions, to see that theyre not denied coverage or discriminated against on price, whether its at the federal or state level, Young said.

The candidates agreed on the need to invest in broadband for rural areas and poorer parts of cities. They also agreed on the need to improve trade for Iowas agricultural producers.

Axne said Iowa farmers need more certainty on trade than Trump or the GOP provide. Its hard to plan, plant and invest when markets can evaporate on a persons whim, she said.
The city said positive tests were traced to people involved in organizing the debate

A new report shows that at least 11 members of the press and organizers at the presidential debate in Cleveland tested positive for coronavirus, according to NBC.

The city of Cleveland and the clinic that hosted the debate between President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden on Tuesday said that anyone who attended the event should get tested and self-isolate.

US President Donald Trump (R) and former Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden participate in the first presidential debate at the Health Education Campus of Case Western Reserve University on September 29, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)

The City of Cleveland is aware of positive cases of Covid-19 following the Sept. 29 presidential debate, according to a City Hall statement.

We advise anyone who has come in contact with someone who has tested positive to self-quarantine. If anyone who was in attendance has concerns or is symptomatic, they should contact their healthcare provider.

Read More: Joe Biden tests negative for COVID-19, says he learned about Trump positive test through media

As theGrio previously reported, news broke that Trump and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, have both tested positive for COVID-19, with Trump was transported to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday.

The Cleveland Clinic, which followed COVID-19 prevention protocols as the host for the debate was confident that guests at Tuesday nights event were safe from the coronavirus, NBC News reported.

Updated statement from Cleveland Clinic regarding the 11 people who tested positive for COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/hMQkSwD8BA  ClevelandClinicNews (@CleClinicNews) October 2, 2020

Based on what we know about the virus and the safety measures we had in place, we believe there is low risk of exposure to our guests, the Cleveland Clinic said in a statement.

In total, at this time, we are aware of 11 cases stemming from pre-debate planning and set-up, with the majority of cases occurring among out of state residents, the city said.

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At this time, though that could change, no City residents appear to have contracted the virus as a result of this event.

Read More: Trump going to military hospital after COVID-19 diagnosis

The city further stated that the 11 people referenced in the report did not actually enter the debate hall that night.

These individuals were either members of the media or were scheduled to work logistics/set-up in the days prior to the event, Clinic said Friday night.

Individuals did not receive credentials or tickets to enter the debate hall until they had a negative test, and all were advised to isolate while they awaited their test results.

Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now!

The post New COVID-19 cases linked to Cleveland Presidential debate appeared first on TheGrio.
Almighty and everlasting God,

you are always more ready to hear than we to pray,

and to give more than we either desire or deserve:

Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy,

forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid,

and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask,

except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior;

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God,

For ever and ever.

Amen.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-05 01:05:51|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- E-scooters should be legalised in Britain within the next 18 months, provided they can be kept off pavements, the House of Commons (lower house of British parliament) Transport Committee has said in a report.

Noting that Britain is the last major economy in Europe where the scooters are banned everywhere apart from private land, the committee said e-scooters have the potential to offer a low cost, accessible and environmentally friendly alternative to the private car.

But while supporting the introduction and use of e-scooters, the committee advised that current rental trials and any plans for legalisation should not be to the detriment of pedestrians, particularly disabled people.

"If the government supports the committee's recommendation and decides to legalise privately owned e-scooters, the law should clearly prohibit their use on pavements and ensure that such enforcement measures are effective in eliminating this behaviour," it added.

Several areas, including Teesside, Hartlepool, Milton Keynes Borough, Northamptonshire and the West Midland have now signed up for the trial phase ahead of a potential national roll out.

Committee chair Huw Merriman said e-scooters have the potential to become an exciting and ingenious way to navigate streets in Britain and get from place to place.

He added: "If this gets people out of the car, reducing congestion and exercising in the open air, then even better. We support the government's desire to include e-scooters in the UK's transport mix and the current rental trials will provide a crucial evidence base for future legislation."

The committee said users should not be required to have a driving licence for either rental or private use of the scooters, and it wants the British Department of Transport to monitor e-scooter accidents.

It also emphasised the importance of designing a system to prevent "street clutter" whereby the dockless scooters are left all over the pavement causing a hazard.

In 2018, Chinese dockless bike rental firm Mobike pulled out of Manchester due to the volume of vehicles stolen, vandalised or dumped. The transport committee said e-scooter "parking hubs" should be considered to avoid the problem of e-scooters obstructing the pavement. Enditem
Chirag Paswan at the Jakai rally with CM Nitish Kumar

The Lok Janshakti Party's decision on Sunday to walk out of the National Democratic Alliance in Bihar has upended conventional wisdom and thrown open new possibilities in the three-phase assembly elections starting from October 28.

The party headed by Chirag Paswan said that it will put up candidates against JD(U) but not against the BJP, an attempt to damage the poll prospects of the party headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the hope that a below-par show by it will make Kumar's leadership of the NDA in the state untenable.

LJP sources have made it clear that they will not enter into any opposition alliance.

They said the LJP's announcement is driven by a number of factors, including the desire of Chirag Paswan (37) to prove his mettle after taking over the party's leadership from his ailing father Ram Vilas Paswan and the party's wish to take on the JD(U) as it believes that Kumar had been working overtime to undercut its political standing.

However, the main rival alliance of Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD, the Congress and the Left will believe that its prospects have brightened with the LJP's decision as Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan's party will eat into the votes of the NDA, political watchers said.

The NDA was seen to have an edge over the opposition alliance due to its broader social coalition and the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the national level and Kumar in the state, but the LJP's decision has thrown new equations into play.

With Ram Vilas Paswan's party constantly lauding Modi's leadership and exhorting the BJP to lead the alliance in the state too, the development may send confusing signals to traditional NDA voters, especially in the constituencies where both the JD(U) and the LJP will contest besides the opposition parties.

A senior JD(U) leader, who did not wish to be named, noted that top BJP leaders, including party president J P Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah, have endorsed Kumar's leadership of the alliance in the state, and Modi has also praised him a number of times in recent events.

"The LJP is overestimating its strength. Once Modi and Kumar address a few joint public meetings in the state during the campaign, all confusion will disappear," he said.

The LJP believes that Kumar has waned as a political force in the state and a strong section of NDA voters wants to see his back and a new leader to emerge.

It hopes to attract support from those anti-Kumar voters.

The LJP traditionally draws its support from a big bloc of Dalit voters and has in its ranks a number of upper caste leaders, who are influential in different pockets of the state.

The LJP had deployed a similar strategy in the February 2005 assembly polls in the state when it was part of the Congress-led UPA alliance at the Centre but contested against the RJD, the principal UPA member in Bihar.

Its gamble paid off initially as the party with its 29 MLAs held the balance of power in a hung assembly which was, however, dissolved and a fresh election called for.

The LJP again fought independently while it remained a member of the UPA at the Centre, but this time people gave the NDA alliance headed by Nitish Kumar a clear majority, ending Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD 15-year reign in the state in 2005.

Political watchers will be keenly watching if the LJP again manages to effect a change of government in the state under its new leader.

The nomination process for the first phase, under which 71 of the total 243 seats will go to polls, began from October 1 and will end on October 8.
We stayed here for 5 nights whilst visiting Edinburgh and overall had a lovely time. Upon arrival we found the lift was out of order which was slightly frustrating, as we were staying for 5 nights so had a large suitcase each which we had to drag up the stairs to reception. Check in was easy and efficient and the staff were friendly. Unfortunately we then had to carry our cases up another large flight of stairs, though the hotel porter was on hand if required. The lift remained out of order for our entire stay, which was fine for us though we did wonder what someone who struggled with stairs for whatever reason would do.



Our room was lovely, right on the corner of the hotel with three windows and amazing views over the city and up to the castle. The room was spacious and modern with a really comfy bed. The bathroom was lovely and the shower was huge. There were a couple of minor things which needed attention - the toilet seat was loose and slid around when in use, the worktop under the sink was badly cracked and the wooden panel on the end of the glass shelf in the bedroom was loose and fell off every time you pulled something off the shelf. The door also didnt work properly and had to be slammed very hard to shut it, which we did report to reception who told us someone from maintenance would be called for. Also it was a bit lacking with storage - the bedside tables appear to have two drawers each but on further inspection these were not real drawers and were just for effect, so other than the wardrobe (which is a good size) there was nowhere for storage really, so we found ourselves living out of our cases a bit. Saying all of that, it really didnt impact our stay much at all and I would still highly recommend this hotel.



We ate in the hotel restaurant and had drinks in the bar on our first night which was amazing. The staff were wonderful, food and drinks were delicious and we were even surprised with a special dessert and some champagne as we had mentioned that it was our anniversary. It was a lovely touch and made the night so special.



The staff were very friendly and helpful. Our room was cleaned and fresh towels provided daily. Overall I would highly recommend this hotel for a trip to Edinburgh. It was lovely and not overpriced either. We would definitely stay here again if in the area.
A demonstrator holds a sign with the image of Breonna Taylor, a black woman who was fatally shot by Louisville Metro Police Department officers, during a protest against the death George Floyd in Minneapolis, in Denver, Colorado on June 3, 2020. JASON CONNOLLY/AFP via Getty Images

Former Louisville officer Brett Hankison told a grand jury he thought officers were being fired at by someone in Breonna Taylor's apartment with an AR-15 at the time he fired back.

Hankison, who was fired, is the only officer who faces charges related to the night of Breonna Taylor's killing.

More than 15 hours of grand jury and investigation testimony that was released Friday include Hankison's recollection of that March night to the public integrity unit.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Former Louisville Metro Police officer Brett Hankison told investigators he believed someone inside Breonna Taylor's apartment was executing his partners with an AR-15 when he fired into Taylor's apartment on March 13, 2020.

Hankison, who has since pleaded not guilty to three counts of wanton endangerment, recounted the night that he and other officers executed a warrant at Taylor's apartment in an interview with the Louisville Metro Police Department's public integrity unit. The testimony was replayed for a grand jury and released to the public on Friday.

"I thought they were being executed. I was under the impression that they were all getting hit with bullets," Hankison said in his testimony, describing what he said was rapid fire coming from the apartment where Taylor lived. "I returned fire at the angle that I believed that he was shooting from."

Hankison is the only officer who fired into Taylor's apartment facing criminal charges. A grand jury indicted the fired officer for shots he fired into the apartment of Taylor's neighbor, not for killing her.

In his testimony to the public integrity unit in March, Hankison said that, initially, there was reason to believe that the early morning raid seeking weapons and drugs at Taylor's apartment would turn violent.

The woman who lived there had little or no criminal record, he said.

That's why the officers decided to knock on Taylor's door before entering, even though they had a "no-knock" warrant that didn't require them to alert the occupants before entering, he said.

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When nobody came to the door after about 30 seconds, police used a battering ram to break down the door, Hankison and other detectives on scene testified.

Officers described being fired upon as they entered the apartment.

Hankison testified that he saw a "large figure in a shooting stance" being illuminated by the muzzle flash from a gun that he believed at the time was an AR-15 rifle.

He said that he felt trapped in a tight spot and retreated back toward the parking lot.

When he did, he said he heard that Det. John Mattingly had been hit.

"He appeared to be in a military-style stance, like they were just waiting to get the last hits in," Hankinson said, describing who he believed was the shooter. "

"I thought they were taking fire. I kind of felt at the time they were sitting ducks," he added. "That's when I felt, to protect myself, and to protect my partners who have already been shot, I returned fire. As soon as I fired through that window, the threat stopped."



At that point, after Mattingly had been taken away for treatment, officers called into the apartment to see if anyone else was inside, Hankinson told the PIU.

Soon after Kenneth Walker, Taylor's boyfriend, came out of the apartment and was on a cellphone, Hankinson said.

Officers ordered him to his knees and handcuffed him. Walker then told them that his girlfriend was dead inside the apartment, Hankinson said.

"Immediately my mind was like, did we come to something that already happened. That's what flickered in my mind. He said 'no, she was shooting at you with her 9 millimeter [handgun]," Hankinson testified. "He said that she was the one that shot at us. And that she was dead in the apartment."

Walker was arrested and charged with assault and attempted murder of a police officer, but the case was later dismissed as the state's attorney general called for further investigation.

This undated photo provided by Taylor family attorney Sam Aguiar shows Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Ky. Courtesy of Taylor Family attorney Sam Aguiar via AP, File

Police didn't alert dispatch about Breonna Taylor until 27 minutes after they shot her

Taylor suffered without medical care for at least five minutes before she died, the Louisville Courier Journal previously reported.

It wasn't until 27 minutes after she was struck by gunfire that officers called for EMS, the Journal reported.

Walker told investigators that he fired his gun that night because he was "scared to death" and didn't know who was entering their home.

According to Hankison's testimony, by the time Walker was out of the apartment and he and members of a SWAT team were able to enter, Taylor was already dead.

Hankinson said that after Walker was removed from the scene, he took two steps into the apartment and could see "a female laying in sort of a slumped position, and she appeared deceased."

A state investigator told the grand jury Taylor had been shot in the abdomen, upper breast, left forearm, lower thigh, and twice in the foot.

The shot that struck her upper chest likely killed her.

Mattingly was shot once in the thigh and recovered.

In an aerial view from a drone, a large-scale ground mural depicting Breonna Taylor with the text 'Black Lives Matter' is seen being painted at Chambers Park on July 5, 2020 in Annapolis, Maryland. Patrick Smith/Getty Images

The grand jury didn't indict officers over Taylor's death, but rather for firing into her neighbor's apartment.

Chelsey Napper was pregnant and at home with her 5-year-old son and partner, Cody Etherton, on March 13 when officers executed the warrant on Taylor's home next door.

When police opened fire into Taylor's apartment, bullets also shattered Napper's sliding glass door and struck objects inside her home, according to a lawsuit she filed against the police department in May.

Napper's attorney, Brandon Lawrence, told Insider Friday that the case is ongoing and that he is seeking at least $5,000 in damages, which is the jurisdictional minimum for civil cases.

"They're holding up the best they can under the circumstances," he said of Napper and her family.

She was friendly with Taylor and wanted justice for her killing, Lawrence said.

"She thought that there were going to be charges," Lawrence told Insider. "She was hoping, like everyone else."

Read the original article on Insider
Two naval officers were killed after a power glider they were flying lost control due to a technical snag and crashed in Kochi on Sunday morning, said a spokesman of the Indian Navy.

The glider took off from the INS Garuda as part of a routine flying programme at 7 am and it developed a technical glitch and crashed near Thoppumpady 20 minutes later.

Lieutenant (Lt) Rajiv Jha (39) and petty officer Sunil Kumar (29) died in the crash, said the spokesman.

People, who were out on a morning walk, were eye-witness to the crash and informed the local police.

Also Read: Ready to sell Navys former aircraft carrier INS Viraat for 100 crore: Mumbai firm

A naval team rushed to the accident site and tried to shift Jha and Kumar to the naval hospital at INS Sanjeevani, but both succumbed to their injuries on the way.

The officers were critically injured in the incident. They breathed their last on the way to the naval hospital. The Southern Naval Command has ordered a board of inquiry into the accident, said the spokesman.

He said both Jha and Kumar were experienced glider pilots and their sortie was part of a routine exercise.

The gliders wreckage has been shifted to the naval base at Kochi. Lt Jha belonged to Dehradun in Uttarakhand and Kumar was from Bhoj in Bihar.

Another naval officer was also killed at Karwar in Karnataka while paragliding two days ago.

Fortunately, his co-rider was saved by local fishermen and he is undergoing treatment at a local hospital in Karwar.

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Chennai:

Expelled AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP Sasikala Puspha on Sunday opposed party chief V K Sasikala becoming the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, alleging she had a criminal background.



In letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, she said, It is condemnable to nominate or invite Sasikala Natarajan to be a Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu due to her criminal background. All criminal cases are pending and (she is) convicted.



Pushpa was apparently referring to the disproportionate assets case against late chief minister Jayalalithaa in which Sasikala was a co-accused and convicted by the trial court in Bengaluru.



The Karnataka High Court had set aside the conviction. An appeal challenging the acquittal is now pending before the Supreme Court.

Read | Tamil Nadu gets new 'Amma' as Chinnamma Sasikala set to take oath as new chief minister today



Pushpa also alleged Sasikala, who was today elected leader of the AIADMK Legislature Party paving the way for her to become the Chief Minister, had not done any basic work to the party.



The then Chief Minister (J Jayalalithaa) not even proposed her (Sasikala) as a candidate when she was in hospital. When she will be Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, there would be law and order problems, she alleged.



She urged Modi and Rao not to recommend or invite Sasikala to be Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.



Pushpa had recently filed a complaint with the Election Commission claiming that the election of Sasikala as AIADMK General Secretary was not done as per procedure, following which the panel had sought the partys response.

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Authorities on Sunday allowed a five-member delegation of the Samajwadi Party to enter the village in Uttar Pradeshs Hathras, where a Dalit woman was gang-raped by the four upper-caste men. The leaders are expected to meet the 19-year-old womans family.

This comes a day after Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, met her family after officials reopened the borders of the village. However, it is still heavily barricaded to limit visitors including media persons and opposition leaders coming to meet the womans family.

Gathered at the barricades, the Samajwadi Party leaders said they will not move away.

Rashtriya Lok Dals vice president Jayant Chaudhary is also expected to meet the family members during the day. Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad is also on his way to Hathras.

The Hathras case has triggered nationwide outrage as the opposition is demanding Yogi Adityanaths resignation as the chief minister. Following the womans death on September 29, the local police cremated her body at the dead of the night, sparking allegations from opposition parties that the BJP-led state government was trying to bury the evidence.
On any given day under the ongoing drudge of the COVID-19 pandemic, Taylor starts her day as a public health inspector staring down a full email inbox.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 2/10/2020 (477 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On any given day under the ongoing drudge of the COVID-19 pandemic, Taylor starts her day as a public health inspector staring down a full email inbox.

It's full of questions, concerns and complaints surrounding the coronavirus. Some are from the general public and business owners while others are from those she's already had contact with. All are related to the interpretation, enforcement or education of the Manitoba Public Health Act and its COVID-specific orders.

And then there are the phone calls.

On Thursday, a restaurant operator calls to say he wants to comply with COVID-19 regulations but he's worried about the survival of his business. Another person reports their building is infected with cockroaches, complaining the extra time spent at home during the pandemic is making the infestation unbearable.

"Right now with the pandemic, weve basically suspended all of our routine programs. The expectation is that we address all COVID19 concerns first, and as you can imagine, there are a lot of COVID19 concerns."  Public health inspector

She does the best she can to address the complaints. "Our first goal is always to educate. We definitely dont like to use enforcement action unless its absolutely necessary," she said.

When that doesnt work, inspectors turn to "progressive enforcement," she says, which can include warnings, tickets or possible closures, depending on the situation.

"Its exhausting. We are the ones who have to be able to end our work day saying to ourselves, Ive done the very best I can today to protect the public from COVID-19, and its an overwhelming thought because theres so many components to this pandemic and the consequences can be so severe if we fail  it is a heavy weight," Taylor (not her real name) said during an interview with the Free Press this week.

Before COVID, inspectors had "a little bit of time" to go about their routine work, but now that's nearly impossible.

"Right now with the pandemic, weve basically suspended all of our routine programs," she said. "The expectation is that we address all COVID-19 concerns first, and as you can imagine, there are a lot of COVID-19 concerns."



There are, currently, at least 4,200 regular inspections outstanding in the province's public health department, data provided by the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union shows  and that number is only increasing as the pandemic drags on.

MGEU president Michelle Gawronsky said the province has struggled to recruit and retain public health inspectors for years, owing to low wages and a lack of educational opportunities.

There are 37 public health inspectors employed by the province right now.

Manitoba offers the second lowest health inspector wages of any jurisdiction in Canada, second only to P.E.I., Gawronsky said, offering a starting salary of $50,744 and maxing out at $67,671 annually. The gap in wages between Manitoba and Alberta, for example, amounts to $30,000 annually.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS MGEU president Michelle Gawronsky said the province has struggled to recruit and retain public health inspectors for years, owing to low wages and a lack of educational opportunities.

Oftentimes, health inspectors leave for better pay or better opportunities, leading to a revolving door of employees and a lack of opportunity for mentorship and succession planning.

Several of Manitoba's inspectors will be eligible to retire in 2022 and are planning to do just that, Gawronksy said.

"I haven't talked to one health inspector that doesn't lose sleep at night knowing the long list that is there that they should be getting to or that the expectation is that they are providing the safety for their fellow Manitobans," she said.

"They tell me, It is absolutely impossible, even if we work 24 hours a day, seven days a week; it would take us a year to catch up to where places have not been inspected."

The result is a growing list of backlogged inspections, an increasing number of COVID-related concerns and an emotionally drained workforce.

"It's hard because I go ahead and I sign permits each year for restaurants, swimming pools, tattoo parlours for example, and I'm putting my name on those permits saying, 'Yes I believe this place to be in compliance with whichever regulation,' and oftentimes I cant actually say for certain that theyre in compliance because I haven't been there in so long," Taylor said.

"There's just no time. We have far too many places, far too many situations to deal with."



Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitobas chief public health officer, said health-order enforcement in Manitoba is largely an informal process, spread across several departments, ranging from police to public health inspectors to community safety officers to bylaw officers.

In general, they are all managed by the governance set out in the Public Health Act, though each agency is left to its own discretion when it comes to actual measures taken to enforce orders under the act.

Most of the agencies, Roussin said, are adding COVID-related responsibilities to their pre-existing duties, so its difficult to keep track of how many COVID-specific enforcement officials are out on the streets.

"I dont think its kept track of overall; certainly each organization probably knows how many people are on doing things, of course that doesn't mean that they're doing COVID-specific things," Roussin said in an interview Wednesday.

They tell me, It is absolutely impossible, even if we work 24 hours a day, seven days a week; it would take us a year to catch up to where places have not been inspected."  MGEU president Michelle Gawronsky

A government spokesperson said Thursday that more than 2,500 people are working across the 10 agencies tasked with enforcement.

According to a representative for the City of Winnipeg, the citys 311 operators have fielded approximately 13,000 COVID-related calls since March, including requests for information and complaints. If there is a complaint, the city forwards it to community bylaw enforcement, the Winnipeg Police Service or refers the resident directly to the province.

In an email Thursday, a city representative said bylaw officers are not responsible for enforcing public health orders. Instead, they are tasked with responding to city orders in parks and on public transit. Non-compliance with city orders, including mandated masks on public transit or city property, could result in fines.

Winnipeg police said Friday that while they are authorized to enforce public health orders, they do not have an internal mandate to do so and instead take on an educational role. No specific officers are assigned to COVID-related duties.

"They might receive a complaint, it might be a routine investigation, they might even be contacted by the business to help them clarify some of the orders," Roussin said of the enforcement process.

Public complaints can be submitted by email or phone to the province or the municipality.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES As for mask mandates, Roussin said businesses are liable for their employees only in public-facing contexts, and to remind patrons to wear masks. Beyond that, it is the individuals responsibility to wear a mask.

"Then, really go through the orders, look at where possible infractions are, advise why those orders are in place, what the purpose of them are, and then really try to walk them through the approach of trying to comply. If that was disregarded, especially repeatedly, then we would go to more coercive measures."

The most common violations the province has fielded so far involve not maintaining required physical distancing at bars and restaurants, as well as exceeding capacity limits. Its up to the health inspector to decide if a violation warrants education, information or a coercive measure, such as a fine.

As for mask mandates, Roussin said businesses are liable for their employees only in public-facing contexts, and to remind patrons to wear masks. Beyond that, it is the individuals responsibility to wear a mask.

"Remind people that they should be wearing a mask," he said, offering advice to businesses. "As far as other steps they want to do, that's a policy argument. A lot of businesses don't allow people to walk in bare feet, or without shoes or without shirts, so deal with it as a policy response as they see fit."



The largest enforcement role falls on the provinces public health inspectors where the numbers have fluctuated for years.

A public health spokesperson said Thursday there are, currently, 44 public health inspector positions in the province, but seven are vacant. That's down from 11 openings in 2019.

Inspectors maintain the workload would be overwhelming even if the seven positions were filled.

"Inspections are down when they should actually be increasing," Gawronsky said. "We're in the middle of a pandemic. We should not be asking who's doing the testing, but this is what happens when you don't have a workforce to do it."

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Gawronsky said the union has been petitioning the government for a comprehensive recruitment and retention plan since 2019.

According to data from the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors, the average Canadian jurisdiction has one public health inspector for approximately 20,000 residents. In Manitoba it's one for 31,344.

Gawronsky said the union has been petitioning the government for a comprehensive recruitment and retention plan since 2019. The province has committed to working with the Civil Service Commission to develop a recruitment and retention strategy, though the union says it has not heard any updates on the strategy in more than a year.

"Steps have been taken to expedite the hiring process, including developing an eligibility list, and increasing relocation expense amounts," a government spokesperson said in an email Thursday.

The lack of response from government has left the inspectors feeling hopeless.

"Its almost like no matter how many rational arguments we put to them as to why Manitobans need more health inspectors, it just seems to fall on deaf ears," Taylor said.

Its almost like no matter how many rational arguments we put to them as to why Manitobans need more health inspectors, it just seems to fall on deaf ears.  Public health inspector

Ultimately, said Taylor, public health inspectors do not anticipate going on strike or in any way avoiding their duties, despite the low wages and increased workload.

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.

"We care about public health, genuinely," she said. "The people we help are the everyday people who dont end up in the hospital because weve done our jobs right."

As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on, Taylor said health inspectors will continue to show up and do their best, even as responsibilities pile up for the already-strained workforce. The health and safety of Manitobans, she said, come first.

"Without having that inspection done, without having that reassurance, everybody is pretty much doing the best that they can and a lick and a prayer and hope that everything is safe," Gawronsky said.

"I beg the health minister, I beg the premier, lets work together to find a solution that is going to ensure the safety of all Manitobans right now."

julia-simone.rutgers@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jsrutgers
Autistic Miss World Australia finalist Laura Younger, 23, (pictured) used the platform to speak about her battles with mental health and hoped her story could inspire others to 'hold on to hope'

An autistic Miss World Australia finalist opened up about the years of torment that almost made her take her own life when she was just 20-years-old.

Werribee woman Laura Younger, 23, is one of 15 Victorian finalists in the competition and used the platform to speak about mental health and overcoming demons.

Ms Younger, who was diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome when she was 13-years-old, told The Herald Sun she spent her school years lonely and 'friendless'.

She was plagued by suicidal thoughts for years before her attempt, saying it felt like she didn't belong and her life was crumbling around her.

The beauty pageant contestant was a nursing student at the time but dropped out after she struggled with hospital placements.

She said it felt as if she would never find a place to fit in and it felt as if she had no one to turn to.

Ms Younger explained that the role of a friend in anyone's life was important but it was especially so for people with autism.

'Because we struggle with so much, and because we struggle, our mental health sometimes isnt great,' she said.

'I never had a best friend or someone to play with. I was never part of a social group, so I have a lot of empathy for others who are experiencing that.'

Ms Younger (pictured) was diagnosed with with Aspergers syndrome when she was 13-years-old and said years of mental health battles led her to attempt suicide when she was just 20-years-old

Her life began to turn around when she found the first group of real friends she'd ever had and a loving new boyfriend.

It was shortly after, in 2018, when Ms Younger took part in the Miss Multiverse Australia reality show which ultimately led to the Miss World Australia competition.

She hoped her story could help others who were struggling to see that life gets better, urging them to 'hold on to hope'.

Taking part in the competition was something Ms Younger said she never thought she would've been able to do in the past.

'Its still very hard for me to relate to other people and make friends, its actually very hard for me to compete in Miss World and Im surprised I got in,' she said.

Ms Younger (pictured) said the impact of not having friends while growing up took a huge toll on her emotionally

The 23-year-old still works hard to overcome the hurdles put before her, studying things other people take for granted, like small talk and social cues.

As part of the competition Ms Younger also chose to fundraise for Variety Australia, which helps disadvantaged, sick and special needs children.

She said she created the fundraising page to 'make a difference in the lives of Aussie kids in need'.

'The more people that know about Variety Australia, the greater their impact,' she wrote.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Susan Shaw, an Oregon State University 'Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies' professor, recently lamented that The West is burning while most white Christians turn away from the root causes of the devastation.

Shaw wrote The intensity and scope of these fires are a result of climate change and stated that Many Christians, especially white Christians, have embraced denial of climate science.

Earth to Shaw: Our major cities are burning while most progressives turn away from the root causes of the devastation. Causes that, unlike those affecting the climate, are abundantly clear and plain to see. We can see those lighting these fires every night on television or the internet. Moreover, anyone paying attention and not a blind idealogue also realizes that the intensity and scope of these fires are a result of progressive policies the Democratic rulers of these cities have put in place over the decadespolicies that have led to anger, despair, chaos and destruction. But not Professor Shawor many of her colleagues in higher education for that matter.

Shaw averred that White evangelicals continue to support Donald Trump overwhelmingly, even though the Trump administration has tried to roll back more than 100 environmental protection regulations. She added, Many white Christians believe God wont let climate change destroy the earth and opined The white church is mostly complicit with the intersecting systems of racism and global capitalism that underlie climate change. She went on to say that The system of white supremacy itself will have to be dismantled, if we have any hope of averting irreversible climate disaster before alleging that The white church is invested in white supremacy. Not content to avoid repeatedly beating a dead horse, Shaw noted that White Christians will have to change and that The issue is one of whiteness. Shaw shanked that one, but I dont expect any redemption. Neither whiteness nor capitalism causes fires, largescale or not.

Yet, to Shaw, the issue is black and white. Cut and dried, much like the timber that the Democratic politicians that run these states refuse to remove from their forestlandsthe real reason for the fires. Yes, like the wanton destruction of Democrat-run cities, the many large fires in California, Oregon and Washington have been needlessly brought about by terrible progressive policies.

Campus Reform asked Professor Shaw if she stood by the language she used to slander white Christians. She replied, I dont think that language is necessarily racially divisive or charged. Its descriptive and its the language the research I cited uses to look at climate science beliefs across Christians.

I have some descriptive language in mind now, with which to characterize the nutty professors preposterous, racist and anti-Christian remarks. But, for now, I wont fight fire with fire.

Image credit: Logo, public domain
News

Washington, DC - The Made in America stamp stands for excellence in craftsmanship. It is a testament to the expertise of our millions of inventors, craftsmen, tradesmen, and laborers who make up the most skilled, innovative, and dedicated workforce in the world. On Made in America Day, and throughout Made in America Week, we commend these hardworking men and women and recommit ourselves to strengthening American manufacturing as we rebuild the greatest economy in our Nations history for a second time.

For too long, politicians failed to recognize the critical importance of using American labor to make American goods, so that the profits and jobs stay here at home. They enabled American companies to ship their jobs overseas and sat by while foreign companies ripped off our products. They fostered in our country a dangerous reliance on foreign countries while neglecting American workers and American families. These days are over. Under my Administration, these forgotten men and women are forgotten no longer. I pledged to always put American workers first, and as President, I have delivered on that promise, vigorously implementing trade and manufacturing policies that encourage the building, creating, and growing of more products right here at home. As a result, we are creating jobs, improving lives, and strengthening our families, our neighbors, and our Nation.

This year, the coronavirus pandemic has exposed the profound failures of past trade and manufacturing policies. It has never been clearer that foreign dependence is not only the antithesis of the American spirit, but it also endangers our national security in times of crisis. To ensure domestic resilience moving forward, my Administration has renegotiated international trade agreements and enacted manufacturing policies that encourage buying American and hiring American like never before. Earlier this year, the landmark United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement took effect  reopening factories, bringing home hundreds of thousands of jobs, and reasserting Americas manufacturing might. I have also signed Executive Orders that strengthen production standards under the Buy American Act and ensure the Federal Government maximizes its use of American-made products.

As our Nation continues to reopen our economy, I call on businesses to sign our Pledge to Americas Workers. The programs involved will be essential to getting Americans back to work by educating, training, and reskilling workers of all ages. More businesses taking the Pledge will further our economic comeback and ensure we regain the strides we had made under my Administration.

Made in America is not a slogan. It is a solemn pledge. It is the foundation of our renewed success. On every front, my Administration will continue to fight for American workers, American jobs, and American businesses to ensure prosperity today and for Americas future generations.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 5, 2020, as Made in America Day and this week, October 4 through October 10, 2020, as Made in America Week. I call upon all Americans to pay special tribute to builders, ranchers, crafters, entrepreneurs, and all those who work with their hands every day to make America great.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this third day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.

DONALD J. TRUMP
CNG and piped cooking gas price in the national capital and adjoining cities was on Saturday cut in sync with a reduction in natural gas prices. Indraprastha Gas Ltd in a statement said the CNG price in Delhi will be reduced by Rs 1.53 per kg in Delhi and by Rs 1.70 per kg in Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad.

The new consumer price of Rs 42.70 per kg in Delhi and Rs 48.38 per kg in Noida, Greater Noida & Ghaziabad would be effective from 6.00 am on October 4, 2020, it said.

The revised CNG price in Muzaffarnagar would be Rs 56.55 per kg, in Karnal & Kaithal would be Rs 50.68 per kg, in Rewari & Gurugram would be Rs 53.40 per kg and in district Kanpur would be Rs 59.80 per kg.

Along with automobile segment, the benefit of reduction in gas prices has been extended to the household segment also.

IGL will cut piped cooking gas (PNG) prices effective October 4 across all cities.

The consumer price of PNG to the households in Delhi has been decreased by Rs 1.05 per scm from Rs 28.55 per scm to Rs 27.50 per scm, while the applicable price of domestic PNG to households in Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad would be Rs 27.45 per scm, which has gone down by Re 1 per scm from Rs 28.45 per scm.In Karnal and Rewari, the applicable price of domestic PNG would now be Rs 27.55 per scm, which has been reduced by Rs 1.05 per scm.

The revised PNG price in Gurugram would be Rs 28.20 per scm, and in Muzzafarnagar would be Rs 32.75 per scm. IGL is supplying PNG to around 9.5 lakh households in Delhi and around 5 lakh households in Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Muzzafarnagar, Karnal and Rewari.

"With the revised price, CNG would offer over 62 per cent savings towards the running cost when compared to petrol-driven vehicles at the current level of prices in Delhi. When compared to diesel-driven vehicles, the economics in favour of CNG at revised price would be over around 40 per cent," IGL said.

Also read: BPCL employees to fight privatisation tooth and nail
ARLINGTON, Texas  The Browns wont have to try to play the high-octane Cowboys today without their best cornerback in Denzel Ward.

Ward, who left last Sundays Washington game in the second quarter with his groin injury, is active today in Dallas and will try to help slow down Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and his trio of excellent receivers in Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup.

With starting cornerback Greedy Williams out with his shoulder injury for the fourth straight game, the Browns especially need their shutdown corner. Question is, will he be able to make it through the whole game this week? Its tough for a cornerback to run with a groin injury, especially against these speedy receivers.

Ward is one of several questionable players who are active today here. The others are running back Kareem Hunt, left guard Joel Bitonio, defensive end Olivier Vernon and linebacker Jacob Phillips.

Hunt sat out practice Wednesday and Thursday with his groin injury, but returned on Friday and looked excellent going through individual drills. It wouldve been hard to replace Hunt, who plays so many key roles in this offense.

Bitonio also sat out Wednesday with his back injury but was back on Thursday and Friday. He hasnt missed a snap since 2016, and wanted to keep the streak alive.

Phillips' return to the lineup should help the Browns from a coverage standpoint. He and linebacker Mack Wilson, who played sparingly last week, are two of the Browns' best coverage linebackers and should see significant action this game.

Receiver Rashard Higgins is inactive for the second straight week, and receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones is active for the first time to return punts, in place of the injured JoJo Natson, and possibly play some receiver.

Dontrell Hilliard, called up from the practice squad this week, is also active to help return kicks this week.

The Browns inactives today are:

Williams

Linebacker Tae Davis

Guard Evan Brown

Higgins

Defensive end Adrian Clayborn

Terrance Mitchell will replace Williams, and safety Andrew Sendejo is todays game captain.

-

New Browns face masks for sale: Heres where you can buy Cleveland Browns-themed face coverings for coronavirus protection for adults and youth, including a single mask ($14.99) and a 3-pack ($24.99). All NFL proceeds donated to CDC Foundation.

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A San Francisco family is frantically searching for a Marine veteran with a head injury and trauma who disappeared from supportive housing downtown nearly two months ago.

Abraham Siliezar was captured on security camera footage leaving his home at 250 Kearny St. at 10:24 a.m. Aug. 10. He was last seen on camera in the 900 block of Bush Street wearing an oversize black jacket, blue shirt and blue jeans. He had no ID, money or cell phone.

His younger sister, Alexandra Siliezar, said her docile, 56-year-old brother  who suffered a traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, seizures and dementia  called her every day and was extremely close to her daughter, his niece.

He would never disappear willingly, Siliezar said by phone Saturday as she scoured Geary Street for her brother. What I am asking from the community is to please look deeply at anyone that looks in distress or is on the sidewalk, disoriented, to please look deeply because my brother needs medical attention to save his life as soon as possible.

For the past two months, Siliezar, her family, and friends have searched tirelessly. Shes called police, park rangers and hospitals. Shes plastered posters on the streets and social media. She has revisited his favorite libraries, parks, and beaches, and talked to members of the homeless community in the Tenderloin. But she still doesnt know where he is, and whether hes even alive.

The missing man last spoke to Siliezar on the evening of Aug. 9, she said. He told her he had been sick all weekend, vomiting and feverish, with a stomachache and headache. She urged him to take a taxi to the hospital, but he said he would wait till morning. When she called back soon afterward, worried, the line was busy, and she called an ambulance.

Courtesy Alexandra Siliezar

Siliezar was told by dispatch that her brother had declined medical services. Because of her brothers traumatic brain injury, the result of an assault years ago, he struggled to understand the severity of his illness and remember to take his medicine, she said. He also had trouble comprehending directions or knowing the time of day, she said.

Before 9 a.m. Aug. 10, she called the facility where he lived, run by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, to request a welfare check for her brother. She said she does not believe it happened.

The San Francisco VA Health Care System is looking into this matter but could not provide additional information Saturday, Deputy Public Affairs Officer Jason Dominguez wrote in an email.

San Francisco Police Department issued a missing person report on Aug. 11 classifying Abraham Siliezar, who is also known as Siliezer in some official documents, as at-risk due to numerous medical issues and his inability to care for himself.

Abraham Siliezar grew up in San Francisco after the family immigrated from El Salvador. He entered the Marines after high school and was deployed to Japan, the Philippines, and the border of South and North Korea, his sister said. After his service, he enrolled in UC Irvine and UC Berkeley, where he completed his degree in sociology, and then worked for San Franciscos homeless services.

After an assault that resulted in a traumatic brain injury, his PTSD worsened, his sister said. About six years ago, he moved into the facility on Kearny Street.

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.

Siliezar said her brother was very grateful for the military and for his Christian faith. A quiet and gentle man who liked to be alone, he adored her 9-year-old daughter, who he called my little angel, she said.

Siliezar worries that her brother, who had barely eaten for three days before he disappeared, was dehydrated and delusional when he left. She pleaded with the community to look out for him and even asked sailors and surfers to look for a body in the water.

He just needs help. He needs to be found and he needs medical attention as soon as possible, Siliezar said. And if for some reason hes no longer with us in this world, he deserves to be properly laid to rest.

The family is offering a reward for his return. Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to call the SFPD 24-Hour Tip Line at 1-415-575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD. You may remain anonymous.

Mallory Moench is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@mallorymoench
Bigg Boss 14 contestant Jasmin Bhasin has opened up about her bond with Rashami Desai, who was one of the big draws of the reality show last season.

Jasmin was a co-star of Rashami as well as Bigg Boss 13 winner Siddharth Shukla on the soap, "Dil Se Dil Tak". A lot was said about Jasmin's equation with the two actors. In the former season, Rashami claimed that Sidharth got involved in the creative process of the show, because of which her dialogues were chopped or given to Jasmin, the other lead of the show.

"I started television in 2015. In five years I have done back-to-back shows. I must have worked with over 100 actors, but I think there are four to five names I count on my fingers and say they are my friends. The rest 95 are not enemies. Whenever I meet them, they are very cordial," Jasmin told IANS.

She added: "I cannot be friends with everybody, but that does not mean that I share a bad relationship with them. If I bump into Rashami, she greets me very nicely and positively and I also greet her. So, it is all cool. It's not like how it is written that we have differences or we don't like each other. She is happy in her life and I am happy in mine. If we meet due to work then we talk nicely, do our work and then go home."

Jasmin agrees that a lot was said and written during her visit on the show last season, which was won by Sidharth.

"A lot was said, okay. I went there to do my job in the show. I was invited as a guest for a task in the show.I met everyone nicely -- be it Rashami (Desai) or Sidharth (Shukla). I was nice to both of them because I have shared a professional relationship with them," Jasmin said.

She said it didn't bother her.

"I know once I came out (of the house last season), there was a lot written. It's okay, whoever wanted to say whatever, they said it. It does not affect the peace of my mind," she claimed.

Now, Jasmin is gearing up to be a housemate herself, on Bigg Boss.

On her gameplan to handle controversies during her stay in the house, Jasmin told IANS: "I have no plan. Whtever a person gives me, I return to the same to him or her. If somebody offers love and friendship, I'll also offer love and friendship. If someone offers negativity, I will give them an answer."

"As far as controversies are concerned, as an actor for the first time when there was something written about me I was affected. But then I decided that this is part of my profession. You get a lot of good, and then something difficult comes your way. I have to live with it and accept it. It doesn't bother me. If any controversy happens, let it happen, I will solve it," she laughed.

Jasmin has been asked time and again to feature in the show, hosted by superstar Salman Khan on Colors.

Talking about joining the 14th season, she said: "Honestly, every year I am asked and every year unfortunately and fortunately I was doing something or the other. Some or the other show was happening. So, I could never give a thought to it but this year I had no prior commitment. I have always been a Salman Khan fan and have enjoyed the show. So, So, when they asked me, I decided to do it."

Another reason is Jasmin wants to step out of her comfort zone.

"Every year there were prior commitments. This time there were none. So I decided to take this forward. The biggest reason is I feel everytime I step outside the comfort zone I have grown in life," she said.

In "Bigg Boss", housemates are locked away in a special house sans gadgets and any connection with the outside world. They stay for a duration of almost 200 days and are monitored 24x7 by live television cameras and microphones.

Does the idea of total disconnect with the outside world bother Jasmin? "I am not feeling jittery. I am honestly excited because the idea of living the same patterned life is comforting for some and boring for others. I find it boring. So, for me I need to keep jumping onto something new and different. I am taking it as a new experience, which will pull me out of my comfort zone," she said.
OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 1, 2020 /CNW/ - The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the 60th anniversary of Cyprus' independence:

"Today, we join Cypriot communities in Canada and around the world to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Cyprus' independence.

"This year, we also mark 60 years of diplomatic relations between Canada and Cyprus. Our countries share a close relationship strengthened by our collaboration through the Commonwealth and La Francophonie. Canada also has a continued legacy of United Nations peacekeeping operations in Cyprus, with about 28,000 Canadian Armed Forces members having served in the country over more than 50 years.

"In addition, Canada and Cyprus connect through our people-to-people ties. Canadians of Cypriot descent have made and continue to make important contributions to our country. We look forward to continuing to deepen our relationship and work together on shared priorities, including trade and investment and the fight against COVID-19.

"On behalf of the Government of Canada, I extend my best wishes to all those celebrating Cyprus' Independence Day."

This document is also available at http://pm.gc.ca

SOURCE Prime Minister's Office

For further information: PMO Media Relations: [email protected]

Related Links

http://pm.gc.ca/


A young mother woke up to discover she had Tourette's syndrome, which has left her swearing at friends and family.

Hayleigh-Elizabeth Honey, 27, from Penryn, Cornwall, woke up one day in September and found herself shaking before she quickly developed muscle spasms and an inability to control her speech.

She had no underlying health problems but now regularly launches foul-mouth abuse at people.

The mother-of-two constantly calls her husband Matt a 'c**t' and tells her children, Luna five, and Zephyr, two, to 'f**k off'.

She also sticks her middle finger up at everyone she sees and says 'have one of these'.

Hayleigh-Elizabeth Honey, 27, from Penryn, Cornwall, woke up to discover she had Tourette's syndrome, which has left her swearing at friends and family. She woke up one day in September and found herself shaking before she quickly developed muscle spasms and an inability to control her speech. Pictured right: The mother having an episode at her home

Hayleigh said: 'This is completely new, I had no idea this was going to happen. I've never had anything like this before.

'It all started in one day, I woke up with shakes that I thought nothing of because I hadn't eaten yet but it didn't ease off.

'Around lunchtime I started having shoulder twitches, and when my husband got home at about 7pm I was hitting myself and shouting out random phrases.

'The next morning it was so bad I could only speak with a stammer, I couldn't talk properly, so I went straight to my doctor.'

Hayleigh's doctor at first thought it could have been triggered by a viral infection, and told the mother to go home and wait for it to pass.

But a week later Hayleigh's tics had got worse so she returned for more tests.

The mother-of-two constantly calls her husband Matt a 'c**t' and tells her children, Luna five, and Zephyr, two, to 'f**k off'

She continued: 'The doctor said he had never seen it before and sent me back out to the waiting room and phoned the neurologist before calling my back into the room.

'He then said he thought it was a viral infection and that it would pass, but a week later it hadn't so I went straight back.

'I saw a different GP and was referred the same day medical assessment unit at Treliske Hospital, there I had a CT scan - they didn't want to do an MRI because I would have to stay still for too long.

'They took my fluids and they did tests, and it came back clear.'

Tourette's Syndrome is a condition which affects the nervous system and causes people to have sudden twitches or movements known as 'tics'.

It is only officially diagnosed after a person suffers with tics for a year or more, so Hayleigh is still waiting to see if the symptoms pass.

She also sticks her middle finger up at everyone she sees and says 'have one of these'

Hayley had no underlying health problems but now regularly launches foul-mouth abuse at people. Pictured: The mother with Matt and Zephyr

She continued: 'The only thing they could put it down too was genetics or chronic anxiety, I wasn't stressed at the time but in the past I have suffered with mental health issues.

'It's hard to tell because at that time there was nothing stressful in my life, no more than any other mum.

'Now I'm learning to live with it, I have to wait and see if it goes away on it's own or if this is my life now.

'My tics are changing every day, I get new ones depending on what songs I listen to or who I talk to.'

On one occasion, Hayleigh went to see her optometrist but soon found herself uncontrollably swearing at home.

She said: 'I went in and explained and said I had a tic disorder, he said that was fine and then I told him to f*** off.

Hayley said her husband ignores all her tics, even though she said she calls him the c-word more than she tells him she loves him

'He was fantastic, he laughed it off and said he played rugby last night so had been called worse.

'Another one I've started is sticking my middle finger up at people and telling them to have one of these.

'I've only done it to my sister, my husband, and my kids. My two year old hasn't noticed, my daughter finds it funny mainly.

'My husband ignores all my ticks, I never had to apologise to him. I call him the 'c' word more than I tell him I love him and it doesn't bother him.'
The Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has reiterated his commitment to eliminate within one year in office, the double-track system that has plagued the smooth implementation of the Free SHS Programme.



To achieve his target the former President said his government will embark on a fast-track programme to complete the abandoned Community Day Schools, expand infrastructure in existing schools, and include private schools in the free SHS programme.



Addressing a community durbar of chiefs and farmers at Fawohoyeden in the Asunafo North district of the Ahafo Region, Mr. Mahama said he has always stood for quality free SHS.



According to him, claims that he would cancel the free SHS programme is false, noting that he started the programme with day students during his administration.



While acknowledging that Ghana during the NDC era was not heaven, President Mahama maintained that the NDC has a better record than the NPP, explaining that today, everyone is suffering and can hardly make ends meet.



These days nothing works. Whether as a farmer, trader, driver or mechanic, the hardship is unbearable everywhere, he bemoaned, adding we have to go back for the NDC and I know that by Gods grace, we shall be victorious.



He announced to the farming community that when he wins the December 2020 elections, his government will reintroduce the free cocoa fertilizer intervention that was aborted by the NPP, to bring relief to cocoa farmers.



He also outlined a number of policies contained in the NDC 2020 Peoples Manifesto, including the Free Primary Health Care Plan, Free Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and the Free Apprenticeship Programme.









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

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A 25-year-old woman in Australia discovered she had tapeworm larvae in her brain after suffering from a headache that lasted for more than a week.

The aches were caused by tapeworm larvae that had taken up space in her brain, according to a new study on her case by the The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene published on September 21.

The woman, who never traveled overseas, is the first native case of the disease in Australia, the study said. Previous Australian cases of this infection were from immigrants or returning residents who traveled to regions where the disease is endemic to, such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

For the past seven years, the woman complained of headaches that would occur two- or three-times a month and went away with prescribed migraine medication. However, her latest headache lasted for more than a week and came with more severe visual symptoms, including the blurring of her central vision.

An MRI of her brain led doctors to believe that a tumor might be the cause of her pain, but after operating and removing the lesion, they discovered it was actually a cyst full of tapeworm larvae. After the removal, she required no further treatment.

This condition is known as neurocysticercosis, which can cause neurological symptoms when larval cysts develop in the brain. People who get the parasitic infection do so by swallowing eggs found in the feces of a person who has an intestinal tapeworm, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Neurocysticercosis is deadly, and a leading cause of adult onset epilepsy worldwide, the CDC said.

Tapeworms typically take up residence in humans intestines, an infection known as taeniasis, and some can pass on their own without medication. The parasite is commonly transmitted when people consume undercooked pork  pigs are often intermediary tapeworm hosts  or come in contact with food, water and soil contaminated with tapeworm eggs.

The woman, who worked as a barista, was considered to be at no or very low risk of infection with tapeworm larvae but is believed to have somehow accidentally ingested tapeworm eggs released from a carrier.

A man from Texas had a similar experience, suffering from splitting headaches for more than a decade that turned out to be caused by tapeworm larvae that became lodged in his brains fourth ventricle.

The best line of defense against similar infection is cooking meat to safe temperatures, washing your hands with soap before eating and only eating food you can ensure was cooked in sanitary conditions.
Campaign sign tomfoolery has long been part of the political season, but some think its even worse this year.

In Creek County its gotten so bad that the Republican and Democratic Party chairmen issued a joint statement on it.

We here in Oklahoma have one of the fairest, most transparent, and most fraud-free balloting systems in the country, and therefore in the world. Lets not sully it with such childish pranks and illegal activities, said Republican Chairman Rob Ford and Democratic Chairman Stan Johnson.

The Tulsa County Republican headquarters reports its signs, especially those for President Donald Trump, keep disappearing. Trump signs also keep disappearing from yards, party regulars say, including one that was cut into pieces and sent back to the homeowner with an insulting message.

Tulsa County Democratic Party Chairwoman Amanda Swope said her headquarters havent lost any signs, but thats probably because she doesnt leave any outside.

Good cop, bad cop: State Representatives Regina Goodwin, D-Tulsa, and Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, have scheduled what appear to be competing interim studies on law enforcement Tuesday.




Haiti - USA : A Haitian pleads guilty to guns trafficking to Haiti





Jacques Mathieu (51 years old) of Haitian origin living in Tucker in the County of DeKalb (State of Georgia, USA), pleaded guilty this week to having attempted to smuggle a dozen firearms and approximately 36,000 ammunition to Haiti.



According to a statement from the office of the American prosecutor Byung J. Pak aka "BJay" of the Northern District of Georgia, in September 2019 Jacques Mathieu, had concealed the weapons and ammunition in a 2007 Suzuki Grand Vitara car which he had attempted to ship from the Port of Palm Beach, Florida after he said on export documents that the car contained a dozen boxes of used clothing.



However, federal agents searched the vehicle and discovered the concealed weapons and ammunition, intercepting the cargo before it made its way to Haiti.



Jacques Mathieu will know his sentence on January 8, 2021.



SL/ HaitiLibre


















The United Nations (UN) marked its 75th anniversary in September. This institution  set up after World War II in 1945  came as the response to build a global consensus on peace and security.

But when it met this year at its virtual General Assembly in New York  each leader sent taped messages  it marked the time when the world is most divided; most dysfunctional in terms of global cooperation; and, certainly, most filled with insecurity and hatred between people in nations and between nations. So, what then is the future of the UN? I ask this at a time when ...
An former royal butler at Buckingham Palace who hit the headlines after handing his CV out at a train station says he's 'chuffed to bits' after finally landing a job.

Ex-restaurant manager Trevor Walford, 63, was made redundant in March but said his subsequent hunt for work had only ended in 'rejection after rejection'.

So earlier this month he wore his best suit and personally handed out around 200 CVs at four railway stations near his home in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

Mr Walford's stunt went viral and his ingenuity was rewarded with a host of interview offers from across the country.

Today the experienced hospitality worker from Keighley, West Yorkshire, was announced as the new training development manager for a hospitality group called Churrasco.

Ex-restaurant manager Trevor Walford, 63, put on his best suit earlier this month and personally handed out around 200 CVs at four railway stations near his home in Leeds, West Yorlshire

He will oversee the customer service training of 337 employees across the company's ten venues in the north of England.

An elated Mr Walford said: 'I'm chuffed t' bits, as we say in Yorkshire. I certainly wasn't ready to be washed up just yet.'

Churrasco CEO Rob Campbell was one of thousands who contacted Mr Walford.

He said: 'Of course I empathised with Trevor's situation, but when we met him, his professionalism and wealth of knowledge across the industry is exactly what our operation needs.'

Earlier this month, Mr Walford explained how he took to the streets after sending out 700 job applications since March and only being offered one interview, which lasted 20 minutes.

He added that over lockdown he had spoken to a number of employment experts and altered his CV 25 times in a bid to bolster his chances.

Today the experienced hospitality worker from Keighley, West Yorkshire, was announced as the new training development manager for a hospitality group called Churrasco

That's why on September 1 he put on his best suit, printed hundreds of CVs and pitched up at four train stations with a sign reading: 'I would like to work, please feel free to take a CV'.

He said: 'I got to the point where I thought, "I can't just be sitting here in front of a computer anymore".

'None of the applications were getting me anywhere so I decided to do something different to get myself out there.

'I think some people who saw me thought I was a bit mad but I got an amazing response from plenty of others.'

Mr Walford added: 'I was sending CVs out left, right and centre but kept on receiving rejection after rejection after rejection.

Mr Walford held a sign on his search which read: 'I would like to work. Please feel free to take a CV'. When he got home he found his LinkedIn page had been viewed more than 100,000 times

'I thought to myself, "why on earth can't I get a job?"'

Mr Walford started his career as a trainee butler at Buckingham Palace before going on to have a highly-successful career working in hotels throughout the UK and Caribbean, including The Ritz Hotel in London.

He joined his last employer, a cruise line, in 2006 but as the coronavirus pandemic reached its peak, he received an email from the company saying he was out of a job.

The stunt proved to be a winner, according to Mr Campbell.

He said: 'Trevor is an integral part of our growth plans for the next 12 months.'

Trevor's role will see him train people to go on and work in three Churrasco-run restaurants: Estabulo Bar & Grill, Casa Peri Peri and Fleur Cafe.

Mr Walford spoke to hundreds of people during his search on September 1 and when he got home he found that his LinkedIn page had been viewed more than 100,000 times.
Wendy McQuaig has owned and operated her psychotherapy practice in Orillia, Ont., for the better part of her 30-year career. But the last six months have brought many firsts.

One was attempting to play Lego with a child during a therapy session on Zoom. Another: taking a call from a client who happened to be on a canoe  the only place they were able to find privacy during a cottage trip.

These unlikely backdrops for intimate mental health conversations have replaced conventional comfy couches and private psychiatrists rooms across the country, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced many aspects of health care, particularly mental health, onto computer screens.

When clients used to come and see me, I would get them a cup of coffee or tea and wed sit in my meeting room, McQuaig reflected. It makes people feel at ease; be able to talk about things on their mind.

Now its a little different when youre doing it over a computer.

Psychiatrists and psychotherapists like McQuaig have shifted their practice entirely online since March when the coronavirus spread in Canada and social distancing measures became mandatory, relying on Zoom or other telemedicine video chat platforms to connect with clients. Other times, a simple voice call would suffice.

Existing virtual mental health-care services, like Talkspace, which offers text messages and therapy sessions, have also seen a spike: Talkspace reported a 65 per cent increase in clients since the pandemic began.

Virtual mental health care even received some political support, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announcing in May the allocation of $240.5 million to develop, expand, and launch virtual care and mental health tools to support Canadians, in response to the virus. Provinces have also since added billing codes for psychiatrists offering virtual care visits.

COVID-19 has fast-tracked virtual care in a health field that has long hoped for technological advancements to pave the way for remote offerings of services, with a body of research dating back decades that reveals online mental health services could be just as effective as those done in-person. But progress has been slow  until the pandemic forced the hands of many to shift operations online almost overnight.

Now, a mix of political enthusiasm and necessity under the pandemic has experts wondering: is the future of mental health services virtual?

When I did my training at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health about two decades ago, no one talked about telepsychiatry except for a handful of doctors, said Dr. David Gratzer, a psychiatrist at CAMH who recently authored an editorial on the future of virtual mental health in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.

Much has changed, Gratzer said. Every resident at CAMH is now trained in providing mental health services virtually. Despite this, around only 338 psychiatric visits were done online in February at CAMH.

By the end of May, that number exceeded 5,000.

Gratzer said he believes the slow push toward virtual mental health prior to the pandemic points to a conservative mindset in health care that is traditionally resistant to big changes.

Indeed, a report that dates back to 2014 by the Mental Health Commission of Canada said using technology to detect or treat a physical illness is common, but not for mental health problems or mental illness due to significant resistance and misunderstanding.

CAMH offered virtual psychiatry visits before the pandemic for a handful of patients who required mental health support but lived in rural areas with no direct access to services, Gratzer said. But for psychotherapists like McQuaig, it was generally rare to see clients virtually.

Up until COVID-19, I did everything in person, said McQuaig, who usually sees about 40 clients on a regular basis.

She said around a quarter of her clients first decided not to continue with their therapy sessions virtually when social distancing measures were first enforced in March, though about half have since returned to virtual care.

I think they were thinking (the lockdown) wouldnt last very long and theyd come back in a month, McQuaig said, proving that some patients have remained virtual out of necessity and lack of options, as most providers have shifted to online services.

Others say theyve grown to prefer speaking to their psychotherapist over the phone or video chat instead of going to see them, like Madi Cyr, a 22-year-old Humber student who accesses counselling through the Mindful Living Centre in Milton, typically attending one session a week.

I had to originally commute about an hour, because this was one of the centres that was covered by my insurance, said Cyr, who lives in Oakville, adding the commute was difficult to manage between classes.

There are some things Cyr misses about in-person counselling, like the routine it gave thema reason to get up early and go out. But waking up has become harder as pandemic and other global worries mount.

Still, I now can roll out of bed at 2:55 p.m. and throw on a sweater and PJ pants, and still get some sort of support, Cyr said.   So I think for the circumstances, its nice to have.

Cyr said not much has changed in terms of how helpful the sessions are. If anything, its nicer because I get to play with my fidget toys and focus and get myself back on track when I need to.

There are some technical drawbacks, however, like overcoming faulty technology or a bad internet connection. Cyr said they and their psychotherapist use a combination of telemedicine services to connect, like Doxy.me or VSee, as one may fail on any given day. Sometimes, theyd resort to a voice call.

Some have struggled more with virtual care, like Brandon Graziano, a 29-year-old from Kitchener who commuted to Toronto to see his psychiatrist for his bipolar disorder, but has reverted to voice call sessions since the pandemic. A video portal like Zoom was not provided by his psychiatrist for confidentiality reasons, he said.

I'm still trying to determine what makes me manic, or what manic me looks like ... so, over the phone its hard to pick up on irritability, Graziano said via e-mail, adding he believes body language plays a big part when it comes to mental disorders  a cue his doctor has not been able to identify over mobile sessions.

Is it the same? Absolutely not, but it has been beneficial to me by still at least having this phone call.

McQuaig said she worried the impersonal nature of a video chat would affect her ability to connect with her clients, who range from children to adults to couples. Shes come to find, however, that seeing them through a screen in their homes has unlocked a new layer of connection.

Ive had one little boy show me all his toys, he walked me around his playroom and showed me his action figures, she said, adding seeing people in the places they call home has led her to understand her clients better.

Research has traditionally been on the side of virtual mental health care: a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry in 1999 on telepsychiatry concluded patients had the same amount of satisfaction and ability to develop rapport in both televideo and face-to-face interviews. A similar study on virtual mental health in 2013 found it effective for diagnosis and assessment across age groups, and said it is comparable to in-person care.

There are drawbacks, as Gratzer outlines in his Canadian Journal of Psychiatry editorial. Virtual mental health is less proven to be effective for people with severe disorders, Gratzer wrote, largely because many are poorer and have unstable living conditions, which limits their technological access.

There are also high dropout rates for psychotherapy methods not guided by a human therapist and concerns about patient privacy, confidentiality and finding service delivery methods that are reliable.

But virtual mental health offerings have also expanded access to many in far or remote areas who otherwise wouldnt have access to that same care. McQuaig said since the pandemic, shes picked up more clients from the GTA despite being based in Orillia.

As the number of coronavirus cases picks up across Canada and with public health experts confirming Ontario is now in a second-wave of infection, many psychotherapists, including McQuaig, have continued to only offer services online at the moment. Gratzer said a handful of his patients have since returned to in-person sessions, but its too early to tell how many will drop virtual counselling altogether in favour of a return to in-person.

He added more research and monitoring of patients experience is needed to inform how virtual mental health care offerings can better be expanded in the future. Provinces, he added, should maintain the ability for psychiatrists to bill for virtual sessions.

Ontarios Ministry of Health told the Star in an email that it plans to develop an overarching services framework that will support the development of government guidelines on how to deliver virtual mental health care effectively.

Its yet to be seen, however, whether the option will remain popular with patients.

But one thing is certain: the pandemic has changed the way McQuaig will offer her psychotherapy services in the future, as she plans on continuing both in-person and online sessions if the threat of COVID-19 vanishes.

Its funny, because prior to March, I never did this, McQuaig said.

But shifting to virtual, she added, has been a fascinating process  her reach has expanded beyond the four walls of her office, allowing her to connect with clients in their bedrooms, their cars, and even their canoes  opening up new doors to her practice for years to come.
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / September 30, 2020 / First Growth Funds Limited (CSE:FGFL) "(Company") is pleased to announce an investment in rare earth resource company Vital Metals Limited (ASX:VML). Vita Metals has a resource in Nechalacho (Canada) and Wigu Hill (Tanzania). Vital Metals recently completed a $8M placement and First Growth Funds received circa 1% of the allocation due to heavy demand by other investors. First Growth Funds is already showing a 25% premium on its investment.

On August 11, the Company investment in listed resource company Golden Deeps (ASX:GED). First Growth Funds is pleased to announce it has recently sold its investment booking 35% profit. The Company continues to hold the free attaching listed options.

On August 21, the Company announced an invested in ecommerce solutions provider RooLife (ASX: RLG). RooLife recently announced another contract, taking total contract value won since March 2020 to $10.6m (subject to minimum sales targets). The recent contract with INIKA Organic is expected to deliver $2.5m in revenue over a three-year period, comprised of guaranteed service fees and the balance subject to sales targets being met. RooLife has an enterprise value of less than $10m and will have an estimated $7m cash to accelerate growth further.

First Growth Funds is actively working on new opportunities and will provide further update in due course.

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. www.firstgrowthfunds.com

THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE.

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.

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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.

SOURCE: First Growth Funds Limited





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Australia's east coast will continue to get an early taste of summer with warm weather and sunny skies, while Perth will be hit with a chilly blast.

A slow-moving low pressure trough is gradually pushing eastwards and bringing warm winds into the east coast with Sydney and Brisbane experiencing high temperatures for the entirety of the long weekend.

Sydney is expected to hit 27C on Sunday and 29C on Monday, with residents keen to make the most of their three-day weekend.

Crowds of families and beach-goers are seen at Cronulla beach in Sydney's south on Sunday with highs of 29C expected

Cronulla beach-goers and families enjoy the beach on a sunny morning during the long-weekend on Sunday in Sydney's south

Young women enjoy the beach on Sunday as the weather warms up to reach 27C over the Labour Day long weekend

Australia's east coast will continue to get an early taste of summer with warm weather and sunny skies. Pictured: Swimmers enjoying the water at Cronulla beach

Northerly winds are responsible for Sunday's 5C-above-average day with a high of 27C as Sydneysiders are expected to flock east to the city's beaches.

Winds will turn northeasterly along the coast which will bring cooler afternoon temperatures, Weatherzone's Felix Levesque said.

'Further to the west and away from this seabreeze, the mercury will continue to climb, peaking at 33C and 32C degrees for Penrith and Blacktown respectively,' he said.

'The final day of the long weekend will be the warmest with temperatures reaching 29C in Sydney and 33C in Blacktown and Penrith, about seven degrees above average.'

A drop in temperature will hit the city after the sun sets on Monday with a cool southerly wind reaching the city.

The cooling event in addition to a low-pressure trough will lead to a string of chilly days and rain for the remainder of the week.

Waverley Council, which includes Bondi, Coogee, and Tamarama beaches, released a warning for prospective beachgoers.

Women are seen relaxing on Cronulla Beach in Sydney's south as they bask in the sun over the long-weekend

A slow-moving low pressure trough is gradually pushing eastwards and bringing warm winds into the east coast with Sydney (Cronulla Beach pictured) seeing high temperatures

Sydney is expected to hit 27C on Sunday and 29C on Monday, with residents keen to make the most of their three-day weekend. Pictured: Cronulla Beach in Sydney's south on Saturday

'If you're planning on heading down to the beach to cool off as the weather warms up this long weekend, make sure you stay COVID safe by social distancing and limiting gatherings to 20 people or less,' the council said.

Brisbane will reach a maximum of 27C over the three-day break with temperatures remaining warm for the remainder of the week.

The mercury climbed towards 30C in Melbourne on Saturday - and crowds gathered at St Kilda only to be met with an increased police presence.

Meanwhile temperatures are set to plummet in Perth overnight hitting just 7C - the coldest night since September 13.

Perth has only seen a handful of single-digit nights since August with summer temperatures a long way off for the Western Australia capital.

The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast a chilly start to Monday with temperatures of just 6C.

Large crowds were seen with large groups on the sand at Cronulla as people enjoyed the sun for what is the first of the warm weather this season

Women are seen in the water at Cronulla beach on Sunday, enjoying the sun as a low pressure trough brings warm air to the area

The mercury climbed towards 30C in Melbourne on Saturday - and crowds gathered at St Kilda only to be met with an increased police presence

Meanwhile temperatures are set to plummet in Perth (pictured) overnight hitting just 7C - the coldest night since September 13

Perth has only seen a handful of single-digit nights since August as summer temperatures are expected to be a long way off for the Western Australia capital

Overnight temperatures are not expected to reach double figures until at least Thursday, with the cloud cover bringing a rain storm that could see 10mm fall.

Adelaide peaked at 29C on Saturday before temperatures dropped to the high teens for the long weekend.

Darwin will be hot with a max of 34C and Hobart's temperature ranges between 15C and 20C for the weekend.

NSW, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory have a three day weekend with Labour Day on Monday, while Queensland also has Monday off to celebrate the Queen's Birthday.

The other states will be watching how Victoria in particular deals with crowds eager to get back outside to beaches after weeks of heavy Stage Four lockdowns were enforced to halt a second wave of COVID-19.

Victoria's St Kilda was packed with large groups on Friday afternoon, many of whom seemed unconcerned with physical distancing, leading Premier Daniel Andrews to float the idea of closing beaches.

Footage from Friday showed crowds standing shoulder-to-shoulder and not wearing masks - with one Seven Network reporter being grabbed and kissed by an elated reveller.

Overnight temperatures are not expected to reach double figures in Perth until at least Thursday, with the cloud cover bringing a rain storm that could see 10mm fall
Cattlewash wasted no time adding his name to the world record book on Sunday (Oct. 4) at the Red Mile, as he joined his sire, Somebeachsomewhere, in the three-year-old pacing colt category with a smoking 1:46.4 victory.

Cattlewash's performance was part of a stakes-packed program from the hallowed Lexington course. A total of 12 Bluegrass divisions for three-year-olds of both sexes and gaits accounted for the majority of Sunday's 15-race docket. The Bluegrass splits were slotted as the first 12 races on the card.

David Miller and Cattlewash left from Post 6 in their Bluegrass division (Race 1) and yielded early for a two-hole ride through the fractions (:27, :53.3, 1:20.3), which were cut by the Joe Bongiorno-driven Captain Kirk.

Cattlewash was up for the task when Miller called on him. Miller pulled the pocket as the field turned for home, and Cattlewash was fresh as could be. The Ron Burke trainee rocketed home and nailed the wire in 1:46.4. Captain Kirk held on for second and the Todd McCarthy-driven Save Me A Dance finished third.



Cattlewash, pictured at the wire at the Red Mile during his world record Bluegrass mile. Cattlewash, pictured at the wire at the Red Mile during his world record Bluegrass mile.

Courtesy of the 1:46.4 clocking, Cattlewash joins Somebeachsomewhere and Hes Watching as the fastest three-year-old pacing colts in the history of harness racing.

With the win, Cattlewash pushed his seasonal record to 3-3-2 and $239,711 in purses from 10 starts. In terms of his career, Cattlewash has now accrued a record of 7-6-6 from 23 starts and has banked $572,912. Cattlewash is owned by W. J. Donovan, of Monument Beach, MA.

A total of three Bluegrass divisions for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings helped fill the docket. In addition to Cattlewash's world record performance, Tall Dark Stranger continued to roll, as he fought to a 1:48.3 victory in his division for driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Nancy Takter. The Canadian-connected Warrawee Vital found daylight late and fired up the inside to win his division in 1:47.1 for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Rob Fellows. To read the Red Mile recap of all of Sunday's Bluegrass divisions for the three-year-old pacing colts and geldings, which includes post-race quotes and further analysis, click here.

PERFECT PARTY GIRL HILL POWERFUL, YET AGAIN



Party Girl, pictured at the wire during her strong Bluegrass performance. Party Girl, pictured at the wire during her strong Bluegrass performance.

In Race 7, Party Girl Hill extended her career unbeaten streak to 12 for trainer Chris Ryder and driver Dexter Dunn. The daughter of Captaintreacherous made the lead in the vicinity of the :54.4 half and went on to nail the wire in a life's-best 1:48. Party Girl Hill is owned by her breeder, Tom Hill, of Lancashire, England.

To read the Red Mile recap of all of Sunday's Bluegrass divisions for the three-year-old pacing fillies -- which includes post-race quotes and further analysis -- click here. In addition to Party Girl Hill, the winners included Peaky Sneaky (1:49.1) and JK First Lady (1:49.2).

ABSATTITUDEXPRESS DOWNS RAMONA HILL



Absattitudexpress, pictured defeating Ramona Hill in the Bluegrass. Absattitudexpress, pictured defeating Ramona Hill in the Bluegrass.

A total of three Bluegrass divisions for three-year-old trotting fillies were also on tap throughout the afternoon. After splits were won by Next Level Stuff (1:51.3) and Sorella (1:51.1), the Lucas Wallin-trained and Tim Tetrick-driven Absattitudexpress closed late and defeated 2020 Hambletonian winner Ramona Hill in 1:51.4.

To read the Red Mile recap of all of Sunday's Bluegrass divisions for the three-year-old trotting fillies, which includes further analysis, click here.

ITS ACADEMIC REMAINS SHARP



Its Academic, pictured in victory in the Bluegrass. Its Academic, pictured in victory in the Bluegrass.

A trio of divisions for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings also took to the track on Sunday, and it was Gangster Hanover, Back Of The Neck, and Its Academic that prevailed in their respective assignments. The fastest of the divisions was won by Its Academic, who got the job done in 1:50.3 for driver Chris Page and trainer Ron Burke.

To read the Red Mile recap of all three of the divisions, click here.


Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi The Noida police on Sunday regretted the manhandling of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at DND Flyway while she was on her way to meet the Hathras gang-rape victim's family in a standoff between the police and Congress workers. An inquiry into the matter has also been initiated. Noida police profoundly regrets the incident @priyankagandhi while handling an unruly crowd at the DND. The DCP HQ has taken suo moto cognisance of it and ordered an inquiry to be conducted by a senior lady officer. We Noida police are committed to ensure safety and dignity of women," Noida Police tweeted. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was pushed and manhandled on Saturday while she came to the rescue of a party worker, who was being lathi charged by Uttar Pradesh police at the Delhi-Noida Direct (DND) Flyway when Priyanka, Rahul Gandhi and several Congress workers were trying to go to Hathras to meet the family of the victim. The videos captured during the commotion shows Priyanka jumping a police barricade to shield a Congress worker as cops with lathis surround the man. Both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka later went on to meet the victim's family at Hathras.




Germany has seen the number of anti-Semitic crimes nearly double in the past three years. Last year alone, the government recorded 2,032 anti-Semitic crimes, culminating in the attack on the synagogue in Halle on Oct. 9. In that attack, a gunman tried and failed to force his way in during services for Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, and then killed two people elsewhere.

The man arrested in Halle, Stephan Balliet, 28, is currently facing trial and has spoken openly in court about his hatred not only of Jews but also of Muslims and foreigners, and of being influenced by a far-right extremist attack against two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, that killed 51 people last year.

Last month, Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her concern about the rise in anti-Semitism in Germany, warning in a speech to the Central Council of Jews that it is a reality that many Jews dont feel safe and respected in our country.

Racism and anti-Semitism never disappeared, but for some time now they have become more visible and uninhibited, the chancellor said, citing the attack in Halle as an example of how quickly words can become deeds.
After interviewing the Republican and Democratic candidates in Montanas down-ballot races, the Independent Record editorial board is pleased to announce the following endorsements.

Austin Knudsen for Attorney General

Of the two candidates running for Attorney General, Republican Austin Knudsen is best prepared to seamlessly transition into the role.

After defeating the Democratic incumbent for a seat in the Legislature at age 29 in 2010, Knudsen became one of the states youngest Speakers of the House at age 33 in 2015. He now has four terms under his belt, two as Speaker of the House, and was elected Roosevelt County Attorney in 2018.

As Attorney General, Knudsen said his top priorities would be addressing violent crime and drugs, specifically methamphetamine. While that may seem like a narrow approach, law enforcement has been telling us for years that drugs are the No. 1 cause of the vast majority of the other crimes they are seeing.

As a former lawmaker and current criminal prosecutor, Knudsen knows how to get things done in the courtroom and the Capitol. And while we certainly dont agree with every vote Knudsen has taken as a legislator, the same can be said of anyone who has had a hand in creating our states laws.

All things considered, we believe Knudsen is best poised to hit the ground running and do the most good as Montanas next Attorney General.

Melissa Romano for Superintendent of Public Instruction

Under Montana law, the superintendent of public instruction must faithfully work in all practical and possible ways for the welfare of the public schools of the state. We believe Democrat Melissa Romano is the candidate who is most likely to do that.

Current Superintendent Elsie Arntzen appears to see herself more as an advocate for all students, both public and private. While private schools and students certainly deserve to have someone advocating for their rights, this falls outside the purview of the superintendent of public instruction.

Romano, a public school teacher for more than 15 years and the 2018 Montana Teacher of the Year, said she opposes efforts to divert public funding to private schools and will advocate for public schools in the Montana Legislature as the next superintendent of public instruction. She also aims to help Montana pass a public preschool option, recruit and retain more teachers, and increase mental health services for students and educators.

This is what we need from our next superintendent of public instruction, and we encourage our readers to vote for her.

Christi Jacobsen for Secretary of State

Republican Christi Jacobsen is best qualified to be Montanas next secretary of state because she is already doing the job.

As deputy secretary of state, Jacobsen has helped lead the office for nearly four years. While that means she had a hand in the successes as well as the failures of current Secretary of State Corey Stapleton, she has acknowledged her offices missteps and deserves a chance to prove that she will not repeat her boss mistakes.

Jacobsen holds a bachelors degree in political science and government from Carroll College and a masters degree in public administration from the University of Montana, and she has held leadership positions in state government for nearly 20 years. She takes election security seriously and has vowed to replace Montanas aging elections system and reduce wasteful spending if elected.

Vote Jacobsen for secretary of state.

Shane Morigeau for Auditor

Well-regulated insurance and securities companies are particularly important amid the current health and economic crisis, and we trust Democrat Shane Morigeau to keep both industries working for Montanans as our next state auditor.

An attorney and state representative, Morigeau said he saw the devastating impacts of inadequate insurance growing up on the Flathead Reservation. As auditor, he aims to preserve health-care coverage for those with preexisting conditions and protect residents from junk insurance plans, health-care sharing scams, unfair insurance rate hikes and investment fraud.

As a legislator, Morigeau worked to expand Medicaid to vulnerable Montanans. As an attorney, he knows how to hold bad actors accountable.

This is exactly the kind of leadership our state needs in the Office of the Montana State Auditor, Commissioner of Securities and Insurance.

This is the opinion of the Independent Record editorial board.

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Oklahoma native Greg Slavonic, acting under secretary of the U.S. Navy and a retired rear admiral, will be among the military officials coming to Tulsa this week to participate in Navy Week.

Beginning Monday and running through Friday, it will be the first Navy Week held in Tulsa since the Navy Week program began in 2005.

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, most of the events will be virtual rather than in-person. But officials say many of the originally planned demonstrations and activities will still be held, just moved online.

The full schedule of events is available at outreach.navy.mil/Virtual-Outreach.

Slavonic will be part of a live conversation on Oklahomas Navy history and heritage from 12:15-1:15 p.m. Wednesday. The event will be virtual.

Following that, Mayor G.T. Bynum will present officials with a proclamation designating it Navy Week in Tulsa.

U.S. Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Adm. Sean Buck will also participate.
Chloe Fineman, 32, is a comedian, actress and writer who made her debut last year as a cast member on "Saturday Night Live." She lives in Los Angeles and New York.

Q: You do these takes on celebrities like Drew Barrymore, Reese Witherspoon and Timothee Chalamet that are spot-on but also really weird and funny. Do you think of yourself primarily as an impressionist?

A: No, I think that's a more recent realization that I could do that. I probably started doing them four years ago. And definitely in quarantine I feel like I've leaned into impressions. But when I'm doing an impression I'm trying to turn that person into a character, if that makes any sense.

Q: Yeah, they completely take on a life of their own. I read that Carole Baskin, the woman from "Tiger King," said she could slap you for your impression of her. Has anyone else not liked your takes on them?

A: Yesterday I did Tiffany Trump on my Instagram because I'm so fascinated by the RNC speakers. I think any Republican probably wants to slap me. I used to do Tomi Lahren a lot, and I don't think she was a fan of those impressions. But it's usually that I just don't hear from the celebrity. Usually I'll hear something like "Shia LaBeouf has seen your impression." And then that's kind of awkward. It's kind of like no feedback. And then, you know, I can neurotically be like, "They hate it!' or assume that it's OK.

Q: Your Tiffany Trump is kind of amazing.

A: I mean, there's so much there. The whole RNC just feels like a big "SNL" sketch. And then it's like, Oh, pick your favorite. And I thought Tiffany was a safe choice. Just her trying to be a relatable millennial is really funny to me.

Q: Was being a comedian or comic actress something that you envisioned doing as a kid?

A: No, I really fell into this. I have a really funny, loud Jewish family. My dad is hilarious and extremely unfiltered. My mom's a painter, but I was really into trying to be like Meryl Streep. A classic actress. I thought I was going to be doing Chekhov plays. Like, my big wish was to do Shakespeare in the Park.

Q: Did you have any favorite sketches you pitched for "SNL" that they said no to?

A: Yeah, definitely. I have this character Ooli, and I pitched her first my first week at work. And she was way more crude. I think that's a big learning curve on "SNL." Like, how do you say private parts? The writers have created an art of how to say words without saying them. So, yeah, I definitely had her a little too dirty, and then in the pandemic got to turn her into something different. I do see that a lot on the show, which I think is really cool. People will pitch stuff in the beginning of the year, and maybe it doesn't work, but then they sort of reformulate it, and it'll end up on the show in the spring. So there's a creative process I didn't realize, which was really comforting. You could pitch an impression or character and maybe it's not right for that week, but then it could turn into something else.

Q: 2020 hasn't really been anyone's idea of a funny year. Is it hard to find comedy in it?

A: Hard? No, if I'm being honest. I mean, it's definitely a dark time, but I think just how upside down everything is is kind of funny. And I think my nature is to find the funny in it. Like, initially being quarantined with my boyfriend was like, "Oh my God, are we going to kill each other?" And then it kind of has turned into a beautiful rom-com.

Q: Do you feel like the pandemic fundamentally changed you in any way?

A: Yeah. I think the weird part about the pandemic - and being isolated - is that immediately you're like, Oh, I can't be alone. And I do feel like I value my friendships more. So, not that I didn't before, but I think I make a much bigger point to be like, How can I help my friends? What can I do for you? And then also just dumb stuff like walking - I don't know, I feel like I kind of regressed to an infant. I'm relearning a bunch of stuff.

Q: Will you be back in New York for "SNL" this fall, or is everyone still operating from a distance?

A: I personally plan to go back mainly because I don't know what I left in my refrigerator. And it's been six months.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. A fatal stabbing late Saturday night at a home in Port Richmond  involving what police are calling two friends drew a large emergency response and ended with one man in custody.

A 23-year-old male was transported with multiple stab wounds about the torso to Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton where he ultimately was pronounced deceased, according to a written statement early Sunday morning from the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Informations office.

Following the bloodshed on the 2100 block of Richmond Terrace, a 22-year-old allegedly barricaded himself inside an apartment where police said both he and the victim reside, as the NYPDs Emergency Services Unit and a police helicopter were dispatched to the area.

The man eventually turned himself in to officers and was taken into custody. Authorities said a knife was recovered at the scene.

The victim has not yet been identified by police, pending family notification, a spokesman for the department said.

A woman who said she was the landlord and appeared shaken by the incident was being consoled by others at the scene on Sunday morning.

This is a breaking news story. More information will be posted on SILive.com as it becomes available.
By Widian Nicola

Reports are emerging that women in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement are being sterilized en masse. These women came to the United States as refugees seeking asylum from horror, brutality, and oppression. Asking shelter from poverty and violence and a future for themselves and their children, they are instead incarcerated in for-profit detention centers and surgically stripped of their ability to have children  a brutality and oppression that is both heartbreaking and unspeakable but must be spoken as it must now stop.

The sterilization of women in custody harkens back to some of the worst atrocities in the history of mankind; that this violence is now being perpetrated against brown-skinned bodies in the United States is not surprising but it is shocking. Mass sterilization is a favored tool of racial cleansing, and for the past 100 years, is an excruciatingly familiar part of our countrys history.

Despite the belief that we are a free nation, what we are witnessing is an ongoing enslavement of epic proportions. Here, the costs for these women associated with obtaining safety are, in actuality, a trade-in for a different kind of bondage to an oppressor who has no regard for human life. As a former undocumented immigrant of nearly 30 years, I know and understand the trauma associated with this status but I cannot even begin to imagine the horrors and trauma these women are facing as they look to a childless future through the bars of a detention center.

As a researcher, educator and social work clinician, I am keenly aware of how trauma lives in the body  on a cellular level. Our DNA is changed.

This means that in addition to subtracting these women from the gene pool, we are actually participating in changing the genetic structures of these womens bodies  through trauma  and creating a lifetime of physical, mental and emotional anguish and distress. This form of subjugation, or the subjugation of any woman, more broadly, who has the temerity to seek a better life in the United States, has become an extension of the heartless strategy of caging refugee children as a deterrent to immigration, which is coincidentally a perpetuation of the brutality and violence against women all too familiar in human history.

I desperately want to defend our country and make the bold claim that this is not who we are but this level of violence inflicted on Black and brown bodies is not new. Freedom has come at a grave cost for countless lives. In search of a new life free from brutality and oppression, these women are instead being deprived of one.

I am embarrassed, ashamed, and above all, outraged. From mass incarceration to police brutality to systemic racism and beyond, this form of physical, mental, and emotional violence cannot and must not continue. We are better than this.

But being better requires looking directly at our open wounds, as well as our scars. It means confronting the realities of our divisions, our racist attitudes, our oppressive structures and all the things that we do to perpetuate the severe suffering of others. Looking directly is not merely an exercise in observation or information gathering. It is a verb, intended to push us to action in service of protecting the most vulnerable and defending those who are most affected by injustice, inequality and oppression.

We are a nation that has been profoundly affected by what has been the longest war in U.S. history and political dissension that gives new meaning to the word divisive. But we are also a country that cannot afford to maintain the legacies of our racist history if we are to look at ourselves, honestly, in the mirror. Dehumanization is not our calling. Torture is not our calling. And mass sterilization of women seeking a better life should be no ones calling.

Humanity, however, is calling  and it implores us to put an end to these crimes. What we do today affects how we will live in the future. Who wants to live in a world, or a country, where mass sterilization is the solution to anything? Is this what we leave for our children? Our response to these horrific allegations must be swift and action-based. An investigation and prosecution for anyone found to be responsible are the foremost demands. Anything short of this is an egregious denial of the realities of our open wounds  and a failure to staunch this particular wound, before it spreads, can have grave consequences.

Widian Nicola, D.S.W., LCSW, is an assistant professor of social work at Seton Hall University. She is also president-elect of the National Association of Social Workers-New Jersey. She maintains a group practice in Central New Jersey.

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The Chicano comedian, Carlos Mencia, said that he was not a Democrat or a Republican because the Democrats want to change everything and the Republicans do not want changes. When you vote, you are not really voting for the candidate, you are voting for the political agenda of a party.

The parties differ on most policies, but the most critical difference is in the area of energy. It determines everything: jobs, food, manufacturing, transportation, trade, communications, water, and heat and light. Republicans favor using all energy technologies. Democrats have an apocalyptic vision of the world that requires a radical change of all current energy systems.

The Democrats energy plans are spelled out in the New Green Deal, the New Mexico Energy Transition Act, and Bidens Equitable Clean Energy Future. They would ban the sale of all gas vehicles, ban all oil/gas drilling, and ban the sale of oil and gas, within the next 14-20 years.

This will destroy jobs and raise everybodys costs for a dangerous unproven agenda.

Since these policies will ban natural gas, propane and generators, how will we heat our homes, schools and hospitals? People will have to pay thousands to convert to electric heating that is only 25% as effective as natural gas, so electric bills will more than double. Without fuels, construction tools and equipment will not work, no large trucks, back hoes, cement trucks, generators, dump trucks or pneumatic tools. No farming equipment, tractors, harvesters, etc., will be possible. There are no electric garbage trucks and airplanes cannot fly without fossil fuels. It would cost billions to replace all this equipment, and the costs of everything  energy, housing, repairs and services  will rise. In New Mexico, banning oil production destroys over 50,000 high-paying jobs and cuts state budget revenues by 30%, or almost $2 billion. Nationally, over 40 million jobs will be destroyed.

There are many ironies in the banning of oil production. Oil is used to make wind turbines and every turbine gearbox requires 10 to 60 gallons of oil. It is used in the production of tires, asphalt roads, vehicle lubricants, pharmaceuticals, refrigerators, water pipes and numerous necessary products. Half of my neighbors heat their homes with wood. Chain saws, splitters and trucks all need gas to harvest heating wood. The anti-oil people have no technical answers as to how their plans would work.

Would banning all oil production and fuels in NM and the nation change the climate? No. The U.S. produces less than 15% of planet greenhouse gases and, while we have lowered our gases, the rest of the world is increasing their output. Anything we reduce is offset by China, which is permitted to increase pollution until 2030, according to an agreement signed by Obama in 2016.

Actually, you can see what the Democrats New Green Deal would look like right now. During this pandemic, airplane travel is down 90%, tourism, hotels and other businesses are on course to lose over 30 million jobs. A vote for these Democrat plans will economically ruin our state and country.

Ed Forde lives in the Taos County community of Valdez.
Dhaka, Oct 4 : Foreign diplomats stationed in Dhaka have praised Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her "able and prudent" leadership and tireless efforts in changing the course of national progress, braving a sea of challenges and setbacks along her way.

Impressed by the overwhelming course of development overseen by Hasina, the diplomats and heads of foreign missions in Dhaka made the remarks while participating in a webinar, organised by the Awami League's International Affairs Sub Committee on Saturday night.

They also reiterated their commitments to help the premier to fulfil her Vision 2041.

Acting Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Bishwadip Dey, referring to the message sent by Indian Prime Minister said Narendra Modi, lauded the social economic transformation that Bangladesh has achieved in recent years.

"Bangladesh has consistently grown at a rate of 7 per cent and despite the pandemic has clogged the growth rate of 5.2 per cent in the last fiscal year. The progress achieved by Bangladesh in social indicators is also remarkable," he said.

"India is a committed development partner of Bangladesh and we look forward to building a shared and prosperous future on the foundation of our shared history, culture and our deep people to people linkages." Terming the premier as a champion of human security, Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki said Hasina has been trying to build a society free from hunger and poverty.

Due to her respect to human rights and offering of humanitarian assistances, giving protection to people, she has become a real champion of human security, he said.

The Japanese Ambassador also referred to the launching of the 'Big B' (The Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt) initiative following exchange of visits between the Premiers which laid the foundation for achieving Vision 2041 that includes infrastructure building, including Dhaka Metro rail.

"Japan will continue to provide assistance so that Bangladesh would achieve this dream Vision 2021. When Sheikh Hasina goes to Japan in her sixth visit, she will have the opportunity to enjoy and appreciate a cherry blossom in spring," Naoki added.

European Union (EU) Ambassador to Bangladesh Rensje Teerink appreciated Hasina's intervention during the recently held UN General Assembly and other sideline events saying she has expressed some of major priorities and values that Bangladesh has been defending on international scene.

While a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crises lies to Myanmar, the EU, together with the UK, the US and UNHCR, in this context with other partners, will organise an international conference to underscore continued commitment to the humanitarian assistance and response for the Rohingyas and the host community, she added.

UN Resident Coordinator in Dhaka Mia Seppo said anyone who meets the Prime Minister and also has the opportunity to listen to her would be struck by her "incredibly deep knowledge" of Bangladesh.

She praised Hasina's "tireless efforts" to move the country forward and said she is a "role model" for incredible hard work, discipline and determination.

Turkish Ambassador to Bangladesh Mustafa O. Turan said the Bangladesh Prime Minister has an outstanding political career with full of major achievements despite the struggles she had to go through.

"She has become a role model for women, not only in her country but also for others around the world." The Turkish diplomat said Bangladesh has become a model for sustainable and inclusive development.

"Under Sheikh Hasina's leadership, Turkey, as a partner, has been collaborating with Bangladesh on many fields and in the years to come we hope to develop further this close ties and will continue to stand by her country in achieving the goals set by Banganabdhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his daughter Sheikh Hasina." Charge d'affaires at the UAE Embassy in Dhakam Abdulla Ali Al-Hamoudi credited the leadership of Sheikh Hasina for the current march forward of Bangladesh at a stable pace while pinning hope that the Bangladesh Prime Minister would be able to turn her country into 'Sonar Bangla'.

The webinar was moderated by Hasina's special assistant Barrister Shah Ali Farhad with Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen as the chief guest.
Patel was asked about alleged plans to build wave machines. (Getty)

Priti Patel has been criticised for refusing to deny that that Home Office made plans to install a wave machine in the English Channel to deter migrants.

The home secretary said in an interview with The Sunday Times that it would be remiss of us not to look at all the options in reference to reports the government was planning to build new detention centres to house migrants.

When asked about reports earlier this week that she had asked Home Office officials to look into the possibility of a wave machine Patel told the newspaper: Thats operational tactics and, quite frankly, Im not going to start discussing operational tactics.

Several figures criticised the home secretary over the interview on Sunday morning, with former transport secretary Andrew Adonis questioning the legality of the alleged plans.

Home secretary Priti Patel in Dover. (PA)

Priti Patel says in an interview today that wave machines to force refugee boats into French waters are just operational tactics, he tweeted.

And if ships sink and people die, are they just operational deaths?

And author Natalie Rowe said: When I heard that #PritiPatel &Co were toying with the idea of A WAVE MACHINE and some type of mechanical barrier in the Sea which boarders France & England to deter immigrants, I realised you are one desperate Slave to your Tory Masters, what next, a Trump WALL?

It comes as Patel is set to promise changes to the asylum system in a speech at the Conservative Party conference on Sunday.

In a speech the home secretary will commit to delivering "the biggest overhaul of our asylum system in decades".

Patel will say that under Tory leadership, the UK "has and always will provide sanctuary when the lights are being switched off on people's liberties".

She will tell those tuning into the online conference: "A fair asylum system should provide safe haven to those fleeing persecution, oppression or tyranny.

Story continues

"But ours doesn't. Because our asylum system is fundamentally broken. And we have a responsibility to act."

Ms Patel will say: "From the expulsion of Ugandan Asians from a repressive regime, to proudly resettling more Syrian refugees than any other EU country, to supporting campaigners fleeing political persecution in Hong Kong.

"Under Conservative leadership, the United Kingdom has and always will provide sanctuary when the lights are being switched off on people's liberties.

"So, I will introduce a new system that is firm and fair.

"Fair and compassionate towards those who need our help. Fair by welcoming people through safe and legal routes.

"But firm because we will stop the abuse of the broken system.
Harvey Weinstein arrives at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on Feb. 24, 2020. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

DA Files More Charges Against Ex-Film Producer Harvey Weinstein

LOS ANGELES (CNS)Disgraced former film producer Harvey Weinsteinwho was already charged in Los Angeles with sex-related crimes involving three womenhas been charged with sexually assaulting two additional women in Beverly Hills.

Los Angeles County prosecutors filed three new counts each of forcible rape and forcible oral copulation against Weinstein, who is behind bars in New York after being convicted there of sexually assaulting two women.

The latest charges involve the alleged rape of a woman at a hotel in Beverly Hills between September 2004 and September 2005, and two alleged attacks on a woman in November 2009 and November 2010 at a hotel in Beverly Hills, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office.

Weinstein was charged on Jan. 6 with one count each of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by use of force, and sexual battery by restraint in connection with alleged crimes involving two women in 2013.

Prosecutors subsequently filed a charge of sexual battery by restraint in May involving a third woman at a Beverly Hills hotel in May 2010.

Weinstein, 68, could face up to 140 years to life in state prison if convicted as charged, according to the District Attorneys Office.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said in a written statement that she is thankful to the first women who reported these crimes and whose courage has given strength to others to come forward.

The willingness of these latest victims to testify against a powerful man gives us the additional evidence we need to build a compelling criminal case, the countys top prosecutor said.

In July, the District Attorneys Office announced that it had filed court papers to move the extradition process forward. An extradition hearing is set for Dec. 11 in Buffalo.

It remains unclear exactly how soon Weinstein will be brought to Los Angeles County.

The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department, the Beverly Hills Police Department, and the District Attorneys Bureau of Investigation.
Much work goes into supporting a grassland, but its toil thats accomplished with great respect for the plants and wildlife. For instance, during ground breeding season April 1 to Sept. 1, staff doesnt bother nesting areas, so birds such as meadowlarks can breed successfully.

It took two months of staff walking the 209 acres to lay out the trail system before creating the natural surface contour scheme. It makes use of much of the agricultural terracing that was put in place to prevent erosion. Its a true green greenway, Blair suggested. Its tough, too. We rode on it in that big truck, barely leaving any evidence of our passing through.

To get to Riverbends grassland area, you must travel through the woodlands, but its not too far, maybe a mile and a half. For the most part, only school groups such as cross country teams and classes, including CVCC and Lenoir-Rhyne University students for whom Riverbend is an outdoor biology lab, are permitted to enter by way of the old road that leads down to the river and the place where A.C. Littles ferry was docked many decades ago.
The writer is a keen observer of the goings-on in the backrooms of power.

The November 10 verdict is keenly awaited when results of these by-polls would be declared along with the Bihar Assembly outcome

Great expectations

The BJP organisational reshuffle has not disappointed anyone. It seems all those shown the door are hoping for better options. The partys former vice-president, Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, is said to be angling for a Union Cabinet berth.

Sahasrabuddhe is currently head of ICCR, enjoying a Cabinet rank. Therefore, it remains to be seen whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi would accommodate him as the countrys education minister.

Another axed vice-president, Prabhat Jha, is hoping to get a gubernatorial assignment. Ram Madhav, who was a party general secretary and a player in the northeastern states and Jammu & Kashmir, is aspiring to head the party in his home state Andhra.



Swamys allegation

Subramanian Swamy filing yet another complaint against Congress president Sonia Gandhi for allegedly giving wrong information on her educational qualification is not news. In a letter addressed to the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Swamy observed, In our country, the educational qualification is highly valued and obtained after much effort. Hence our culture has given such high value to educational qualifications.

Swamys focus on obtaining a higher educational qualification is being viewed with a lot of interest. Some cynics wonder why Swamy, an astute politician, currently unhappy with the BJP leadership for its failure to discipline in-house Swamy-baiter Amit Malviya, has written this.

Malviya heads the BJP IT cell and weeks before the BJP organisational reshuffle, Swamy had boasted that Malviya would be removed. Nothing happened.

The controversy around Sonias educational qualification was first raked up in 1999 when the Congress president had reportedly attributed her English language course obtained in Cambridge to the University of Cambridge. Sonia had apologised, pointing that it was a typing mistake.

Man of many bosses

He has been described as an eighth wonder of the world. Uttar Pradeshs senior bureaucrat Navneet Sahgal has a knack of bouncing back.

The former principal secretary to chief minister Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav, has now become head of the information and public relations department under chief minister Yogi Adityanath after the Hathras gang-rape outrage. Yogi, struggling to counter adverse media coverage, had no choice but to think of Sahgal as his Man Friday.

Sahgal also holds the distinction of serving as personal secretary to Union minister Akhilesh Das who had belonged to the Congress during Manmohan Singh era. In a state where bureaucrats get marked over their alleged political affiliation, Mr Sahgal, currently additional chief secretary, is proving to be an exception. Exceptional.

Midnight news alerts

Journalists covering the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) are both intrigued and annoyed for getting WhatsApp messages on almost a daily basis post-midnight. The message, attributing information to a prominent LJP leader, makes sensational claims such as LJP walking out of NDA or fighting all Bihar Assembly seats independently.

While it disturbs the sleep of many scribes, mornings usher in business as usual within the NDA.

Abandoned Kamal Nath

All is not well between former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath and senior party leader Digvijaya Singh. At one point when the Congress was in power for 15 months from December 2018 to March 2020, the Nath-Diggy jodi was a bada bhai-chhota bhai pair.

But now that crucial Assembly by-polls have been announced in 28 seats, Digvijaya is not to be seen for campaigning.

Kamal Nath, at 72, is fighting a lone and grim battle to regain a foothold in MP politics. Chances of dislodging Shivraj Singh Chouhan regime are slim as the BJP needs to win barely one third of the seats going to polls while the Congress would need almost all of them: the 20 out of 28 seats for Congress is seen as a figure that would rattle everyone in the BJP from Bhopal to New Delhi.

The November 10 verdict is keenly awaited when results of these by-polls would be declared along with the Bihar Assembly outcome.
daniel dannenmann

My father, Christopher Dannenmann, was born on December 31, New Years Eve, in Berlin, Germany.

[music]

elisheva stern

My fathers name was Simcha Ben-Shay. And he was born in Israel in Tel Aviv.

vera okelo

My friend is Doreen Adisa Lugaliki. She was born in Kenya in a little town called Dalou.

onur tascioglu

[SPEAKING TURKISH]

translator

My father, Cemil Tascioglu, was born in Turkey in a small house by the river.

masha tawtel

My fathers name is Charles Tawtel. He was born in Aleppo, Syria.

tsitsi hantuba

[SPEAKING SHONA] Both my dad and I are from Zimbabwe and we are from the Mhondoro area, more specifically. And we both speak Shona.

bianca giaever

Im Bianca Giaever. And Im a producer on The Daily. This past week we hit a tragic milestone: One million lives lost to coronavirus all around the world. We lost musicians 

archived recording (musician) [MUSIC PLAYING]

bianca giaever

 artists,

archived recording (artist) [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

bianca giaever

 actors,

archived recording (actor) [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

bianca giaever

 doctors, nurses, parents and best friends. Today: We remember a few of their lives through the people who loved them.

vera okelo

The first time I met Doreen we were both 14 years old. We were in high school. And it was a boarding school for girls. One of the British-type system of boarding schools where its very disciplined. You wear a school uniform from morning to evening. You are brought by your parents with your suitcases and left there. So everyone is still unsure, uncertain, looking around, nervous, waiting to see what should happen. I noticed Doreen because she seemed more sure of herself. She was curious, looking around trying to make friends, trying to make jokes. And then she went and wrote on the chalkboard, Dr. Adisa Lugaliki. And everybody started laughing it was a joke at the time. But she knew what she wanted. And she was professing it. Doreen and I were competitive. The two of us were always fighting for the top position in class. And teachers noticed that. And teachers would make jokes about it. When we are doing a sample question in math, the teacher would say, OK, if Doreen cannot get it, Vera, do you want to try? We got closer because she was so, so good in physics. And I struggled with physics. So I started working with her. We bonded over that time. And then Im learning, Im trying to see how diligent she is. And Im trying to understand, where do you get this drive?

zhang hai

[SPEAKING CHINESE]

translator

So, you know, when my father was young, he was very handsome. He had big eyes.

zhang hai

[SPEAKING CHINESE]

translator

And I remember, when we were growing up and wed spend summers in Wuhan. And it would be so hot there. And he would come home from work. And he would ask me to help him massage his shoulders and pound his back. And because of that, I always associate this sort of sweaty smell with him.

zhang hai

[SPEAKING CHINESE]

translator

This might sound a little bit odd or off. But my earliest memory of my father was him hitting me. But he said, you know, he hit me all the time. But Im actually very thankful to him for it. Because those early experiences with my dad, he taught me how to be tough inside. And so thats why I feel like Im still speaking out now.

tsitsi hantuba

My dads name is Cosmas Magaya from Zimbabwe. He was happiest when he was playing his music. He used to observe his cousin play. And then when his cousin is gone, he would go in, and he would take the instrument and try to do the things that he saw his cousin doing to a point that he started being able to play some songs.

[music]

So then one day, his cousin found him playing. And he realized that, oh, he actually could play some songs. So then that got his cousin really excited. Then from that point on, he started to teach him and show him how to do it. Because a lot of that music is passed down orally. So he stayed with it from that point on. He always had an instrument with him. He played every single day. When I was around seven or so, he had been in a car accident. So we were all home. And it also turned out that the power was out. So we were actually using candles. It was just so quiet in the house. We were all feeling sad that he had just gotten into this accident. And he picked up his mbira. And he just started playing. I dont remember the songs he played. All I remember is mbira being played. And it being really, really quiet and finding that to be very soothing and comforting on a day that had quite a bit of sadness for us.

vera okelo

I had my children in 2006 and 2007. And Doreen had her twins in 2007 as well. So we had our kids around the same time.

elisheva stern

He went into the diamond business. And because of his business, my sister and I were born in Hong Kong. He also saved the synagogue in Hong Kong.

zhang hai

[SPEAKING CHINESE]

translator

He lived in rural China. And life was very difficult. Everyone at that time didnt have much to eat. And when he was 18, he joined the army.

daniel dannenmann

And you know, the blonde hair is slicked back. He liked to wear sunglasses. He played bass and drums and guitar. And he was in bands.

vera okelo

She was outgoing. She was sociable. She was kind of, like, a party animal at the right time. She knew how to have fun.

onur tascioglu

[SPEAKING TURKISH]

translator

Meat and wine, he was in love with them.

elisheva stern

And shoes, he had maybe, I think, maybe 50 pairs of shoes.

tsitsi hantuba

Always wore an afro. He loved wearing cowboy hats.

onur tascioglu

[SPEAKING TURKISH]

translator

All his walls were all of paintings. When hed buy the painting, he was just sitting three meters apart of that painting, having a glass of wine or a glass of whisky. And he was watching it.

daniel dannenmann

My dad, I would hug. Even though I was the initiator of the hug, he would never initiate that. Ever hug people that, like, they have to lean in their shoulders but the butts, like, getting ready to leave? Its a half a person you get to hug there? That was my dad.

elisheva stern

He was just so there for me.

vera okelo

She went back to graduate school after her twins were born because she wanted to specialize and be an ob-gyn. Over all those years, she was the first person I went to when I had issues with my husband or just fights, you know, newlyweds. The first person I would run to was Doreen and say, oh my god, he did this, he did that. And she would also do the same thing. Our two husbands didnt like that we were friends. [LAUGHS] Each one of them felt like theres three of us in this marriage, I think. Her marriage ended. And then mine ended. When my father died, she came to the village. She popped up uninvited. Because she knew I would be there. She knew it was important to me. I lost a brother. And she did the same thing. Then I lost a sister in Nairobi. And I didnt travel to my sisters funeral. But she found the church where they were having a church service for the funeral. And she sat by herself in a corner. And my family said, oh, your friend was here. I didnt know she was going to go.

zhang hai

[SPEAKING CHINESE]

translator

We arrived in Wuhan on January 17. And at that time, there was no sense that there was this threat that was expanding in the city.

daniel dannenmann

The last three days leading up to my moms funeral, he was in bed pretty much the entire day. He was very weak. My room was next to his. And even though we couldnt see each other, because I had Covid at the same time, we were always separated through walls. But I could hear him cry, you know, many, many hours.

masha tawtel

And then I rushed to the Syrian border. I had to cross the border walking. I arrived in Aleppo. But he passed away already.

vera okelo

She was the first health care provider to die due to Covid here in Kenya. You know, its interesting, her passion being a doctor from the time she was 14, she fulfilled that dream. And even in death, she was shining as the doctor she wanted to be. [CRYING] Excuse me.

zhang hai

[SPEAKING CHINESE]

translator

Because I was already in the hospital every day to look after him because of his surgery, I was able to spend his last days with him. When he passed away, I was looking at him then. And he was just wearing a hospital shirt and nothing below. I felt that my father  I just wanted to have my father to be able to pass away with some dignity. So I changed his clothes and I put socks on him. And I laid him on top of a yellow sheet. And then we were waiting for the car from the funeral parlor to come for a very long time. And so I was just sitting next to him and talking to him. And I just said to him that Im so sorry, I shouldnt brought you to Wuhan. I had no idea what was happening. And I just was so regretful for bringing him to Wuhan. I think so many Chinese people, they think that saying I love you out loud is sort of humiliating. But if I had the chance now, I would say it so loudly to him. I would just say, I love you so much.

onur tascioglu

[SPEAKING TURKISH]

translator

So in the last two or three years, every phone conversation we have, just before hanging up, he was saying, I love you, son. And as an adult man, I wasnt able to say, I love you. I was just saying, thank you, Dad. And the day before he was taken to the intensive care unit in hospital, he asked me to bring him underwear. And I prepared a bag of underwear for him. And I also put a note into that bag saying that Father, please get well as soon as possible. And I have been forgetting to tell you I love you in our phone conversations. I love you so much.

daniel dannenmann

It bothers me to this day the last conversation my dad and I had, which was all around him being put into an artificial coma. And he called me from the emergency room. You know, this is everybody learning or reading, really, for the first time what this virus is doing back in March. I was all alone. My mom had passed just a couple of days before then. And he got very angry with me on the phone. He said, you know, you just have to deal with it. And Ill see you on the other side. And then, thats when he hung up. And thats the last time I ever spoke to my dad. Yeah.

tsitsi hantuba

He passed on a Friday, which was July 10. That Thursday, I got a call saying hes not feeling well. And it was after midnight there. So I instructed them to tell the closer family members that they were going to travel to Harare, which is the capital city, to seek medical treatment. Because I knew if they were calling me after midnight that is not well. That its not a good situation. They ended up getting to the city a little after, I think, 3:00 in the morning. Got some initial help. But part of the request for him to get a Covid test done. And until we get results from a definitive one, were not going to be able to do anything. So they were able to go get a Covid test done, but were told that it will take 24 to 48 hours to get results of that. So literally, from that moment on, they drove from one clinic to the next, one hospital to the next, could not get anyone that was willing to help. We had finally gotten to a point where theres a hospital, a clinic that a friend of mine had contacts there. And we had understood that they would be able to take him and help him. But it was outside of Harare, so they were now driving on their way there. And as they were driving there, at some point, he said he wanted to use the bathroom. And bear in mind, he wasnt able to talk much the last two days. So at that moment he was able to say, to talk and say what he needed. So it was in that moment when they stopped the car and my brother was helping him get out of the car and go use the bathroom, it was within those minutes that he passed. And I was actually on the phone. And I was able to say hi to him and tell him that we were really, really working hard to try and get him help. And all we really needed from him is to keep fighting, to keep holding on. [CRYING] And we were going to do everything in our power to get him the help that he needed. And I remember at that time thinking that I think he wants to say something. But I didnt know whether that was because I wanted to be able to talk to him and I was making something up in my head. So that was my last somewhat real interaction with my dad, was just me talking to him and trying to say something to me. And he just couldnt. I felt confusion, shock, anger. Anger, cause I could hear the groaning and the gasping for air the whole time. And for someone that spent a lot of his life helping other people, it really hurt me that in his final hours, no one was willing to help him.

[music]

elisheva stern

The good thing with the hospital here, they let you say bye. It was just me. They would only let one person come. And I was able to  [BEGINS TO CRY]  sit by his bed.

elisheva stern [RECITES PRAYER IN HEBREW]

elisheva stern

In the Jewish religion, its a big thing to say a atonement kind of thing before the person dies. So I said the whole thing with him.

elisheva stern [RECITES PRAYER IN HEBREW]

elisheva stern

I really didnt think I was really saying bye. I really thought hed get out of it. I guess its kind of a gift that I was able to say bye, and I didnt have to  like, he had like this smile that went from ear to ear. And to have the last memory that I dont know, but 

elisheva stern [RECITES PRAYER IN HEBREW]

elisheva stern

And then I come in later. Its not there anymore. And the funeral was just like a bad sci-fi movie.

vera okelo

So on July 10 in the morning, around 3:00 in the morning, my phone started buzzing. Everybody said your friend is dead. So I was thinking, OK. Maybe its a bad joke. So I didnt  it didnt really register. Its, like, 3:00 in the morning. And Im shaking. Im shivering. I was in my apartment in Oakton, Virginia. Thats about 10, 15 miles outside of Washington. I went out for a walk. It was so dark. But it was warm. It was summer. Just walking, then I started running. I think I probably did 12 miles that day, just being out. I realized, theres no one to talk to anymore. Theres no one to confide in. Its, like, a part of you died. And Im thinking about how she struggled so hard. She got herself out of a bad relationship to create a happy life for her children. And Im thinking about just, its all for nothing. And you wonder, whats the meaning? Whats the purpose of life then? And then Im wondering where she is. Is she happy? Can she see us? I still do it. I still do the walking or the running, maybe three hours every single day, every single day. I work and I run. And I guess  I should stop. I know I should stop. Maybe Im looking for something out there. And I just havent found it yet. Until I do, Ill still keep waking up in the morning. And Ill still go out. And its going to be winter soon. And Ill see how that goes. But I feel like theres a reason why I cant  I cant go back to bed. And I try. Im trying to understand if shes OK. Yeah. I feel that Id like to know if shes in a good place. And I hope that I get the sign. I dont know what it is, but I think Ill find it. I still wake up. And I still go out.

[music]

My friend Doreen Adisa Lugaliki died in Nairobi, Kenya on July 10 of 2020. She died at the age of 39.

elisheva stern

My father, Simcha Ben-Shay, was 75. And he passed away in the Sourasky Hospital in Tel Aviv on the 8th of April at around 2:00 in the morning.

daniel dannenmann

So my fathers name was Christopher Dannenmann and he died at the age of 81 on March 29 in Sinsheim, Germany, just outside of Heidelberg.

zhang hai

[SPEAKING CHINESE]

translator

My father was Zhang Lifa. He was 76 when he died. He died on February 1 at 5:28 p.m. at a hospital in Wuhan.

masha tawtel

My fathers name is Charles Tawtel. He died on the 14th of August in Aleppo, Syria because of the coronavirus.

tsitsi hantuba

My fathers name is Cosmas Magaya. He died on July 10, 2020 in Harare. He was 66 years old.

onur tascioglu

[SPEAKING TURKISH]

translator

My father passed away in Istanbul in April 1, 2020.

onur tascioglu
Tripuras royal scion Pradyot Kishore Deb Burman has forged an alliance with two indigenous political parties in a bid to work together for socio-economic, cultural and political rights of the indigenous people, including National Register of Citizens (NRC), Citizenship (Amendment) Act ( CAA) 2019, the empowerment of autonomous district council (ADC) ahead of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) polls, whose dates are yet to be announced.

The Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA), an apolitical forum founded by Deb Burman last December, held a meeting with the Indigenous Nationalist Peoples of Tripura (INPT) and Tripura Peoples Front (TPF) on October 1 and 2.

A decision was taken at the meeting to form a high-level united coordination committee to work together on various issues, including the NRC; the CAA, 2019; detect, delete and deportation of illegal voters; inner line permit (ILP), the empowerment of the ADC under the 6th Schedule of the Constitution through direct funding and land rights.

Also Read: Tripura scribes wear black badges to protest against CMs threat over reporting of states Covid-19 situation

 INPT, TPF and TIPRA have jointly resolved to work unconditionally without any self-interest for the social, cultural , political and economic rights of the indigenous people,  stated the joint press statement signed by TIPRA chairman Deb Burman, INPT general secretary Jagadish Deb Barma, TPF president Patal Kanya Jamatia.

I have tried my best and succeeded in ensuring that INPT and TPF along with TIPRA unite unconditionally on the basis of ideology. I will also appeal in writing to all other organisations and parties such as IPFT, TPF, TIPRA who agree with our ideology to come front and unite with us ... I would like more leaders to come and unite as one alliance . On my part, I am not taking any political role or position and would like to devote my energy in ensuring more unification in the future, Deb Burman stated in a social media post.

Deb Burman had floated TIPRA last December, three months after resigning from the Congress over his alleged differences with partys former general secretary Luizinho Faleiro regarding a Supreme Court (SC) case related to the NRCs revision.

TIPRA had protested against the CAA, 2019.

TTAADC polls were slated to be held on May 17, but could not be held because of the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

The new election dates are yet to be announced.
NPHET with Tony Holohan back at the helm as Chief Medical Officer has recommended Ireland return to the strictest level of lockdown in response to growing Covid-19 numbers.

A letter has been sent to the government tonight recommending the country move from Level 2 to Level 5 of restrictions in the Living With Covid-19 plan.

Also read: LATEST: 364 new Covid-19 cases as Longford records small increase again today

This would impose extremely strict restrictions on people, similar to those imposed in March.

Cabinet will meet with Tony Holohan on Monday to discuss the latest recommendations.

Level 5 would mean most non-essential businesses closing and people restricted to travelling within 5km of their homes, except for essential work and care reasons.

The Department of Health was notified of 364 more cases of Covid-19 and no new deaths on Sunday after more than 600 cases on Saturday. 3,000 cases were diagnosed in the Republic of Ireland this week.

There has now been a total of 38,032 confirmed cases in Ireland and 1,810 deaths.

It is understood there is considerable resistance in the Dail to a move to Level 5 with fears over the impact it would have on business and the wider economy.

The pandemic has thus far cost the government over 9 billion in supports and measures to stem the impact and reduce employment deficits.

More as we get it on Monday morning...
This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 1533 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in the financial realm. Please join us and participate via our donation page, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Read about why were doing this fundraiser, what weve accomplished in the last year, and our current goal, more original reporting.

Jerri-Lynn here. This post traces just the latest example of the pernicious influence of money on politics. Ive long been tracking the role of the Chamber of Commerce, first tracing its connections to setting U.S. budget policy, and then its trade policy, going back several decades. So its no surprise to me to see the usual suspects make yet another appearance on the latest pandemic stimulus package.

Will the diagnoses of the Trumps and leading lawmakers  confined largely to Republicans so far  as just the latest victims of the pandemic, change the political dynamics at play here? I doubt it. But we shall undoubtedly see,

By Howie Klein. Published at DownWithTryanny!

Yesterday, the Washington Post reported that Pelosi anticipates striking a pandemic relief deal with Mnuchin, who the Republicans have tasked with keeping the package as small and mean as possible. Erica Werner and Jeff Stein asserted that Pelosi thinks that now that Trump is dying sick, it will be easier to get a bipartisan deal. The vote in the House on Thursday for the $2.2 trillion package was supposed to strengthen her hand in the negotiations. Instead, as we explained earlier a pack of mangy Blue Dogs and New Dems from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party, screwed it up by voting with the Republicans against the package, giving Mnuchin a bit of an edge in cutting down the amount of money that goes to state and local governments and to working families directly.

Democrats had sought a $2.2 trillion package, while the White Houses most recent offer was closer to $1.6 trillion. Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke Friday afternoon for 65 minutes and plan to continue their discussions, according to Drew Hammill, a spokesman for the House speaker. The pace of talks and the possibility of a deal have picked up markedly in recent days. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told reporters Friday that Trump had inquired about the status of negotiations Friday morning, shortly after the president announced his positive coronavirus test. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) sounded a positive note at a news conference in Kentucky. Im trying to figure out here whether I should predict another bill quickly or not, but the talks have speeded up in the last couple days, said McConnell, who is not directly involved in the negotiations but is regularly briefed by Mnuchin. I think were closer to getting an outcome. With the talks picking up steam, Pelosi released a statement Friday calling on airlines to delay imminent furloughs of workers whose jobs are at risk after payroll support included in the Cares Act expired Wednesday. Pelosi said a six-month extension of the Payroll Support Program would be included in any deal or passed as a stand-alone bill. American Airlines and United Airlines this week announced they would be furloughing a combined 32,000 employees because federal aid expired and the travel industry remains battered by the coronavirus pandemic. Both airlines released statements pledging to reverse the furloughs if Congress acts, but urged lawmakers to move quickly. The U.S. economy plunged sharply into a recession earlier this year when the coronavirus pandemic led many companies and employers to lay off workers and temporarily close. The economy recovered a bit during the summer, but it has shown signs of lagging in recent weeks, particularly as several large companies have announced new plans for layoffs. That emerging head wind has helped revive talks between the White House and Democrats, but numerous significant issues remain unresolved. Pelosi outlined some of them in a letter Friday afternoon to House Democrats that pointed to unemployment insurance, money for cities and states, and tax credits for children and families as among the areas where she had yet to reach agreement with Mnuchin. We are expecting a response from the White House on these areas and others with more detail, Pelosi wrote. In the meantime, we continue to work on the text to move quickly to facilitate an agreement. In a sign that a deal could be emerging, Mnuchin told at least one Republican senator in a phone call on Thursday night that the agreement with Pelosi would include a substantial amount of money for state and local governments, a provision numerous conservative Republican senators have strongly resisted, according to one person who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details of the private conversation. The call was interpreted as designed to prepare conservatives for the White House to give more on state and local aid than they had previously expected.

Although Pelosi was cross as the garbage Democraps, her own House Majority PAC and the DCCC have already started spending immense amounts of money to save their worthless hides. Neither the DCCC or Pelosis PAC spends much on progressives, making sure to keep the number of progressives down to a bare minimum, but they spend millions and millions of dollars protecting weak Blue Dogs and New Dems who dont generate much enthusiasm from woke Democrats.

Most of them will win in the November anti-Trump tsunami and will go on to be defeated in 2022 after two years of nothing consequential coming out of the Biden White House or the Schumer Senate. These garbagecrats all voted against the pandemic bailout package. The number next to their names is how much the DCCC and the House majority PAC have already spent independently on behalf of their campaigns and theyre just getting started.
Migrants ride on the back of a truck in Rio Dulce, Guatemala, on Friday. A new caravan of about 2,000 migrants set out from neighboring Honduras in hopes of reaching the United States. (Moises Castillo / Associated Press)

Ana Solis sat down on the sidewalk to rest. After entering Guatemala on foot with thousands of Honduran migrants hoping to make it to the United States earlier this week, she slept beside a highway and then found rides to the capital.

There are no jobs," she said outside a migrant shelter Friday. "There is nothing to eat.

Solis, 26, said she lost her job last year. She worked in a banana packing plant in Bonito Oriental, in northeastern Honduras, but often earned less than minimum wage. Her partner tried to migrate north last year but was deported from Mexico.

This time Solis was the one to leave in an effort to support the couple and their 5-year-old daughter. The COVID-19 pandemic has made work more scarce than ever.

Things are even harder now, she said.

Some 3,000 to 4,000 Honduran migrants entered Guatemala on Thursday, according to various estimates by Guatemalan government and United Nations officials. All but a few failed to register with immigration agents or provide the required evidence of a negative coronavirus test result.

The Guatemalan government declared a state of prevention in eastern regions  limiting freedom of movement  and deployed the army and police to stop the caravan. Within a day and a half, 2,065 Hondurans were deported. They were voluntary returnees, according to Guatemalan authorities, but most were stopped by security forces.

Mexico reinforced its southern border with hundreds of immigration agents and troops.

Small groups of Honduran migrants continue to advance through Guatemala toward border crossings into the Mexican states of Chiapas and Tabasco.

Rafael Lesveri Perez came across one such group on the outskirts of Guatemala City on Friday and brought them to the Casa del Migrante shelter, which has been providing food, hygiene supplies and rain gear to migrants.

I know how hard it is to be a migrant in another country, the 41-year-old Guatemalan said.

Perez migrated to the United States in 1998, sending money home to support his daughter, now an adult, and her mother.

Story continues

He was first deported in 2003 and has since tried six times to get back. His last attempt landed him in a Colorado jail for a year and a half for multiple unlawful entries.

After his most recent deportation eight months ago, Perez lived at Casa del Migrante for two months. He has been unable to find work because of the pandemic, but he wants to help the Honduran migrants however he can.

People have supported me many times in Mexico, Perez said outside the Guatemala City shelter.

Roughly 200 Honduran migrants have stopped by for humanitarian aid over the last three days, said the shelter's director, Father Mauro Verzeletti.

As pandemic-related border and travel restrictions loosen, migration could again pick up. Last year the U.S. deported 109,185 Hondurans.

The pandemic has decimated the Honduran economy, said Hugo Noe Pino, a Honduran economist with a doctorate in economics from the University of Texas.

The nation's gross domestic product has fallen 12% and is not expected to recover anytime soon despite a gradual reopening, said Pino, a former national economy minister.

It is difficult to give totally reliable figures, he said, noting that the Honduran Ministry of Labor probably will not release updated unemployment statistics until the end of the year.

Some 120,000 workers whose jobs were formally suspended, mostly in the maquila factory sector, sought support from a government program.

But Pino believes worker and business sector estimates of 250,000 to 300,000 jobs lost during the pandemic are accurate. The total takes into account the severe effects of the pandemic on the countrys informal work sector, which represents roughly half of all economic activity in Honduras, he said.

The effects of the pandemic have been total despair, said Pino, who served during the administration of President Jose Manuel Zelaya, who was deposed in a 2009 coup. Migration is often considered the only option.

The nation's homicide rate and human rights abuses both skyrocketed in the wake of the coup, and political crises continued.

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez was reelected in 2017 amid widespread allegations of election fraud, resulting in months of protests and crackdowns.

Hernandez is an unindicted co-conspirator in a U.S. federal drug trafficking case against his brother, former congressman Juan Antonio Tony Hernandez, who was convicted on four charges last year and awaits sentencing.

Honduras has long been a key U.S. ally in the region, and the two countries maintain a close relationship with cooperation on immigration, security and other issues.

Honduran government officials have alleged organized crime or political opposition groups are behind the latest caravan.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and many others have questioned its timing, one month before the U.S. presidential election, suggesting that political forces are behind the caravan, which President Trump could conceivably exploit as a wedge issue to rally voters who want stricter immigration enforcement.

Similar arguments were made two years ago around the U.S. midterm elections when a large migrant caravan left Honduras and made it to the U.S. border, but no one has ever provided any evidence of political influence, Pino said.

Pino does not exclude the possibility of some outside influence behind mobilization calls for the caravan, but he said that would not negate the reality of the thousands of Hondurans who participated in the exodus.

The underlying causes of migration are all still there, he said.

Matias Lopez, 63, was one of those thousands. He worked as a farm laborer earning six dollars a day but lost his job six months ago when the government implemented lockdown measures in response to the pandemic.

There is no work, he said.

Lopez lucked out with a ride on a flatbed truck all the way to Guatemala City, and he hopes his luck persists as he continues north.

Cuffe is a special correspondent.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Have Sheriff Offices in North Carolina, possibly even Beaufort County's Sheriff Office, become too political in the discharging of their sworn constitutional duties?

No, the sheriff is a constitutional officer.

Yes, the Sheriff Office, on strong occasion, often reverts back to political patronage in the dispensation of their sworn constitutional duties.
Lauren, I hope you have read the official U.K. government information on this.

You dont need to provide proof of a negative test if you are on a direct flight from the U.K. but you MUST complete the Greek plf mentioned in the link at least a day before you travel. They will send you a QR code the night before you arrive in Greece. You must show that at U.K. check in and again on arrival in Greece. The starting digit of the code determines whether you are likely to be tested on arrival. If tested on arrival, you carry on to your hotel, and start your trip as normal, but if they contact you within 24 hours to say you have tested positive they will collect you and your travel companions and take you to a specific quarantine hotel where you will have to self isolate in your room for 2 weeks.

You also need to complete a U.K. PLF for the return to the U.K. and you will be expected to show it at U.K. immigration.

Remember the U.K. rules on self isolation on returning home could change at any time. If you do travel, remember the rules could change and you may be obligated to self isolate on your return.

Edited: 1 year ago
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 23:55:45|Editor: huaxia

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KATHMANDU, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Nepal reported over 2,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday and Sunday respectively, according to the country's Ministry of Health and Population.

Total coronavirus cases in the country reached 86,823 on Sunday, according to the ministry.

In recent weeks, the Himalayan country has been witnessing rapid rise in COVID-19 cases after the government lifted a nearly four-month lockdown on July 22.

On Friday, the Nepali government reported record high single day spike of 2,722 cases.

"As the situation is worsening, the government has decided to call on people not to travel during the upcoming major festivals in late October," said Jageshwor Gautam, spokesperson at the health ministry in a press meet on Sunday. Enditem
Since 2016, the Trump administration has waged war against asylum-seekers. Because of amended regulations, legal opinions that undo precedent and a series of executive orders, asylum is increasingly elusive.

These changes largely targeted Central Americans fleeing gang and gender-based violence, but they negatively affect all asylum-seekers. Just making it to the U.S. to apply for asylum has become nearly impossible. The Department of Homeland Security has returned more than 66,500 people to Mexico to await court hearings under its Remain in Mexico program.

Since March, under the guise of preventing the spread of COVID-19, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has expelled more than 150,000 people, including thousands of unaccompanied children. Anyone caught entering the U.S. is fingerprinted and expelled with no ability to apply for asylum. While courts have intervened, the prognosis for asylum-seekers is bleak. Four more years may be the death of asylum.

Although I long for how things were, our asylum system was already deeply flawed. The prospect of a new administration is an opportunity to imagine something better. Why just undo the last four years when we can be bold? I offer five reforms.

Adjudicate all claims: First, the specialized Asylum Offices within U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS, should adjudicate all initial asylum claims.

For applicants in removal proceedings, professional asylum officers conduct an initial screening called a credible fear interview and send approved cases to immigration judges. However, immigration courts are facing historic backlogs, so asylum-seekers wait years for decisions. Having USCIS adjudicate cases first would alleviate the backlogs in immigration court and decrease the wait times. Anyone denied by USCIS could appeal to the immigration judge. In fact, this process already exists for unaccompanied minors and works well.

Adopt refugee guidelines: Second, the U.S. should formally adopt guidance issued by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, or UNHCR. For example, UNHCR guidance defines the meaning of membership in particular social group  one of the grounds for which a person can be granted asylum.

Adopting the UNHCR definition would eliminate much litigation about what particular social groups are viable. Following UNHCR guidance would prevent attempts to eliminate asylum for certain groups.

The UNHCR also publishes country-specific and issue-specific guidance, which, if followed by USCIS and immigration judges, would lead to more consistent decisions. Currently, some social group claims, such as women unable to leave a domestic relationship, are routinely granted in certain judicial circuits and virtually impossible to win in others. That should not be the case.

End detentions: Third, the U.S. should end detention of asylum-seekers. Most asylum-seekers have someone to support them in the U.S. As immigration detention has expanded, so too has detention of asylum-seekers with no criminal history. This is a waste of federal tax revenue of about $6.5 million per day.

Detention has become punitive although seeking asylum is a right. Alternatives to detention have proven effective for a fraction of the cost.

Appoint counsel: Fourth, indigent asylum-seekers should receive court-appointed counsel. Judge Dana Leigh Marks, president emeritus of the National Association of Immigration Judges, described her job as hearing death penalty cases in a traffic court setting. Yet, those who cant pay a lawyer must defend themselves in a foreign legal system.

Our system puts asylum-seekers, regardless of age, education or literacy, up against lawyers with specialized immigration training. That is not a fair fight. If our Constitution guarantees the right to counsel in criminal proceedings to avoid unjust deprivation of liberty, surely we can do the same for asylum-seekers facing serious harm or death if removed.

Increase resettlement: Finally, dramatically increase refugee resettlement. Someone granted asylum is a refugee. The key difference is where the vetting occurs. If the U.S. accepted more refugees identified outside our borders, fewer people would come here seeking asylum.

There is much to consider in choosing candidates up and down the ballot. Remember that your vote impacts the fate of tens of thousands of people who left everything they know to seek protection on our shores. They do not have a voice in our democracy, but you do.

Erica B. Schommer is a clinical professor of law who leads the Immigration and Human Rights Clinic at the St. Marys University School of Law. The views presented are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of St. Marys University. The university neither supports nor opposes the parties mentioned.
A bundle of police crime scene tape in a file photo. (Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images)

Ohio Driver Surrenders After Gunfire Near Pro-Trump Parade: Police

Officials said the driver of a pick-up truck surrendered in Ohio on Saturday after allegedly opening fire near a rally for President Donald Trump near Columbus.

Todd Crawford, 58, of Homer, was identified as the suspect. He was charged with discharge of a firearm on or near premises, officials told Fox News.

Hilliard Police spokeswoman Officer Andrea Litchfield said that officers responded to a call at around 10:40 a.m. at Interstate-270 for a shooting. Its not clear if the incident was related to the parade for Trump, she said.

That is something we are absolutely looking into, she told Fox News.

Authorities told the Columbus Dispatch that two drivers were involved in some kind of altercation before the shooting.

Crawford surrendered after the incident, and he was taken to the Franklin County Jail, officials told Fox28.

Later, officials told the station that Crawford was involved in the parade. After an investigation, police said he fired a single shot from a .45-caliber handgun.

Police are continuing to investigate reports that it began when the vehicles struck one other while traveling in the same direction in adjacent lanes. Additional charges are pending, Hilliard Police said in a news release.

Other details about the incident were not disclosed by police.
NSW recorded its ninth consecutive day of zero locally acquired coronavirus cases on Sunday, as the state government urged public servants to lead a "COVID safe" return to offices in a bid to kickstart the economy.

Two COVID-19 cases were confirmed among returned travellers in hotel quarantine in the 24 hours to 8pm on Saturday, bringing the state's total number of confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic to 4045.

Hundreds of Sydneysiders enjoyed the sun at Bondi on Sunday as NSW recorded another day with no community COVID cases. Credit:Edwina Pickles

Hundreds of Sydneysiders descended on the city's beaches as temperatures warmed to 24 degrees in the afternoon, while lifeguards and marshals reminded the public to keep their distance from one another on the sand.

The sunny long weekend had emerged as a test for beachgoers and local authorities grappling with how to balance large crowds over summer with physical distancing requirements.
Manama

The logo for the " Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa Award for Bahraini Doctor was announced today.

The board of the Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa Award for Bahraini Doctor chaired by Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Khalifa, the Undersecretary of the Court of HRH the Prime Minister, said that Abdulaziz Abdulhameed Isamail was the winner of the Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa Award for Bahraini Doctor logo competition.

Shaikh Mohammed congratulated the winner and praised his outstanding design that embodied the high values of the award.

He also lauded the initiative undertaken by Abdulrahman Al Sayed, a young boy, to produce and post a short video on social media about the competition and the objectives of the award, expressing his appreciation of such community initiatives that reflect a high level of awareness, creativity and innovation.

Shaikh Hossam bin Isa Al Khalifa and Health Minister Faeqa bint Saeed Al Saleh congratulated the winner and praised the level of creativity in the design that reflects the noble meanings that the award carries.

They also thanked Abdulrahman Al Sayed for his distinguished initiative that reflected the awareness of the community members of the importance of the award launched by HRH the Prime Minister in encouraging and motivating medical personnel and developing the health sector.

The winner was selected following the evaluation by experts and specialists of 482 designs from 217 individuals and institutions who participated in the competition.

Shaikh Mohammed congratulated Abdulaziz on his selection and praised his outstanding design that embodied the high values of the award.
A Starbucks location in Seattle was damaged during a riot in Seattle on Oct. 3, 2020. (Seattle Police Department)

Seattle Anti-Police Protest Turns Violent; 16 Arrested

Seattle police said they arrested 16 people late on Oct. 3 on charges that included property damage, assault, failure to disperse, and rendering criminal assistance, after a protest turned violent.

The group marched through part of downtown after gathering at Cal Anderson Park, and chanted black lives matter and no walls, no prisons, total abolition.

Some members of the crowd committed acts of vandalism and property damage, the Seattle Police Department said in an incident summary, including shattering windows at a coffee shop. They threw explosives inside as well.

Video footage showed about a dozen people striking windows at a Starbucks; several windows broke.

At one point, someone in the crowd launched a smoke bomb at officers. It struck a car in front of the officers and obscured their view as they moved towards the rioters. Police said an explosive was thrown at officers.

Meanwhile, a portion of the crowd stopped to shout at diners eating inside a downtown restaurant. It wasnt clear what they were saying.

HAPPENING NOW: Antifa Militants and Black Lives Matter Rioters break into and launch fireworks inside Starbucks.@SeattlePD declared this protest a riot and issued an order to disperse. #seattleprotests pic.twitter.com/lrFguvqRBX  Katie Daviscourt (@KatieDaviscourt) October 4, 2020

Rioters continued harassing people who were filming, claiming they were endangering them by recording what was unfolding.

Ill break your jaw, bro, one man told an independent journalist who had been filming.

As a black person, man, Im feeling really weird about you standing back recording people, another man told a live streamer. One, please go to take yourself over there and start recording the [expletive] pigs, or two, leave. Three, I can do my choice, but youre not going to like that.

A third live streamer explained that she only filmed the pavement and police in a bid not to show the faces of people protesting or rioting. She stopped streaming when someone approached her and told her, Were not doing no streaming, even if its lens down.

One poster for the march said it had been organized by a group called Autonomous Seattle.

We demand justice for those murdered at the hands of the police, for the abolition of the Seattle Police Department (and police more broadly), and for the transfer of funding into community programs that help, not hurt, people, it stated, adding later, Brick by brick, wall by wall, we shall make their racist institutions fall.

Another poster said the protesters goals in nightly events is to disrupt business as usual, decrease public support for the police department, and tie up police resources while weakening the resolve of officers.
Questioning those who demanded justice for Kangana Ranaut but are now silent after the Hathras gang-rape case, Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said had a Hathras-like incident taken place in Maharashtra, there would have been demands to dismiss the government.

Those who supported Kangana Ranauts baseless comments against Mumbai and Maharashtra and demanded justice for her when her illegal construction was pulled down are now silent and have become invisible when it comes to demanding justice for the Hathras victim, Raut wrote in his partys mouthpiece Saamana.

Also read: Bhim Army chief wants Y security cover for Hathras gang-rape victims family

In an indirect attack at Kangana Ranaut, Raut said, The Hathras victim was not a celebrity and she was not on drugs. She did not have any illegal construction (built by) spending crores of rupees. She was a simple girl whose dead body was illegally burnt in the dead of the night. All this happened in YogisRamrajya.

The Shiv Sena leader also compared the Hathras incident to atrocities being committed against Hindu girls in Pakistan in his weekly column.

We hear that such incidents happen in Pakistan where Hindu girls are kidnapped, raped and murdered. What happened in Hathras was no different. So far no one has called Hathras a Pakistan.

Raut stated that the reaction to the Hathras incident would have been different, had it taken place in Shiv Sena coalition-ruled Maharashtra.

If a Hathras-like incident had taken place in Maharashtra, demands would have been raised for dismissal of the state government and for imposition of Presidents rule, Raut said.

Also read: Hathras gang-rape victims family against CBI probe; SIT records statement

Raut said 12,257 incidents of gang-rape have been reported in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh from 2014 to 2019, but justice is given considering caste, religion and political affiliations.

(With inputs from PTI)
She always puts on a fashionable display while heading out and about.

And Vogue Williams didn't let the rain dampen her style as she stepped out in London on Sunday after hosting her radio show.

The star, 35, looked trendy and stylish in a black frilled dress which showed off her bronzed legs as she strutted.

Fashionista: Vogue Williams didn't let the rain dampen her style as she stepped out in London on Sunday after hosting her radio show

The beauty boosted her height with black knee-high boots and accessorised with a Louis Vuitton handbag.

She added a further edgy twist with a black fedora and wore her blonde tresses in a chic updo.

The star looked in good spirits as she walked in the rain and headed home to her family.

Downpour: The star, 35, looked trendy and stylish in a black frilled dress which showed off her bronzed legs as she strutted

Vogue turned 35 years old on Friday and marked her birthday by sharing an adorable throwback snap of husband Spencer Matthews and their children Theodore, two, and Gigi, two-months, on social media as she declared she 'couldn't be happier'.

The radio host spent the day with the former Made In Chelsea star, 32, and their little ones at home before heading out for dinner with her husband and brother, Alex, in London.

Go for it: She added a further edgy twist with a black fedora and wore her blonde tresses in a chic updo

Gorgeous: The star looked in good spirits as she walked in the rain and headed home to her family

Vogue shared the adorable throwback snap of her partner, Spencer, on a boat ride with their two children, who he held close to him in delight.

Spencer was seen sporting a colourful plaid shirt and navy gilet as he held their newborn daughter who was wearing a delightful pink one-piece and matching hat.

Their eldest child looked equally adorable in a navy striped raincoat and a pom pom hat as he looked out at the river before them.

Family first: Vogue turned 35 years old on Friday and marked her birthday by sharing an adorable throwback snap of husband Spencer Matthews and their children Theodore, two, and Gigi, two-months, on social media as she declared she 'couldn't be happier'.

Love: The radio host declared she 'couldn't be happier' as she spent the day with Spencer Matthews and their children Theodore, two, and Gigi, two-months, at home

Vogue captioned the image: 'The best birthday present in the world... thank you all for your lovely birthday messages!

'Im getting to spend the day with this lot and I couldnt be happier'

Spencer shared a similar picture from their boating trip and thanked Vogue for being a great mother and partner.

In his gushing post, he wrote: 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY my gorgeous!!! We appreciate all you do for us and couldnt love you more' accompanied by a heart emoji.

Later on in the day, Vogue shared a lift selfie to her Instagram story alongside Spencer and her brother, Alex, as they headed to a restaurant in the city.

Family outing: Later on in the day, Vogue shared a lift selfie to her Instagram story alongside Spencer and her brother, Alex, as they headed to a restaurant in the city

She shined bright in a glistening playsuit adorned with navy and floral sequins.

The TV personality showcased her slender pins in the vibrant outfit which also featured a rainbow waistband and cuffs.

Vogue added a designer touch with a Gucci handbag that draped over her shoulder and she tucked her blonde tresses away in a chic updo.

She opted for a natural makeup look that enhanced her stunning features.
Alarm sirens across the city went off as the shelling began at around 7:30 a.m. local time and continued for at least three hours.

An RFE/RL correspondent at the scene heard about two dozen powerful explosions. They cut off electricity supply to some parts of Stepanakert. It was restored about 40 minutes later.

Karabakh officials said that the city was hit by Polonez and Smerch multiple-launch rocket systems used by the Azerbaijani army. They did not immediately say if anyone was hurt by the latest artillery strike.

Most Stepanakert residents have stayed in bomb shelters since the outbreak of the war on September 27. One of them was killed and ten others wounded when the Karabakh capital was shelled on Friday.

Arayik Harutiunian, the Karabakh president, accused Azerbaijan of deliberately targeting the Armenian-populated civilian population. In a Facebook post, Harutiunian said that in response to that Karabakhs Armenian-backed army has decided to strike major military facilities located in Azerbaijans large cities.

I call on Azerbaijani civilians to quickly leave those cities to avoid possible losses, he wrote.

A spokesman for Harutiunian claimed afterwards that Karabakh forces have destroyed a military airfield in Gyanja, Azerbaijans second largest city located a few dozen kilometers from the Armenian-Azerbaijani line of contact around Karabakh.

The Karabakh Armenian army said, for its part, that it is dealing powerful blows to very important military facilities located deep inside Azerbaijan.

Baku confirmed that Gyanja was hit by rockets but did not immediately specify damage caused by them. A senior Azerbaijani official said that they were fired from Armenia. The Armenian Defense Ministry swiftly denied the claim.

Baku said earlier in the day that Armenian forces are shelling two Azerbaijani towns located close to the Karabakh line of contact.
The Airbus COO said in an interview with Handelsblatt business daily that the 15,000 job cuts would be a minimum. Photo: Tino Plunert/picture alliance via Getty Images

The aviation industry outlook remains bleak, according to Airbus (AIR.PA) chief operating officer Michael Schoellhorn.

Rising coronavirus cases and new travel restrictions have crimped the sectors recovery, and the company has said it needs to shed 15,000 posts worldwide, according to a report by Reuters.

As some sectors of the economy have enjoyed a modest rebound, air travel is still at a faction of normal levels. Airlines have delayed deliveries of new aircraft, further stalling Airbuss business.

The COO said in an interview with Handelsblatt business daily that the 15,000 job cuts would be a minimum.

Last week Airbus said it was weighing reduced working time in production areas over the next two years as a means of reducing job casualties.

The move would act as a kind of furlough and preserve those with skills, according to Bloomberg.

Airbus is just one part of the industry struggling. Many other airlines have made difficult decisions in order to save their businesses, while trying to navigate the ever-changing landscape of government travel corridors.

The Dutch arm of Air France-KLM (AF.PA) also reached an agreement with its flight staff, excluding pilots, this week, to cut costs in return for state aid, the FNV trade union said on Thursday.

The union agreed to temporary wage cuts and increased severance payments for those that have lost their jobs in the impending reorganisation.

This was followed quickly by a bailout application from the Dutch government on Friday. If approved, the company would receive a 1bn ($1.2bn, 906m) loan and 2.4bn in guarantees for commercial loans.

In return for the government's support, KLM has to cut costs by about 15% and reduce emissions by 50% by 2030.

In July, KLM said it would cut another 1,500 jobs. This would mean a 20% reduction in staff from pre-pandemic levels. Alongside this, a pay hike agreed for 2020 was frozen.

READ MORE: Cineworld 'to shut' all cinemas in the UK and Ireland risking thousands of jobs

Story continues

US airlines have also moved to lay off thousands of staff as federal relief tapers off.

Congress has continually delayed a new stimulus deal as Republicans and Democrats reached a stalemate on the terms. The layoffs turn up the heat on Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The pair have been trying to agree a followup package of stimulus for more than a month now.

American Airlines (AAL) said it would cut 19,000 workers while United Airlines (UAL) is due to lose 13,000, although both carriers said they are ready to save jobs if the government delivers more bailout cash.

United Airlines sent a message to its employees on Wednesday stating it had implored elected leaders to reach a compromise, get a deal done now, and save jobs."

READ MORE: Coronavirus: Airline refund woes lead to calls for a new ombudsman scheme

In the UK, the story is much the same. Two weeks ago, British Airways confirmed it would cut 10,000 jobs, as it reached a deal in principle with unions.

As of two weeks ago the airline said it was operating at between 25% and 30% of its capacity.

Watch: Which? - Travel companies breaking law over refunds
When I first read an article in a Dutch magazine about the art of niksen, or doing nothing, I instantly loved the idea.

It was two years ago, and there I was, mother to three small children, my sanity usually shredded by the time breakfast was over and the school run was done.

The concept of doing nothing seemed hugely appealing, but also impossible.

Whenever I allowed myself to sit down, my house started talking to me. Do me, do me, do me, the laundry would whisper in a totally unsexy way. Scrub the kitchen counters and put away the schoolbooks! my conscience shouted.

Olga Mecking who lives near The Hague, shared her advice for banishing stress in an extract from her new book about niksen (file image)

Between my children, our home, work, my husband  who works long hours  and the rest of my family and friends, I tried to remember the last time that I did absolutely nothing. And  couldnt.

Yet, after reading that article, my curiosity was piqued. What exactly was this thing the Dutch called niksen? And what could it offer me?

Im a journalist and writer, not a native of the Netherlands, but married to one and living near The Hague. And when I started to research niksen, I discovered that simply doing nothing can be enormously beneficial, especially for those of us who feel overwhelmed by our responsibilities.

The fact is, we could all do with a little niksen in our lives.

Unlike the Netherlands, the UK is a stressed-out nation. In 2017, a YouGov poll found 74 per cent of British people were so stressed they felt unable to cope. Almost half the respondents stated that stress contributed to unhealthy eating habits, and one-third admitted to increased alcohol consumption. Covid has merely exacerbated the problem.

And yet the Dutch rarely seem harried or stressed to me. Neighbours greet each other on the streets, and people smile at me and my children when were out and about. Theyre not whooping with joy, but they seem calm and satisfied with their lives.

Study after study backs it up: regular as clockwork, the Netherlands takes top spot on the World Happiness Index, while just last month, Dutch children  the least stressed Ive ever met  were once again named the happiest in the world in research from Unicef.

Olga explained the precise definition of niksen varies among the Dutch, but she would summaries it as doing something without a purpose' (file image)

So what is it about the Dutch? Is it the tulip fields, the (partially) legal marijuana, or the cheese? Its certainly not the weather. So what is their secret  could it be niksen?

I wrote a book on the subject to find out. Now it can help you, too, to bust stress and boost brainpower by embracing the joyous art of doing nothing 

SO WHAT PRECISELY IS NIKSEN?

In Dutch, niks means nothing, and its just a small step from niks (which is a noun) to niksen (which is a verb). So niksen literally means nothing-ing.

Precise definitions vary even among the Dutch, but I think doing something without a purpose, such as staring out of a window sums it up delightfully.

One expert I spoke to for my book said it was a Sunday morning kind of feeling; another that it was being with ones own thoughts without judgement or simply sitting and soaking up the sunlight.

In practice, its lying on the sofa daydreaming, or idly ambling back from the shops. Its letting your mind wander in a supermarket queue, or sitting with a cat on your lap.

It is gazing at nothing as you sit on the bus, your phone in your pocket not your hand. You niksen in all those in-between moments, when its possible to observe as much as you can without trying too hard.

What niksen isnt is reading books, watching TV, or browsing social media. This is an important distinction, because I am not arguing that we should trade our fun activities for niksen time. They matter, too, but niksen really matters.

THE PERFECT STRESS-BUSTER

Psychologist Juli Fraga, revealed too much stress causes the body to go into fight-or-flight mode (file image)

Most of us are always busy. Its become a familiar feeling; were used to it, we know it well and everyone around us knows what its like to be busy, too.

But too much to do leads to stress; or guilt because we cant physically do it all.

And once your stress response is activated, it takes a while for it to calm down  like a wave with a peak that lasts progressively longer than the corresponding trough. Worse still, too many of us are living in a state of chronic stress, in which the wave is a constant peak and our bodies and brains are on a permanent state of high alert.

And thats bad for us at a basic physiological level.

Too much stress causes the body to go into fight-or-flight mode, says psychologist Juli Fraga. When this happens, our nervous system jumps into overdrive, which can cause symptoms of anxiety to arise, as well as insomnia and irritability.

Chronic stress, says Fraga, can also dampen the immune system, making people more prone to colds and flu. It causes bodily tension, too, which can lead to aches and pains.

Yet just a few minutes of niksen a day can lower those peaks of stress and create longer, deeper troughs between them. When there is nothing demanding your attention, you can feel the stress seeping out of you.

THE BRAINPOWER BOOSTER

Olga said we can't see immediate value in doing nothing, however we become more productive after a spot of niksen (file image)

Its not just your body that benefits from doing nothing, your brain does, too.

When Marcus Raichle, neurologist and professor at the Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis, Missouri, decided to find out what our brains are doing when were doing, well, nothing, he was surprised by the results.

By measuring brain activity with an fMRI scanner, he discovered that the brains of those engaged in niksen were more active than those given a specific task to do.

In fact, the network that lit up when people lay still and did nothing included all the major connections in the brain  what Raichle now calls the default mode network.

Your brain is always active, always on, he says, even when youre not doing anything. When I ask him what the brain is doing when its not doing anything, he pauses and replies: Everything. It is, he says, more poetically, talking quietly to itself.

This might be why we are more productive after a spot of niksen. Though its hard for us to see immediate value in doing nothing, niksen is not an unimportant activity.

Instead, it has valuable, instant and long-lasting benefits. What Canadian writer and productivity guru Chris Bailey calls mind wandering  and I call niksen  is the perfect state for creativity and problem-solving.

With wandering, our minds go off into places where we can connect ideas that we had in the past to problems that were facing in the present, he explains.

Mind wandering connects the constellation of ideas that are swirling around in our minds to become something new that we would not arrive at otherwise.

Thats why when were taking a shower, or sitting on the couch, or knitting, or niksening around, ideas come together as if by magic. This quiet, seemingly passive work is less visible and less impressive than our more obvious eureka moments, but its just as important.

And remember, even a few minutes of niksen is enough.

Gemma Hartley who popularised the term emotional labour, said we hold men and women's leisure time to different standards (file image)

WHY WOMEN REALLY NEED NIKSEN

It turns out it might be much easier for men to do nothing than it is for women.

Studies show that men dont just have more free time than women, they are also better at protecting it. And whats more, women protect their husbands free time, too, even at the expense of their own.

Statistics show that while men and women do approximately the same amount of work, men do more paid work, while women do more unpaid work. This is the case all over the world, even in the most gender-equal countries such as the Netherlands.

I think we hold men and womens leisure time to different standards, says Gemma Hartley, the U.S. journalist who popularised the term emotional labour for the invisible mental load that women bear. We allow men to participate in daily relaxation, unwinding and processing as their due for working.

Yet doing nothing is practically unheard of among women.

Its a radical notion to say that we should do less but, ultimately, one I think that most women would benefit from embracing.

A busy life can be a fulfilling, happy life  but we need to be able to slow down consciously at times, too. Dont feel guilty: stare into space a little!

YOU'VE HEARD OF FOMO, NOW TRY NOMO

Olga said sometimes you may have to schedule niksen into your schedule instead of doing other activities (file image)

Like what youve heard? Its time to choose niksen with conscious effort. Sometimes, this will mean you need to schedule niksen into your diary instead of other activities that might seem more interesting, exciting or important.

Jenny Odell, the author of How To Do Nothing: Resisting The Attention Economy, calls this NOMO, or the Necessity Of Missing Out. So cancel those socially distanced work drinks, or that stressful online blind date, and leave some space in your schedule for niksen.

LEARN TO EMBRACE 'ANTI-MINDFULNESS'

Though they may look similar, mindfulness  often described as being fully present in the moment  is not niksen.

While both share a quality of stillness at their core, these two activities are very different.

With mindfulness, or indeed meditation, you go into a posture or you focus your mind, so you are setting out to do something, even if there is no movement.

In my opinion, mindfulness and meditation actually seem like a lot of work, and not at all relaxing or calming.

Niksen might even be described as anti-mindfulness, as it doesnt require you to be aware of your body, breath, the present moment, or your thoughts. Instead, you use it to do the opposite: to escape into your head and get lost for a while.

Niksen is like daydreaming. Unlike mindfulness, and just like niksen, daydreaming requires no preparation, no training, and no special rooms or music. Instead, notice how good you already are at it. Recognise when youre doing it and savour it.

MAKE A NOT-TO-DO LIST TO FREE UP SOME TIME

In her book The Joy Of Doing Nothing, author Rachel Jonat advises a not-to-do-list, which is a brilliant idea and might even be more useful that a to-do list.

The idea is to find things you want to stop doing. Ask yourself whether any of these tasks will help you achieve anything, and whether there are any considerable negative consequences associated with not doing them.

Then learn to say no to the tasks that dont move you forward. The time you free up, you spend on niksen.

TEN EASY WAYS TO EMPTY YOUR MIND Organise your home so that it becomes niksen-friendly. Comfy chairs, sofas and reading (or niksening) nooks are a great way to help you ease into niksen time.

If you work from home  and coronavirus means that many more of us are at the moment  remember youre also entitled to work breaks and you can use chunks of that time for niksen.

You should remember that doing chores, emotional labour and raising children are work and you should therefore feel entitled to work breaks.

Mark the end of each chore by niksening for a few minutes.

When reading a book, put it down for a while and spend a few minutes doing nothing (or maybe thinking about what the characters are doing).

When you find yourself mindlessly browsing Facebook, stop and do niksen.

If youre in bed but cannot fall asleep, get up and make yourself some chamomile tea and niksen with it. Or stay in bed and do nothing for a bit.

Going somewhere by bus or train? Dont automatically grab your mobile but spend some time just staring out of the window, instead.

When youre standing in a queue waiting to pay for your groceries, thats a great niksen opportunity right there.

If you're out and about enjoying nature  whether it be the beach, a river, the park, the woods, or the mountains  thats the perfect time and place for niksen. Advertisement

Adapted by Alison Roberts from Niksen by Olga Mecking, published by Piatkus at 12.99.  Olga Mecking 2020. To order a copy for 11.04 (offer valid to October 12, 2020), visit mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3308 9193. Free UK delivery on orders over 15.
The top US diplomat was expected to visit Japan, Mongolia and South Korea, but according to the Department's announcement on Saturday, he has canceled the Mongolia and South Korea legs of the trip, reports CNN.

Washington, Oct 4 (IANS) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will cut short his upcoming Asia trip, the State Department announced, amid President Donald Trump's hospitalisation following his Covid-19 diagnosis.

The announcement by Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said Pompeo would work to reschedule those countries on another Asia trip later this month.

Pompeo will depart for Tokyo on Sunday as originally scheduled.

The development came after Pompeo called off a trip to Florida address a conservative Christian organization on Saturday evening, saying he had done so "out of an abundance of caution".

Pompeo said he told Vice President Mike Pence that "everything's in good order".

"You should know that I'm feeling fine, I'm doing great, I've been tested twice in two days, I'm as healthy as I've been and I intend still to have a trip that I'm planning to take to Asia tomorrow," CNN quoted the Secretary of State as saying on Saturday.

Following Trump's October 2 announcement that he and First Lady were infected with the virus, Pompeo said that he had not interacted with the President since the signing of an agreement between the US, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates at the White House on September 15.

Pompeo and his wife were tested after Trump's announcement, but the couple tested negative.

This was the fourth time that the Secretary of State had been tested in the last two and a half weeks, the CNN reported.

--IANS

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Hathras: The family members of Hathras gang-rape and murder victim has refused to get their narco test conducted saying that they only want justice and no tests.

The victim's mother told Zee News that the UP police officers did not allow them to see her daughter's body and perform the last rites. She accused the DM of constantly pressurizing them to change their statement. The victim's mother told Zee News the narco test should be done on those accused who did wrong act with their daughter.

When asked about the audio that went viral, the deceased's brother denied about any such talk with Congress leader. It is to be noted that an audio conversation between the Congress leader and the victim's brother Sandeep has gone viral. In the audio clip the victim's kin is being urged to speak against the police and the government in front of the media and also asked to wait for the arrival of Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi before making the statement.

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In another audio, Sandeep (victim's brother) is being explained that the government is giving 25 lakhs but he is asked not to accept the offer.

However, ZEE NEWS does not confirm the veracity of both the viral audio clips.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh government led by Yogi Adityanath has recommended the CBI investigation into Hathras gang-rape and murder case, the Chief Minister's office stated on Saturday (October 3). CM Adityanath also said that his government was determined to ensure the harshest punishment for those guilty in the entire incident.

The decision came after a high-level meeting of concerned officials on Saturday.

Earlier on Friday, CM Yogi suspended Hathras SP and four other policemen over the Hathras case. The action was taken on the basis of a preliminary inquiry report of the SIT which was constituted by the chief minister to probe into the case of alleged murder and gangrape of a 19-year-old girl in Hathras.
The heavy and bleeding hearts of millions of African American citizens and other caring and sensitive individuals in this country must be disgusted, frustrated and exhausted in witnessing police brutality time and time again without justice or favorable verdicts being declared from the courthouses across the United States.

Evolving from what seems to be a sense of tremendous injustice, in a shared vision and unification, this too shall pass.

In recent years, African American mothers and fathers have seen more than their share of untimely deaths knocking at their front doors, claiming the lives of their sons and daughters at the hands of unseasoned and insensitive police officers from townships as small as Eutawville to cities as large as Minneapolis, Minnesota. To kill is a choice  a choice that should be harshly condemned and quickly repudiated.

As in all professions, law enforcement, too, has a few bad apples that spoil and destroy the beauty of positive productivity in organizations that constantly press toward the mark of salient performances by employers and employees who genuinely care about the lives of human beings and improving society overall.

As society grows weary and tired of the senseless killing of black men by police officers in the streets of America, the pain that family members experience must not be taken lightly. Death hurts their hearts. Death steals their loved ones. Death kills their spirit of trust for other human beings. For these reasons, we must offer sympathy to families who find themselves in this disturbing and unrestful predicament.

Verdicts in courts are not determined by a single or isolated action but are examined through the lens of totality  and this we must remember when they are announced. It is too painful to immediately accept or even be rational in our thinking regarding unexpected verdicts that appear to be outright injustice. Yet we must be careful in our responses and keep our composures in navigating and negotiating ourselves toward receiving fair and viable solutions.

As in the case of Brionna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, where no charges were filed against two officers who fired shots that took her life, an unfavorable result angers people and causes people to question the justice system. No charges in her death served as a springboard for protesters to jump out into the streets to demand explanations and answers.

We have the right to protest, but we also have the responsibility to respond civilly. There must be a balance in the equation. In high-profile cases such as Taylors, we must muster enough energy to restrain ourselves from screaming loudly and contributing to greater chaos in an already complex matter.

If there is any consolation, we must remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s comment in A Letter from Birmingham Jail. He declares: Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.

In our protests and our grief, we must be prudent enough to avoid the offenses of criticizing and condemning police officers as a whole. They are here to serve and protect the American people. In this, we ought to be grateful for their courage and bravery in serving us splendidly in dedicated ways.

Law enforcement officers ought to be recognized with the highest respect for their profession. It is one of the few professions where individuals put their lives on the line every single day, every hour, every minute and every second on the job in an effort to ensure that we all remain safe and untouched by criminal activities in any form anywhere in America.

While there is a serious need for law enforcement reform for the few bad apples out there, police officers in general should be celebrated for the least of their efforts to the greatest. Their jobs are hard, and they stick with the tasks throughout the duration of the workday without letting us down.

We must return the favor to our law enforcement officers by also not letting them down either.

Truly, law officers must be left alone  so they may focus their collective energy on protecting and serving the people of their individual jurisdictions with continuous American pride and unstoppable patriotic services and virtues.

Byron Brown, a native of Eutawville, is a 1983 graduate of Holly Hill-Roberts High School. He is an English teacher for Prince Georges County Public Schools in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, and serves as a professor of English at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Brown was named Clarendon School District 1 Teacher of the Year in 2004 and 2010. He is the author of five books and is the founder and organizer of the South Carolina Heritage and Humanities Festival and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in higher education administration at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 20:22:54|Editor: huaxia

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TOKYO, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- The confirmed COVID-19 cases in Japan increased by 397 to reach 85,847 as of Sunday night, according to the latest figures from the health ministry and local authorities.

The figure excludes the 712 cases from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined in Yokohama near Tokyo earlier in the year.

The death toll in Japan from the pneumonia-causing virus currently stands at 1,613, with one new fatality announced Sunday. The death toll includes 13 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

The health ministry also said there are currently 133 patients considered severely ill with ventilators or in intensive care units.

In Tokyo, the epicenter of Japan's outbreak, 108 new cases were reported on Sunday, exceeding 100 for six consecutive days, with the capital's cumulative total reaching 26,484, the highest among Japan's 47 prefectures.

From Oct. 1, Japan has eased entry restrictions for foreigners, which was put in place to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, although entry is still being refused for tourists. Enditem
The appointment of Dr Tara Shine to a key United Nations climate change advisory post has been described by Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan as an inspired choice.

Kilkenny woman Dr Shine was appointed as co-facilitator of the Structured Expert Dialogue under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); a critical post in reviewing the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement.

The appointment of Dr Shine to this key role within the UN is in my view an inspired choice. Tara brings with her vast experience from her work with the Mary Robinson Foundation for Climate Justice to her ground-breaking work on public engagement on climate and biodiversity. We are immensely proud of her here in Kilkenny but I believe nationally too as her work is now being recognised on an international stage said Minister Noonan.

He said that the international community under the auspice of the UN was entering a critical time in addressing the climate and biodiversity crisis. We have seen record temperatures, wildfires, whole swathes of the Amazon rainforest ablaze and shrinking sea ice in polar regions. The window of time to act is narrowing daily and if we could mobilise the same international cooperative effort on climate change as we are putting in to the race to find a vaccine for Covid 19, we could turn this around.

Taras appointment couldnt come at a more urgent time; she has a great ability to work with people, communities and policymakers, having been involved directly in climate negotiations and in advising world leaders on environmental policy.

Im certain that her parents and her whole family must be immensely proud that her many years of hard work in the area of climate justice is being acknowledged by this important appointment. I would like to wish Tara all the best with what will be an intense and challenging experience but I know that she is well up to that challenge concluded Minister Noonan.

The appointment of Dr Tara Shine to a key United Nations climate change advisory post has been described by Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan as an inspired choice.

Kilkenny woman Dr Shine was appointed as co-facilitator of the Structured Expert Dialogue under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); a critical post in reviewing the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement.

The appointment of Dr Shine to this key role within the UN is in my view an inspired choice. Tara brings with her vast experience from her work with the Mary Robinson Foundation for Climate Justice to her ground-breaking work on public engagement on climate and biodiversity. We are immensely proud of her here in Kilkenny but I believe nationally too as her work is now being recognised on an international stage said Minister Noonan.

He said that the international community under the auspice of the UN was entering a critical time in addressing the climate and biodiversity crisis. We have seen record temperatures, wildfires, whole swathes of the Amazon rainforest ablaze and shrinking sea ice in polar regions. The window of time to act is narrowing daily and if we could mobilise the same international cooperative effort on climate change as we are putting in to the race to find a vaccine for Covid 19, we could turn this around.

Taras appointment couldnt come at a more urgent time; she has a great ability to work with people, communities and policymakers, having been involved directly in climate negotiations and in advising world leaders on environmental policy.

Im certain that her parents and her whole family must be immensely proud that her many years of hard work in the area of climate justice is being acknowledged by this important appointment. I would like to wish Tara all the best with what will be an intense and challenging experience but I know that she is well up to that challenge concluded Minister Noonan.

Dr Shine is environmental scientist, policy advisor and science communicator with over 20 years experience working at the international level on climate change and sustainable development, as an adviser to governments, world leaders businesses and international organisations. She is also a director of the award-winning social enterprise Change by Degrees, which educates and inspires people at home and work to live more sustainably and is the author of How To Save Your Planet One Object At A Time.
ALBANY  Hola senora! Cessie Alfonso yelled through the window of one of Arbor Hills Skyline Garden apartments. No somos Jehovahs Witness  did you do your census?

Alfonso and Luz Marquez Benbow went door to door on a recent Wednesday afternoon, following each knock with yells through the windows  just in case they were being ignored.

Hello, were from the cen  Capital District Latinos, Benbow yelled in front of one home, deciding to change course before completing the word "census."

Benbow, who is Black and Puerto Rican, and Alfonso, who is Black, Puerto Rican and Cuban, were contracted by Capital District Latinos for the month of September to help increase census completion in communities of color - particularly the Latino community. The nonprofit organization received a $15,000 grant from Albany County through state census grant funding that could be spent from Aug. 24 to Sept. 30 in order to improve census turnout.

The deadlines for counting households that didnt complete census forms on their own have shifted several times between Sept. 30, Oct 5 and Oct. 31 in the past few weeks. Finally, Oct. 31 was set by a federal court ruling in California.

As of September 30, the census self-response rate in Albany was 54.7 percent. But in the citys census tracts that have more residents of color, the self-response rate ranged from as low as 33.5 percent to, at most, 45.8 percent.

The two women were cautious about how they presented themselves to Albany residents, making sure those in their homes know Benbow and Alfonso are one of them  not social workers or missionaries, or government employees, or census takers  just Capital District Latinos.

The hardest thing is getting them to trust us, Benbow told the Times Union.

So they dressed casual, left their iPads behind and projected their humor to gain trust.

Its critical to have us using humor  humor is one of the ways in which you communicate a culture, racial and experiential affinity to that other person, Alfonso said. Thats why people open their door.

When they set up tables in front of places such as Capital District Latinos or the Latino barber shop on Central Avenue, Alfonso made sure to bring her speakers to blast some salsa music, which never fails to attract more people.

We found the level of distrust has partly to do with the fact that there has not been historically and consistently an outreach to the Hispanic community, Alfonso said.

Alfonso and Benbow pointed to mistrust also fueled by xenophobic rhetoric in the current Trump administration, which has stoked fear in immigrant, and particularly Latino, communities and has dissuaded them from engaging with anything government related. But there has also been incredible confusion surrounding the census, as the federal government has been sued over multiple attempted changes to the count  from adding a citizenship question (which was barred by the Supreme Court), not counting undocumented immigrants for apportionment (also barred by a federal judge) and moving the deadline to complete the count multiple times.

Nominate your favorite people and places now Its the 25th anniversary of our Best of the Capital Region readers survey. Nominate your favorite people, places and businesses between Jan. 21 and Feb. 4.

The main fears Benbow and Alfonso encountered over the past month were undocumented immigrants who feared U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would be able to find them if they filled out the census, and formerly incarcerated individuals who believed they would not be counted because of felony convictions. One pair of younger men, Benbow recalled, were convinced filling out the census would allow the government to track them.

They also said federal, state and local governments have needed to invest more in reaching out to communities of color in advance of the census deadline.

Clearly, members of marginalized groups have very little trust of the federal government, that in our current political environment does not provide reassurance to the Latino community that the government is on their side, Alfonso said.

Benbows last count showed she and Alfonso got 50 people to complete their census and contacted over 150, though she had yet to update that number Friday afternoon.

In addition to getting residents to complete their census, though, Alfonso and Benbows goal was to encourage community members to be politically, socially and civically active in the community.

As Alfonso said goodbye to Essie Goodlett after helping her complete her census, Goodlett told her, Its important that we do the census and get counted. Alfonso walked away beaming with pride.


By Jesse C. Nelson





Two months ago, an article appeared on the front page of The Korea Times bearing the title "Three leaders at a crossroads." It was about the unlikelihood of a summit between South Korea, North Korea, and the U.S. This article had photos of Moon, Kim Jong-un, and Trump.



Below their photos was a short description of their apparent motives or issues. Under Trump, it read, "Low Chance of Reelection." At the time I asked myself, which of the two is true here? Is this glaring bias or a gross misread of the upcoming U.S. election? Why would a front page article appear claiming such a thing?



By this time, it was quite clear that the American public at large had grown tired of the destruction of communities caused by Black Lives Matter and Antifa. These two well-organized and well-funded partner organizations, originally utilized by Democrats, had surely by this date grown into monsters too big to be contained by their one-time Democrat handlers.



Support for BLM and Antifa was low at that time, and continues to decline to this day, especially when one sees most of the BLM radicals as being white, not black. This has the black communities, whose neighborhoods are being destroyed, becoming ever more wary of BLM and Antifa.



Then there is the Democrat presidential candidate himself. He does not garner anywhere near the support as Hillary Clinton did, and her support was reserved at best in 2016. Progressive Bernie Sanders followers feeling doubly cheated have no interest in the incessant gaffe machine that is the insider, Biden.



Lingering allegations of inappropriate touching to sexual assault, a son who is mired in scandal, and a candidate who by July 27 was well into his basement-hiding routine should have been red flag enough to nix a Low Chance of Reelection label for Trump. Biden is the oldest candidate to run for the presidency.



Trump is close in age. But compare side-by-side any speeches by the two during the summer, and there is no question of which mind is sharp and which is foggy. There is also no indication that Trump has lost the base that voted him into office.



On the contrary, he has made inroads with black and Hispanic voters. No such increase can be measured with Biden compared to what Clinton had in 2016. If "Low Chance of Reelection" was based on polls, we all know how well polls fared for Clinton. Likewise we know that polls are primarily used to compel both parties to spend money on advertising down to the 11th hour, even if a landslide is in the cards for a candidate.



Back on July 27th, my suggestion would've been to change the Trump descriptor from Low Chance of Reelection to Reelection Jeopardized. Now, as we face the likelihood of four more years of Donald Trump as the president, my hope is that his coverage will be handled with clearer unbiased forethought.





The author (razoripress@yahoo.com), currently teaching at Dongseo University, is also a freelance writer and avid traveler, who has visited 104 countries to date.


Amid the pandemic with not much work in hands, the youths living near the Himalayan alpine meadows, locally known as Bugyals, are helping researchers study their condition by surveying them in an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)-sponsored project in Uttarakhand.

The youths have been trained by the nodal agency of project in the state - Uttarakhand Space Application Centre (USAC) - to click the photographs of the vegetation present in the meadows and send them with latitude and longitude coordinates back to researchers to enable them to study them.

There are more than 80 meadows in Uttarakhand and under the project, six of them have been included in the first phase. The meadows included are Kedarnath-Mandani, Madhmaheshwar, Chopra, Valley of Flowers, Bedni and Dyara.

Devendra Singh, who lives in a small hamlet near Bedni Bugyal in Chamoli district, is involved in the survey of the meadows. We joined the project after we were contacted by USAC officials about it. They explained that as we are familiar with the meadows, we could help them in studying the present condition of the vegetation including different medicinal herbs, Singh said.

Also read: Bhim Army chief wants Y security cover for Hathras gang-rape victims family

Singh who works as a guide to the trekkers coming to Bedni Bugyal said due to the lockdown and ongoing pandemic he was not having much work and when the offer came, he accepted as it was about saving the meadows.

We were more than happy to join the project as it was about studying the beautiful meadows and saving them. If they would be saved then it would be good for our future only. Also, they will be paying us for our work which would help us in this pandemic, said Singh.

He informed that the USAC gave them basic training on WhatsApp video call before starting the work.

They provided us with satellite images of the meadows consisting of the spots where we needed to visit and take photographs of the vegetation to send them by uploading on a mobile app installed on our mobile phones, said Singh, adding that they started their work on September 23 and ended it on September 28 while covering an area of about 15-20 square kilometre.

We then submitted our results to the USAC on September 29. We have agreed to work with them in the future also, he added.

Another local youth Akash Chauhan, who is involved in the project in the Valley of Flowers National Park, said he has been learning a lot while working on the project.

A second-year B.Sc. student in Dehradun, Chauhan returned to his village amid the pandemic which is located close to the Valley of Flowers.

We have been visiting the Valley of Flowers from our childhood and when we were offered the opportunity to work on the project, we happily agreed, said Akash who is surveying the vegetation at the UNESCO World Heritage site with his friend Aditya Chauhan.

Akash said he started the work on September 25 and will continue for about 10 more days. We are learning a lot about the existing vegetation and the effect on them due to various factors like climate change, he said.

We leave home early morning at around 8 and return in the evening at around 5 after completing our days work as per the directions given by the USAC. We are coming to know about different sorts of plants and herbs, said Akash.

Describing the work of locals important to the project, MPS Bisht, director, USAC, said, We decided to involve the locals because they are very much familiar with the meadows, plus working on the project would also generate interest for science in them.

Bisht also said that they also made a point to include them to provide them with some productive work during the pandemic.

We provided them with virtual training and told them what all they are were supposed to do. So far, all of them have been enthusiastically doing that and sending us the photographs of the vegetation in the meadows, he said.

The information provided by the youths from the field survey will help the researchers to study the condition of existing vegetation on various factors like the impact on their growth due to climatic change and others, said Bisht.

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By PTI

NEW DELHI/LUCKNOW: The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh faced more heat on Sunday over the Hathras incident from leaders of several opposition parties, many of whom met the family of the 19-year-old Dalit woman who was allegedly gangraped and later died.

A Samajwadi Party delegation, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) vice-president Jayant Chaudhary and Bhim Army chief Chandrashekar Azaad visited the victim's house in a village in Hathras district and assured her family of all possible help.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra continued their attack on the UP government for its failure to take action against the accused, while their party announced that it will hold 'satyagraha' sit-ins across the country on Monday.

BSP supremo Mayawati accused the state government of "maintaining silence" rather than providing relief to the victim's family.

DMK President M K Stalin alleged that the safety of minorities, woman and the members of SC/ST community in UP was "generally a question mark".

The party said its Women's Wing led by its chief Kanimozhi will take out a candle light march towards the Raj Bhavan in Chennai on Monday to demand justice for the Hathras victim.

Earlier during the day, SP alleged that its delegation members were stopped briefly at a toll plaza near Agra by police at the state government's behest when they were on their way to meet the family.

In a tweet in Hindi, the party described the "forcible stoppage" as "murder of democracy".

"Samajwadi(s) will stand with the aggrieved family in their fight for justice," it said.

The RLD in a press statement alleged that Chaudhary and party workers were lathicharged by police when they were on their way to Hathras to meet the victim's family.

Condemning the police action, RLD's UP unit president Masood Ahmed accused the BJP of trying to "suppress the opposition's voice.

RLD activists staged protests and blocked roads in different places in UP's Muzaffarnagar district against the police's baton charge on Chaudhary.

After meeting the aggrieved family, the Bhim Army chief demanded a time-bound inquiry by a retired Supreme Court judge into the alleged sexual assault, saying a CBI inquiry would be time consuming and would delay the process of justice.

"Whenever the voice of the opposition has to be suppressed, then the key of CBI is turned on.

Under this government, the CBI is meant only for suppressing the voice of the opposition and create fear, Azaad told reporters.

He too was initially prevented by police from reaching Hathras.

But later senior district officials allowed him to proceed with a few of his followers.

Azaad said the woman's family members should be provided with Y category security as they were feeling "very insecure" amid the atmosphere of "fear" in their village.

"If the state authorities do not provide adequate security to the victim's family, then I would have no option but to take them out of the village and keep them in my own house," he said.

Heavy security arrangements were made in the village as a precautionary measure keeping in view the caste tensions that prevail in the area.

The 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly raped in a Hathras village by four men on September 14.

After her condition deteriorated, she was referred to Delhi's Safdarjung hospital where she succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday.

She was cremated in the early hours of Wednesday, with her family alleging the local police forced them to conduct the last rites in the dead of the night.

Local police officers, however, had said the cremation was carried out "as per the wishes of the family.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Sunday expressed concern over allegations that the Hathras district magistrate had threatened the Dalit victim's family.

"There have been serious allegations of the Hathras DM threatening the family of the victim.

Despite this, the UP Government is maintaining silence, which is sad and extremely worrying, Mayawati said in a tweet in Hindi.

"The government has agreed for a CBI probe but with the DM staying there (Hathras), how can the matter be impartially probed? People are feeling apprehensive," she said.

Congress party announced that it will stage 'satyagraha' in the district headquarters of states across the country on Monday to demand justice for the victim.

Rahul Gandhi also attacked the BJP government in UP alleging no action was taken against those responsible for the woman's death.

While leading a tractor rally in Punjab against the three recently cleared farm legislations, Rahul said, I was in UP yesterday.

A daughter of India was killed there and no action was taken against those responsible for her death.

And the family of the victim was confined to their house.

He claimed that the victims were being targeted.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi demanded removal of the DM and a probe into his role in the matter.

In a tweet in Hindi, the she said, "According to the aggrieved family, the worst treatment meted out to them was by the district magistrate.

Who is trying to save him? He should be immediately suspended, and his role in the entire matter should be probed.

When the family is demanding a judicial probe, then why is noise over CBI probe and SIT probe is going on.

 Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi had on Saturday visited the woman's family, two days after they were detained along with party leaders and workers and sent back to Delhi by the police that prevented them from reaching Hathras.
US President Donald Trump, who was admitted to a military hospital for treatment of Covid-19, said he has started to feel much better and thanked the American people and global leaders for their support. I came here. Wasn't feeling so well. I feel much better now.

We're working hard to get me all the way back. I have to be back because we still have to Make America Great Again, Trump said in a video message from the military hospital in a suburb of Washington on Saturday. However, White House physician Sean Conley has said the president is ...
Earlier this year, Westpac chief executive Peter King quelled investor fears of a potential capital raising, saying the bank's balance sheet was "well-positioned" to absorb the impact of COVID-19. All of the major banks have had to set aside capital to absorb bad debts as the country faces the sharpest economic shock since the 1930s. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will hand down the budget on Tuesday outlining the government's plans to rebuild the economy  the same day the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) hands down its decision on the cash rate. Loading Dawson regularly talks to RBA officials to discuss the impact of rate cuts on the economy. "Were speaking on a daily basis," she says. "Theyre very interested in whats happening across the market and whats happening more broadly across the economy and any insight we can provide." Dawson, who is regarded as a rising star in Westpac, won't speculate on whether the RBA might cut rates into negative territory, or what a Trump or Biden victory could mean for global markets. Neither will the banking high-flyer discuss the $1.3 billion fine handed to Westpac by the financial crimes agency AUSTRAC last month.

But as the bank navigates the global pandemic, the deep recession and reels from agreeing to pay the largest fine in Australian corporate history, Dawson remains calm. "In all of these things, having a good sense of humour is what gets you through," she says. After Bankers Trust, Dawson studied economics at Macquarie University, landed a job at the Insurance Australia Group as a portfolio manager where she spent six years before joining Westpacs treasury in 2003. She rose through the Westpac ranks over the subsequent 17 years. Dawson now runs a team of about 100 people and reports to chief financial officer Michael Rowland, who started at Westpac this month after being appointed in July. Dawson sees the concept of leadership as central to her role. Last year, she was one of 69 people selected to study a Masters degree in leadership at the London Business School. Without much fanfare, she and her husband packed up their four kids  three girls and one boy aged four to 10  and moved across the globe.

'One of the big things Ive had over my career is opportunities ... for me, its important that I now provide those opportunities to others.' Joanne Dawson, Westpac group treasurer "When you want to do something you can always get things done," she says. "Like all these things, you can make them happen. And we just did it." Dawson says she expected high-level academic concepts and corporate "learnings" to be the key focus of the course, but at the end of the year, it was the people she met and the power of self-awareness that stood out. "Its understanding yourself and being comfortable to be yourself," she says. "Its critical a leader has their own self-confidence but also the confidence of those who work for them." Westpac was criticised last month after a leadership reshuffle left only two women on the board, in another sign gender equality in corporate Australia is going backwards.

Dawson is the first woman to become Westpacs group treasurer, and while she doesnt like to "overplay" the gender card, she acknowledges a diversity of views is important. "One of the things you do learn at business school is that you need to have lots of different lenses and perspectives on things and obviously thats critical so that you dont head down one path without seeing what the risks and the challenges might be." Dawson grew up on a small farm near Cowra in NSW and her childhood was spent outdoors with her two brothers, riding horses and being active. "I never really felt like I was treated any differently." She is quick to defend Westpac's approach to gender equality and wants her leadership to be defined by giving others opportunities and stacking the team with people smarter than herself. "One of the big things Ive had over my career is opportunities," she says. "For me, its important that I now provide those opportunities to others." Joanne Dawson says Westpac chief executive Peter King has been a big supporter. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Dawson credits some of Westpac's most senior bankers with supporting her rise to the top  chief executive Peter King, former treasurer Curt Zuber, former institutional bank chief Rob Whitfield and deputy chief executive Phil Coffey among them. The banks first female branch manager and trailblazer for women in finance, Helen Lynch, has also been instrumental, says Dawson. "This week, she sent me an email saying congrats on the new role," Dawson says. "The thing shes always said is you shouldnt feel limited. Thats the biggest thing. You can do whatever you want, really. You shouldnt set yourself limitations." Like many young families, Dawson and her husband have been juggling work and family commitments. Her husband took care of most of the homeschooling duties when Sydney was in lockdown, while Dawson worked from their eastern suburbs home. It was during this time, Dawsons sense of humour was an asset. "I had many Web-exs with pretty important people in this organisation where my kids would come in, running in behind me asking whos on the screen? Is that nanna?" One particularly important conversation with Westpac's former institutional bank chief, Lyn Cobley, was interrupted by her four-year-old wanting a snack. "You just had to laugh. Theres no other way to deal with that," she says. "He wasnt giving up because he wanted those cashews."

Despite the enormity of the challenge ahead, Dawsons experience in Westpac's treasury during the global financial crisis has given her a primer. It was a Sunday afternoon - October 12, 2008 - when Dawson had just finished catching up on work in Westpac's office. She was leaving the building when she bumped into then-head of investor relations Andrew Bowden in the foyer who told her the government had just announced it would guarantee all large deposits and wholesale borrowings for Australian banks. "I turned around and went straight back to my desk to find out what was happening," she says. At the time, Dawson was 31-years-old. She quickly wrapped her head around how the guarantee would impact the bank. Then-group treasurer Curt Zuber was in Washington at the International Monetary Fund, so the next day Dawson found herself at the RBA's head office with deputy governor Ric Battellino and the other big banks figuring out how the guarantee would work. Though COVID-19 and the GFC are vastly different beasts, Dawson says her approach remains largely the same. It's about getting facts on the table, dealing with uncertain information and making the right decisions to protect the bank's customers, she says.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-05 00:47:24|Editor: huaxia

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NEW YORK, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- The hotel industry of the United States has seen a loss of 5 million jobs since February, as one of the results of the COVID-19 pandemic which has claimed nearly 210,000 lives in the country, according to the latest statistics.

The hotel room occupancy rate in August in the United States stood at 48.6 percent, down by 31.7 percent over the same period last year, and the rate went further down to 48.5 percent during the second week of September, said STR, a private entity that provides data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights for global hospitality sectors.

Meanwhile, according to Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI), only 38 percent of people in the United States plan to be on vacation within 2020, in comparison with 70 percent in a regular year.

Around three-fourths of the American hotels are prepared to lay off more staff members during the pandemic, if no further relief is issued by the government in time, said ALHI.

In accordance with the current occupancy rate and revenue level, two-thirds of the U.S. hotels can only sustain an uttermost period of six months in operation without new relief from the government, it added.

STR's census database for year-end 2015 showed roughly 5 million hotel rooms in more than 52,000 properties in the United States. Enditem
Jammu and Kashmirs Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday appealed to the people to make efforts for peace and exuded hope that soon there shall be no backward village in the Union territory.

Sinha, while speaking during a back to village function in south Kashmirs Kulgam district, said that violence at every level should be condemned.

I appeal to all to contribute towards peace. There is no dearth of opportunities for development, employment and overall growth of Jammu and Kashmir, Sinha said.

Violence, killings of innocents should be condemned, whether its the killings of common people or security forces. We cant be selective in condemning violence, he said.

Back to village is a programme through which officers of the administration reach out to the public to listen to their demands, proposals, suggestions and address their grievances. This is the third phase of the programme which has been launched in Jammu and Kashmir as the region has remained without an elected government for over two years.

Also read: Donald Trumps condition had been worse than revealed, confirms White House

The L-G said that innovative financing, convergence of schemes, enabling infrastructure, effective and efficient implementation will be key to improving growth prospects of Jammu and Kashmir.

With hard work, dedication and better execution on ground, every individual in our villages will attain social empowerment, he said.

Sinha said that the UT has been provided with funds to an excess of Rs 1,951 crore this year for the development of villages and the people.

Similarly, agriculture and horticulture sectors have been provided Rs 1,872 crore, to an excess of Rs 680 crore with respect to last year, he said.

Sinha said that the government was working on four key points for the development of Jammu and Kashmir like accelerating growth, providing benefits of social security and social welfare schemes to all, eliminating regional disparities and effective execution of works.

In the recently sanctioned economic package and the upcoming mega industrial package, focus will be on 1) Industry, Business and Services; 2) Agriculture and allied sectors, village industries; 3) Technology and Innovation; 4) Infrastructure; 5) Financial Inclusion and Social Security, he said.

He said that under the new economic package announced recently, the farmer-mandi link is to be strengthened so that the producers get more options and better prices for their produce.

Similarly, the number of satellite markets is to be increased from 17 to 22 Means and resources abound, with peoples participation, soon there shall be no backward village in J&K, he said.
'Great British Bake Off's Paul Hollywood, Matt Lucas, Prue Leith and Noel Fielding. (Channel 4)

Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood spent some of his time behind-the-scenes teaching Matt Lucas how to drive while filming the latest series.

According to the baker, neither Lucas nor fellow host Noel Fielding have a driving licence so he dished out some tips with help from a go-kart.

Neither of the male hosts have actually got a driving licence," he told The Mirror. "So I was trying to teach Matt a few little tricks on the go kart and how to drive it at speed. But it was, it was fun. We need a challenge actually.

Read more: Bake Off fans disagree with who judges sent home in Biscuit Week

"We need to get a newspaper involved where we end up teaching Noel and Matt how to drive a car. Get a licence for them.

Paul Hollywood and Matt Lucas (Channel 4)

Hollywood added that their sessions on the go-kart had encouraged Lucas to try and get his licence.

The Bake Off team spent a lot more time with each other this year than on a usual series as they formed a self-contained "biosphere" to be able to shoot the programme amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The cast and crew filmed the series over six weeks, as opposed to the usual 12 or 13, at the Down Hall Country House Hotel and stayed at the property instead of returning home to their families after filming an episode.

All 'Bake Off' cast and crew formed a bubble to film the 2020 series. (Channel 4)

Lucas has previously detailed how they kept themselves occupied of an evening with a variety of activities.

"I hosted bingo one night, and Prue [Leith] did a flower arranging class, and Paul Hollywood bought his pizza oven and made pizzas for everybody, it was like a holiday camp," he said.

Read more: Prue Leith opens up on horrific LSD hallucinations

The launch episode proved to be a ratings smash for Channel 4 as a record 7.9 million people tuned in to watch, marking Channel 4s biggest broadcast of 2020 to date.

The Great British Bake Off continues Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 4.

Watch: Bake Off contestant Sura accidentally causes a stir
Islamabad, Oct 4 : Pakistan's Human Rights Ministry has engaged the Child Protection Committees of Islamabad to raise awareness about the rights of children and steps aimed at preventing them from abuse.

The Ministry under its Human Rights Awareness Programme, has so far held five sessions by engaging eight of the 15 Child Protection Committees, reports Dawn news.

The committees were formed in 2019 by the Ministry's National Child Protection Centre to identify, prevent and report issues of child abuse in the city in collaboration with the relevant authorities.

In a statement on Saturday, the Ministry said that these sessions helped improve participants' knowledge about the rights provided to children in the Constitution.

The Ministry further said it had plans to further hold these sessions in other communities.

In its 2019 annual report on nationwide child abuse cases, Sahil - an NGO working for the protection of children from violence - revealed that throughout the year, a total of 2,846 cases of child sexual abuse were reported in newspapers, indicating a decrease of 26 per cent as compared to 2018, The Express Tribune reported.

The report further stated that victims as young as a few months old up to the age of five also fall pretty to sexual violence.

A total of 3,722 abusers were identified last year, out of which 2,222 were acquainted with the victims -- including, relatives, cousins, neighbours, family friends, clerics, teachers, and even a parent.
Its quite obvious to me that the Deep State and the Democratic Party that staffs it never got over the fact that their nefarious misuse of our intelligence agencies and hoodwinking the media didnt work any better than their constant efforts after his election to remove Donald Trump from office and continue their autocratic grifting. This week was no exception. Indeed, I have to agree with Roger L. Simon that In the aftermath of Trumps contracting Covid-19, they are reelecting him.

The Debate

Any sentient viewer of this weeks debate had to be disgusted. The moderator, the questions, the format all combined to make this an upscale version of an old-time Saturday Night Live debate. I have believed for a long time that there should be a timekeeper and no moderator. That the debate should be on one national policy question with each candidate given 20 minutes to make his case and the remaining time left for rebuttal. Instead, Chris Wallace used his role to interrupt the president, prop up the failing Biden, and ask questions about white supremacy long answered -- even to him in 2016 -- in an effort clearly to smear Trump.

Ben Domenech correctly places the blame for this format on the out-of-date debate commission, tweeting:

The Commission on Presidential Debates is a relic. Its board contains mostly people born in the 1930s and 40s. It is the reason there are no internet based debates. Its executive director has led it since before the end of the Cold War. It must end. The Commission's approach creates debates that are unintelligible and with moderators who cannot effectively extract the truth. They are asking 1980s questions in a 1970s format. This must end.

Even with the assistance of Wallaces entire body on the scale, Biden failed utterly on any level of credibility. Within days after saying in the debate that he did not support the absurd Green New Deal, his staff said he did. This is par for the course of his entire political career. (From March 13 to April 3, even his strong propaganda outlet, the Washington Post, gave him 11 Pinocchios respecting his claims about the Presidents handling of the COVID-19 crisis.) He has lied about virtually everything, including having attended Delaware State (a black college), to attributing the death of his first wife and daughter to a drunk driver; to his academic career. (I mention these things out of a lifetime of dissembling because they are so easily determined false that he either cannot distinguish fact from fantasy or thinks no one else can.) Among other things in the debate, he misquotes FBI Director Chris Wray as having said Antifa is an idea, not an organization. In fact, as a conservative trans woman who went undercover with Antifa in Portland reports, Antifa is not an idea, it is real and seeks to rule by terror. They operate by affinity groups. It is guerrilla warfare.

Basically theyre baiting the police into overreacting. [snip] If you just go in public and pick someone and start pushing them, if you keep pushing then, theyre going to slug you; its just how its going to work, at the individual level but also at the group level, too. [snip] what they want to do it make it difficult for people they dont like to organize.

She explains that their tactics either force people to back down or slug them, and to them, either way is a win. (Especially so because they block from viewing any press which is not sympathetic to them. And some prosecutors are with them, if you want an explanation of why Kyle Rittenhouse who was clearly defending himself against these street thugs is being prosecuted.)

They are sophisticated operationally, coordinated but not like their predecessor the Weather Underground was. It includes hackers who never hit the streets, a loose-knit network of people" in their twenties to thirties, intoxicated by the lure of violence and struggle.

COVID runs through the White House

The President, First Lady, Kellyanne Conway, campaign manager Bill Stepien, three White House reporters, and three key Republican Senators (Ron Johnson, Mike Lee, and Thom Tillis) have all tested positive for COVID-19. So just as the slugging match about who won the nondebate debacle was dying down, the perfervid reporting and pontificating about how this happened and what it means took flight.

Because the term cases has been so misstated by a media that loves to create panic when none is called for, its worth examining what this means.

So what do these headlines really mean? What exactly is a COVID "case"? Since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, most US media outlets have been exceedingly credulous and complicit in their reporting. Journalists almost uniformly promote what we can call the "prolockdown" narrative, which is to wildly exaggerate the risks from COVID-19 to serve a political agenda. They may be motivated to hurt Trump politically, to promote a more socialist "new normal," or simply to drive more clicks and views. Bad news sells. But the bias is clear and undeniable. This explains why media outlets use the terms "case" and "infection" so loosely, to the point of actively misinforming the public Take a perfectly healthy person with no particular symptoms and swab the inside of their nose. If the culture shows the presence of staphylococcus aureus, do we insist they have a staph infection? -- A virus is not a disease. Only a very small percentage of those exposed to the virus itself -- SARS-CoV-2 -- show any kind of acute respiratory symptoms, or what we can call "coronavirus disease." The only meaningful statistics show the incidence of serious illness, hospitalizations, and deaths. The single most important statistic among these is the infection fatality rate (IFR). Data collected through July shows [4] that the IFR for those under age forty-five is actually lower than that of the common flu. The COVID-19 IFR rises for those over fifty, but it is hardly a death sentence. And the data does not segregate those with preexisting health issues caused by obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. If we could see data only for reasonably healthy people under fifty, the numbers would be even more reassuring.

Yes, the media was dishonest in covering the health issues of Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, so its not unreasonable to be skeptical of health reports on any president, but by his appearance as he left for Walter Reed Hospital, his tweets, and the reports of his physicians and those on the spot, the Presidents case is asymptomatic or mild, so the fact that he has tested positive is essentially meaningless. People in this stage are sick for a few days and then they are not.

If this were more widely known and understood, the lockdowns by Democratic governors would never be justified, and there is every reason to note the harm caused by the eight months of lockdowns outweigh the harm from the virus. As author Jeff Deist concludes, we have had nearly eight months of life and liberty stolen from us by politicians and their hysteria-promoting accomplices in the media. How much more will we accept?

(As a footnote -- when Obama was president 60 million Americans got the H1N1 swine flu. Did you know that? How widely was it reported? And did you know that once tests indicated how widely it was spreading that White House halted the testing?)

The hypercoverage of COVID-19 has tipped a lot of hands. Nancy Pelosi is already measuring drapes for the Oval Office she hopes will be hers, the Democrats are cheering:

According to the newly released poll, 41 percent of Democrats are indifferent about Trumps positive COVID-19 diagnosis, while a staggering 40 percent responded that they were happy about it. Republicans, however, were mostly sad (55 percent) and worried (51 percent). Thirty-one percent of Democrats actually claimed to be excited at the news. Excited? Is Trump Derangement Syndrome in the Democratic Party so bad that many Democrats are happy and excited about his diagnosis?

Twitter was full of so many tweets wishing Trump would die that it first said they would strike them and suspend the posters, and then backtracked on the suspension threat, deciding to just strike the death-wishing tweets.

The satire site Babylon Bee notices the party that wants to run your healthcare roots for its political opponent to die. (Let that one sink in. Its satire but true.)

MSNBCs execrable Joy Reid suggests the President is faking it to get out of the next debate. More class is shown by North Koreas Kim Jong-un, who, according to Reuters says he sincerely hopes Trump recovers soon.

Will having to be quarantined for a while in a presidential suite in Walter Reed, instead of madly racing to rallies around the country harm his re-election chances? Kurt Schlichter doesnt think so any more than Roger L. Simon does:

He can still talk to the press if he feels like it, hell just have to be in a plastic bubble. But if he doesnt want to, he doesnt have to, and then you have a press with no one to talk to, so maybe the pressure grows on Joe to fill the void. And when Joe fills a void, its like when Nadler fills his trousers.[snip]Their[The Democrats] dancing around hoping that Donald Trump will die, and that his wife will die too, is repellent to normal human beings. Since normal human beings are not a key liberal demographic, they probably dont understand what psychos they sound like. The Democrats had to put the message out to their legions to stop rioting because that was freaking out the squares, and then stop trashing Amy Coney Barrett for liking Jesus and not being a barren, whiny, feminist shrew, because that was also freaking out the squares, and now publicly cheering on the death of the president and his wife will further freak out the squares.

He will garner sympathy from normal people, his condition will now dominate the news cycle, and he will, Schlichter notes, get the best medical care in the world; hes going to be just fine, and after burning up a couple of weeks in the White House hes going to close the election with a barnstorming tour across the United States the likes of which we havent yet seen which will highlight his potency and contrast it with Oldfingers decrepitude.

Its not going to be like Mimi slowly perishing of tuberculosis in La Boheme. More like Gandalf in Lord of the Rings who returns more powerful than ever.
Irrationally exuberant right-wing criticism of Kansas Rep. Sharice Davids might be turning away more voters from GOP contender Amanda Adkins.



To wit . . .



NASTY MAILERS TARGETING KANSAS REP. SHARICE DAVIDS EARN REBUKE FOR RACIST OVERTONES!!!



Very much like a recent TV advert, the mailers make some controversial and tenuous associations.

However . . .



After bi-partisan disgust with this week's presidential debate and now that the Commander-In-Chief is on the mend, we notice people wanting to at least pretend to be nice.

And so, even if controversial Rep. Omar remains on the warpath, her connection to the moderate Kansas Democrat is tenuous at best. At the very least, connecting their ideals is a stretch.

Sadly, the Adkins team (and their many unsanctioned supporters) is in a tough situation . . . They must be persistent and dogged in their campaign to oust Rep. Davids but going to far down the racist rabbit hole risks turning away more voters and forever losing a district that only recently flipped blue.



Developing . . .
Kooheji Development, one of the leading real estate developers in Bahrain, said one of its key projects - Onyx Bahrain Bay - has won top honours at the Arabian Property Awards in the Best Project in High-Rise Residential Development category.

The Arabian Property Awards, the largest and widely recognised award in the region, boasts an independent panel of over 80 industry experts. The judging panel is chaired by Lord Caithness, Lord Best and Lord Waverley, members of the House of Lords in the UK Parliament.

Kooheji Development will be honoured at the Arabian Property Awards in a virtual ceremony on November 5 for Onyx Bahrain Bay.

The Bahraini developer won the top award competing against the best property professionals across the Arab world.

The entries were judged by an independent panel that included Jill Keene, the Former Editor of International Property and Travel Magazine; Victoria Taylor, the current Editor of International Property & Travel Magazine and Del Hossain, the Managing Director of the Adrem Group, London.

The panel focuses on many aspects of high-rise residential developments, including the development design, quality, service, innovation, originality, and commitment to sustainability.

"Onyx Bahrain Bay was able to win the coveted award due to its uniqueness in many of these aspects," remarked Engineer Mohamed Abdulghaffar Al Kooheji, the General Manager of Kooheji Development.

"We are extremely proud of Onyx Bahrain Bay project achievement in winning the best project in the High-Rise Residential Development Category by the International Property Awards that is the world's largest and most prestigious award," he noted.

Winning this award is recognition of the excellent service and the constant look for quality. As one of the key players in Bahrains real estate industry, Kooheji Contractors and Development strives to maintain its entrepreneurial spirit while seeking better ways of delivering projects, he added.

Onyx Bahrain Bay is strategically located at Bahrain Bay, a global business, leisure and lifestyle destination that combines relaxation and luxury in the heart of the capital Manama.

The architectural design of the tower blends with the surrounding context, and its fully-glazed facade offers a strong connection with the site from all directions.

Additionally, the curvilinear layout of the building maximising the views and creates a unique outline for the project.

Residential apartments in Onyx Bahrain Bay provide a variety of layouts and sizes to cater to every luxury need ranging from one- to 3.5-bedroom apartments and four- and five-bedroom sky villas.

The tower is claimed to host the largest penthouses in Bahrain Bay that provide luxury, privacy and exclusivity, each covering two floors and 650 sq m of built-up area and offering top-of-the-line furnishing, spacious outdoor areas and its own private pools.

The different layouts developed with two themes have been created by top international award-winning interior designers for Onyx Bahrain Bay apartments, said Kooheji Development.

Moreover, details of the safety, security, sustainability and innovation methods used in the project were highlighted to showcase the cutting-edge latest technology and methods used in the construction of Onyx Bahrain Bay project, it added.

Kooheji Contractors is one of Bahrains top real estate developers with 50 years of experience in delivering world-class projects. It boasts a design team with unique in-house capabilities and full-fledged project management structural design and build that achieves premium quality finishes at the best value proposition.

"Our approach is to constantly challenge conventional methods and achieve more efficient ways to deliver projects, while working with integrity to ensure we uphold high our ethical standards," he added.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year's Arabian Awards will be an online virtual ceremony.

The 27th edition of the awards covers over 45 different residential and commercial categories. Regional heats are staged for Arabian, Europe, Africa, Canada, Central & South America, the Caribbean, USA, UK and Asia Pacific.-TradeArabia News Service
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Cleveland police are asking for the publics help to find a man who tried to kidnap one woman outside of Tremont coffee shop and then attacked and tried to strangle another woman on the same day.

The incidents involving Kevin Ballard, 27, happened Saturday, Cleveland police spokeswoman Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said. In the first instance, Ballard is accused of following a woman from a Tremont coffee shop. He then grabbed the woman and tried to pull her away, but was deterred when she threw her coffee on him, Ciaccia said.

In the second Saturday incident involving Ballard, he is accused of approaching a woman on her porch and pushing her inside the house, Ciaccia said. Once inside, he choked the woman, attempting to strangle her.

The woman screamed and fought off Ballard, and he left the scene, Ciaccia said.

Authorities did not say how they identified Ballard as the man involved in both incidents, only stating that further investigation led to police learning his name, Ciaccia said.

Anyone who has information about where Ballard could be is asked to call Cleveland police or dial 911, Ciaccia said.

Read more Northeast Ohio crime news:

15-year-old boy found dead in field in Clevelands Glenville neighborhood, police say

12-year-old boy shot in face in Clevelands Ohio City neighborhood, police say

Willowick police officer at home recovering after being shot during traffic stop, chief says
As COVID-19 continues to keep international flyers from taking to the skies, it is a good time to reminisce about the world of international travel before jets compressed time and made distance immaterial.

While th earliest ships mostly carried cargo, in 1818 the Black Ball Line in New York became the first shipping company to offer regularly scheduled services for passengers from the United States to England. It took another decade for steamships to be introduced and thus began regular transatlantic trips for passengers.

Indians too were active travellers by this time as men like Dwarakanath Tagore, Rammohan Roy and Michael Madhusudan Dutt set sail in quest of knowledge and learning. Conditions on board these ships varied. The Mahatma always travelled cattle class. Given his simple needs, goats milk and some nuts, that was enough to keep him in good humour. Many of his famous quips emerged from the decks of ships such as the SS Rajputana which he boarded on August 29, 1931 to attend the 2nd Round Table Conference in London.

Obviously the princes and other landed gentry who accompanied him snuck into the upper decks where service was excellent and a whole host of goodies awaited the traveller. Even when Swami Vivekananda began his famous journey to Chicago from Bombay on May 31, 1893, he travelled first-class thanks to the Raja of Khetri, who presented him with a ticket on the SS 'Peninsular' of the Peninsular and Orient Company.

Contrary to the impression the unfortunate Titanics sad end seems to have spread, sea travel by the early years of the 20th century wasnt a particularly hazardous way of getting around the world. It was altogether a lot more joyful and fun than being cramped on board a 16-hour non-stop flight.

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 long voyages inspired passengers to read on board and there are many paintings of an elegant lady in a sun hat curled up on a deck chair, reading a book shes brought along while nursing a daiquiri. While the sea has inspired classics of literature like The Old Man and the Sea and Moby Dick, authors such as EM Foster added to the merriment by disguising themselves during voyages. Mark Twain, who in 1867, was a passenger on the first cruise originating in America, documented his adventures of the six month trip in his delightful book Innocents Abroad. Gandhi too used his time to write extensively. In fact, according to Nalini Natarajans book Atlantic Gandhi - The Mahatma Overseas, one of his most important political treatises, Hind Swaraj was written in 1909 while he was sailing across the Atlantic on the SS Kildonan Castle between London and South Africa.

Long and tedious voyages

Till the middle of the 19th century, travel from Bombay, Calcutta or Madras to London or Southampton in the United Kingdom was long and tedious. The two routes before the Suez Canal opened in 1869 included one via the Cape of Good Hope and the other through Alexandria in Egypt.

The voyages took anywhere between four and six months depending on the weather and the speed of the ship with the ease of the journeys guided by wind currents, pirates at sea and the monsoon. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 reduced the journey time to two months and also made the journeys more frequent for British officers, traders of all kinds as well as rich men in pursuit of adventures.

One Maharaja Jagatjit Singh used the services of a newly-started travel agency by Thomas Cook to travel to Europe in 1893 and even wrote a travelogue based on his trip. An even more significant account of a voyage in 1885 comes from the book A Bengali Lady in England by Krishnabhabini Das, translated by Somdatta Mandal: Later, I fell asleep and it was my first night on the ship. I woke up at six in the morning when a steward came knocking with tea and biscuits for us and my husband went up and received it. After having tea, I went up to the ships deck. With the sea all around us, no cities were visible. It was blue everywhere. There wasnt even a bird in the sky and gazing at the sea, one could only see the countless waves crashing one after another.

The writing is simple and the descriptions basic, but there is a lyrical quality to it which invokes the romance of sailing in ways that flying can never hope to recreate.
[Watch live VP debate and analysis.]

Hi. Welcome to On Politics, your guide to the day in national politics. Im Lisa Lerer, your host. Thanks for joining us for this special edition of the newsletter.

Sign up here to get On Politics in your inbox every weekday.

Ive been covering politics for a long time. And generally, I have a gut sense of where the story will go  how the scandal will end or the candidacy fail or the legislation pass.

I have no idea how this story ends.

The news that the president, the first lady, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee and others have the coronavirus has left the country shaken, in the midst of already deeply uncertain times.

Theres just so much that we dont know:

How sick is Mr. Trump? The White House described his symptoms as mild but announced this afternoon that out of an abundance of caution, he would stay at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for the next few days.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Sunday that homosexuals should "leave our children alone" when asked about a children's book containing gay characters that was publicly shredded by a far-right politician.

"Hungary has laws pertaining to homosexuality, the basis of which is an exceptionally tolerant and patient approach," Orban said during a regular interview on public radio.

"But there is a red line that you cannot cross," Orban said, referring to the book as a "provocative act".

"To sum up my opinion on this: leave our children alone," he said.

The remarks were prompted by a row over a children's storybook published by an LGBT association entitled "Storyworld is for everyone" that included gay characters.

A collection of stories based on well-known tales, the book's main characters are drawn from marginalised and disadvantaged minorities, including the LGBT community.

In one story Cinderella is lesbian, while a transgender dragon-slayer appears in another.

A conservative group called for the book to be pulled from shelves, while a far-right politician called it "homosexual propaganda" and shredded a copy at a news conference.

The stunt was condemned by the Hungarian Publishers and Booksellers' Association, who compared it to "Nazi book burners and Communist book shreds".

Publicity over the row was seen as helping propel the book to the top of several retailers' bestseller lists.

The controversy follows rising anti-gay sentiment over the decade of Orban's rule.

Since coming to power in 2010, he rewrote the central European country's constitution and included a definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

His anti-immigration and conservative social policies have included a 2018 decree effectively banning universities from teaching gender studies courses.

In May of this year a ban on legally changing one's gender came into force, making it impossible for transgender people to have their official documents contain their gender and name in accordance with their gender identity.

Rights groups say this exposes trans people to potential discrimination in employment, housing, and accessing services and official procedures.

In August, meanwhile, far-right politicians and activists tore down flags and disrupted events during the Pride festival.
Official figures show that Laois had 32 cases of Covid-19 on Friday an increase of four on the original figure published by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).

A day after Laois was announced that there were 28 new cases of Covid-19 cases - Read that report here - Department of Health figures published on Sunday, October 4 reveal that the total was 32.

The adjustment upwards is contained in the county-by-county breakdown which is published two days after NEPHT delivers its daily briefing scroll down to see more.

Laois had the fifth highest increase of cases in Ireland, behind Dublin, Donegal, Kildare and Cork on Friday. The county does not feature in NEPHT's daily statement on Sunday, which relates to new cases up to midnight Saturday. However, that does not mean there were no new cases as NPHET only highlights counties with high figures in its daily statements.

The latest figures show no new deaths reported to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre today, compared to 10 yesterday most of which occurred before September.

There has now been a total of 1,810 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland.

As of midnight Saturday, October 3, the HPSC has been notified of 364 more confirmed cases of COVID-19. There is now a total of 38,032 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland.

Of the cases notified today;

 195 are men / 168 are women

 74% are under 45 years of age

 27% are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case

 42 cases have been identified as community transmission

 100 cases are in Dublin, 55 in Cork, 31 in Donegal, 24 in Limerick, 23 in Galway,17 in Clare, 14 in Sligo, 13 in Roscommon, 10 in Kerry, 8 in Tipperary, 8 in Wicklow, 7 in Kildare, 6 in Kilkenny, 6 in Offaly, 5 in Cavan, 5 in Mayo, 5 in Meath, with the remaining 27 cases in 9 counties.

The latest county total figures for Laois and neighbouring counties refer to Friday evening, October 2. Laois and all of its neighbouring counties experienced increases.

Laois 493 - up 32 from the previous day.

Offaly 748 - up 9.

Kildare 2,657 - up 43.

Carlow 299 - up 7.

Kilkenny 477 - up 7.

Tipperary 815 - up 9.

Dublin 17,720. - up 224.

Read also: INFECTION RATE JUMPS RAPIDLY IN LAOIS

The HSE is working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread.

The COVID-19 Dashboard provides up-to-date information on the key indicators of COVID-19 in the community. The revised figure for Laois is contained in the Covid-19 section of the Government's website.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 3)  A student who just returned to Solomon Islands from the Philippines ended the Oceania countrys coronavirus-free status.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare announced the countrys first COVID-19 case on Saturday, a student that came on a repatriation flight from the Philippines.

"This student was quarantined in Manila before he boarded the flight to come back home. He tested negative for the three tests that weve done in Manila which was a compulsory requirement, Sogavare said in an online briefing.

He said contact-tracing is ongoing, and all the frontline staff who came in contact with the infected student will be quarantined and tested. He said officials are also working on informing authorities in the Philippines so all the necessary precautions can be taken.

While the Solomon Islands government is aware of the risks of repatriating students stuck in other countries amid the pandemic, bringing them home was the humane thing to do, Sogavare said. He, however, announced that repatriation flights are temporarily suspended for assessment and review.

The prime minister expressed confidence the government can contain the coronavirus, which has infected more than 34 million people worldwide since it was discovered in Wuhan, China in December 2019.

The preparedness and response measures taken by the government over the past eight months have now been activated and are now in full operation," Sogavare said.

While Solomon Islands had prevented the entry of the coronavirus disease in the country, the Philippines has recorded more than 319,000 infections, with 5,678 deaths. The Philippines is among the top 20 countries with the most COVID-19 cases, but local officials say the number of currently ill patients are only around 58,000 as over 255,000 patients have already recovered from the viral disease.


Rhea Chakraborty is the prime accused in the Sushant Singh Rajput case. Though nothing has been proved against the actress yet, complaint filed against her for abetment to suicide is still being investigated. The AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) yesterday ruled out that Sushants demise was a murder. The institutes panel head for the case Dr Sudhir Gupta said that Sushant died due to suicide and there are no signs of murder.



Reacting to the same, Rhea Chakrabortys lawyer, Satish Maneshinde said, I have seen the statement of the doctors from AIIMS concerning the SSR case. The official papers and reports are only with AIIMS and CBI which will be submitted in court once investigations are over. We await the official version of CBI.







He added, We on behalf of Rhea Chakraborty have always said that truth cannot be changed under any circumstances. The speculations against Rhea in some quarters of the Media are motivated and mischievous. We remain committed to Truth Alone. Satya Meva Jayte.



Keep watching this space for more updates on the same.




New Delhi [India], October 4 (ANI): Shooter Shreyasi Singh, daughter of former Union Minister late Digvijaya Singh, will join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday. Shreyasi is scheduled to join the party in the presence of Arun Singh and State in-charge Sanjay Jaiswal.

It is also being speculated that she will be given the party ticket to fight in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. It is important to note that Shreyasis mother, Putul Devi, had also contested and won the 2014 general elections. She had become an MP from Banka district, fighting on the BJPs ticket, and had represented it till 2019.

In the 2019 general elections, however, the Banka seat went to the Janata Dal (United), due to which a row ensued between the party and Putul Devi. She contested the 2019 general elections an independent candidate against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate, due to which she was expelled from the party for six years.

Also read: Rahul, Priyanka meet Hathras victims family, Rahul assures support to family

Shooter Shreyasi Singh (in file photo) to join BJP today. She is the daughter of former union minister late Digvijay Singh. pic.twitter.com/mrP3QIoqAC  ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2020

Also read: India records 75,829 new cases and 940 deaths,total recoveries crosses 55 lakh

Bihar has 243 Assembly seats and elections will be held in three phasesOctober 28, November 3, and 7and the counting of votes will begin on November 10. Shreyasi is scheduled to join the party in the presence of Arun Singh and State in-charge Sanjay Jaiswal.

Also read: Akshay Kumar shares views on Sushant Singh Rajputs death, drugs in Bollywood
She will soon be having her third boob job to balance out her slimmer frame following a two stone weight loss.

Yet Chloe Ferry was keen to show off her current shape as she shared a slew of sizzling bikini snaps on Saturday.

The Geordie Shore star, 25, will be swapping her current implants for smaller ones on Monday, and jetted to Turkey for the procedure.

Looking good: Chloe Ferry was keen to show off her current shape as she shared a slew of sizzling bikini snaps on Saturday ahead of her third boob job

Taking advantage of her sunny surroundings, Chloe set to work topping up her tan in a tiny pink bikini that barely protected her modesty.

The talented ice skater also slipped into a white and blue bikini as she shared a hilarious video scuttling along the pool edge in the two-piece.

Chloe checked into the Comfort Zone surgery clinic in Istanbul on Saturday alongside twin sisters and Ex On The Beach stars Che and Leonie Mcsorley - who got matching nose jobs.

Addressing her followers on Sunday, Chloe revealed her boob job will take place on Monday as she mused: 'I'm actually not that nervous.

'In lockdown I lost a lot of weight and my boobs dropped a little bit and my other half is a bit more petite so i am going to get smaller implants.'

Making a change: The Geordie Shore star, 25, will be swapping her current implants for smaller ones on Monday, and jetted to Turkey for the procedure

Fun in the sun: Taking advantage of her sunny surroundings, Chloe set to work topping up her tan in a tiny pink bikini that barely protected her modesty

The reality personality will have time to rest upon her return to the UK, as the government has just announced there is no longer an air bridge between England and Turkey.

Earlier this week, a representative for Chloe told MailOnline: 'Following on from Chloe's dramatic 2 stone weight loss this year, Chloe will be flying to Turkey on Saturday 3rd October 2020 for a one week stay to have breast reduction surgery to suit her new slimmer figure.

'Chloe will be visiting the Comfort Zone surgery clinic in Istanbul to have reduction surgery as Chloe feels that a smaller implant will complement her new slimmer figure.

'Chloe has been training hard with a strong gym regime this year not only for weight purposes but to help maintain a healthy and positive mind-set.'

Post-op: Chloe checked into the Comfort Zone surgery clinic in Istanbul on Saturday alongside Ex On The Beach twins Che (L) and Leonie (R) Mcsorley - who got matching nose jobs

She previously revealed she has spent over 50,000 on cosmetic procedures, which have included two nose jobs, liposuction and breast augmentation.

Less invasive procedures also include an eyebrow lift, dental veneers, dermal cheek fillers and Botox.

Chloe previously told told Closer magazine: 'Of course, it's a bit addictive. But I can stop myself, I'm happy with myself now.

'I've spent a lot of money, it's expensive. I've worked hard for my money and I want to spend it on this.

'My ideal body shape is a small waist with a big bum and hips ... But I think people believe I've had more surgery than I have.'

New look? Chloe has booked a her third boob job as she plans breast reduction to suit her new slimmer figure following two stone weight loss

Chloe's latest procedure will hopefully lift her spirits, after she revealed appearances can be deceptive on Thursday, while breaking down in tears on her Instagram story after having a bad day.

Sharing a series of selfies, the former Ex On The Beach contestant looked troubled as she wiped away tears and her lips quivered.

Chloe captioned the story: 'Life isn't always as perfect as it seems on social media today I'm having a really bad day and it's normal to feel like this'.

Later, she further confided in her fans: 'I can't wait for today to be over'.

Changing appearance: Chloe has spent over 50,000 on cosmetic procedures, which have included two nose jobs, liposuction and breast augmentation (pictured right in 2015)

The Geordie Shore star then shared footage of herself on a countryside walk as she tried to dispel her gloom.

Speaking directly to the camera, she said: 'Walking along... God I'm drained'.

Pointing out a supposed imperfection on her downcast face, she added: 'Look at that, [a] bag'.

Opening up: Chloe's latest procedure will hopefully lift her spirits, after she said appearances can be while breaking down in tears on her Instagram story after having a bad day

The next morning, however, Chloe's mood had improved and she thanked fans for their support after her difficult day.

She said: 'Morning everybody so I just want to say a massive, massive thank you to everyone who's messaged us.

'I've had so many messages - thank you so much it really makes us feel better.

'I just had one of those days when you just find out something - and then something else happens, and then something else happens.'

Highlighting the importance of showing both the good and the bad with her fans, she added: 'I wanted to share on social media that I was upset, because obviously social media is always happy.

'So I just wanted to show a bit of real life. And it's normal that people do have down days and stuff like that.

'But I'm a lot better today, I've had an early night. So yeah it's a fresh start. It's a new day, a new chapter.'
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-05 00:58:14|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- More than 2,000 university students in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19 as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Sunday that his country may face a "bumpy" time beyond Christmas in fighting the pandemic, local media reported.

Among the affected UK universities, Northumbria University in Northeastern England confirmed 770 cases among students, making it one of Britain's largest single-site coronavirus outbreaks, the Guardian newspaper said, adding that the outbreak there has taken the total number of cases among students to more than 2,000 across 65 universities.

Meanwhile, the BBC reported around 56 universities across Britain have had at least one confirmed case, bringing the total number to approximately 2,500 positive cases.

There have been more than 200 cases at the University of Sheffield and 177 University of Liverpool staff and students have tested positive, according to a PA Media (a multimedia news agency operating in Britain and Ireland) survey which contacted 140 institutions.

The universities of Edinburgh and Edinburgh Napier reported more than 300 confirmed cases among their students, while the University of Glasgow had more than 170 and the University of Aberdeen said it had 99 cases.

Manchester University announced 221 cases among students and staff, while at the nearby Manchester Metropolitan University more than 1,500 students were ordered into isolation.

More than a third of Britain's population is now under heightened restrictions, according to the BBC.

"I've got to tell you in all candour it's going to continue to be bumpy through to Christmas, it may even be bumpy beyond," the prime minister said in an interview with the BBC's Andrew Marr Show program on Sunday.

"This could be a very tough winter for all of us -- we've got to face that fact," Johnson said.

To bring life back to normal, countries, such as Britain, China, Russia and the United States, are racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines.

The British government's Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance has said that it is possible that some vaccine could be available in small amounts later this year, but it is more likely that a vaccine will be available early next year, although that is not guaranteed. Enditem
No segment is as disappointed with the fate of Mumbai real estate as apartment owners of buildings scouting for redevelopment. In the exuberant days of 2006-11, developers were jumping over each other to gain favour among residents of buildings that had potential to get redeveloped. The older the building, the better.

Promise of a new dawn

Owners of apartments in creaky and shabby buildings saw the notional value of their houses multiply. The premise was simple: the owner of an apartment in a worn-out building would get a bigger apartment in a new and flashy building - free. If luck had another name in Mumbai, it was redevelopment.

In its simplest definition redevelopment involves the demolition of an old & small building and replacing it with a bigger building  subject to municipal authority norms. The equation is straight-forward: Residents of the old building get apartments in the newer building, a certain number of apartments in the new building are sold in the open market by the developer for his profit and the government earns revenues by selling FSI to the builder.

Until 2011, norms mattered little while the nexus mattered a lot. The widespread manipulation, along with a hot property market, permitted developers to make super-normal profits. Builders went in a bidding war to give the best deal to redevelopment prospects. It was routine to hear of proposals wherein owners were offered 100 percent extra space in the new building, lucrative transit rents and a giant corpus.

In 2011, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the municipal body that runs the city, would get its most impactful regime in at least two decades under the municipal commissioner Subodh Kumar. In a short tenure, the brazen leakages would be closed and the real estate industry moved to a level-playing field.

Oh! What a wasted opportunity

Eight years later, it will be fair to say that the real estate story in Mumbai has been a major disappointment. Given the paucity of open land, real estate in the commercial capital is predominantly a redevelopment theme. And, things are not looking good.

Redevelopment proposals in the last year have come down by 50 percent. It is certain that 2020 and 2021 will see even a further decline. It is easy to blame the real estate industry for this quagmire, but that would be wrong. Profitability levels are at an all-time low while regulatory accountability is at an all-time high.

A large part of the blame goes towards the notorious level of levies and premiums charged by government authorities. In the current crisis, there may be waivers and deferred payments dangled for a limited period but it is unlikely to be sustained. From 2022, the journey towards bankruptcy of the BMC is likely to begin as the central government stops compensation in lieu of octroi.

With this is mind the only way to get redevelopment kick-started is by reducing the land cost for a project. In redevelopment  the land cost is the expense borne in construction of the free flat for the old owner, the transit rent paid to the owner when redevelopment is being done, the corpus that acts as a security etc.

These are negotiated between the developer and the residents. It is tough to arrive at a fixed number given the number of variables involved - but it is not uncommon to have land cost be at 25-30 percent of the project cost.

Even within that not all plots of land are equal. A freehold plot is preferred in comparison to a plot owned by the BMC (estate) that is leased to a landlord. Naikaj Bhobe of PN Bhobe & Associates says 70-75 percent of plots in premium locations of central suburbs are estate owned which has a higher cost structure. In an environment of falling prices, projects on these plots are unviable or done at wafer-thin margins. Hence developers avoid redevelopment in estate plots.

That means owners of apartments looking for redevelopment will need to lower their expectations. And it must be said  most of the redevelopment potential in the last decade has been frittered away due to internal factors. Lack of unity within members, rampant corruption in selection of the developer, last-minute demands and greed have hurt enthusiasm among credible players for undertaking such projects. The developers that often agree to the terms make unrealistic expectations on demand from the end-buyers. Given the number of projects that never take off or get stalled mid-way, one thing is clear in redevelopment proposals: The highest bid is rarely the best bid.

Eventually redevelopment is sustainable only when stakeholders lower their expectations to an extent wherein the end-customer finds value and affordability in purchasing an apartment in the new building.

Will this happen soon? It is only a matter of time. If there is one lesson that the collapse of old and vulnerable buildings every year illustrates  it is that the stakeholders should not leave it too late. The era of the jackpot in real estate is over. Every other stakeholder in the chain has recognized it. Its time the owners do it too.

(When not busy with his newstoon platform Snapnews, Vishal Bhargava is a real estate enthusiast who views and reviews new projects. The views are personal.)
Of course he isnt. Its an absurd question, but there is some mischief to be made about this, and Im just the guy to do it.

Heres why I thought of that absurd headline, which I assert is not mere clickbait. In the debate, Slow Joe said Antifa is an idea. Well, what is one of the favorite slogans (and book titles) of conservatives? Ideas Have Consequences. And bad ideas, in politics, often have the worst consequences, like gulags. Antifa is one bad idea that any sensible person ought to be able to repudiate, but by dismissing Antifa as an idea, Biden shows that he actually doesnt take ideas seriously.

He is the ultimate political chameleon without a single principled bone in his body; his only principle is what will promote Joe Biden. Kamala Harris was correct when she attacked Biden in the first debate last year for opposing busing to achieve racial integration in the 1970s. Youll also find several things in Bidens record from back then that put him to the right of several Republican senators at the time. He voted against the watered down Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Act (the original version of Humphrey-Hawkins called for open socialism and central planning of the economy, but the final version that came for a vote was largely neutered). Biden criticized Humbert Humphrey, a dying man at the time, saying that Humphrey isnt cognizant of the limited, finite ability government has to deal with peoples problems. That kind of talk will get you canceled in the Democratic Party today.

Worse: Biden voted for the Republican-sponsored capital gains tax cut in 1978the first step in the supply-side tax revolution. Howard Jarvis, fresh off his big win with Proposition 13 in California in 1978, endorsed Biden for re-election to the Senate that year.

And this leaves aside his long record of statements over the years that, coming from anyone else, would get him banned in todays Democratic Party. That he is the last man standing from the Democrats large candidate field suggests a party that is exhausted and out of real ideas.
Jaipur: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday interacted with office-bearers and volunteers of the Sanghs Jaipur unit and asked them to work for social harmony, cow welfare, and Denotified and Nomadic Tribes (DNT), among other causes. On the second day of his two-day visit to Jaipur, Bhagwat listened to volunteers experiences of work done during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief also said the enthusiasm to join the RSS has grown among all sections of the society. Stressing on the need to improve communication between families, Bhagwat said weekly family meetings should be started.

The congregation discussed various small but significant ways to engage families," the RSS said in a release. Bhagwat interacted with the volunteers, who shared with him their experiences of work done during the pandemic. He also enquired about the relief work done for the marginalised and needy people.

He was informed that considerable work has been done for the DNT community in Jaipur and other parts of Rajasthan as well. Bhagwat also asked the volunteers to work towards the upliftment of villages, environment protection, tree plantation and water conservation.

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 leaders of Cub Scout Pack 23 in town came up with a unique way to engage their kids in a safe way during the COVID-19 pandemic while refining the skills that are central to the Cub Scouts.

They held a scavenger hunt throughout the town, with the parents driving the kids to sites in the downtown, Cos Cob, Riverside and Old Greenwich neighborhoods as they all learned about the time-honored tradition of Scouting.

The hunt included 12 stops, where people held up signs listing the Scout Laws of trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. The Cub Scouts had to write the word next to the clue they had been provided in advance and never had to get out of their cars.

The goal was to get the kids out and about while they learned more about the town they live in, according to pack master Richard DiPreta. The plan for last months event was to hold a pack meeting while following public safety guidelines.

It was an absolute blast, DiPreta said. We wanted them to do something safe, but still be able to have fun and get outdoors. This was a great way for them to see more of their town and learn about it, too.

Pack 23 is made up of nearly 90 kids from North Mianus School and the International School at Dundee.

DiPreta leads the pack with pack master Cynthia DiPreta. Their son Christopher has moved on to the Boy Scouts, while their daughter Charlotte is part of Pack 23. He said they are planning outdoor meetings with fun activities for October and November, if weather permits.

Central Greenwich

Greenwich Hospital, which has been on the front line of the towns response to the coronavirus, recently received seven performance achievement awards from Press Ganey, a national leader in measuring patient satisfaction.

That includes four Pinnacle of Excellence Awards for maintaining high levels of excellence over the last three years in the categories of patient experience in ambulatory surgery, inpatient services, outpatient services and the federal Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems.

Additionally, Greenwich Hospital received three Guardian of Excellence Awards for reaching the 95th percentile for a year in patient experience in ambulatory surgery, emergency department and HCAHPS and Inpatient Services.

We are especially proud of all of our staff in achieving these national awards even as we faced the formidable challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, said Norman Roth, Greenwich Hospitals chief executive officer. We are committed to consistently delivering safe, high-quality care, which has become more crucial than ever as health care organizations continue to respond to the current public health crisis.

We are honored to be part of an elite group of hospitals nationwide that are recognized for their leading-edge patient-centered care, said Debi DAlba, director of patient experience at Greenwich Hospital. These awards would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of physicians, nurses and staff from all corners of our organization.

Old Greenwich

The Greenwich Tree Conservancy is looking for community support as it honors front-line workers and local heroes with new Gratitude Groves.

The groves will be planted and dedicated at Greenwich Point, the Montgomery Pinetum property, Havemeyer Field and the Western Greenwich Civic Center.

These groves will be a living memorial to all those who protected our lives, our health, our homes and our community and to those who reached out to help their neighbors with food, medicine and the comfort of their caring, the conservancy announced. They will be places for reflection where one can enjoy the comfort and well-being that nature provides.

To support the Greenwich Tree Conservancy and its project, donations can be sent to P.O. Box 4215, Greenwich, CT 06831 or online at greenwichtreeconservancy.org/gratitude-groves. Donations can be made in someones honor by emailing treeconserv@optonline.net.

Donations to the Gratitude Groves will be acknowledged at the conservancys 2021 Spring Tree Party and on a plaque to be displayed in Town Hall and installed at the Greenwich Tree Conservancy office.

Downtown

Town Hall will reopen to the public soon, but the hours will be limited hours for now as the town continues to take steps toward reopening during the coronavirus pandemic.

Town Hall has been closed to the public since mid-March. Starting Oct. 13, the building will be open 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays. The conference and meeting rooms will remain closed, and town meetings will continue to be held on Zoom.

We are working on plans to partially reopen Town Hall for those with business to conduct in person, Camillo said last week in his e-newsletter Community Connections. It is paramount that we continue to balance the health and safety of our employees and the needs of our residents. Our employees have done an exemplary job in providing those essential services during these extraordinary times.

In March, town employees were sent home to work, with only department heads and office holders, including Camillo, in Town Hall to reduce the number of people there for social distancing purposes. On June 1, Town Hall welcomed back employees but remained closed to the public except by appointment only.

Visitors can still make an advance appointment before going to Town Hall or conduct business online at www.greenwichct.gov.

At the Board of Selectmen meeting last week, Camillo said that reopening of Town Hall to the public would speed up local government.

We dont want to fall too far behind, he said. We want to bring some sense of normalcy back to the town. ... But we have all the precautions in place already and we just think its time. Hopefully it will work out fine and allow people to catch up on some of the things theyve been putting off.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
Rapper Kanye West, 43, took to Twitter on Saturday to send his best wishes to President Donald Trump and the first lady as they are treated for COVID-19. (Photo: Rich Fury/VF20/Getty Images for Vanity Fair)

Fellow 2020 hopeful Kanye West is sending President Donald Trump his best wishes for a quick recovery from the coronavirus.

The rapper, 43, took to Twitter on Saturday to send a message of support to POTUS, who is currently being treated at Walter Reed Medical Center after testing positive for COVID-19 last week. He and first lady Melania Trump, who also contracted the virus, confirmed their diagnoses on Friday.

On Twitter, West sent out a rallying cry encouraging the country to unite, while also claiming he would send the same message of encouragement if it had been his Democrat rival, former vice president Joe Biden, and his wife, Jill, who were diagnosed.

Theres a crying need for civility across the board. We need to and will come together in the name of Jesus.



Im praying for President Trumps and Melanias full recovery, just as I would for Joe and Jill Biden if they were stricken, as well as everyone else with COVID-19.  ye (@kanyewest) October 3, 2020

Wests message comes amid his own rocky presidential bid.

We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States, he tweeted in July when announcing his bid, adding the hashtag #2020Vision. He has since campaigned a bit, making a stop in South Carolina for a controversial speech in which he grew emotional when discussing abortion.

According to Fox News, West and his running mate, preacher Michelle Tidball, will appear on the ballots in 12 states: Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Utah, Idaho, Tennessee, Vermont, Mississippi and notable swing states Colorado, Iowa and Minnesota. In August, a poll by Politico and Morning Consult determined that West had 2 percent of the vote. According to a campaign finance report attained by New York Magazine, West has spent nearly $7 million of his own money on his campaign.

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In July, West told Forbes that his campaign was intended to bolster Trumps own reelection efforts. The rapper famously visited Trump in the White House back in 2018, sporting a trademark red Make America Great Again hat as he sat in the Oval Office and interacted with reporters before having a closed-door lunch with the president.

"They tried to scare me to not wear this hat," West said at the time, the Associated Press reported. "This hat, it gives me power in a way."

Rapper Kanye West hugs President Donald Trump during a visit at the White House in 2018. (Photo: Oliver Contreras - Pool/Getty Images)

Trump and West previously interacted publicly shortly after the 2016 election, when they appeared together in a photo taken in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York City, Yahoo Entertainment previously reported.

The Kanye-Trump bro hug. It's been quite a morning at Trump Tower

(Thanks @brennawilliams for the assist) pic.twitter.com/h9uS95GO8b  Tal Kopan (@TalKopan) December 13, 2016

News of President Trumps diagnosis sent shock waves through social media earlier this week, with many members of the Hollywood community sharing strong reactions.

For the latest coronavirus news and updates, follow along at https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDCs and WHOs resource guides.

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
This is the shocking moment police raid a 200-strong funeral party for breaching coronavirus regulations - landing the hotel manager with a 10,000 fine.

Officers from West Midlands Police entered the grounds of the Castle Bromwich Hall Hotel in Solihull after receiving nine calls complaining about the mass gathering on September 25.

Police body-cam footage shows officers walking through a packed marquee before entering the reception area and demanding to speak to the hotel manager who was off-site.

The police force later said it was the first maximum fine they had issued since the Prime Minister set out a raft of measures designed to clampdown on Covid-19 last month.

Officers from West Midlands Police entered the grounds of the Castle Bromwich Hall Hotel in Solihull to find more than 200 people attending a funeral party on September 25

The venue in Solihull has also been banned from holding events until January next year

The venue has also been banned from holding events until January next year.

During the clip, officers make their way to the hotel reception and are told by members of staff that the licence holder is not on site.

One officer tells staff: 'Is he aware you're just going to lose your licence as a business? With the numbers I don't know whether he's not listening or he doesn't care or he's not getting it.

'Ultimately we're not coming round and shouting at everyone, because it's an issue that I need to have a chat with the business about, more than yourselves.'

The gathering was the latest in a number of events at the Solihull hotel which breached legislation, according to the force.

The manager had been previously warned about these breaches but events continued to be held with no measures in place for track and trace, social distancing or table service

On Monday, West Midlands Police filed an application for an immediate licensing review with Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council.

The force asked for an immediate suspension of the hotel owner's personal licence pending a full review.

This was granted by the licensing panel and a full hearing is due to take place later this month.

Police body-cam footage shows guests eating and drinking inside a packed marquee

Police officers entered the reception area and demanded to speak to the hotel manager who was off-site

Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Claire Bell, who is leading the force's response to coronavirus, said: 'We are living in difficult times and we understand people want to celebrate the lives of loved ones who have passed however we must all play our part to follow the rules which are in place to help stop the spread of the virus and to keep everybody safe.

'We engaged with all those at the funeral gathering and explained why they needed to leave which they duly did.

'It is the hotel manager who has been penalised for repeatedly organising events that breach the Covid-19 legislation; his actions have blatantly disregarded measures to keep people safe in a pandemic.

'Businesses have a responsibility not only to their customers and their staff but to the wider community and there must be consequences when COVID-19 guidance is simply ignored.'
Syracuse, N.Y. -- Patrons of a Destiny USA nail salon may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus, according to Onondaga County Health Department officials.

Two employees of BV Nails have tested positive for Covid-19, officials said. Those who went to the nail salon on Sept. 29, between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., may have been exposed.

Health department officials are trying to track down all close contacts of those who had the virus and are notifying those contacts.

Health department investigators are currently identifying all close contacts of the employees and notifying them that they may have been exposed.

The health department says those who may have been in contact with the employees should monitor themselves for symptoms of Covid-19 for 14 days. If symptoms do develop, stay home and call your doctor for further guidance, they said. If you are elderly, have underlying medical conditions, or are immunocompromised, call your doctor early even if your illness is mild.

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.
The fake cannabinoids are coming. And, like the artificial meat popping up on fast-food menus and grocery shelves across the country, they could disrupt multiple industries.

As CBD has become more popular, a growing number of companies are scaling up efforts to produce lesser-known cannabinoids such as CBG and CBN. Although the compounds can come from the plant itself, some biotech firms are finding its cheaper to engineer them synthetically.

Now, the race is on to improve production and bring down costs as demand grows for cannabis-derived treatments for sleep, pain relief, relaxation and more. That could open new opportunities for consumer goods and pharmaceuticals.

While CBD has gotten all the attention lately  with help from big names like Martha Stewart, who recently launched gummies, and Molson Coors Beverage Co., which has a partnership for CBD drinks  more than 100 other compounds can be extracted. As consumers familiarize themselves with the alphabet soup of options, one increasingly popular one is cannabigerol, or CBG, which is used to treat pain and nausea  and, like CBD, doesnt have the psychoactive effects of THC.

Willow Biosciences said last month that its working with manufacturer Albany Molecular Research to achieve large-scale production of CBG by the middle of next year. Willow, based in Calgary, Alberta, sold out of its first batch of the compound, and about 17 more companies have said they want to buy the next samples when they become available, said chief executive officer Trevor Peters.

What we see from food and beverage, personal care and tobacco companies is they all want to find a new product that is safe and has high consumer demand, Peters said.

Willow isnt alone. Biomedican Inc., based in Fremont, California, says it has a strain of CBG ready for wide-scale production and will ramp up output of another class of minor cannabinoids within two months. Demetrix Inc. and Amyris Inc. are scaling up production of CBG as well.

Growing interest

Alternative cannabinoids are likely to catch on since theres already a lot of stressed-out millennials embracing CBD, said Laura Fuentes, CEO of Green Roads, a company that launched a coffee with CBD and CBG. They dont want to try the western medicine first.

Sales of tinctures with CBN, CBG, THC-A or THC-V grew 11 per cent in the third quarter over the second, according to Headset, which tracks cannabis trends.

Some of these newly popular cannabinoids are already starting to pop up in vape pens and capsules, Headset said. The cannabinoids on the market now are mostly plant-derived, but synthetic versions are coming.

Marlboro-maker Altria Group Inc. took a stake in Cronos Group in December 2018, a few months after the Canadian pot company made a deal with Ginkgo Bioworks to create cannabinoids from yeast. Cronos has said its on schedule to make fermented cannabinoids at scale by next September.

Weve started to see consumers become more and more familiar with CBG and the other cannabinoids, Cronos CEO Michael Gorenstein said via email.

Production costs

Making artificial cannabinoids is a lot like making fake meat. The process revolves around genetically engineered yeast, the same technology used to produce heme, the ingredient that gives Impossible Foods faux burgers their meaty qualities.

Its not only cheaper to engineer cannabinoids than to extract them from plants; synthesis has other advantages, companies say. Those include a purer, pharmaceutical grade product and none of the legal headaches that come with parts of the industry that touch cannabis plants.

Right now, making CBD means youre in the farming business. By the time you harvest and extract and factor in the purification, its expensive, said Dennis ONeill, Biomedicans chief investment officer. And you cant even produce the exact same product every time.

Cronos said its target production cost for CBG is less than $1,000 (U.S.) per kilogram  or under $1 a gram. Biomedican says it will soon be able to produce multiple strains at a similar cost, far below CBGs current wholesale price of $20 a gram.This is the next generation of CBD, ONeill said.
California has a solution for Americas putrid populism and political paralysis: adopting direct democracy at the national level.

Allowing Americans to vote, by referendum, on the biggest issues wouldnt be legally challenging or risky. All Congress would have to do is follow six practical steps suggested by a Californian named John Matsusaka.

As co-president of the Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy, Matsusaka is a University of Southern California professor. Ive gotten to know him for his leadership of the Initiative & Referendum Institute, which tracks how American states and cities use direct democracy. Now, in a book titled Let the People Rule, Matsusaka offers something that academics rarely provide: a practical plan. He shows how the U.S. could improve its republic by introducing direct democracy, beginning with non-binding referenda on major issues, legislative proposals and treaties. His approach could be adopted without the challenges of amending the U.S. Constitution.

Matsusaka also provides a coherent narrative for why national direct democracy is our natural next step. Our national government, in growing more complex and technical in response to modern duties, has also become more distant from Americans, who respond with anger that can be destructive to our civic life. In this context, voting through direct democracy could be a vital bridge between rulers and the ruled, allowing people to channel their anger, constructively.

Matsusaka carefully demolishes arguments against direct democracy, especially the idea that it runs contrary to American tradition. The referendum is as old as the country, and adding national direct democracy would fit our long history of democratization: expanding suffrage, directly elected senators, and, over the past century, adopting direct democracy at the local and state levels.

In this context, our failure to introduce direct democracy for national issues is strange. The U.S., Matsusaka points out, is an enormous outlier in never having allowed a national referendum in our 250-year history. A majority of countries in every region of the world  and 90% of countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa  have had at least one national referendum since 1980. Instituting such referenda here would hardly require a leap of faith. More than two-thirds of Americans have told pollsters that they support the idea.

I find it remarkable that the United States, the country that pioneered democracy and proved that a government created and controlled by ordinary people could succeed, has never allowed its citizens to vote on a single national issue, Matsusaka writes.

Matsusakas six-step plan calls for a cautious introduction of direct democracy, starting with tools that can be approved by statute, and dont require a constitutional amendment. First, Congress should give itself power to hold advisory, or nonbinding, referenda, perhaps on popular but controversial bills, like the Dream Act for unauthorized immigrants. Second, Congress could grant American citizens the power, by gathering signatures on petitions in different states, to call nonbinding referenda. (This likely would put animal rights, minimum wages and marijuana on national ballots). Third, Congress could require a national advisory referendum before making certain major decisions, like approving international treaties (like the Paris Agreement on climate change) or going to war.

If such advisory referenda proved popular, then Americans might change the Constitution to adopt the powerful direct democracy tools familiar to Californians, like binding ballot initiatives to change laws or amend the Constitution.

Referenda would not promote extremism, Matsusaka argues; the opposite is true, since studies show voters are less extreme than our political elites. Moneyed interests wouldnt dominate more than they currently do, especially if we adopted Matsusakas suggestion for a public system to fund all sides of national referendum campaigns.

More broadly, Matsusakas book begs the question of how much longer we can continue our escalating political warfare  with each side trying to enhance the non-democratic power of the government branches it currently controls  and still call the United States a democratic republic. The best way to keep America a democracy is to practice democracy more.

That we consider it radical to allow the people a say in important public matters affecting their lives, Matsusaka says, is an unfortunate testament to the undemocratic nature of the U.S. government and something that is overdue for remediation.

Joe Mathews writes the Connecting California column for Zocalo Public Square.
Oishani Mojumder By

Express News Service

HYDERABAD: While the country has been applauding police personnel and doctors for their selfless service during the Covid-19 pandemic, it is important to thank the thousands of postmen who had equally done their bit to help the people.

They had risked their lives to deliver vital medication, precautionary equipment and seasonal fruits to farmers, businessmen and citizens from other walks of life.

During the lockdown, over 31 postmen and clerical staff from the Hyderabad division of India Post had contracted Covid-19 on duty, especially while delivering to containment zones.

Speaking to Express, an official from the division said, For the first time ever, India Post sent 692 vital medication packages in two months in Hyderabad. In coordination with the State Horticulture Department, close to 700 boxes of mangoes were also delivered. People could order fruits from the website and pay online. The post office had also made payments of Rs 1,500, as announced by the Chief Minister, to over 50,000 beneficiaries across Telangana, amounting to over Rs 5,000.

Postmen sort parcels and packages at

Nampally in Hyderabad | S Senbagapandiyan

Another postman spoke about the challenges they faced while delivering parcels during the lockdown.

Apart from doctors and policemen, we were another set of essential services personnel, who had to enter containment zones. People would refuse to open their doors fully, instruct us to keep their packages at the doorstep and tell us to walk away. Though we took precautions, we were constantly scared of catching the disease as we used to meet so many people, he said.

Recently, a postman in Wanaparthy district became a super spreader of Covid-19, causing a huge spike in cases in the area.

In Chinnambavi zone, 102 cases were reported in 10 days, with a significantly large number of villagers contracting the disease. It had all started when the postman from the district headquarters arrived at the village to distribute pension.

They risked their lives to serve us during lockdown

It is important to thank the thousands of postmen who had done their bit to help the people during the Covid lockdown.

They had risked their lives to deliver vital medication, precautionary equipment and seasonal fruits to businessmen, farmers and others.

Apart from doctors and policemen, they too were essential services personnel, who had to enter containment zones across TS.
United Australia Party founder Clive Palmer addresses the media during a press conference in Townsville on April 18, 2019. (AAP Image/Michael Chambers)

Clive Palmers Wife Promoted to UAP Executive, a Candidate in the QLD State Election

Clive Palmers wife has been appointed Queensland deputy leader of his United Australia Party, two days after announcing she would run as a candidate in the state election.

Anna Palmer was revealed as the UAP candidate for Currumbin on Oct 2, just 28 days out from the election.

The Gold Coast seat is held by the Liberal National Partys Laura Gerber with a 1.2 percent margin.

Labor have been considering targeting Currumbin, but Mr Palmers intervention could throw a spanner into the works, as the major parties joust for regional votes.

Ms Palmer said Queenslanders need a new deal.

We need to cut the red tape, eliminate payroll tax and eliminate land tax to make our state stronger, she said in a statement on Sunday.

Earlier, Ms Palmer said she was running against the Labor governments handling of compassionate exemptions to its COVID-19 border restrictions.

As a mother, I am appalled with how the current Queensland Labor government is treating families, she said.

Ms Palmer unsuccessfully sought preselection by her husbands party for the Gold Coast seat of Gaven in 2014.

Queensland leader Greg Dowling said the party executive unanimously endorsed Mrs Palmer for the deputy position.

Queenslanders go the polls on October 31.

Aaron Bunch in Brisbane
Russian investigators said Saturday they were looking into a possible ecological catastrophe in the eastern Kamchatka region, after scores of dead sea creatures washed up in one of it bays and surfers reported burns to their eyes and throats.

Images of dead seals, octopi, starfish and urchins on the Khalaktyrsky Beach in the Avacha Bay have been shared on social media for several days.

Surfers in the area have also complained that the sea had an unnatural smell and color.

Local government in the region, which is known for its pristine beaches and volcanic black sand, shared a video of one surfer, Anton Morozov, on Sunday.

He said a number of surfers have suffered chemical burns to their eyes, adding that he had not seen anything like it in 15 years.

We need to understand what will happen to our health, to the health of animals, Morozov said.

Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics

His fellow surfer, Natalia Danilova, said in an Instagram post Friday that she was diagnosed with a chemical burn to her cornea after spending time in the water in the bay.

Danilova said she had been surfing in the area since August, but three weeks ago she started to struggle with her vision. Others in her surfing group had similar symptoms, while some were also throwing up and complained of breathing problems, she added.

Authorities had not posted any warnings in the area and there had been no official explanation as to what might have caused it, she said.

NBC News has not been able to verify her claims.

Governor Vladimir Solodov speaks on the Avacha Bay coast, in Russia's Kamchatka Region, on Sunday. (Alexandr Piragis / Sputnik via AP)

Russias investigative committee said in a statement Saturday that it had sent a team to look into the mass death of marine mammals in the area and "a possible ecological catastrophe."

The committee said there had been reports of increased concentrations of oil products and phenols "from an unidentified source in the sea coastal waters."

Experts have taken samples of sea water, air and sand, as well as carried out other verification activities aimed at establishing all the circumstances of the incident, the statement said.

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Video: FBI director says Russia attempting to influence 2020 election

Kamchatka Gov. Vladimir Solodov said the ecological situation on the Khalaktyrsky Beach was a source of serious concern, in a series of videos posted to his Instagram page Friday.

The following day, he posted another video to the social media site calling on all surfers to seek medical help if they had been exposed. Additional water, sand and animal samples from the area were sent to Moscow for analysis, he said. The regional government said preliminary results are expected on Monday.

Thanking local bloggers and surfers for alerting authorities about the situation in an Instagram video Sunday, Solodov said the color of the seawater had evened out in the area and there were no stains on the water that would be indicative of an oil spill.

However, the Russian branch of environmental group Greenpeace tweeted Saturday night that an "environmental disaster" had taken place in Kamchatka and called for an immediate investigation.

The unique nature of Kamchatka, the UNESCO World Natural Heritage is under threat, head of the climate project with Greenpeace Russia, Vasily Yablokov, said in a statement on the organizations website.

One of the best surfing beaches in Russia, one of the main tourist attractions of the region is life-threatening and calls into question the development of the region's tourism potential," he added.
Cannabis could be used to help treat potentially deadly complications with COVID-19, a growing body of research suggests.

Researchers at the University of South Carolina performed a trio of studies on mice which found that THC - the chemical that gives cannabis its mind-altering effect - could help prevent a harmful immune response that causes Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).

ARDS is one of the most common complications for patients with severe cases of coronavirus. It can be fatal or lead to permanent pulmonary scarring.

The goal of the USC study was to see if THC could block the immune response that leads to ARDS developing by introducing a toxin into the mice that triggers the response.

In dozens of experiments across all three studies, all of the mice that were given THC after the toxin survived, while those that didn't get the chemical died.

The researchers cautioned that their work is still far from conclusive and stressed that they are not encouraging people to use marijuana to self-medicate for COVID-19.

However, they said the preliminary research showed immense promise of THC as a treatment for severe cases of the virus that has already killed more than 209,000 people in the US and more than one million around the world.

Research from the University of South Carolina suggests that THC - the chemical in cannabis that creates a mind-altering effect - could be used to treat complications in COVID-19 patients

Prakash Nagarkatti, who co-authored the USC studies, explained the research in an interview with The State in August.

'The underlying mechanism is your immune system goes haywire and starts destroying your lungs and all your other organs,' Nagarkatti said of ARDS.

'It's like a car where you're putting on a lot of accelerator, but the brakes aren't working. Basically what's going to happen is your car is going to crash because you can't stop it. And that's basically what's happening with ARDS.'

ARDS is a form of lung failure that occurs when small blood vessels in the lungs begin to leak fluid, blocking air from the bloodstream.

It's been known to strike in COVID-19 patients when their immune systems go into overdrive to fight the virus and begin attacking healthy cells.

The USC studies found that THC, which stands for Tetrahydrocannabinol, helps suppress the body's immune response while also increasing healthy bacteria in the lungs.

The findings were so promising that the researchers are now looking to begin human trials to further examine the potential effectiveness of the chemical in fighting coronavirus.

But Nagarkatti emphasized that his team's research in no way advocates for people to use marijuana if they think they have coronavirus.

'I just want to make sure our research is not interpreted as marijuana is good for COVID 19,' Nagarkatti said.

'If you start using THC early on it might worsen the effect because it suppresses the immune system.'

Meanwhile other studies have found evidence of marijuana's potential effectiveness in treating the virus.

A study by researchers in Israel found that a specific terpene compound in cannabis could also be used to prevent cytokine storm syndrome, an inflammatory response that can lead to fever, fatigue and vomiting in COVID-19 patients.

Early results from that study, which was published in August, found that terpene was twice as effective in suppressing cytokine storms than Dexamethasone, a common corticosteroids treatment for inflammation.

And another study published by Canadian researchers in June found that a specific strain of cannabis could help block the virus from entering the body in the first place.

'Similar to other respiratory pathogens, SARS-CoV2 is transmitted through respiratory droplets, with potential for aerosol and contact spread. It uses receptor-mediated entry into the human host via angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2) that is expressed in lung tissue, as well as oral and nasal mucosa, kidney, testes, and the gastrointestinal tract,' the study states.

'Modulation of ACE2 levels in these gateway tissues may prove a plausible strategy for decreasing disease susceptibility.'

The researchers said that their strain of cannabis targets those ACE2 receptors, potentially blocking the virus from taking hold in the body.

While each of the aforementioned studies are still in their early stages, together they paint a promising picture of marijuana's role in fighting the global pandemic.
Press Release

October 4, 2020 De Lima recognizes teachers' resilience, commitment on Teacher's Day Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has paid tribute to all teachers for their resilience and commitment to provide students with quality education and advance their welfare amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In her message on World Teacher's Day (Oct. 5), De Lima said addressing the concerns and giving the needed assistance to lessen teachers' burden is the least that she and other public servants can do to genuinely honor and recognize their sacrifices. "We can never thank you enough. This is why I reiterate my support in urging DepEd to fill its vacancies in teaching positions to fully implement the blended learning modality this school year," she said. "I likewise support DepEd's plan of hiring para-teachers to assist our teachers and the distance learners with their lessons," added De Lima, a former educator herself. Held every Oct. 5, the United Nations' (UN) World Teacher's Day commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers. In her Dispatch from Crame No. 928, De Lima expressed support to her Senate colleagues' call urging the Department of Education (DepEd) to fill its 55,000-plus vacancies - over 34,000 of which are teaching positions - in order to fully implement the blended learning modality for the coming school year. In the same Dispatch, De Lima welcomed DepEd's plan to hire para-teachers, saying that "by acknowledging that not all parents are capable of teaching their children, DepEd saw this need for para-teachers to materialize and the opportunity to introduce local, community-based solutions to the problem of distance learning." Despite the health risks and hurdles, De Lima said the nation once again witness the resilience and commitment of Filipino teachers who never waver to fulfill their duties. "Mula sa mga tumatawid pa ng ilog at naglalakad ng kilo-kilometro para magturo, sa mga di-magkandaugaga sa paghahanap ng signal ng internet para sa online classes, sa mga nag-aabono para tugunan ang kakulangan sa kagamitan, sa mga nagbabahay-bahay para makapagbigay ng module, sa inyong lahat na isinasantabi ang takot at pangamba, maraming, maraming salamat po, mga mahal naming guro," she added. De Lima, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development, also vowed to push for measures which seek to increase teachers' salary and provide additional allowances and hazard pay, especially during these perilous times. "Together, we can overcome any challenge for our teachers and students, and hope for a better future for all of us. Have a safe and meaningful Teacher's Day!" said she. Beginning 1986, the same year that she became a lawyer, until 1994, De Lima worked as a professor in San Beda Law for several subjects including Introduction to Law, Statutory Construction, Persons and Family Relations, Transportation Law and Private Corporation Law (now Business Organization). Later in 2006 when she became an election law practitioner, De Lima resumed her teaching career and taught Election Law, albeit briefly, as she had to give up teaching anew to focus on public service in 2008 when she was appointed Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights by then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
LANSING, MI -- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel will no longer enforce the governors executive orders by criminal prosecution, though she urges residents to continue following COVID-19 safety guidelines.

The announcement from Nessels office comes after the Michigan Supreme Court decision on Friday, Oct. 2, ruled the governor does not have authority to extend emergency orders under two emergency acts -- the Emergency Management Act from 1976 and the Emergency Powers of the Governor Act from 1945.

Neither act, the court ruled, gave Gov. Gretchen Whitmer the authority to continue declaring states of emergency or issuing unilateral orders under them past April 30, when her initial declaration would have expired.

Related: Gov. has no authority to continue state of emergency, Michigan Supreme Court rules

The attorney generals statement was released Sunday, Oct. 4, by press secretary Ryan Jarvi. The decision by Nessels office, Jarvi wrote, is not binding on other law enforcement agencies or state departments with independent enforcement authority.

The statement notes it is the attorney generals fervent hope that people would continue to abide by measures put in place by the governor, including the use of face masks, social distancing guidelines and staying home when sick.

If it werent for the governors actions, countless more of our friends, family and neighbors would have been lost to COVID-19, the statement said. We can respect both the courts decision and the advice of medical experts by continuing with these important measures voluntarily.

Whitmer previously said the emergency orders would remain in place for 21 days from the courts decision, and that many of her responsive measures would continue under alternative sources of authority.

Several Michigan law enforcement officials, including Leelanau County Sheriff Mike Borkovich, Benzie County Sheriff Ted Schendel, Manistee County Sheriff Ken Falk and Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole said months before the courts decision that they would not strictly enforce Whitmers orders in their counties.

Related: 4 northern Michigan sheriffs wont strictly enforce Whitmers vague framework of emergency laws

During a Sunday morning interview on CNNs State on the Union with host Jake Tapper, Whitmer said the courts ruling could impact her efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19 as case numbers are increasing in parts of the state, including the Upper Peninsula.

This threat is still very real and the sad irony is on the day that the president was admitted to the hospital with the very virus he called a hoax, the Supreme Court in Michigan undermined my emergency rule, my emergency orders that Ive had to enact that puts us in the same state as all other states in this nation, to save lives, the governor said. Weve saved thousands of lives and the Supreme Court, on a slim majority Republican vote, undermined that effort.

Related: Whitmer: Michigan Supreme Court undermined public health efforts amid COVID-19 pandemic

Tapper clarified, saying President Trump has not called the virus a hoax, but acknowledging the president had called the Democratic and media concerns over it a hoax.

The latest COVID-19 figures released Saturday by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services included 1,158 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 13 new deaths. Of the deaths, 11 were from a check of death certificates.

Michigan now has 127,516 cases since the start of the pandemic in March and 6,801 deaths. The data also shows that 99,521 people have recovered from COVID-19.

Related: Nearly 100,000 now recovered in Michigan from coronavirus

A recovery is defined as someone who is still alive 30 days beyond the onset of coronavirus symptoms.

Read more:

Sunday, Oct. 4: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan

Are snow days a thing of the past for Michigan schools?

Rockford schools superintendent frustrated by slow coronavirus test results

Saginaw County Health Department issues coronavirus guidance for Halloween
The $60 million Ohio Purchase  forcing the states electricity customers, by passing House Bill 6, last year, to bail out nuclear power plants once owned by FirstEnergy Corp.  is likely the largest bribery, money laundering scheme ever perpetrated against the people of the state of Ohio: Thats what David DeVillers, U.S. attorney for Southern Ohio, said in July.

Now its October. But HB 6 is still Ohio law, thanks to inaction by the Republican-run Ohio House of Representatives. Thats the House once led by Republican Larry Householder, a Republican from Perry Countys Glenford. In July, a federal grand jury indicted Householder and four others on federal racketeering charges, alleging that a $60 million money laundering scheme helped pass HB 6. (Householder and the others are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.)

The Ohio Houses Select Committee on Energy Policy and Oversight has been talking about repealing HB 6. And talking. And talking more. Now, though, the panels gone home, probably till after Nov. 3s general election.

Ohio electricity consumers must wonder why the legislature hasnt already repealed HB 6, given how prosecutor DeVillers described the alleged $60 million scheme to pass the bill: [It] was bribery, plain and simple. This was a quid pro quo. This was pay to play.

In stark contrast to the Houses inaction, polls show Ohioans want HB 6 repealed. So does Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, although he signed HB 6 as soon as the legislature passed it in 2019 (albeit, that was a year before the federal investigation surfaced.)

This needs to be repealed because the process was so flawed that it has cast a light on this bill [that it] will never recover from, DeWine said Thursday.

That doesnt seem to matter to his fellow Republicans, who run the legislature: Unless the GOP-run select committee, and the House and state Senate, stop dawdling, Ohio electricity consumers will start paying nuke-plant bailout charges starting in January.

True, some members of the select House committee voted against HB 6; a couple others werent in the legislature when it passed HB 6. But approving a repeal requires a committee vote. Calling a vote is up to the committee chair. And the chair and the committees other Republicans answer to Republican Speaker Robert Cupp, of Lima, elected after Householder was removed in July.

Cupp, as a rank and file House member in 2019, voted yes on HB 6; so did nine of the Houses 38 Democrats; and so did the select House committees chair, Rep. Jim Hoops, a Republican from northwest Ohios Napoleon. Hoops is unopposed for reelection in November.

Other GOP members of the Houses select HB 6 committee are Reps. Cindy Abrams, of suburban Cincinnati, whos unopposed for re-election; Brian Baldridge, of Canal Winchester, also unopposed; Rick Carfagna, of suburban Columbus; lame duck Phil Plummer, of Dayton; Mark Romanchuk, of Mansfield, whos running for a state Senate seat in the 22nd Senate District, which includes Medina County; Dick Stein, of Norwalk; Jason Stephens, of Lawrence Countys Kitts Hill, also unopposed for reelection; and Scott Wiggam, of Wooster.

Besides Hoops, other committee members who last year voted yes on HB 6 were Baldridge, Plummer, Stein and Wiggam. Voting no were Romanchuk and, on HB 6s first House roll-call, but absent for its second, Carfagna. (Abrams and Stephens didnt vote on HB 6 because they were appointed to fill House vacancies after HB 6 became law.)

All the select committees Democratic members voted no last year on HB 6: Reps. Kristin Boggs and David Leland, both of Columbus (Leland is unopposed for reelection); Sedrick Denson, of Cincinnati; Michael OBrien, of Warren; Kent Smith, of Euclid; and Casey Weinstein, of Hudson.

If Ohio consumers want HB 6 repealed, they should, before Election Day, tell members of the select House committee. Reason for the timing: If HB 6 survives beyond Election Day, theres a very good chance itll never be repealed.

And if the bailout isnt repealed, youll need to keep your checkbook handy: Somebody or something allegedly spent $60 million to get Ohios General Assembly to pass HB 6. And he, she or it expects a return on that investment.

Thomas Suddes, a member of the editorial board, writes from Athens.

To reach Thomas Suddes: tsuddes@cleveland.com, 216-408-9474

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* Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication.

* Email comments or corrections on this opinion column to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com
Just when you think it cant get any more dumbfounding, it does. As events unfolded rapidly last week  from the disastrous presidential debate to a Covid-stricken President Donald Trump being airlifted to hospital  it was like watching the latest scenes in an apocalyptic Hollywood movie that refuses to end.

Sitting in my home in the hills above Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, smoke from the still-raging Californian wildfires hanging heavy in the air, it is almost unthinkable that just 12 months ago, the America I love was booming, with record employment figures and a rocketing economy.

Today, the country I have called home for 28 years since moving from Britain lies in tatters. Ravaged by the pandemic, with 208,000 dead and counting, America has never felt more divided and broken as an unrelenting tsunami of catastrophic events sweep the nation.

Donald Trump, pictured left during his disastrous debate with Joe Biden on Tuesday night, might benefit from his Covid-19 diagnosis

Trump walked to Marine One on Friday ahead of the short flight to the Walter Reed Military Medical Center where he is receiving treatment for Covid-19

Riots have consumed major cities from Portland to New York, and the deaths of two black Americans  George Floyd and Breonna Taylor  at the hands of police have highlighted a racial schism that has been festering for years.

Armed militia from both sides  white and black  gather on the streets, openly threatening bloodshed and civil war. The most bitterly contested election in living memory descended into an unedifying haranguing match between two septuagenarian candidates so awful that one CNN reporter called Tuesdays debate a s*** show live on air. Add to that the recent deaths of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a heroine of the Left, and 43-year-old superhero actor Chadwick Boseman, an icon for black Americans, and we are left with a country in existential crisis. Indeed, a survey last week revealed that people here are more anxious and depressed than at any time since happiness levels were first measured by the University of Chicago nearly 50 years ago.

Glued to my television on Friday, watching live footage of Trump leaving the White House by Marine One for hospital just moments after filming a bizarre proof of life video which was released on Twitter, a friend who is an Oscar-nominated screenwriter rang.

You couldnt make this stuff up, he sighed. If I took a script with all this to Netflix, they would laugh me out of the room.

On another level, though, he said what is happening is so deeply depressing. Its as if the country is imploding. You wonder, whats next? A plague of locusts? The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

Glued to my television on Friday, watching live footage of Trump leaving the White House by Marine One for hospital just moments after filming a bizarre proof of life video which was released on Twitter, a friend who is an Oscar-nominated screenwriter rang

With just 30 days to go before the country votes on November 3, and with postal voting already under way in some states, it might seem logical that the hospitalisation of a 74-year-old President who has resolutely (until now) refused to wear a mask and underplayed the China virus so badly that he blithely remarked one day, like a miracle, it will disappear, could swing voters in favour of his opponent.

But while Democrats cling to the hope that Joe Biden, 77  who immediately announced he was pulling nasty party political commercials from TV and called the Presidents diagnosis a bracing reminder of the pandemic  might benefit from the situation, the reverse could be true.

Trump might end up getting the sympathy vote, a major Republican donor told me last night.

Certainly after Tuesdays spittle-flecked presidential debate, the consensus was that it was a disaster for Trump because he came across as a petulant, out-of-control bully. For his part, Biden belied those Sleepy Joe, dummy and loser jibes from Trump.

But all that has been forgotten with Americas ailing 45th President now in a hospital room. The truth is that Americans have traditionally rallied behind a sick President. After Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981, he won the next election in a landslide.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a polio sufferer confined to a wheelchair, is the only President to serve four terms in office.

Trump openly mocked Biden during the TV debate for wearing a mask, but if Trump gets through this and stays in control, it could really help his case, the donor added. Republicans will rally to his cause and he could enjoy a bump in popularity, just like Boris Johnson did when he was hospitalised with the virus. Of course, there is also the possibility that Trump may not be well enough to take part in the remaining two presidential debates, set for October 15 and 22.

Which might not be a bad thing considering last weeks unedifying encounter. Trump performed so horribly that if he goes back to his favourite form of communication, tweeting, particularly from the hospital or his sick bed, he might avoid another disastrous showing. And if Biden is put on the back foot as all eyes focus on Trump, who then recovers, the chances are that the President will, ironically, look more robust to the undecided voter. In US politics there is a term October surprise  a news event that unexpectedly ends up deciding the outcome of the November presidential elections. During the 2016 face-off between Trump and Hillary Clinton, a videotape emerged of him crudely talking about grabbing women by their p****.

It should have sunk his chances. But just days before the election, another surprise development exploded. The then-FBI director, James Comey, announced he was investigating 650,000 emails sent by Hillary Clinton using a private server while Secretary of State.

In addition, a separate investigation was launched into the estranged husband of a top Clinton aide who was accused of sending sexually explicit emails to a 15-year-old girl. Trump predictably reacted by saying all this justified his Crooked Hillary barb and that her presidency would mean the continuation of corrupt Washington politics, whereas he offered a fresh alternative.

Clinton was later absolved of any wrongdoing, but the damage had been done and Trump stormed to victory. This year, there has been fevered speculation about what this elections October surprise would be. Last month, Trump was hit by a double whammy of leaked tax records showing he paid just $750 in 2016, the year he was elected, and in 2017, his first year as President. Then Pulitzer Prize-winning Watergate journalist Bob Woodward, who helped bring down Richard Nixon, released tapes of interviews with Trump for his latest book, Rage, which proved Trump knew of the dangers of Covid-19 as early as February, saying it was deadly stuff but he wanted to play it down  something that undoubtedly cost lives.

Until the shock announcement that Trump and First Lady Melania both have Covid, Woodwards tapes had been dominating the news agenda here. Multiple polls were showing Trumps botched handling of the pandemic was the primary reason undecided voters would be casting their ballots against him.

Now it appears the Presidents own Covid-19 diagnosis and hospitalisation could be this elections October surprise. All he has to do to set himself on the path to re-election is to survive, the Republican donor claimed. Hell come across as robust  and it will knock the unpopular edges off him. A lot of people had thought theyd already made up their minds which way they would vote, and the polls up to this week had Biden just ahead.

However, the events of the past 48 hours have thrown everything up in the air. How piquantly ironic, then, if it turns out that contracting the virus he has so long ridiculed and was accused of calling a hoax, ends up helping Donald Trump secure his second term.
Bigg Boss 14 took off on Saturday amid dance and drama as Salman Khan welcomed 11 contestants into the house. Self-styled God-woman Radhe Maa was seen blessing the Bigg Boss house before the arrival of the contestants. Now, a new promo shows the spiritual guru having an interaction with the contestants.

The promo opens with a glimpse of the rejected contestants, who are seen walking out of a door. Finally Radhe Maa makes an appearance and is seen meeting the final contestants in the house. She sits on a golden throne and talks to them.

Sidharth Shukla seems to be the one to grab Radhe Maas special attention. She says, Jis bachche ke upar ma khush hoti hai, wo bacha bulandio ko chhota hai. He touches her feet and is blessed by her. The God-woman is also seeing dancing in the Bigg Boss house as the contestants cheer for her, Radhe Maa, Radhe Maa.

The promo also shows a glimpse of a fight in the Bigg Boss house as Jasmin Bhasin and Eijaz Khan are seen discussing the distribution of household chores among the contestants. Jasmin tells Nikki Tamboli that she cannot refuse the duty of washing utensils just because it can harm her nails. The former goes on to create a ruckus and is seen breaking down at the end of the promo. Nikki is also seen looking upset after the altercation.

Also read: Bigg Boss 14 complete list of contestants: Who stands rejected, who has entered Bigg Boss house

Radhe Maa was earlier seen in a blink-and-miss appearance in the promos. She appeared to be performing a puja in the Bigg Boss house.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
As part of efforts to mark this years Customers Care Week, Vodafone Ghana is offering customers free and unrestricted calls to Vodafone numbers all day on Sunday 4, October 2020.



This means that from 12am to 11:59pm on Sunday, customers will not be charged for calls made to Vodafone numbers.



The move by the telco is to show appreciation and celebrate all Vodafone customers for their loyalty and patronage.



Throughout the week, Vodafone will reward customers with exciting prizes across various touch points.



The Telco continues to demonstrate leadership in customer experience and has a host of innovative channels that are offering great value and convenience to customers.

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.

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Imperial Valley News Center

Proclamation on Fire Prevention Week, 2020

Washington, DC - During Fire Prevention Week, we are reminded to keep doing our part to prevent fires before they tragically claim lives and destroy homes, businesses, and natural resources. Every American can play a role in raising awareness about preventing fires and taking simple precautions to help prevent fire-related deaths and injuries. We also commend our Nations brave firefighters and emergency workers who risk their health and safety each day, and we solemnly remember those who gave their lives in service to protect Americans and our communities. This week, I encourage all Americans to take steps to prepare their family, property, and community on what to do before, during, and after a fire.

This year, courageous firefighters and other brave Americans have confronted one of the worst fire seasons in our history. We have seen more than 43,500 wildfires, lost more than 10,000 buildings, and 35 people have tragically died. In the Western States, more than 30,000 firefighters  the largest deployment in history  have battled these fires, risking their lives for their fellow Americans safety. My Administration is thankful for the assistance from our National Guard, Navy, Marine Corps, and international partners from Canada and Mexico to help end this devastation.

This tragic fire season is another reminder of the importance of effective forest management, which can play a big role in helping prevent forest fires. Proactive steps such as cleaning forest floors to remove flammable limbs and leaves can help reduce the risk of large fires and improve the health of our Nations forests. In 2020, I have approved more than 30 Stafford Act Declarations, including Fire Management Assistance Grants, to help multiple States stop fires, and we continue to encourage active forest management efforts throughout the country.

This year, we also give special recognition to the many American firefighters who joined the valiant efforts of our Australian allies in fighting bushfires that killed hundreds of people and countless animals and destroyed thousands of homes. Tragically, three Americans perished in this courageous effort. These heroes, all veterans of the United States Armed Forces, embodied the very best of the American spirit in their desire to help others, and we will always honor their memory.

Home fires are also a cause for significant concern. Cooking fires are one of the most common types of residential fires, and fires in the home can start easily if the right precautions are not taken. I recommend that Americans take active steps to protect themselves and their families at home, including by testing smoke alarms once a month and replacing them after 10 years, as recommended by the United States Fire Administration. Additionally, it is important to have a fire escape route in place so all are prepared for how to leave the home if a fire does occur. We can all do our part to prevent fires in and around our homes to protect the lives of our families and neighbors.

Throughout this Fire Prevention Week, we come together to recognize the threat posed by fire, honor the lives it claims each year, and recommit to preventing fires in our homes, businesses, and across this great Nations wildlands. I encourage all Americans to reduce fire deaths, injuries, and property loss through prudent preparation.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 4 through October 10, 2020, as Fire Prevention Week. On Sunday, October 4, 2020, in accordance with Public Law 10751, the flag of the United States will be flown at half-staff at all Federal office buildings in honor of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service. I call on all Americans to participate in this observance with appropriate programs and activities and by renewing their efforts to prevent fires and their tragic consequences.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this third day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.

DONALD J. TRUMP
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Ms. Wissert described racism in Germany as a mist. You cant really see it if you stand in it, but you experience it if you stand in it because it makes you hyper-visible and invisible at the same time, she said.

We Are Here

Though Germany doesnt maintain data on racial demographics because of the atrocities of the Nazi era, it does document where migrants arrive from. By that count, about one million of the countrys residents have roots in Africa, though the actual number is likely higher. Organizations that research Germanys colonial history have traced the presence of people from the African continent as far back as the early 1700s.

Black communities in Germany are so diverse, said Siraad Wiedenroth, 33, who sits on the board of the Initiative for Black People in Germany, in a phone interview. There are Black people here in the second, third and fourth generations. There are people who arrived 10 years ago via guest worker visas or to study, Black people here who sought refuge.

Artists have worked to bring visibility to Germanys nonwhite populations. Last year, working together with local youth, Ms. Wissert created a play in Bochum called 2069: The End of Others. Experiences with racism came up repeatedly through stories her teenage collaborators told about their lives. They know something is wrong, that theyre being treated differently, she said.

Rhea Ramjohn, 36, one of the founders of Black Brown Berlin, a digital platform that connects Black and brown people, said: The history of Black people in Europe and Germany is often a narrative that they were never here. We were never here. We just arrived here. We are all refugees.

The platform showcases Black-owned businesses and produces anti-discrimination events. One of its projects is a series of portraits of Black and brown people along with their interpretation of the phrase We Are Here.
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Ziggy's in St Andrews, where a pair of diners apparently tried to leave without paying - forgetting they'd handed over their details for NHS Test & Trace. (Google Maps)

A restaurant has outed two diners who tried to flee without paying  but had forgotten they had left their details behind for track and trace.

Ziggys in St. Andrews, Scotland, said the pair tried to leave without paying their bill but had already provided their details as per coronavirus regulations, meaning the restaurant could first call them to confront them and then contact police to report them.

Sharing the incident on Facebook, Ziggys described how the pair arrived on Monday 28 September without a reservation, and since there was space, staff had taken their details  as required for coronavirus contact-tracing procedures  and seated them.

They finished their meal and before we had the chance to clear their plates, one left with the kids leaving the other to pay!, the restaurant wrote on its Facebook page.

Ziggy's shared the incident on its Facebook page. (Facebook/Ziggy's)

Of course the Apple Pay didnt work, so she had to run to the car to get her bank card, the post continued.

Meanwhile the friend was already in the car trying to drive the wrong way out of Murray Place (a one-way road)!

The post described how the woman became embroiled in an argument with a Deliveroo driver who tried to tell her she was driving the wrong way, so he then took a picture of her registration place.

The restaurant also phoned the pair using the number the woman had left and ended up being given a load of abuse, it claimed in the post.

Ziggys said the picture of the car registration place, plus the womans name and number, had been passed on to police, adding: thank you track and trace, and said the pair had left a pair of childrens wellies in their haste to leave.

Maybe you can pay the bill when you come to collect them!, it added.

Police Scotland told The Sun it is pursuing a positive line of enquiry after receiving a report of a group leaving a premises in Murray Place without paying at around 7.15pm on Monday, 28 September.

Watch: People in England face 10,000 fines for not self-isolating

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Coronavirus: what happened today

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New Delhi: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said the Modi government is working tirelessly to ensure that there is a fair and equitable distribution of vaccines when they are ready.

"Our govt is working round the clock to ensure that there is a fair and equitable distribution of vaccines, once they are ready. Our utmost priority is how to ensure vaccine for each and everybody in the country," said Vardhan while interacting with social media users during Sunday Samvaad-4.

"There is a high-level expert body going into all aspects of vaccines. Our rough estimate and the target would be to receive and utilise 400 to 500 million doses covering approximately 25 crore people by July 2021," he said.

On the questions of prioritising the distribution of vaccines, Dr. Harsh Vardhan answered that the Health Ministry is currently preparing a format in which States will submit lists of priority population groups to receive vaccine, especially health workers engaged in the management of Covid-19. The list of frontline health workers will include both government as well as private sector doctors, nurses, paramedics, sanitary staff, ASHA workers, surveillance officers and many other occupational categories who are involved in tracing, testing and treatment of patients. This exercise is targeted to be completed by the end of this October and the states are being closely guided to also submit details about cold chain facilities and other related infrastructure which will be required down to the block level.

He said that there is a high-level committee under the chairmanship of Niti Aayog Member (Health) V.K. Paul which is drawing up the entire process. Vaccine procurement is being done centrally and each consignment will be tracked real time until delivery to ensure it reaches those who need it most. He added that these committees are working on understanding the timelines of availability of various vaccines in the country, obtaining commitments from vaccine manufacturers to make available maximum number of doses for India inventory and supply chain management and also on prioritisation of high-risk groups. This is work in progress which will be completed by the time the vaccines are ready to ensure the swift roll-out of the immunisation program, Vardhan added.

While tackling a question on the level playing field for various clinical trials, Dr Harsh Vardhan shared that all proposed clinical trials in India are designed using set principles and are stringently reviewed by the Subject Expert Committee set up by the Drug Controller General of India. Recently, the DCGI has also formulated draft guidelines on regulatory requirements for licensure of COVID-19 vaccines in India. On a question regarding Phase 3 Clinical Trial of Russias Sputnik-V" vaccine in India, Dr Harsh Vardhan clarified that the matter is still under consideration, and no decision has been taken as yet on the Phase 3 trials.

Stating that adverse events developing after vaccination are common, Dr Harsh Vardhan said that adverse events after vaccination include local reactions such as pain at the injection site, mild fever and redness, anxiety-related such as palpitations, syncope or fainting and that these events are transient, self-limiting and do not affect the protective response of the vaccine. In a related question, he detailed on the ethical concerns of human challenge experiments, India is not planning to venture into such trials until the method is proven to have an established benefit as per global experience. India has robust processes in place to ensure the vaccines that successfully complete the clinical trials are safe and effective against the novel coronavirus." When conducted, human challenge studies should be undertaken with abundant forethought, caution, and oversight. The value of the information to be gained should clearly justify the risks to human subjects."

Currently, two vaccine candidates, the indigenously developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with ICMR and the one developed by Zydus Cadila Ltd, are in phase 2 of human clinical trials.

The Pune-based Serum Institute of India, which has partnered with AstraZeneca for manufacturing the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine candidate, is also conducting phase 2 and 3 human clinical trials in India.

There is growing hope that a vaccine against coronavirus may be given the green light by health regulators by the end of this year to be rolled out for a vaccination programme in six months time or even less, according to a UK media report.

The vaccine candidate under trial by University of Oxford scientists in collaboration with pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca is the furthest in the process of trials and, according to a report in The Times, it could be given the required clearances by Christmas in December.

The Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy's Laboratories has applied to the Drugs Controller General of India for permission to conduct phase-3 human clinical trials of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V against COVID-19 in India, sources said.

The Indian pharma giant has collaborated with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to conduct clinical trials of Sputnik V as well as its distribution.

Upon regulatory approval in India, RDIF will supply to drugmaker Dr Reddy's 100 million doses of the vaccine, the firm said last month.

India's COVID-19 caseload went past 65 lakh, while the number of people who have recuperated from the disease crossed 55 lakh, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday.

The recovery rate stands at 84.13 per cent.

The total coronavirus cases mounted to 65,49,373 with 75,829 people testing positive for the infection in a day, while the death toll climbed to 1,01,782 with the virus claiming 940 lives in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.

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A Brazillian gay porn star who allegedly secretly filmed himself having sex with his lover before posting the footage to popular online platform OnlyFans without consent is fighting to have his guilty pleas withdrawn.

Fabricio Da Silva Claudino, 32, is out on bail, just months after he pleaded guilty to 'revenge porn' charges when he repeatedly shared intimate footage and images of his former Sydney boyfriend online.

OnlyFans is a popular website used by amateur porn stars and Instagram models who sell subscription access in return for raunchy images and videos.

The former Emirates flight attendant turned Insta-famous social media star was recently released on $5,000 bail on strict conditions.

He was forced to surrender his passport, cant approach international airports or his former partner, is banned from using social media and must report to Campbelltown Police daily, The Sunday Telegraph reported.

Fabricio Da Silva Claudino, 32, has been released on bail, months after pleading guilty to a string of revenge porn charges. He's planning to apply to have his guilty pleas withdrawn

Da Silva Claudino will apply to withdraw his guilty pleas to a string of revenge porn charges, including taking and distributing intimate images without consent and 15 counts of obscene exposure when he reappears in court in December.

The application to withdraw his guilty pleas may mean his former partner may be forced to give evidence again, just months he read out a harrowing four page victim statement in court.

'The guy I thought I knew turned out to be a complete stranger,' his former Australian partner told Central Local Court in July.

'My dignity was sold for 12 dollars and 99 cents'.

The pair met in Brazil last year and ended their relationship in Sydney after five months of dating.

The ex-boyfriend, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said the ordeal had hurt his career, his self-image, his psychology and his relationships with others.

Fabricio Da Silva Claudino (pictured) was an Instagram-famous social media star before his social media accounts. He's banned from using social media as part of his strict bail conditions

'I will never again feel like the person I was before,' the Da Silva's ex told the court.

He said he became a 'grown man afraid of the outside world' and a 'shell' of a person as a result of his humiliating ordeal and feared strangers would recognise him on the street.

Tattoos etched on his body he was once proud of now feel like branding 'like a filthy stain on my body', he told the court.

Da Silva Claudino was arrested last September, two months after he allegedly uploaded a graphic four-minute video and photos of his former partner to Only Fans.

Fabricio Da Silva Claudino was a flight attendant before he became famous on social media

Da Silva Claudino also previously pleaded guilty to public indecency charges over repeated public masturbation while he was out on bail.

He was allegedly seen exposing himself on the balcony of his Surry Hills apartment while in view of a high school and Prince Alfred Park.

Da Silva Claudino had been remanded in custody until he was released on bail last month.

A GoFundMe page set up by supporters to raise $8000 for Da Silva Claudinos legal fees earlier this year was taken down after it breached the websites terms and conditions.
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Linkedin Tri Indah Oktavianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, October 4, 2020 19:57 475 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4906058 1 National COVID-19,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,coronavirus,pandemic,Terawan,Terawan-Agus-Putranto,petition,fire,dismissal,Jokowi Free

A coalition of civil society groups, academics and social organizations has started an online petition urging President Joko Jokowi Widodo to fire Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto for his alleged incompetence in handling the worsening COVID-19 pandemic.

We think that Terawan Agus Putranto has failed to carry out his duties in handling the pandemic as health minister, the coalition wrote in a petition filed through change.org. Therefore, we demand that President Jokowi dismiss Terawan from his position as health minister and replace him with someone more competent.

The petition was started on Wednesday by the National Network on Domestic Worker Advocacy (Jala PRT), the head of students executive board of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN Jakarta) Sultan Rivandi, the head of the University of Indonesias Student Executive Body (BEM UI) Manik Marganamahendra, Irma Hidayana of LaporCOVID-19 (Report COVID-19) community and Supinah as a labor representative.

As of the time of writing, 5,772 people have signed the petition.

From the beginning, the minister has taken the pandemic lightly. He has not been serious in handling [the pandemic]. He is also unable to overcome issues such as protecting health workers and containing the spread of COVID-19, the petition said.

According to the World Health Organization, as of Sunday, Indonesia ranks 23rd among the countries with the highest rate of COVID-19 infections, with 299,506 cases, only second to the Philippines in Southeast Asia. Indonesia also has one of the highest death tolls in Asia, with more than 11,000 deaths.

In September, Amnesty International also listed Indonesia among the countries with the highest estimated numbers of health workers who have died from COVID-19.

Calls for Terawans removal have been made as early as March when another civil society coalition consisting of human rights watchdogs KontraS and Amnesty International Indonesia, among other groups, said he had an arrogant and antiscience attitude.
Recently I volunteered my skills as an archivist in my parish of St Marys Cathedral, conducting an inventory of the items in the sacristy.

One of the items I found was a very special gold monstrance; used for Eucharistic Adoration which is also called Benediction. The monstrance first interested me because it was Viennese, from the early 1900s and made by the same jewellers to Emperor Franz-Joseph of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

It puzzled me how a Viennese monstrance could have ended up in the sacristy of the Cathedral. However, my amazement was only starting. Fr Richard Scriven of St Marys produced a pamphlet about the history of the Cathedral written in the 1970s by a local historian Margaret Phelan.

In the pamphlet she explained some of the mystery. The monstrance was donated by the Irish wife of the Austrian Count von Musal-Mollenbruck. The Countess maiden name was Julia Molloy and hailed from Kilkenny.

However, I was stunned when I discovered where in Kilkenny - Galmoy! My grandparents lived in Galmoy, John and Sheila Harte. Having visited Galmoy often growing up, I was flabbergasted to learn that the tiny village produced a Countess!

Margaret Phelans pamphlet led me to the records of the Kilkenny People. On 17 June 1911 the Kilkenny People reported that on June 11 the administrator of St Marys Cathedral Rev James Doyle made a special announcement at the 11 oclock mass of a special donation from the Austrian Countess von Musal-Mollenbruck.

The donation included: a gold monstrance, gold chalice, gold ciborium, a set of lace altar cloths, a woven carpet for the sanctuary, a sculpted white marble bust of Jesus and an oil painted copy of Raphaels Madonna bought in Florence by the Countess.

Fr Doyle thanked the Count and Countess for their generous gifts and asked for the congregation to keep them in their prayers. He invited the congregation to view the gifts at the end of mass on display on the side altar to Our Lady in the Cathedral. So far of all the donated items the only one to be located is the monstrance.

While the article cleared up some questions, it led to more by saying that Julia had married the Count in St Marys Cathedral six or seven years ago.

Information about Julia Molloy is difficult to find. Her name is not on any census forms and proved elusive on baptismal records for Galmoy.

In the early 1900s there were two related Molloy families in Galmoy; one in the townland of Cooloultha and the other in Moneynamuck. Julias brother was William Bill Molloy. In the 1930s, the Irish Folklore Commission created an oral history of the country, when they visited Galmoy, the story of Bill Molloy was recorded.

Songs and Poetry

He was remembered as a postman who wrote songs and poetry, which were still sung in the village 20 years after he had emigrated. The account titled Local Poets from 1938 records that his sister was an Austrian Countess.

However, there is also little information about Bill Molloy as he left the village for some foreign country. Given that it records Molloy as leaving Galmoy around 1908, it is likely he received monetary assistance from his wealthy sister.

The Kilkenny People article recording Julia Molloys marriage stated that her cousin Katie acted as bridesmaid, meaning that it is almost certain Julia was one of the Cooloutha Molloys; making her parents Timothy and Hanora Molloy.

Timothy passed away in the early 1900s resulting in her uncle giving the bride away at the wedding. It is likely Julia emigrated to the United States in the late 1880s or early 1890s.

Given the age of her cousin Katie and reviewing records from Ellis Island it is possible Julia arrived in the United States in 1891 on the City of Chester ship aged 13, most likely being sent to a relative already in the United States.

The Kilkenny People, when covering the marriage, described Galmoy as a historic barony whose brave sons and fair daughters are fit to rank with the proudest chivalry of Europe, whose battle-fields, indeed, from Dunkirk to Belgrade were, in the days of the Irish Brigade, dyed with the blood of many of the Wild Geese from the fertile plains of Galmoy.

At the time of the donation the couple resided in the town of Baden outside Vienna but their romance began in California. After arriving in America, Julia ended up in a public department in a large city in California where she encountered the Count.

It is a mystery how the Austrian nobleman ended up in the United States but he may have been in the diplomatic corps or part of a trade delegation for the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Whatever way they met, a romance quickly developed between the Count and the colleen from Galmoy. In about 1902 they were engaged with his family offering no objections to him marrying a non-royal, called a morganatic marriage, or the request that the marriage take place near the home of the bride.

It should be noted that at this stage in the Austro-Hungarian Empire it was not unheard for royalty marrying non-royals. Famously, the heir to the throne Archduke Franz Ferdinand caused scandal in the Austrian Habsburg court in 1900 by marrying his true love Sophie, a minor royal, much to the annoyance of his family. However, in the case of von Musal-Mollenbruck his family seemed happy with the marriage.



Although the Counts parents were not able to attend the wedding, the Kilkenny People stated that a splendid residence, on the shores of the Mediterranean, has been placed at the disposal of the happy couple.

It went on to report that the presents in jewellery which the bride has received are supposed to represent an amount which can only be reckoned in thousands.

The Kilkenny People reported on the marriage which took place on December 6, 1904 in the Cathedral whose sanctuary presented a bright appearance due to a wealth of floral decoration. As the marriage took place during Advent, a nuptial mass could not be celebrated so the ceremony took place before 8am mass.

The glamourous wedding attracted a large crowd to the Cathedral eager to see the romantic couple and later joined them to witness the ceremony.

As the Count entered the Cathedral the Austrian national anthem was played by the longtime Cathedral organist Miss Donegan. Donegan played a number of selections for the ceremony including Schuberts Andanta Con Moto.

The ceremony was performed by Rev Patrick Treacy, Adm of St Johns, with Rev James Doyle, Adm of St Marys. Rev J Heneberry, Chaplain of Kilkenny Workhouse, acted as best man in the unavoidable absence of Master Molloy, a cousin of the bride.

Oddly there is no mention of Bill Molloy, which could suggest that he had already emigrated from Ireland.

Julia was plainly but tastefully attired with her cousin Katie Molloy acting as bridesmaid. Julia was given away by her uncle, possibly the patriarch of the Moneynamuck Molloys: John Molloy.

As the bridal party left the Cathedral, Miss Donegan played Mendelssohns Wedding March. After the ceremony, the newly married couple remained for the celebration of mass.

After mass, the wedding party travelled to the Imperial Hotel on the Parade, where now stands KBC Bank, for a sumptuous wedding breakfastamid surroundings which lost nothing in point of artistic elegance and taste.

That evening, the Count and Countess left on the Dublin mail train on their way to a honeymoon in Europe before returning to America.

Lavish DOnation

Seven years later, after spending many years in California, Countess Julia made her lavish donation to the Cathedral.

As the Kilkenny People wrote this noble Irish lady, although well-endowed with the worlds goods and living in affluent circumstances, never forgot the country from which, she sprang or the Church of which she was a faithful member.

Sadly, the rest of the story is a mystery as there is no information about what happened to the happy couple. However, this enjoyable research proves that there are gems waiting to be discovered in archives across the country and that above all, that Ireland is a village as small as Galmoy!
Come what may, nothing can ever put a stop to the endless demands of Indians while looking for a perfect match. And the matrimonial space of your morning newspapers is apt example of the incredulous and unusual needs of men in their to-be-partners.

Barring the everyday stereotypical demands of a patriarchal society in their women, a Bengali lawyer from the upper-caste society, has something else to look out for and we are not sure how much of it can be offered in an era of social dilemma.

One unique marriage advertisement by this certain Chatterjee reads, that the bride has to be a fair, beautiful, tall, slim, ride. Well thats just another day-to-day demand of a sanskari society but what has happened to grab the ye-ball of netizens is: Bride must not be addicted in social media (sic)".

Not sure how much was that too much.

The snippet of the advertisement was shared by IAS officer Nitin Sangwan who said, Prospective brides/grooms please pay attention. Match making criteria are changing "

Prospective brides/grooms please pay attention.Match making criteria are changing  pic.twitter.com/AJZ78ARrHZ  Nitin Sangwan, IAS (@nitinsangwan) October 3, 2020

The tweet went viral leaving netizens in splits. While many thought it makes a lot of sense standing in the contemporary time, but for most it was a good joke to laugh at!

He will remain unmarried forever  muskan (@Muhahahahaaaaaa) October 3, 2020

Hahahahahaha Unbelievable. Devlok main he milege phir to Sunny Talashi (@TalashiSunny) October 3, 2020

Recruitment process ka sabse tough criteria  Abhishek Gourav (@abhishekgourav1) October 3, 2020

I think it is very hard to find then overandoutorg (@overandoutorg) October 3, 2020

Ye unmarried he marega Himanshu Tomar (@himtom00) October 3, 2020

Chatterjee won't get married according to this criteria vishal Baliyan (@vishalbaliyan08) October 3, 2020

A viral matrimonial advertisement, jam packed with sexism, elitism, casteism and so-called nationalist" sentiments, has caused social media to explode with anger owing to the superficial and shallow demands made by those who put it out.

The ad, which has evidently been published in a newspaper, is for a certain Dr. Abhinao Kumar, BDS. While he has a long list of characteristics ready for his wife-to-be, he is himself unemployed. But that didnt stop him from looking for a wife who is an Indian Hindu Brahmin girl working from Jharkhand or Bihar." Thats not all. Apart from the usual demands of a fair and beautiful bride, the woman in question also has to be an expert in raising a child.
Sandra Bullock masked up this weekend as she arrived at the Vancouver set of her upcoming Netflix movie.

The film does not currently have a title but is adapted from the British mini-series Unforgiven created by Sally Wainwright.

In order to comport with coronavirus safety protocols Sandra, 56, made sure to take the precaution of wearing a mask.

Workday: Sandra Bullock masked up this weekend as she arrived at the Vancouver set of her upcoming Netflix movie

She was in a pair of skintight faded jeans, brown leather boots and a thick pale anorak - the same costume she was seen filming in earlier this week.

When she was glimpsed on set this Saturday she could briefly be spotted in an SUV appearing to rub sanitizer on her hands.

The Oscar winner stars as Ruth Jones, an ex convict struggling to life out of prison after doing time for a double-cop-killing.

Continuity: She was in a pair of skintight faded jeans, brown leather boots and a thick pale anorak - the same costume she was seen filming in earlier this week

Suranne Jones played Ruth in the original UK series amid a cast including Downton Abbey alum Siobhan Finneran and Michael Redgrave's granddaughter Jemma.

Sandra's version was penned by The Usual Suspects writer Christopher McQuarrie who is known for his collaborations with Tom Cruise.

The director is German filmmaker Nora Fingscheidt who is making her first foray into American cinema with the Netflix feature.

Doing her bit: When she was glimpsed on set this Saturday she could briefly be spotted in an SUV appearing to rub sanitizer on her hands

In addition to starring in the new movie Sandra is also one of the producers along with Graham King of Bohemian Rhapsody.

Her co-stars in the upcoming feature include her fellow Oscar-winner Viola Davis as well as Jurassic World star Vincent D'Onofrio.

Sandra's last release was the 2018 Netflix thriller Bird Box which became an instant sensation and on which she was also a producer.
El presidente @MartinVizcarraC participa en la misa por la Nacion y el Senor de los Milagros que oficia el arzobispo de Lima, Monsenor Carlos Castillo.

En vivo: https://t.co/1IKKEU2XOY pic.twitter.com/fNIcn1zP1D
Two days later, I traveled home to Maine and reviewed my medical records online. I recognized the severity and complexity of my problem and went to my hospital, was admitted and underwent urgent spine surgery and long-term intravenous antibiotics. Left untreated, these abnormalities might well have caused a catastrophe: I could have become quadriplegic, unable to move my arms and legs or even breathe on my own. My response to the ED visit cannot be expected of the average patient, who would have been in deep trouble.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's plans after Megxit are still not entirely disclosed to the public. One matter being speculated upon is whether the Duke of Sussex will obtain American citizenship despite his past misdemeanors.

This question hovered over the public's minds nowadays after Prince Harry's remarks on the United States presidential election were made.

Appearance for 'Time' Magazine

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have caused more controversy this week after an appearance for "Time" magazine from their California home.

They voiced out their support for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in a surprise joint speech.

US Immigration Lawyers' Advisory

According to US immigration lawyers, the duke would not automatically be granted American citizenship through his American spouse. Should the former royal pair seek to settle in the US, the duchess could petition American immigration services for a green card as an immediate relative of an American citizen.

According to US immigration attorney Karin Wolman, "She could sponsor him as a spouse. But it's not instantaneous, there's no such thing as automatic, and citizenship happens later," reported The Guardian.

Experts have remarked that there is no reason for the prince to not apply for US citizenship. But this would necessitate him to renounce his other titles and put the weight of taxation on his shoulders.

Life in America

Markle particularly has been eager to speak out on injustice with a renewed passion for US politics. The Sussexes have been working on numerous projects and have been voicing out their opinions regarding US politics which is something royals are not acknowledged to be doing. Also, Prince Harry has reportedly made past misdemeanors.

Also Read: Prince Charles Will Allegedly Remove Senior Royal Family Members in Bid to Save Monarchy

Prince Harry is not closing his doors to taking up American citizenship by saying he would not be eligible to vote in November's election. He stated, "This election, I'm not going to be able to vote here in the US," reported Daily Mail.

He persuaded US voters to "reject hate speech, misinformation and online negativity," reported The Sun.

The couple was featured in Time 100, the magazine's annual list of the world's 100 most influential people in a video clip broadcast. He added, "But many of you may not know that I haven't been able to vote in the UK my entire life."

Viewers quickly picked up on the prince's use of the word "his," alluding that he may be preparing himself to vote in the 2024 election.

Prince Harry and Markle's message has resulted in denouncement among royal fans, also taking into consideration the prince's past misdemeanors. The law does not directly deny royals to vote but the tradition indicates that they will remain apolitical and not participate in elections.

According to the US constitution's article I, clause 8: "No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States: and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state," reported Geo News.

Related Article: Trump Calls for US Election Pre-Debate Drug Test for Opponent Biden

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned China that the European Union will start limiting access for Chinese companies if Beijing doesn't move to provide greater reciprocity to the bloc. Merkel's comment came during the recently concluded EU summit in Brussels, where the European leader said that the EU expects the same kind of access for its companies in China as the Chinese companies enjoy in the single market.

Read: Germany Marks 30 Years Of Reunification, Merkel Calls For 'quieter' Celebrations

"If there is no market access from the Chinese side for certain areas, this will of course also be reflected in the fact that market access to the European market will be narrower," Merkel was quoted as saying by the South China Morning Post after the two-day summit concluded in Brussels. Before the start of the EU summit, Merkel had slammed China in the German parliament for gross human rights violations in Hong Kong and undermining of rights of the minorities in the country.

Read: Merkel Says EU Sanction On Belarus 'important Signal' For Those Who Hinder Democracy

According to the South China Morning Post, the EU also formally agreed to restrict "high risk" companies from building 5G technology, a move that will cause trouble for Chinese telecom giant Huawei. The move will also bring joy to the United States, which was lobbying for the past several months to convince its NATO allies and other countries to ban Huawei from developing 5G technology in their respective countries, calling it a security risk for all.

Read: Merkel, Putin, WHO React To News That Trump Has COVID

Meeting to discuss China

According to the report, Merkel will chair a meeting in November this year to discuss China with all 27 members of the European Union. The meeting will particularly discuss the trade barriers put in place by China for EU businesses. The meeting is scheduled because the EU members did not get enough time to discuss China during the latest summit as they were busy talking about regional tensions, including Greece and Turkey.

Read: Ahead Of EU Summit, Merkel Slams China For 'horrible Human Rights Violation' In Hong Kong

(Image Credit: AP)
Addressing farmers in Punjab, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said the Congress will not let farmers interest to get hurt by the new farm laws. Launching the partys three-day Kheti Bachao Yatra protesting the laws which now have got the Presidents assent, the Congress leader said, If farmers are happy with these laws then why are they protesting across the nation? Why is every farmer in Punjab protesting?

What was the need to implement these laws amid Covid-19? What was the haste? If you had to implement, you should have discussed in Lok Sabha-Rajya Sabha. PM says laws are being framed for farmers. If its the case, why didnt you discuss openly in the House? Rahul Gandhi said.

Assuring the farmers that the laws will be scrapped the day the Congress comes to power in Centre, Rahul said, I give you guarantee that the day Congress party come to the power, we will scrap these three black laws and throw them in waste paper basket.

Three farm laws  The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Service Act, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020  have been passed by Parliament amid protests from the opposition parties. Farmers have taken to the streets across the nation protesting the laws.Rahul Gandhi was not present in Parliament during the farm law debates, which saw ruckus in the House.

Apart from extending support to farmers protests, the party has already explored ways of stalling the implementation of the laws in state level. Congress president Sonia Gandhi urged Congress-ruled stated to pass legislations to negate the laws. Following this, the Maharashtra government has withdrawn its August order to implement new farm laws in the state.

Talking about the Hathras gang-rape incident, the Congress leader said, I was in UP where a daughter was killed. No action taken against those who killed her. Family whose daughter was killed is locked up in their house. The district magistrate and the chief minister threatened them. Such is the situation in India. Nothing happens to criminal but action is taken against victim.
Schitt's Creek documentary comes weeks after Season six went out with a bang, sweeping the comedy categories at the 2020 Emmy Awards,

A behind-the-scenes documentary of the final season of Schitts Creek has arrived on Netflix. The series star and co-creator Dan Levy tweeted the news on Saturday.

Both the final season and the Best Wishes, Warmest Regards doc, which first aired on Pop following the series finale, were scheduled to begin streaming on the platform next week in the US.

An early press release says that the documentary goes into "wardrobe fittings, the emotional final table read, audition tapes, and more."

Check out the announcement here

Surprise! Season 6 & the Best Wishes, Warmest Regards documentary just dropped early on @netflix @Netflix_CA! Have a great weekend!  pic.twitter.com/QJZ8CWhyqH  dan levy (@danjlevy) October 3, 2020

Featuring interviews with series creators Dan and Eugene Levy, and their fellow cast members Catherine O'Hara, Annie Murphy, Emily Hampshire, Noah Reid, and Dustin Milligan, the doc offered viewers a rare look inside the making of the hit comedy show.

The streaming debut comes weeks after Season six went out with a bang, sweeping the comedy categories at the 2020 Emmy Awards, taking home all four acting trophies as well as those for directing, writing and Outstanding Comedy Series. No other comedy series has achieved a similar sweep at the Emmys.

Amy Segal, who produced a web series for Schitt's Creek, directs Best Wishes, Warmest Regards, which was commissioned by CBC. She also executive produces with Dan and Eugene Levy.

Schitts Creek, which debuted in 2015, was created by father-son duo Dan and Eugene Levy and aired its final season earlier this year. It follows the formerly wealthy Rose family who is forced to relocate to Schitts Creek, a small town they once purchased as a joke.
Megan Thee Stallion marked her solo debut as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live by delivering a politically-charged message to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron.

The 25-year-old rapper called out Cameron over his handling of the case of Breonna Taylor, a black woman killed by police in March in a no-knock warrant on her apartment.

Megan compared Cameron to 'the sell out negros that sold our people into slavery' before diving into a speech about the 'need to protect our black women'.

Scroll down for video

Megan Thee Stallion marked her solo debut as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live by delivering a politically-charged message to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron

During her first musical slot on the show, Megan, dressed in a black-and-white body suit, lined up a video message as her summer smash 'Savage' began.

'The color of your hair, the color of your skin, the shape of your nose,' the video began.

'Who taught you to hate yourself from the top of your head to the soles of you feet,' the video said, quoting from a Malcolm X speech.

'Daniel Cameron is no different from the sell out negros that sold our people into slavery,' it continued.

The quote came from Women's March co-founder Tamika Mallory, who made the remarks last month.

The 'WAP' star then launched into her own speech.

'We need to protect our black women and love our black women because at the end of the day, we need our black women,' she said.

'We need to protect our black men and stand up for our black men because at the end of the day, we're tired of seeing hashtags of our black men.'

The monologue was interrupted by the sound of gunshots, calling out the fatal shooting of Taylor in her own home on March 13 and possibly referencing Megan herself being shot in the foot after an argument with a friend during the summer.

It was the 'WAP' rapper's debut as the show's musical act on Saturday night

Megan the Stallion also said that 'we need to protect black men' in her speech

Cameron, pictured, was widely criticized for his handling of the Breonna Taylor case

Cameron was widely criticized for his handling of the Taylor case which saw only one cop involved in her death charged with wanton endangerment for the bullets that went into the wall of her neighbor's home.

No cops were charged with Breonna Taylor's death. Pictured, the 26-year-old EMT

None of the officers were charged with her death.

Cameron, a Republican and the state's first black AG, has acknowledged that he did not recommend homicide charges for the officers involved, adding that the grand jury had the responsibility to bring additional charges if it believed they were warranted.

The Kentucky governor, Louisville's mayor and even a member of the grand jury itself called for the proceedings to be released, increasing the pressure on Cameron, whom President Donald Trump has praised as a rising star in the party.

Cameron was branded as a 'race traitor', 'scum' and a 'sell-out', with detractors accusing him of siding with the white cops instead of the black victim.

On Friday 20 hours of the proceedings were made public.

A court ruled that the content of the proceedings, typically kept secret, should be released.

Fans praised Megan on social media after her performance.

'I need that Protect Black Women graphic,' one Twitter user named Tammi wrote.

'I see @theestallion with the #ProtectBlackWomen message,' said Atlantic writer Jemele Hill.

One user said that the rapper was 'giving me chills right now with this performance' as another called her 'amazing'.

'Megan thee Stallion is hosting a protest will performing Savage on SNL,' said Twitter account Kefus Falls III.

Fans praised Megan Thee Stallion for her performance and her speech

'Megan Thee Stallion used the first performance of the night on SNL to advocate for the protection of Black women, calling out Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who handled the Breonna Taylor case,' added NBC Reporter Kalhan.

Season 46 of the hit Saturday night show return this week with Chris Rock as host.

It began with a parody on the first presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden involving Alec Baldwin and Jim Carrey.

Megan performed her new song 'Bottom of the Face' later in the show.
The New York Times-Siena College poll published on Saturday found that Biden was Trump in Pennsylvania by 7 percentage points, garnering 49 per cent support, compared to the President's 42 per cent, reports The Hill news website.

Washington, Oct 4 (IANS) A new poll has revealed that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden was leading US President Donald Trump by sizable margins in the the two key swing states of Florida and Pennsylvania, following the first fiery debate between the the two rivals on September 29.

In Florida, the former Vice President was leading by a slightly smaller margin, 47 per cent to Trump's 42 per cent.

The races in the two states, both of which Trump won narrowly in the 2016 election, had been particularly close before the debate, although an ABC-Washington Post poll released on the day of the showdown placed Biden ahead by 9 percentage points in Pennsylvania.

Last week, RealClearPolitics reported that Biden had a 1.3-point lead in Florida, down from 8.4 percentage points in July.

Also the Times-Siena College poll found that only 21 per cent of likely voters in Florida and Pennsylvania said Trump won the debate, with 65 per cent disapproving of the President's conduct.

An additional 48 per cent said they "support Trump less after" the debate.

Meanwhile, a Hill-HarrisX poll conducted after the debate but before Trump announced he had tested positive for the coronavirus, found Biden leading nationally by 7 percentage points, a 2-point increase from the last poll conducted September 19-21.

The swing states are Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

--IANS

ksk/
Police officers escort men into a police van following a demonstration in Hong Kong on Oct. 1, 2020. (May James/AFP via Getty Images)

State Department Criticizes Hong Kong Government for Latest Mass Arrests of Protesters

The U.S. State Department condemned the latest mass arrests in Hong Kong after local police broke up protests on Oct. 1, the date that marks the 71st anniversary of the Chinese Communist Partys takeover of China.

We are outraged at the Hong Kong governments arbitrary arrest of more than 80 people on October 1, said State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus in a statement published on Oct. 3.

She added: By repressing peaceful public opinion, the Hong Kong government once again shows its complicity with the Chinese Communist Partys evisceration of Hong Kongs autonomy and freedoms of its people.

On Thursday, protesters defied a police ban and hit the streets to voice their longstanding demands including universal suffrage, as well as opposition to Beijings imposition of a national security law, which punishes vaguely-defined crimes such as secession with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Hong Kong police said in a statement on late Thursday night that least 86 people were arrested across the city, on charges such as taking part in unauthorized assemblies, possessing offensive weapons, and other allegations. Among those arrests were four district councillors. All have since been released on bail.

Mozam Chan, one of the four arrested, took to his Facebook page to recall his experience with police that day. He wrote that he was passing through an area of Causeway Bay after having a meal and was about to visit the relative of an arrested person in another part of the city. Suddenly, riot police approached and stopped him. The police searched him and accused him of participating in an unauthorized assembly.

Another district councilor, Fergus Leung, shared his opinion of Chinas National Day on his Facebook account just several hours before his arrest. He wrote that Beijings oppression against Hong Kong has been nonstop in the past 23 years, and he would never celebrate for an authoritarian regime whose hands are tainted with the blood of Hongkongers.

Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Chinese rule in 1997, with Beijing promising to retain the citys autonomy and freedoms for 50 years under the model of one country, two systems. However, international critics and locals have said that the national security law has spelled the end for the citys autonomy.

Hong Kong has been rocked by tumultuous protests against Beijing since millions took to the streets in June 2019 to oppose a since-scrapped extradition bill. According to Hong Kong police data, 10,022 people have been arrested from the site of protests from June 9 last year to Sept. 15 this year.

The State Department said police arrests of protesters were using law enforcement for political purposes, which is contrary to the preservation of the rule of law, and respect for human rights, including the rights to assembly and free expression, Ortagus said in her statement.

She concluded: These arrests again underscore Beijings complete dismantlement of One Country Two Systems that the PRC [Pepoles Republic of China] promised to uphold.

Also on Thursday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed unanimously the Hong Kong Peoples Freedom and Choice Act of 2020 (H.R.8428), which would provide temporary refuge to Hongkongers already in the United States who fear persecution if they return to Hong Kong.

The bill was introduced by Reps. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) days earlier, and is an updated version of a bill (H.R.7428) introduced in June.

The bill would also call for the expedited processing of refugee applications for Hongkongers fleeing the city, and the U.S. administration would work with ally countries to coordinate efforts to provide refuge to Hongkongers fleeing persecution.
Californias wildfires have burned through more than 4 million acres this yearalready far surpassing the previous annual record set two years ago in which wildfires covered less than 2 million acres.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire said in a statement Sunday that more than 8,200 wildfiresof which 23 major incidents are currently activehave led to 31 deaths and the destruction of more than 8,400 structures in 2020.

The 4 million mark is unfathomable. It boggles the mind, and it takes your breath away, Scott McLean, a spokesman for Cal Fire, told the Associated Press.

Just on Saturday alone, firefighters fought and fully contained 27 new wildfires. Although temperatures are expected to stay warm statewide Sunday, a cooling trend is expected to begin slowly, decreasing temperatures slightly each day, Cal Fire said.
After contradictory reports regarding US President Donald Trump's health emerged leading to speculation, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on October 4 said that Trump's condition on October 2 was worse than what was officially revealed.

Meadows, while speaking to news channel Fox News, said doctors had recommended that Trump should go to the hospital since he had a fever and his blood oxygen level dropped rapidly, news agency Reuters reported.

"I can tell you this the biggest thing we see is with no fever now, and with him doing really well with his oxygen saturation levels," Meadows told Fox News.

Also Read: Here's what we know so far about US President Donald Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis

"Yesterday morning we were really concerned by that. He had a fever, and his oxygen level had dropped rapidly. Yet in typical style, this president was up and walking around," he added.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

Earlier in the day, Trump had said in a video on Twitter that he is "starting to feel good" and will be back soon. However, White House physician Sean Conley has said the president is "not yet out of the woods".

The Trump administration has consistently been less than transparent about the president's health as the virus spread inside the White House.

Even the sunnier briefing by Sean Conley and other doctors at Walter Reed Medical Center on October 3 raised more questions than it answered, including about whether the president has ever required supplemental oxygen and exactly when he fell ill.
Queensland Police End Probe For Elderly Womans Identity

The hunt to find out the identity of a frail, elderly woman found by the side of the road on Queenslands Sunshine Coast has ended.

The woman, believed to be in her 80s, was picked up by a driver in Mooloolah Valley on Sept. 6 and dropped outside Nambour Hospital.

Her identity remained a mystery for weeks, with police initially unable to ask the woman who she was because she was suffering a challenging health situation.

Police said on Sunday the woman recently began talking and declined to disclose her identity for personal reasons.

As no criminality has been detected, police have ceased involvement in this matter and the woman will be left in the care of Queensland Health, a police spokesperson said.

Investigators issued a number of alerts in a bid to reunite the woman with her family after she was found, saying the situation was unique and almost like a reverse missing persons case.

She started talking with people after she was transferred to Sunshine Coast University Hospital and her health improved.

By Aaron Bunch
MIAMI - As the summer coronavirus spike in Sunbelt states subsides, Florida has gone the furthest in lifting restrictions, especially on restaurants where the burden of ensuring safety has shifted to business owners and residents  raising concerns of a resurgence.

In his drive to return the state to normalcy, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis lifted limits on indoor seating at restaurants, saying they can operate at 100% in municipalities with no restrictions and that other local governments cant restrict indoor seating by more than 50%.

In some of Floridas touristy neighbourhoods, patrons have since been flocking to bars and restaurants, filling terraces, defying mask orders  drawing mixed reactions from business owners and other customers.

Were generally concerned that were going to find ourselves on the other side of an inverted curve and erasing all the progress weve made, said Albert Garcia, chairman of the Wynwood Business improvement district, which represents 50 blocks of restaurants and bars in Miamis trendy arts district.

Other Sunbelt states that have been COVID-19 hot spots over the summer havent gone as far. In Texas, bars have been closed since June under Republican Gov. Greg Abbotts orders, and restaurants can hold up to 75% of their capacity, while face covers are required throughout the state. And in Arizona, restaurants and bars must run at half-capacity.

Though Floridas governor generally wears a mask when arriving at public appearances and has allowed municipalities to impose mask rules, he has declined to impose a statewide mandate. And on Sept. 25, as the state entered a Phase 3 reopening, he barred municipalities from collecting fines for mask violations.

DeSantis says contact tracing has not shown restaurants to be substantial sources of spread.

I am confident that these restaurants want to have safe environments, he said earlier this week. And Im also confident that as a consumer, if you dont go and you dont think theyre taking precautions, then obviously youre going to take your business elsewhere.

Craig OKeefe, managing partner for Johnnie Browns and Lionfish in Delray Beach, said theyre now accommodating as many people as they did before the pandemic began and hes hired eight people in the past few days. Demand surged last weekend.

It was like someone turned the light on, OKeefe said. It was great to see people out smiling, having fun getting to see each other. Its been a really nice thing to get people back to work.

Shutdowns and restrictions have battered Floridas economy, leaving hundreds of thousands unemployed in the tourist-dependent state.

Earlier this week, The Walt Disney Co. announced it would lay off 28,000 workers in its theme parks division even after the Florida parks were allowed to reopen this summer.

Florida has had more than 14,500 deaths from the pandemic, ranking 12th per capita among states. Its outbreak peaked in the summer, seeing as many as 12,000-15,000 cases added per day. New cases, positivity rates, hospitalizations and deaths have been on a downward trend for several weeks. Still, the state has added 2,000 to 3,000 cases per day over the past couple of weeks.

Dr. Peter Hotez, an infectious disease specialist at the Baylor College of Medicine and co-director of Texas Childrens Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, said that loosening restrictions in Florida is a mistake that could increase community transmission at a time when teachers are being summoned back to school.

It really sends the message either implicitly or explicitly that its OK. Its back to normal now, and its not the case. We are still in a very serious situation, Dr. Hotez told members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus this week.

In South Florida, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said Friday that he was concerned over a slight uptick in county hospitalizations in recent days and warned people not to let their guard down, using President Donald Trumps COVID-19 diagnosis as an example that the virus is highly contagious.

Gimenez has been consulting with attorneys and staff on what rules local governments could continue to enforce without violating new state orders. The county plans to limit many restaurants to 50% indoor capacity and continue requiring masks in public.

An 11 p.m. curfew is keeping a lid on nightlife, and the county even restricts loud music at venues so people dont have to shout, which is believed to spread the virus more easily.

I think theres a lot of confusion because people thought that was it  everything is open, Gimenez told reporters. We are still not out of the woods.

Omer Horev co-owns Pura Vida, a Miami chain of coffee shops with locations in iconic South Beach, the Design District near downtown and at the University of Miami. Horev said he isnt relaxing any rules at his businesses. Store managers told him some customers have been defying their mask rules after DeSantis new order and he hasnt seen any local enforcement in the past week.

We are in this gray area where you dont know what is enforced, he said. I feel safe; I am OK with it, as long as restaurant operators such as us and others do the right thing in keeping the employees and guests safe.

In Tallahassee, Denise Barber, a 65-year-old retired state worker, used to dine out almost every day before the pandemic. Shes now comfortable dining out again, but only at places being more cautious than required. Shell check a restaurants Facebook page or call them to verify their rules.

I want to go out to eat more. I can still do it, but Im going to have to do a lot of research to find a place, she said.

___

Kelli Kennedy reported from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
There was pandemonium in the Ondo State capital, Akure, on Sunday morning when supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and those of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) clashed again ahead of the October 10 governorship poll.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered many have been injured in the bloody attack that was said to be a reprisal of the killing of an APC member in Oba Nla area of Akure on Saturday night.

Due to heavy shooting along Oba Adeshida road in Akure, motorists have stopped plying the road for safety. The fight, according to residents, has also spread to Erakhale area of the capital.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that various vehicles belonging to the APC and PDP have also been vandalised in the process.

The clash is coming just five days to the governorship election in the state.

The police spokesperson in the state, Tee-Leo Ikoro, told our correspondent that police officers are on their way to the scene of the violence.

This newspaper had reported a series of violent clashes in the state ahead of the election.

Some civil society organizations have also warned that the election may be marred with violence.

Details soon
News

Phoenix, Arizona - Attorney General Mark Brnovich Wednesday announced that Anthem, Inc. has agreed to pay Arizona over $280,000 to resolve allegations stemming from a 2014 data breach that involved the personal information of 78.8 million Americans.

The settlement with the Arizona Attorney Generals Office (AGO) is part of a $39.5 million settlement with 43 total states and the District of Columbia. In addition to the payment, Anthem has also agreed to a series of data security and good governance provisions designed to strengthen its practices going forward.

In February 2015, Anthem disclosed that cyber attackers had infiltrated its systems beginning in February 2014, using malware installed through a phishing email. The attackers were ultimately able to access Anthems data warehouse, where they harvested names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, healthcare identification numbers, home addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and employment information for 78.8 million Americans. In Arizona, over 400,000 residents were affected by the breach.

"If a business or a government agency can't meet their obligations to prevent a data breach or to adequately protect consumers after a breach, they need to be held accountable, said Attorney General Brnovich. Attorneys General are working together to use all available laws to ensure companies take the protection of consumer data seriously.

Under the settlement, Anthem has agreed to a series of provisions designed to strengthen its security practices going forward. Those include

Prohibition against misrepresentations regarding the extent to which Anthem protects the privacy and security of personal information;

Implementation of a comprehensive information security program, incorporating principles of zero trust architecture, and including regular security reporting to the Board of Directors and prompt notice of significant security events to the CEO;

Specific security requirements with respect to segmentation, logging and monitoring, anti-virus maintenance, access controls and two factor authentication, encryption, risk assessments, penetration testing, and employee training, among other requirements, and;

Third-party security assessments and audits for three years, as well as a requirement that Anthem make its risk assessments available to a third-party assessor during that term.

Anthem previously offered two years of credit monitoring to all affected U.S. individuals.

The $280,000 to Arizona will be used to investigate and pursue other consumer fraud related actions by the AGO, including other data breach investigations.

In addition to this settlement, Anthem previously entered into a class action settlement that established a $115 million settlement fund to pay for additional credit monitoring, cash payments of up to $50, and reimbursement for out-of-pocket losses for affected consumers. The deadlines for consumers to submit claims under that settlement have since passed.

In 2018, Attorney General Brnovich worked with the legislature to strengthen Arizona's data breach consumer protection laws. HB2154 bolstered protections and added notification requirements for victims of a data breach, including:

Expanding the definition of protected personal information to include online account credentials, as well as an individuals name in combination with health insurance or other medical information, passport or taxpayer-identification numbers, or certain biometric data;

Requiring that notice to individuals affected by a breach be provided within 45 days after determining that a breach has occurred (whereas existing law provided no definitive deadline);

Clarifying the necessary content and available delivery methods for notifications to consumers;

Requiring notification to the three largest consumer reporting agencies for any breach involving more than 1,000 individuals;

Increasing the maximum civil penalty for a knowing or willful violation of the statute from $10,000 per breach to $500,000 per breach; and

Clearly explaining the Attorney Generals powers in connection with the investigation and enforcement of data-breach matters.

Other AGO cases regarding data breaches:

$18.5 Settlement with Target after Data Breach

First-Ever Settlement in HIPAA Data Breach Lawsuit

$148 Million Settlement With Uber Over Data Breach

$10 Million Settlement Premera Blue Cross Data Breach

$1.5 Data Breach Settlement With Neiman Marcus

$5.5 Million Settlement with Nationwide Insurance

$600 Million Equifax Settlement

Arizona was joined in the case and settlement by the Attorneys General of Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Youre likely to have heard how many problems the Model Y has, the newest nameplate in the lineup. But on this occasion, well talk about multiple wishbone failures for the Model S, the range-topping sedan in the automakers range.A horror experience on the German Autobahn, is how SwissTeslaDriver begins his account. On his way from Stuttgart to Zurich, the car suddenly pops very loudly while braking from 200 km/h (124 mph). In addition to clouds of smoke in the rearview mirror, the owner also notices that the Model S pulls to the right before the steering locks because one of the wishbones gave up the ghost. Make no mistake about it, thats the very definition of a scary situation, but theres something even scarier that needs to be highlighted.When I asked Tesla over the phone whether this was normal, the Zurich-based dealership told the 90D owner that it could be normal wear and tear. For a vehicle with 80,000 kilometers (49,710 miles) on the odometer  most of them covered on perfect German and Swiss roads  thats a completely unacceptable answer.Similarly unacceptable, Tesla refused to cover the damages under warranty because it had expired in April 2020. If youre curious how much the Zurich dealer is asking for repairs, make that 7,569 francs or $8,225 at the current exchange rates.SwissTeslaDriver isnt alone, though. On the same thread of tff-forum.de , Model S 60D owner Amuthep reports that his wishbone also broke this week with 86,000 kilometers on the clock. I hit the left in Worms on 16.09.2020 while reversing on a normal road and it sounded metallic as if something had cracked, he reports.A day later during a heavy braking test, a nasty loud thump sealed the deal and the car had to be towed to the nearest dealership for repairs. The thread includes one more account from Model S 70D owner Klaus Grambichler who explains that his American-made electric sedan had broken one of the lower control arms at low speed.Do you know someone who had suspension problems with his or her Tesla?
In 1991, the White House announced the start of Operation Desert Storm to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait, and more events that happened on t
Rating:

Serious Men (Netflix)

Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Aakshath Das, Indira Tiwari, Nassar, Sanjay Narvekar, Shweta Basu Prasad

Direction: Sudhir Mishra

Sudhir Mishra, director of the beloved Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2003), has been shooting duds for a while. But with Serious Men he seems to have regained his form, if not his sharp politics.

Serious Men is an entertaining, well-made film that tells the story of Ayyan Mani, a Dalit man who resents being invisible, and when he is seen he is subjected to daily humiliations, lucrative offers to convert, vote-bank politics. The films plot is about a desperate mans desperate attempts to make sure his child, born in a pool of fraud by a hotels poolside, amounts to something. Except that the seemingly sweet, benign story of Serious Men, which is rooted in reality, is ring-fenced by a worldview that is seriously anti-Dalit.

While the film is sympathetic to men like Mani, it sets out to teach him a lesson. Merit, Serious Men says, is everything, its the great equalizer, and not opportunity. This karmic cycle of misdemeanours and comeuppance only sucks Mani into its orbit, not similarly fraudulent upper caste men.

Serious Men, based on a novel of the same title by Manu Joseph, opens with the posturing of an impatient, serious man who frowns and growls at the world. It seems to be in his way as he is rushing about doing very important things. Astro-physicist Aravind Acharya (Nassar) acts as if hes on emergency duty to save the world with his discovery of alien microbes. They hold answers to humankinds profound questions, he believes, and is in the pursuit of another round of government funding for his spatial explorations.

Everyone around Acharya defers to him, assuming that what sounds like gibberish to them are words of wisdom, for he is a man of greater knowledge, superior intellect and with a plan.

But Ayyan Mani (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), a dalit Tamilian, sees through Acharya and intently watches how he fakes his way through the world.

Mani is Acharyas clerk, a la Massey Sahib, and is summoned to be shouted at for doing or not doing something, often just for being.

Throughout the film Mani addresses us directly, sharing with us what it means to be invisible, how IQ is not connected to social status or caste, how posturing is power, all the while picking up Acharyas small gestures that stitch together a VIP identity. It includes Acharya leaning and whispering into a female assistants ears during meetings.

Mani watches how others worship at this altar of bullshit, and he wants a piece of it.

He too wants to be like them, the serious men. And with people lower than him in stature, cunning and gumption, Mani tries out the same urgent, intemperate demeanour, complete with nonsensical chatter, irritability and fancy neck-ties. It works.

But its too late for Mani. So all his hopes are pinned on his child. Oja (Indira Tiwari), Manis wife, is oblivious to his project.

Adi (Aakshath Das) seems like a bright kid who is shy and hard of hearing.

A convent school rejects him at first. But when, a few years later, Adi is a hailed as a genius in the dalit chawl, called Abdul Kalam, the school admits him.

In class, Adi often gazes out of the window, and when the teacher asks him what hes thinking, he talks of photosynthesis for humans, about the arrow of time, and when probed further, he snaps, I cant deal with primitive minds like you.

Enter a father-daughter politician duo  Keshav (Sanjay Narvekar) and Anuja Dhavre (Shweta Basu Prasad)  who, impressed by his scientific knowledge and the awe he inspires in the dalit chawl, pick on Adi, and recruit him.

They have an agenda. A high-rise housing complex where Manis dingy, rat-infested chawl squats.

Mani, who often uses his caste to get his way, is more than willing. And all goes as per plan till the day when, Sayani, Adis schoolfriend, is being thrashed by her mother for doing badly in an exam and lying about it.

Manis plan and Adis formidable reputation begin to unravel. Exam papers were bought, and there were a fathers instructive susurrations into his sons ears.

As Manis life begins to spiral out of control, affecting Adi the most, he turns his sights on his boss, Acharya.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is an exceptional actor who is able to convey the machinations of his characters mind even while holding still. As a desperate father on a dogged pursuit of his and his sons life amounting to something, he and little Aakshath Das hold the film together and are supported by a very strong ensemble of actors, including Indira Tiwari, Nassar, Sanjay Narvekar and Shweta Basu Prasad.

Serious Men, adapted from a novel, credits four writers  Bhavesh Mandalia, Abhijeet Khuman, Niren Bhatt and Nikhil Nair.

The films story is one part satire on significant men who posture, and lesser men who imitate that posturing, and one part political pamphlet about merit being supreme, about merit trumping all, irrespective of opportunity.

Manu Joseph is a fine writer but in Serious Men he betrays a rather abhorrent worldview.

Writers have a right to tell whatever stories they want to tell. But storytellers are like puppeteers who move their characters in certain ways, they decide what happens to them, what life lesson we draw from them.

Though the satire of Serious Men is primarily pivoted on upper caste Acharya and how he fools the world with gibberish and his nonsensical research, the film never interrogates him. In fact, the film redeems him by making him Adi and Manis saviour in the end.

Mani, on the other hand, is enveloped in ambiguity. Even when most vulnerable and narrating a story about his mother, we are made to feel its counterfeit.

And at the end, status quo reigns for all, except Mani and Adi.

The outlier is sent further away from the power centre, and the whole set-up seems to have been created to trump Mani, to teach the Dalit father and son a lesson.

I have not read Serious Men, but I read somewhere that Joseph claims kudos for daring to show a poor Dalit character as conniving.

There are no literary bravely awards to be given out for showing lower caste characters as fraudulent, dishonest. That has been the upper castes narrative for ages about neech log.

But if kudos are being doled out for reiterating upper caste prejudice about lower castes, then they are Josephs to claim.
Protester outrage against police continues after a pregnant woman was thrown to the ground and a police officer put his knee on her back. And so, protesters spend another night downtown in hopes of removing the KCPD Chief.

Reality . . . There simply aren't the votes to force the issue and the chief has already announced that he has no intention of resigning.



Read more:


More than 50% of the candidates skipped the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services (preliminary) examination, 2020 held in the UP capital on Sunday amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

A total of 43,921 candidates were registered for the exam in both shifts respectively. In the morning shift, 21,790 (49.61%) candidates took the exam while 22,131 stayed away. In the second shift, 21,607 (49.19%) candidates wrote the exam and 22,314 stayed away, according to data released by district magistrate Abhishek Prakashs office.

Candidates gave mixed reactions on the difficulty level of the exam. Some said the question paper was easy while others found it tough.

Anil Ranjan, a resident of Azamgarh, said: It was my first attempt and I found the paper easy. The first paper was of general studies, current affairs and the second paper was of reasoning and mathematics. Both were easy.

Ranjan had reached Lucknow a day before the exam. He stayed with a friend in the city and used public transport to reach the centre. It was not safe, but what can I dohad to appear for the exam, he said.

Another candidate, Shubhan Singh, found the paper difficult while one Deepak said the first paper was easy and the second lengthy.

I think everyone who appeared for the UPSC exam was well aware of the health risks and were mature enough to follow precautions prescribed by the authorities, said a candidate.

District magistrate Abhishek Prakash visited a few examination centres to see the progress of the test. He asked invigilators to follow all Covid guidelines during the examination to ensure safety of candidates.

On reaching the Centennial Intermediate College at Golaganj, the DM inspected the examination hall and monitoring room. He said, With the help of CCTV cameras, smart monitoring of the examination was carried out. Candidates were seated at a distance from each other.

He also visited the Shia Inter College and UPSC Bhawan in Aliganj to watch the progress of examination.

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President Donald Trump working in the presidential suite at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Oct. 3, 2020. (Joyce N. Boghosian/White House)

Trumps Condition Had Deteriorated Friday Before Unbelievable Improvement, Chief of Staff Says

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows confirmed that President Donald Trump on Friday had a fever and rapidly declining levels of blood oxygen before making a recovery.

Yesterday, we were real concerned, Meadows told Fox News on Saturday evening. He had a fever, and his blood oxygen level dropped rapidly.

The president has since made an unbelievable improvement with no fever and improving oxygen saturation levels, Meadows added.

Im very, very optimistic based on the current results, he said, adding, Hes not out of the woods for the next 48 hours or so.

Meadows made the comments on Saturday evening amid concerns about conflicting messages about the presidents health. Meadows appears to have contributed to the confusion with some off-the-record comments he made to reporters outside Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Friday morning.

According to The Associate Press, Meadows told reporters there was initially real concern about the Presidents vitals on the morning after Trump tested positive for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus.

Twenty-four hours ago, there was real concern about the Presidents vitals, Meadows said at the time. For the past 12 hours, there has been zero concern.

President Donald Trump working in the presidential suite at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Oct. 3, 2020. (Joyce N. Boghosian/White House)

Trumps personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, told Fox News on Sunday morning that the president felt pretty bad during the first day after the diagnosis.

He said he felt pretty bad the first day, but now he feels, for the last 24 hoursand that was 3 oclock yesterdayhe felt perfectly fine, Giuliani said.

In a nightly update on Saturday, the presidents physician, Sean Conley, said that Trump has made substantial progress since testing positive for the CCP virus.

He remains fever free and off supplemental oxygen with a saturation level between 96 and 98% all day. He spent most of the afternoon conducting business, and has been up and moving about the medical suite without difficulty, Conley continued.

While not yet out of the woods, the team remains cautiously optimistic. The plan for tomorrow is to continue observation in between doses of Remdesivir, closely monitoring his clinical status while fully supporting his conduct of presidential duties.

President Donald Trump, who is being treated for the CCP virus at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, speaks from his hospital room, on Oct. 3, 2020. (The White House/Handout via Reuters)

The White House announced at 1 a.m. on Oct. 2 that the president and first lady tested positive for the CCP virus. Trump has since moved to Walter Reed, where he continues to work. The first lady remains at the White House where she is said to be doing well with mild symptoms.

During the interview on Saturday night, Meadows took aim at some of the media coverage of the presidents diagnosis.

I have seen some of the reports and all of the pictures about the transition of power and whos going to replace this person or that person and while that may make for good clicks on the internet and make for great hyperbole on TV, there was never a consideration and never even a risk for a transition of power, Meadows said.
The days of waking up to snowfall and heading back to sleep because school is canceled may be a thing of the past.

Students across Michigan are learning virtually this year amid the coronavirus pandemic and inclement weather may no longer stand in the way of getting to class safely.

Though many superintendents say snow days arent something to worry about for another couple of months, some students have already taking to social media with jokes about saying goodbye to the cherished break from school with online learning.

Bill DiSessa, spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Education, said the states guidance on snow days remains the same for those learning in-person.

Virtual students may not be so lucky this year as MDE doesnt anticipate requests for snow days for all-virtual instruction, he said.

Districts are offering a mix of in-person and online options. With the establishment of virtual school and distribution of resources to students across Michigan, many are wondering if virtual school will be required on days of inclement weather.

Students in Jackson County may do just that. With enough advance warning of inclement weather, Jackson Public Schools administrators can plan a virtual day where students complete school work from home, Superintendent Jeff Beal said.

Teachers can preload their students' devices with lessons if they know they might be unable to come to school safely, he said.

If we know in advance that a storm is coming we will probably plan for a virtual day, but in the event that the road conditions are unexpectedly dangerous in the morning, we may need to call a snow day which would include both in-school and those students that are at home, Beal said.

Some students may not be set up with the proper technology or have WiFi access at home so they cant pivot to virtual school without notice, he said.

At the K-12 charter school, da Vinci Institute, in Jackson County, virtual school may be used if bad weather keeps kids from the classroom for multiple days in a row, Superintendent Sandy Maxson said.

If we end up with a hard winter with many days, we will not want our kids to go without school work and connections with their teachers too long, she said.

In February 2019, stretches of dangerously cold temperatures closed schools and districts quickly used up the grace days allotted to them by the MDE.

Michigan law allows districts to be forgiven for six days of closures due to conditions beyond their control such as weather and power outages before having to make up lost instructional days.

An additional three days may be granted with the approval of the state superintendent.

Related: How the cold closed Michigan

District leaders are solving a lot of problems that didnt exist in years past, and how to handle snow days is just another unprecedented aspect of 2020.

We know it will snow, Lansing School District spokesperson Bob Kolt said.

Students in Lansing are currently learning remotely from home while teachers give lessons from inside the classroom, Kolt said. He said administrators are working on plans to bring kids back to the classroom in November.

Whether students will be required to learn virtually from home if they cant come to school in-person safely is yet to be decided, he said.

In Kent County, the vast majority of the 8,000 students in Rockford Public Schools are learning in-person, Superintendent Michael Shibler said. But for the about 1,000 students learning online from home, instruction could continue despite heavy snowfall or frigid temperatures.

Shibler is hopeful he wont see heavy snowfall for another couple of months.

I have not made any conclusive decisions," he said.

Kalamazoo Public Schools first has to decide whether to transition students to some in-person learning, spokesperson Susan Coney said.

If students begin in-person learning at the end of November, the district will create a plan for snow days, Coney said. Currently, the districts about 12,000 students are learning remotely from home on virtual platforms.

In the meantime, students can keep the spoons under their pillows and hope for that beloved snow day.

To help you navigate this complicated fall, were pleased to offer you a simpler way to get all of your education news: Our new Michigan Schools: Education in the COVID Era newsletter delivered right to your inbox. To receive this newsletter, simply click here to sign up.

Also on MLive:

Muskegon teachers lead K-8 bike club to promote fitness during online learning

When school is safer than home during a pandemic

Parents collect school supplies to help Kalamazoo online students in need
The Pakistani Army says it has killed two militants in a shoot-out in the North Waziristan district, a former militant stronghold in the countrys northwest.

A third, a militant, was arrested in the military operation in the town of Mir Ali in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province on October 4, the army statement said.

Describing them as hard-core terrorists, the statement said the militants had been involved in multiple attacks on civilians and security forces.

This was the second such operation in the area in recent days. Two militants were killed by the army on the Mir Ali outskirts on October 2.

The remote tribal area along Pakistans border with Afghanistan has long been a sanctuary for the Pakistani Taliban or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and other militant groups.

But the military claims that troops cleared the area in a major offensive that was launched in 2014. Occasional attacks have continued.

Based on reporting by AP and tribune.com.pk
LONDON - Britains interior minister vowed Sunday to stop people entering the country clandestinely and to fix what she called a broken asylum system, echoing commitments that have been made and broken by U.K. governments for years.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said the government would bring in new laws so it could stop those who come here illegally making endless legal claims to remain and expedite the removal of those who have no claim for protection.

Patel said in a speech to a virtual Conservative Party conference that the changes would be the biggest overhaul of our asylum system in decades.

She said Britain would continue to provide safe haven to those fleeing persecution, oppression or tyranny.

Patels hardline rhetoric was designed to appeal to voters concerned at a surge in the number of people crossing the English Channel from France in small boats. Thousands have made the journey this year, most over the summer.

Opposition Labour Party immigration spokesman Nick Thomas-Symonds said the Conservatives were devoid of compassion and competence on immigration.

Migrants have long used northern France as a launching point to reach Britain by stowing away in trucks or on ferries. Many appear to have turned to small boats organized by smugglers during the coronavirus pandemic because virus restrictions have reduced vehicle traffic between France and Britain.

Patels speech follows reports in recent weeks that the government considered ideas including building a wave machine in the Channel to deter boats and processing asylum-seekers on Ascension Island, a remote volcanic island more than 4,000 miles (6,435 kilometres) from the U.K.

The government dismissed some of the more far-fetched claims, but Patel said she would explore all practical measures and options to deter illegal migration.
Four days after a debate in which President Trump might have exposed Joseph R. Biden Jr. to the coronavirus, South Carolinas Democratic Senate candidate, Jaime Harrison, brought a plexiglass divider to his debate with Senator Lindsey Graham.

Mr. Harrison mentioned the divider directly during the debate on Saturday, saying he needed to protect himself for the sake of his family.

Tonight I am taking this seriously, he said. Thats why I put this plexiglass up. Because its not just about me  its about the people in my life that I have to take care of as well. My two boys, my wife, my grandmother.

Mr. Graham, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, may have been exposed to the virus earlier in the week by Senator Mike Lee of Utah, who serves on the committee and has tested positive. While Mr. Graham has tested negative, it can take several days for an infection to become detectable, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention instructs people to quarantine for 14 days after exposure.
The War at present being waged against Russian Czarism and its vassals is dominated by a great historic idea. The impetus of this great historic idea consecrates the battlefields of Poland and of Eastern Russia. The roar of cannon, the rattling of machine guns, and the onrush of cavalry, all betoken the enforcement of the democratic programme for the liberation of the nations. Had Czarism, in league with the French capitalistic powers and in league with an unscrupulous nation of shopkeepers, [ 7 ] not succeeded in suppressing the Revolution of 1905, the present slaughter of the nations would have been avoided. A democratic Russia would never have consented to wage this unscrupulous and futile War. The great ideas of freedom and justice now speak the persuasive language of the machine gun and the sword, and every heart susceptible of sympathy with justice and humanity can only wish that the power of Czarism may be destroyed once for all, and the oppressed Russian nationalities may again secure the right to decide their own destinies.

The above quotation is from the Nepszava of August 31, 1914, the official organ of the Socialist party of Hungary. Hungary is the land whose entire inner life was erected upon the high-handed oppression of the national minorities, upon the enslavement of the labouring classes, upon the official parasitism and usury of the ruling caste of large landowners. It is the land in which men like Tisza are masters of the situation, dyed-in-the-wool agrarians, with the manners of political bandits. In a word, Hungary is a country closest of kin to Czar-ruled Russia.

So what is more fitting than that the Nepszava, the Socialist organ of Hungary, should hail with outbursts of enthusiasm the liberating mission of the German and Austro-Hungarian armies? Who other than Count Tisza could have felt the call to enforce the democratic programme for the liberation of the nations? Who was there to uphold the eternal principles of law and justice in Europe but the ruling clique of Budapest, the discredited Panamists [ 8 ]? Would you entrust this mission to the unscrupulous diplomacy of perfidious Albion, [ 9 ] to the nation of shopkeepers?

Laughter turns away wrath. The tragic inconsistencies of the policies followed by the International not only reach their climax in the articles of the poor Nepszava ; they disarm us by their humour.

The present series of events began with the ultimatum sent to Serbia by Austria-Hungary. There was not the slightest reason why the international Social Democracy should take under its protection the intrigues of the Serbs or any other of the petty dynasties of the Balkan Peninsula. They were all endeavouring to hide their political adventures under the cloak of national aspirations. We had still less cause to lash ourselves into a state of moral indignation because a fanatic young Serb responded to the cowardly, criminal and wily national politics of the Vienna and Budapest government authorities with a bloody assassination. [It is noteworthy that these opportunistic Austrian and German Socialists are now writhing with moral indignation over the treacherous assassination at Sarajevo. And yet they always sympathized with the Russian terrorists more than we, the Russian Social Democrats, did, who are opposed on principle to the terroristic method. Lost in the mist of chauvinism, they can no longer see that the unfortunate Serbian terrorist, Gavrilo Prinzip, represents precisely the same national principle as the German terrorist, Sand. Perhaps they will even ask us to transfer our sympathies from Sand to Kotzebue? Or perhaps these eunuchs will advise the Swiss to overthrow the monuments erected to assassin Tell and replace them with monuments to the Austrian governor, Geissler, one of the spiritual forerunners of the murdered Archduke?L.T.]

Of one thing we have no doubt. In the dealings between the Danube Monarchy and the Serbian government, the historic right, that is to say, the right of free development, rests entirely with Serbia, just as Italy was in the right in the year 1859. Underneath the duel between the imperial police scoundrels and the terrorists of Belgrade, there is hidden a far deeper meaning than merely the breed of the Karageorgevitches or the crimes of the Czars diplomacy. On one side were the imperialistic claims of a national state that had lost its vitality, and on the other side, the striving of the dismembered Serbian nation to re-integrate itself into a national whole and become a living vital state.

Is it for this that we have sat so long in the school of Socialism to forget the first three letters of the democratic alphabet? This absolute lapse of memory, moreover, made its appearance only after the 4th of August. [ 10 ] Up to that fatal date the German Marxists showed that they knew very well what was happening in South Eastern Europe.

On July 3, 1914, after the assassination at Sarajevo, the Vorwarts wrote:

The bourgeois revolution of the South Slavs is in full swing, and the shooting at Sarajevo, however wild and senseless an act in itself, is as much a chapter of this revolution as the battles by which the Bulgarians, Serbs, and Montenegrins liberated the peasants of Macedonia from the yoke of Turkish feudal exploitation. Is it a wonder that the South Slavs of Austria-Hungary look with longing to their racial brothers in the kingdom of Serbia? The Serbs in Serbia have attained the highest goal a people can attain in the present order of society. They have attained national independence. Whereas in Vienna or Budapest they treat every one bearing the name of Serb or Croatian with blows and kicks, with court-martial justice and the gallows.... There are seven and a half million South Slavs who, as a result of the victories in the Balkans, have grown bolder than ever in demanding their political rights. And if the imperial throne of Austria continues to resist their impact, it will topple over and the entire Empire with which we have coupled our destiny will break to pieces. For it is in line with historic evolution that such national revolutions should march onward to victory.

If the International Social Democracy together with its Serbian contingent, offered unyielding resistance to Serbias national claims, it was certainly not out of any consideration for the historic rights of Austria-Hungary to oppress and disintegrate the nationalities living within her borders; and most certainly not out of consideration for the liberating mission of the Habsburgs. Until August, 1914no one, except the black and yellow hirelings of the press, dared to breathe a word about that. The Socialists were influenced in their course of conduct by entirely different motives. First of all, the proletariat, although by no means disputing the historic right of Serbia to strive for national unity, could not trust the solution of this problem to the powers then controlling the destinies of the Serbian kingdom. And in the second placeand this was for us the deciding factorthe International Social Democracy could not sacrifice the peace of Europe to the national cause of the Serbs, recognizing, as it did, that, except for a European revolution, the only way such unity could be achieved was through a European war.

But from the moment Austria-Hungary carried the question of her own fate and that of Serbia to the battlefield, Socialists could no longer have the slightest doubt that social and national progress would be hit much harder in South Eastern Europe by a Habsburg victory than by a Serbian victory. To be sure, there was still no reason for us Socialists to identify our cause with the aims of the Serbian army. This was the idea that animated the Serbian Socialists, Ljaptchevitch and Katzlerovitch, when they took the manly stand of voting against the war credits. [To appreciate fully this action of the Serbian Socialists we must bear in mind the political situation by which they were confronted. A group of Serbian conspirators had murdered a member of the Habsburg family, the mainstay of Austro-Hungarian clericalism, militarism, and imperialism. Using this as a welcome pretext, the military party in Vienna sent an ultimatum to Serbia, which for sheer audacity, has scarcely ever been paralleled in diplomatic history. In reply, the Serbian government made extra-ordinary concessions, and suggested that the solution of the question in dispute be turned over to the Hague tribunal. Thereupon Austria declared war on Serbia. If the idea of a war of defence has any meaning at all, it certainly applied to Serbia in this instance. Nevertheless, our friends, Ljaptchevitch and Katzlerovitch, unshaken in their conviction of the course of action that they as Socialists must pursue, refused the government a vote of confidence. The writer was in Serbia at the beginning of the War. In the Skuptchina, in an atmosphere of indescribable national enthusiasm, a vote was taken on the war credits. The voting was by roll-call. Two hundred members had answered Yes. Then in a moment of deathlike silence came the voice of the Socialist Ljaptchevitch  No. Every one felt the moral force of this protest, and the scene has remained indelibly impressed upon my memory.L.T.] But surely we had still less reason to support the purely dynastic rights of the Hapsburgs and the imperialistic interests of the feudal-capitalistic cliques against the national struggle of the Serbs. At all events, the Austro-Hungarian Social Democracy, which now invokes its blessings upon the sword of the Habsburgs for the liberation of the Poles, the Ukrainians, the Finns and the Russian people, must first of all clarify its ideas on the Serbian question, which has gotten so hopelessly muddled.

The question at issue, however, is not confined to the fate of the ten million Serbs. The clash of the European nations has brought up the entire Balkan question anew. The Peace of Bucharest, [ 11 ] signed in 1903, has solved neither the national nor the international problems in the Near East. It has only intensified the added confusion resulting from the two unfinished Balkan Wars, unfinished because of the complete temporary exhaustion of the nations participating in it.

Rumania had followed in the path of Austro-Hungarian politics, despite the Romanesque sympathies of its population, especially in the cities. This was due not so much to dynastic causes, to the fact that a Hohenzollern prince occupied the throne, as to the imminent danger of a Russian invasion. In 1879 the Russian Czar, as thanks for Rumanias support in the Russo-Turkish War of liberation, cut off a slice of Rumanian territory, the province of Bessarabia. This eloquent deed provided a sufficient backing to the dynastic sympathies of the Hohenzollern in Bucharest. But the Magyar-Habsburg clique succeeded in incensing the Rumanian people against them by their denationalizing policy in Transylvania, which has a population of three million Rumanians as against three-fourths of a million in the Russian province of Bessarabia; and they further antagonized them by their commercial treaties, which were dictated by the interests of the large Austro-Hungarian landowners. So that Rumanias entrance into the War on the side of the Czar, despite the courageous and active agitation against participation in the War on either side, carried on by the Socialist party under the leadership of my friends Gherea and Rakovsky, is to be laid altogether at the door of the ruling class of Austria-Hungary, who are reaping the harvest they have sown here as well as elsewhere.

But the matter is not disposed of by fixing the historical responsibility. Tomorrow, in a month, in a year or more, the War will bring to the foreground the whole question of the destiny of the Balkan peoples and of Austria-Hungary, and the proletariat will have to have its answer to this question. European democracy in the nineteenth century looked with distrust at the Balkan peoples struggle for independence, because it feared that Russia might be strengthened at the expense of Turkey. On this subject Karl Marx wrote in 1853, on the eve of the Crimean War:

It may be said that the more firmly established Serbia and the Serbian nationality is, the more the direct influence of Russia on the Turkish Slavs is shoved into the background. For in order to be able to maintain its position as a state, Serbia had to import its political institutions, its schools... from Western Europe.

This prophesy has been brilliantly fulfilled in what has actually happened in Bulgaria, which was created by Russia as an outpost on the Balkans. As soon as Bulgaria was fairly well established as a national state, it developed a strong anti-Russian party, under the leadership of Russias former pupil, Stambulov, and this party was able to stamp its iron seal upon the entire foreign policy of the young country. The whole mechanism of the political parties in Bulgaria is so constructed as to enable it to steer between the two European combinations without being absolutely forced into the channel of either, unless it chooses to enter it of its own accord. Rumania went with the Austro-German alliance, Serbia, since 1903, with Russia, because the one was menaced directly by Russia, the other by Austria. The more independent the countries of South East Europe are from Austria-Hungary, the more effectively they will be able to protect their independence against Czarism.

The balance of power in the Balkans, created by the Congress of Berlin [ 12 ] in 1878, was full of contradictions. Cut up by artificial ethnographical boundaries, placed under the control of imported dynasties from German nurseries, bound hand and foot by the intrigues of the Great Powers, the peoples of the Balkans could not cease their efforts for further national freedom and unity. The national politics of independent Bulgaria was naturally directed towards Macedonia, populated by Bulgarians. The Berlin Congress had left it under Turkish rule. On the other hand, Serbia had practically nothing to look for in Turkey with the exception of Sanjak, Novy Bazar. Its national interests lay on the other side of the Austro-Hungarian boundary, in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia. Rumania had no interests in the South, where it is separated from European Turkey by Serbia and Bulgaria. Rumanias expansion policy was directed towards the North West and the East, towards Hungarian Transylvania and Russian Bessarabia. Finally, the national expansion of Greece, like that of Bulgaria, collided with Turkey.

Austro-German politics, aiming at the artificial preservation of European Turkey, broke down not on account of the diplomatic intrigues of Russia, although these of course were not lacking. It broke down because of the inevitable course of evolution. The Balkan Peninsula had entered on the path of capitalist development, and it was this fact that raised the question of the self-determination of the Balkan peoples as national states to the historical issue of the day.

The Balkan War disposed of European Turkey, and thereby created the conditions necessary for the solution of the Bulgarian and Greek questions. But Serbia and Rumania, whose national completion could only be achieved at the expense of Austria-Hungary, found themselves checked in their efforts at expansion southwards, and were compensated at the expense of what racially belonged to BulgariaSerbia in Macedonia, and Rumania in Dobrudja. This is the meaning of the second Balkan War and the Peace of Bucharest by which it was concluded.

The mere existence of Austria-Hungary, this Turkey of Middle-Europe, blocks the way to the natural self-determination of the peoples of the South-East. It compels them to keep constantly fighting against each other, to seek support against each other from the outside, and so makes them a tool of the political combinations of the Great Powers. It was only in such chaos that Czarist diplomacy was enabled to spin the web of its Balkan politics, the last thread of which was Constantinople. And only a federation of the Balkan states, both economic and military, can interpose an invincible barrier to the greed of Czarism.

Now that European Turkey has been disposed of, it is Austria-Hungary that stands in the way of a federation of the Balkan states. Rumania, Bulgaria, and Serbia would have found their natural boundaries, and would have united with Greece and Turkey, on the basis of common economic interests, into a league of defence. This would finally have brought peace to the Balkan Peninsula, that witches cauldron which periodically threatened Europe with explosions, until it drew it into the present catastrophe.

Up to a certain time the Socialists had to reconcile themselves to the routine way in which the Balkan question was treated by capitalistic diplomats, who in their conferences and secret agreements stopped up one hole only to open another, even wider one. So long as this dilatory method kept postponing the final solution, the Socialist International could hope that the settlement of the Habsburg succession would be a matter not for a European war, but for the European Revolution. But now that the War has destroyed the equilibrium of the whole of Europe, and the predatory Powers are seeking to remodel the map of Europenot on the basis of national democratic principles, but of military strengththe Social Democracy must come to a clear comprehension of the fact that one of the chief obstacles to freedom, peace and progress, in addition to Czarism and German militarism, is the Habsburg Monarchy as a state organization. The crime of the Galician Socialist group under Daszynski consisted not only in placing the Polish cause above the cause of Socialism, but also linking the fate of Poland with the fate of the Austro-Hungarian armies and the fate of the Habsburg Monarchy.

The Socialist proletariat of Europe cannot adopt such a solution of the question. For us the question of united and independent Poland is on a par with the question of united and independent Serbia. We cannot and we will not permit the Polish question to be solved by methods which will perpetuate the chaos at present prevailing in South-Eastern Europe, in fact through the whole of Europe. For us Socialists the independence of Poland means its independence on both fronts, on the Romanov front and on the Habsburg front. We not only wish the Polish people to be free from the oppression of Czarism. We wish also that the fate of the Serbian people shall not be dependent upon the Polish nobility in Galicia.

For the present we need not consider what the relations of an independent Poland will be to Bohemia, Hungary and the Balkan Federation. But it is perfectly clear that a complex of medium-sized and small states on the Danube and in the Balkan Peninsula will constitute a far more effective bar to the Czarist designs on Europe than the weak, chaotic Austro-Hungarian State, which proves its right to existence only by its continued attempts upon the peace of Europe.

In the article of 1853, quoted above, Marx wrote as follows on the Eastern question:

We have seen that the statesmen of Europe, in their obdurate stupidity, petrified routine, and hereditary intellectual indolence, recoil from every attempt at answering the question of what is to become of Turkey in Europe. The driving force that favours Russias advance towards Constantinople is the very means by which it is thought to keep her away from it, the empty theory, never carried out, of maintaining the status quo. What is this status quo? For the Christian subjects of the Porte [ 13 ] it means nothing else than the perpetuation of their oppression by Turkey. As long as they are under the yoke of the Turkish rule, they look upon the head of the Greek Church, the ruler of 60 million Greek Church Christians, as their natural protector and liberator.

What is here said of Turkey now applies in a still greater degree to Austria-Hungary. The solution of the Balkan question is unthinkable without the solution of the Austro-Hungarian question, as they are both comprised in one and the same formulathe Democratic Federation of the Danube and Balkan Nations.

The governments with their old-fashioned diplomacy, wrote Marx, will never solve the difficulty. Like the solution of so many other problems, the Turkish problem, too, is reserved for the European Revolution. This statement holds just as good today as when it was first written. But for the Revolution to solve the difficulties that have piled up in the course of centuries, the proletariat must have its own programme for the solution of the Austro-Hungarian question. And this programme it must oppose just as strenuously to the Czaristic greed of conquest as to the cowardly and conservative efforts to maintain the Austro-Hungarian status quo.
WASHINGTON  Joe Bidens national lead over President Donald Trump nearly doubled after Tuesdays presidential debate, with voters saying by a 2-to-1 margin that Biden has the better temperament to be president, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

The poll was conducted in the two days after the unruly and insult-filled Sept. 29 debate, but before Trump tested positive for Covid-19 and was hospitalized Friday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

The Democratic nominee is now ahead of Trump by 14 points among registered voters, 53 percent to 39 percent  up from his 8-point lead in the previous poll before the debate.

That 14-point advantage represents Bidens largest lead in the NBC News/WSJ poll during the entirety of the 2020 presidential campaign; his previous high was 11 points in July.

The clear loser from the debate was Donald Trump, said Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates, who conducted this survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies.

And at least for the short term, this has damaged his standing against Joe Biden, Horwitt added.

But McInturff, the GOP pollster, cautions that the survey could represent a shock to the system right after a consequential debate. (Democrats, for instance, hold a 9-point advantage in party identification in this poll, compared with 5- to 6-point advantages in past ones.)

And as a result, McInturff believes that the race could return to the stable 8- to 9-point margin where its essentially been over the last several months  which is still a difficult place for an incumbent four weeks before Election Day.

The biggest declines for Trump in the poll come from seniors (who are now backing Biden by a 62 percent-to-35 percent margin) and suburban women (58 percent to 33 percent).

And men 50 years and older moved from a 13-point advantage for Trump in the pre-debate NBC News/WSJ poll, to a 1-point advantage for Biden in this latest poll.

Story continues

Voters say Biden did a better job at the debate by 2-to-1 margin

Forty-nine percent of voters say Biden did a better job at Tuesdays debate, which was marked by insults, interruptions, falsehoods and personal attacks  most, though not all, coming from the president.

Thats compared with 24 percent who say Trump had the better performance.

Another 17 percent say that neither did a better job at the debate.

Additionally, 19 percent of voters say theyre more likely to support Biden after the debate, versus 6 percent who say theyre more likely to back Trump.

The vast majority  73 percent  say the debate made no difference in how theyd vote.

Among the 49 percent who say Biden did a better job, many voters cited Trumps performance when asked to describe what they thought was important at the debate.

Basically, last night was a snapshot of the last three and a half years. Not being able to say anything about white supremacists, being negative and being unpresidential, said one respondent.

I just think it was the same old Trump, said another voter who thought Biden did a better job. He was bullying.

Even among the 24 percent who say Trump did the better job, the responses were as much about the presidents performance than Bidens.

I would say Donald Trump's admittance of not supporting white supremacists, telling the white supremacists to stand down, so to speak, by the moderator. The other important thing was Joe Biden's inability to form any coherent response, said a voter who thought Trump did a better job.

Its Trumps debate, not Bidens debate, said Democratic pollster Peter Hart, summing up those voter responses.

Bidens presidential temperament advantage

The new NBC News/WSJ poll also finds Biden holding a whopping 32-point advantage on which candidate has the better temperament to be president, with 58 percent of voters picking Biden, versus 26 percent picking Trump.

That margin is greater than Bidens advantages over Trump on handling race relations (29 points), health care (19 points) and the coronavirus (17 points).

Trump maintains his edge over Biden on better handling the economy, but that margin declined from 10 points before the debate (48 percent to 38 percent) to 7 points in the new poll (48 percent to 41 percent), though that change is within the margin of error.

Trumps approval rating stands at 43 percent

Forty-three percent of registered voters approve of President Trumps job performance in the new poll, which is down 2 points from the last NBC News/WSJ poll.

Fifty-five percent disapprove of Trumps job, including 50 percent who say they strongly disapprove.

Trumps favorability also dropped in the poll  from 41 percent positive/52 percent negative before the debate (-11), to 39 percent positive/55 percent negative now (-16).

Conversely, the poll shows Bidens favorability rating increasing  from 43 percent positive/45 percent negative (-2), to 43 percent positive/41 percent negative after the debate (+2).

First numbers on Trumps Supreme Court pick

Finally, the poll asked voters about the presidents pick to succeed the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett.

Thirty-five percent of registered voters say they support Barretts nomination, while 33 percent oppose it; another 30 percent say they dont know enough information about her.

Those findings are similar to the first NBC/WSJ numbers on Trump 2018 Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh, whom the U.S. Senate confirmed by a narrow 50-to-48 vote.

In a separate question, 50 percent of voters say they prefer the Senate to wait to fill the Supreme Court seat until theres a winner in the upcoming presidential contest, while 38 percent want to vote before the election.

The NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll was conducted Sept. 30-Oct. 1 among 800 registered voters  more than half of whom were reached by cell phone  and it has an overall margin of error of plus-minus 3.5 percentage points.
RIF Trust, a leading international residency and citizenship by investment advisory group based in Dubai, has unveiled its Certified Agent of RIF Trust (CART) Programme to meet rapidly increasing demand in the Middle East region.

During this pandemic, with several core industries faltering, many jobs being lost, and limitations on travel being imposed, the investment migration industry that involves obtaining a second passport or residency through investment is booming in the Middle East and Africa.

The butterfly effect of the pandemic is that highly connected individuals who work with HNW clients, often in real estate or banking, are now partnering with leading investment migration firms to secure an additional stream of revenue, said experts.

A part of the Latitude Group, RIF Trust is a government-approved partner and an authorised agent of the worlds most powerful citizenship programmes including Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, Vanuatu, Portugal, Malta & Cyprus.

Through a series of in-depth training sessions and an array of bespoke tools at their fingertips, the CART programme will empower RIFs exclusive partners to thrive in the lucrative investment migration industry and create an additional revenue stream.

The programme ensures partners are given comprehensive live or online training on the leading citizenship and EU residency programmes available.

Experts estimate the value of the investment migration market worldwide to be $21.4 billion in revenue and expect it to reach $100 billion by 2025 if the 23% growth trend persists, according to a special report published by Investment Migration Insider.

RIF Trusts dedicated B2B team is led by industry veterans David Regueiro, Ranny Muasher and Mohammad Motavasel, with a collective 25 years of experience, offering 24/7 industry leading support for all its CART partners.

In addition to offering our partners new online payment options for clients, we are also giving our CART partners access to a new innovative feature  the Programme Estimate Tool (PET)," stated Group COO David Regueiro.

"Unlike other widely available tools that give a general price a client can expect to pay, the PET gives RIFs partners the power to instantly generate and share a 100% accurate and detailed quotation for a client from any desktop or mobile which includes the staged payments," observed Regueiro.

"The PET is automatically updated each day with any regulatory or price changes ensuring the tool can be a trusted resource," he added.

Pablo Ferreira, the CART partner said the programme is designed to provide a sustainable additional revenue stream for partners with access to high net worth individuals.

"I am delighted to have completed the CART programme and to now be a CART partner. I have been able to tap into my existing client network and I am expecting to sign quite a few deals this year," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
On Saturday evening, President Donald Trump's personal Twitter account was updated with a video message. Trump has been at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center since Friday after contracting the coronavirus, but the video was pointed in its intent: The president is nonetheless doing well, well enough to offer up a bit of politicking and assurances that he's confident in his recovery.

In case that point was somehow lost on observers, campaign aides like Jason Miller made it more explicitly by tweeting the video and saying "One take, from the heart, no teleprompter. Over to you, Sleepy Joe!"

The tacit message of the tweet: Even the virus can't keep this guy down.

But Miller's presentation of what's shown is obviously questionable. For one thing, while he boasts that Trump didn't need a teleprompter, the president can be seen looking down at the sheet of paper in front of him, almost certainly to consult notes about what he plans to say.

This is not a big deal, of course, and, technically, it doesn't conflict with Miller's representation that no teleprompter was used. But that Miller pointedly uses this as a point of contrast with former vice president Joe Biden, Trump's opponent in the upcoming election, is ironic. After all, Trump's campaign has repeatedly criticized Biden's use of written notes or alleged that he was referring to notes as he gave public comments.

Then there is Miller's claim that this was "one take" - meaning that it is presented as Trump offered it, without editing. Shortly after the video was published, a number of professional video editors noted that this probably wasn't true; that, after Trump mentions the use of therapeutics, he appears to begin to cough - but not complete the cough.

This video wasn't released simply as a matter of course. It followed reports earlier in the day that Trump had been in more dire condition on Friday than the White House at first let on. The New York Times reports that the revelation that Trump had been more ill than was originally suggested "infuriated" the president, prompting him to first encourage his attorney Rudy Giuliani to pass a message about his vitality to the New York Post and, later, to make a similar point publicly himself.

In other words, Trump himself wanted to show the world how healthy he was, something that wouldn't be aided by an on-camera cough. (His doctors have publicly acknowledged that Trump has been experiencing a cough, a common symptom of covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.)

Trump's team also released photos of him apparently working from the presidential facility at Walter Reed. In one, he's seen in the same room and outfit as in the released video. In a second image, he's in another room, sitting at a conference table without a jacket and with numerous folders and papers in front of him.

Here, too, there is a bit of sleight-of-hand at play. The photos give the impression that Trump was working for an extended period, that these photos capture various moments over the course of the day.

When you take a photograph with a modern camera or other device, however, there is information associated with the image that is stored in the image file itself. This includes information useful to photographers, like the type of camera that was used to capture the photo. It also includes information about the precise time at which the photos were taken.

The Associated Press has both photos on its website and includes the above metadata about when the photos were captured. The one showing Trump wearing his jacket was created at 5:25 p.m. Saturday. The one without a jacket was created at 5:35 p.m. In other words, they were created 10 minutes apart.

Those times themselves may not be precisely accurate, given that they rely on the camera's internal clock, which could be off or out of date. But that the photos appear to have been taken in close temporal proximity and probably at the end of the day suggests that they were more likely to be the result of a photo shoot than a spontaneous effort to document a president unencumbered by illness.

Trump and his doctor have been frank in admitting that the disease he has contracted often runs an unpredictable course and that his condition over the short term is of concern. At the same time, he and his campaign want to present the president as largely unaffected by the virus and on the brink of being back to normal.

To do so, it seems, they engaged in a bit of trickery, both traditional and digital. We'd been warned so often in the months leading up to the election about "deep fakes" showing Trump or Biden engaged in some inauthentic behavior. We should also remember that Trump's campaign itself has often shared misleading or altered digital media.
Fayaz Wani By

SRINAGAR: Ahead of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC)-Leh polls in Ladakh Union Territory, the BJP has suffered setback in the cold desert as over 300 workers including two former councilors and some core members have resigned from the party.The saffron party has dropped some former councilors and given tickets to new faces for the LAHDC-Leh polls which would be held in 26 seats on October 16. It has angered the workers and former councilors, who have been left out.

The BJPs former councilor from Saspol constituency Tsering Angdus announced his resignation a few days back. Another former BJP councilor Lobzang Nyantak also quit the party. The LADHC-Leh comprises 30 members  26 elected and four nominated. In the outgoing LAHDC-Leh, BJP had 18 councillors.

Among those who resigned from the party includes BJP vice president Leh Sonam Ponchuk Wanla

In his resignation letter, Sonam wrote, I have found working for BJP a matter of great pride and endless satisfaction for myself. However, I am finding it difficult to reconcile with the current functioning of the party.

Two more senior party members Manzoor Hussain and Mumtaz Hussain also resigned to protest alleged favoritism in allotment of tickets for the council polls. The party did not choose right candidates from some constituencies and resorted to favouritism. We cannot support those candidates and have decided to quit the party, they wrote in their resignation letter.The BJPs core member in Ladakh Syeda Ladakhi, who was a nominated councilor in the outgoing LAHDC Leh has also resigned from the party.
Great Lakes Bay Region communities will be among 83 Michigan counties where small business owners challenged by the pandemic will benefit from expanded support offered by the Michigan Small Business Development Center, which operates a regional office at Saginaw Valley State University.

With support from CARES Act funding, resources are allocated to help boost the region's economics. Those resources include the following:

 46 additional business consultants to meet the increase in demand for one-on-one consulting support

 New partnerships with service providers (website development, marketing, accounting, etc.) that can help businesses weather the effects of COVID-19.

As small businesses begin to restart, recover and launch, they will be required to have a heightened awareness and response to our ever-changing economic environment, said Beth Roszatycki, regional director of the SBDC operations housed within the Business Excellence Centers in SVSU's Scott L. Carmona College of Business building.

This shift will also require modifications to how they previously operated, including their social norms. Being able to equip business owners and future entrepreneurs with the resources, tools and knowledge to respond to these evolving requirements and best practices will be critical. I see the SBDC being the support network to help with these necessary changes.

The expanded services will be available through March 2021.

We were able to add consulting staff to meet increased demands and extend our service offerings into key areas that we know will expedite small business recovery, said J.D. Collins, state director of the Michigan Small Business Development Center. This tangible support will aid in business recovery from the immediate effects of COVID-19 while building resilience for the future.

Michigan Small Business Development Center offices  including the operations housed at SVSU  provide no-cost consulting, training, market research, and technology commercialization services to assist Michigan businesses to launch, grow, transition and innovate.

Assistance includes business plans, marketing plans, applying for financing, budgeting, hiring, business forms, feasibility and strategic planning.

Small businesses owners can access free business consulting, on-demand and online training and market research at SBDCMichigan.org.

 Processed by Victoria Ritter, vritter@mdn.net
Covid controversy has stalked Alex Zverev all summer and on Sunday it reared up again when he departed the French Open admitting he had played while feeling ill.

The sixth seed was beaten in four sets in his fourth-round match by 19-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner and later told the media he should not have taken to the court in the first place.

'I was completely sick in the night after the match with Marco Cecchinato (on Friday),' he said. 'I can't really breathe as you can hear by my voice. I had fever as well. I'm not in the best physical state, I would say.'

German star Alexander Zverev has admitted he played while feeling ill at the French Open

But the 23-year-old German nevertheless decided to play his fourth-round French Open match

Players are tested every five days for coronavirus and an event spokesperson said that, while up to date, the German was due a new one after being found negative on Tuesday, September 29.

He did not consult medical staff before playing and the safety protocol for the event calls for players to 'adopt a responsible attitude and not attend the stadium' if they feel unwell.

It isn't the first time Zverev has behaved recklessly with Covid-19, having attended Novak Djokovic's notorious Adria Tour. He was then pictured partying in a French restaurant within a week of returning from that.

Zverev was defeated in four sets by Italian Jannik Sinner at Roland Garros as he crashed out

And speaking to the press afterwards he admitted he had had a fever and was completely sick

His defeat was far from the biggest upset of the day.

Iga Swiatek turned up at Roland Garros on Sunday morning as a little-known contender and by lunchtime found herself marginal favourite to win the tournament.

The 19-year-old from Poland took just 68 minutes to pull off the biggest upset of the week by dismissing the player who had looked the tournament's most likely winner, Simona Halep, 6-1, 6-2.

All around there were indications of what a strange event this has become for the women. Shortly afterwards Martina Trevisan, a 26-year-old Italian whose career has been badly affected by anorexia, made it through to face Swiatek in the quarter-finals when she knocked out the fifth seed, Kiki Bertens of Holland.

Iga Swiatek (above) took just 68 minutes to beat former French open favourite Simona Halep

It is the first French Open main draw for Trevisan, who has come completely from left field. Before this her only brush with recognition was that she played the first official tennis match after lock- down on August 1 in the qualifying event at the Palermo Ladies' Open. Swiatek is a former winner of the junior Wimbledon title and on Sunday she faced the reigning SW19 women's champion.

The Pole, whose father rowed in the 1998 Olympics, made the fourth round in Paris last year where she was destroyed 6-1, 6-0 by the same opponent as Sunday.

This time she destroyed Halep, whose movement was sluggish and game error-prone in contrast to previous rounds. This will go down as a huge missed opportunity for her.

Halep (above)'s movement was sluggish and game error-prone in contrast to previous rounds

'I'm stunned,' said Swiatek. 'I was thinking about last year because it was a huge lesson for me. It wasn't like I was scared because of that  because I lost in 45 minutes last year. It was kind of motivating for me just to play better.'

Her fellow 19-year-old Sinner now faces Rafael Nadal, who brought the run of young American Sebastian Korda to an end with a 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 victory.

US Open champion Dominic Thiem narrowly survived into the quarter-finals last night when he edged out 20-year-old French wildcard Hugo Gaston 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 6-3.

World No 239 Gaston received what passes this year for a huge ovation after nearly ousting the Austrian through the repeated use his brilliant dropshot. Thiem will now play Argentina's Diego Schwartzman.
Gunmen on Saturday abducted the son of a lawmaker representing Auyo Constituency in the Jigawa State House of Assembly.

The victim, Abdullahi Sani, 35, is a school teacher, at Government Girls Secondary School, Birniwa, in the state.

Mr Sani was abducted at Hadejia town where he resides with his family.

Family sources said the gunmen, numbering about 20, with six of them wielding guns, stormed the residence of their prime target at Shagari Quarters and abducted him.

The father of the victim, Sani Kigima, is a lawmaker representing Auyo Local Government Area in the State House of Assembly.

The police spokesperson for Jigawa State, Abdu Jinjiri, confirmed the incident to PREMIUM TIMES Sunday afternoon,

Mr Jinjiri said the police have swung to action following the report of the abduction.

The police said the incident happened around 2:00 a.m. at Hadejia town, and the gunmen went away with the victims phone and that of his wife.

They also went with his vehicles key, which the police spokesperson described as unusual.

Mr Jinjiri, however, decried the late report of the abduction, saying the police have commenced tracking the suspects while hoping to secure the unconditional release of the victim.

The police said preliminary findings show that, before the abduction, unusual movement was noticed at the victims residence in Hadejia where unknown faces frequently asked about his presence while he was away.

The command urged residents to report suspicious movement around their vicinity and abduction incident as soon as they occur to enable security personnel act on time.
Supporters of AIADMK Coordinator and Tamal Nadu Dy CM O. Panneerselvam, wearing his face mask, gather outside the party headquarters during the party's Executive Committee meeting, in Chennai.  PTI photo

An eerie calm prevailed at the AIADMK camp after it was rocked continuously for a few days by the turbulence caused by the infighting over the question of the next Chief Ministerial candidate as Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam left Chennai, driving off to his home town Theni on Saturday.

Panneerselvam is expected to hold discussions with his supporters at the sprawling farmhouse in which he was staying. Hearing about his arrival at the farmhouse, his supporters started gathering outside, purportedly to egg him on to continue with the fight.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had asked his ministerial colleagues to be present in Chennai for three days from Monday. When asked about it, Tourism Minister Vellamandi N Natarajan told the media that it was purely for official purposes.

Other Ministers, too, sought to play down the raging dispute, saying that an amicable decision would be taken before October 7. Revenue Minister R B Udhayakumar said Palaniswami and Pannerselvam were like Ram and Laskshman.

Speaking to the media at Madurai, Udhayakumar said the two would think alike and take the same decision and that it would be known on October 7.

Dairy Development Minister K T Rajenthra Bhalaji said that tranquility prevailed inside the AIADMK and what one may perceive from outside was not the true picture of the situation.

The buzz is that an agreement had been reached between the two groups and that Panneerselvam would hold the reins of the party and Palaniswami would run the government. Also the steering committee would be formed to oversee the functioning of the party as demanded by Panneerselvam.

Besides, most of the MLAs of AIADMK have seemingly gravitated towards the Palaniswami camp as their priority was to complete the term. They were not in favour of the rebellious Pannerselvam pulling down the government at his point of time with his adamant attitude and firm demand to be announced as the next Chief Ministerial candidate.

Apart from a few senior functionaries holding no prominent positions in the party or government, most of Pannerselvams supporters are from the grassroots level, predominantly from his locality. Even if they had aspirations of seeing him as the next Chief Minister, Panneerselvam would have to abide by the decision taken by the other MLAs and leaders.

So, his stay in the farm house would be spent explaining to the supporters that the party was more important and without winning the elections as a united party, they could achieve nothing.
Dozens of mourners gathered near what remains of Beiruts port on Sunday to mark two months since a huge explosion widely blamed on Lebanons political class.

The August 4 blast ripped through swathes of the city, killing more than 190 people and wounding over 6,500.

Two months later, an investigation into the disaster has yet to make public its results, further stoking public anger in a country mired in economic crisis and battered by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

On Sunday just after 6:00 pm (1500 GMT), at the exact time of the explosion, balloons bearing the names of each of those who died were released into the sky from a street overlooking the port, an AFP photographer said.

A large sound system played a rendition of the national anthem and Lebanese songs.

Bereaved family members and activists, holding portraits of the victims and placards demanding justice, briefly blocked the road to traffic.

They voiced anger at the countrys political class, widely seen as directly responsible for the catastrophe through a mixture of corruption and incompetence.

Is it too much to ask to know who committed this crime against humanity? asked Samia, a mother of two, whose husband worked at the port and died in the explosion.

Every day we die a hundred deaths, she added. My children have been deprived of the word Baba for their entire lives.

Salwa lost her uncle, who also worked at the port.

He was like a father to me, she said. How could God forgive them, but may God forgive those responsible, she added.

Another woman nearby interrupted her: God have vengeance on them!

We demand that everyone who had a hand in this disaster is punished, Salwa said.

The protest came after veteran cyclist Lance Armstrong led a bike ride to raise money to provide medical and food aid to those affected and repair damaged buildings.

The immediate cause of the blast was a huge stockpile of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive fertiliser, stored without safeguards for over six years in a warehouse on the portside and ignited by a fire nearby.

Lebanese authorities have rejected calls for an international investigation into the incident, instead launching their own probe, which has so far resulted in around 25 arrests.

President Michel Aoun has acknowledged he was aware of the presence of the ammonium nitrate days before the blast, while other senior officials also knew of it and the dangers it posed to nearby residential neighbourhoods, according to anonymous officials.
NEW YORK CITY  Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Sunday that he will request power from the state to close in-person schools and nonessential businesses in nine Brooklyn and Queens zip codes as their COVID-19 cases continue to remain over 3 percent.

De Blasio said there are another 11 zip codes that are in danger of going the same route, and will have the opening of gyms and pools rolled back this week, as well as increased outreach on mask use and testing. Those areas are also in Brooklyn and Queens.

Many of the neighborhoods in question also have large populations of Orthodox Jews, and the virus has been spreading rapidly in those communities in recent weeks.

De Blasio said the closures would start Wednesday, and impact neighborhoods like Kew Gardens, Bensonhurst and Far Rockaway. The city is closing schools and businesses if the zip code has a percent positive testing rate over 3 percent for seven consecutive days or more.

"It is necessary for the good of all of New York City," de Blasio said. "We have to take strategic action now to protect everyone."

The mayors plan, which still must be approved by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, marks the first major reversal of New York City's reopening since the shutdown began in March.

Overall, 20 hot spots in the state have a positivity rate of 4.8 percent. Those places are in New York City, as well as Rockland and Orange counties. Three zip codes in Brooklyn, Orange and Rockland counties had percent positives over 10 percent Saturday.

Outside the hot spots, New York's overall percent positive overnight was .91 percent.

Earlier Sunday, Cuomo in a teleconference with reporters said the state would be participating in citing, and possibly closing, non-compliant businesses in the largest COVID-19 hotspots. But the governor did not suggest an entire shutdown in those areas. His office would not comment on if he will give de Blasio approval for the zip code shutdowns - but made it clear that he thinks local governments are not handling the outbreak appropriately.

Nominate your favorite people and places now Its the 25th anniversary of our Best of the Capital Region readers survey. Nominate your favorite people, places and businesses between Jan. 21 and Feb. 4.

"Local governments have not done an effective job of enforcement in these hot spot ZIP codes," Cuomo's office released a few minutes after de Blasio's live press conference started Sunday. "The state will be doing aggressive enforcement starting tomorrow. As we saw with bars and restaurants, when the state initiated enforcement actions compliance greatly increased. However, the state cannot take over effective enforcement for every jurisdiction and if a local jurisdiction cannot or will not perform effective enforcement of violating entities, notify the state and we will close all business activity in the hot spots where the local governments cannot do compliance."

Cuomo also focused on the fact that some schools in the hot zones are not providing testing information to the state, which would then feed into the state's online schools dashboard. When asked if he was talking about private schools, specifically those in Orthodox communities, Cuomo said it was all schools he was referring to.

"Im saying to local school districts in those hot spot zip codes you need to do more tests more quickly...because they can be a transmission point," Cuomo said, offering state help to get mass testing done in schools that request it.
Malviya had shared the video, in which the face of the rape victim is clearly visible, on 2 October on Twitter

A video shared by BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya revealing the identity of the Hathras rape victim has evoked sharp reactions from the National Commission for Women and the Congress.

Malviya had shared the video, in which the face of the rape victim is clearly visible, on 2 October on Twitter. As of Sunday morning, the tweet is still on the micro-blogging platform.

National Commission for Women chairperson Rekha Sharma has been quoted as saying by The Indian Express, "If she is a rape victim, then the incident of tweeting the video is really very unfortunate and is also absolutely illegal."

The chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh State Commission for Women Vimla Batham also told the newspaper that she had not seen the video, but if it disclosed the womans identity, it was definitely objectionable. Batham was reported to have said that the commission would take cognizance and serve Malviya a notice.

Congress leader Radhika Khera also reacted to the tweet, and said, "Only a man with a cheap, shameless and narrow mindset can be the president of BJP's IT cell. This abusive man has proved it once again."

Malviya subsequently retweeted a post by BJP leader Priti Gandhi which read

Can you elaborate which law is violated if video of the victim is posted?? Not one report suggests that she was sexually assaulted. It is only a fiction of Lutyen medias imagination. Are we governed by rule of law or the hallucinations of a few??!! https://t.co/eVTBXGKkHv  Priti Gandhi -   (@MrsGandhi) October 2, 2020

Section 228A(1) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) bans the disclosing of the identity of a rape victim. While the NCW chief said that Malviya's tweet is illegal "if she is a rape victim", the law applies both in cases where rape has been "alleged" and where the crime is "found to have been committed."

The FIR in the Hathras case has invoked 376-D of the IPC (which deals with gang rape) against the accused.
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The White House released two pictures late Saturday night showing President Donald Trump working from Walter Reed Military Medical Center.

Trump was pictured in the presidential suite of the hospital where he was admitted on Friday evening following his positive coronavirus test.

The president attempted to ensure the public that his health was improving Saturday after it emerged that he had trouble breathing and may have been on oxygen at the White House before he was hospitalized.

The White House and Trump's medical team insisted that the president is getting better and continued to work.

President Trump works in the Presidential Suite at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda on Saturday in a picture released by the White House. The president has said his condition is improving

The two pictures released Saturday night were taken by official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian. They claimed to show Trump hard at work in the suite's adjoining office and conference room.

'The man never stops working!' commented Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere as he posted the pictures to Twitter.

Earlier on Saturday night, Trump had posted a video to Twitter in rebuke of off the record comments from his Chief of Staff Mark Meadows which showed concern over the president's health.

The video was delivered from the same table where Trump was later pictured working.

Trump said in the video that his condition was improving, that he was on treatments that were 'miracles from God' and that he had no choice but to go to the hospital because he didn't want to hide away in the White House in quarantine.

'I had no choice because I just didn't want to stay in the White House. I was given that alternative: stay in the White House, lock yourself in, don't ever leave, don't even go to the Oval Office, just stay upstairs and enjoy it,' he said in the four-minute clip.

'Don't see people, don't talk to people, and just be done with it and I can't do that, I had to be out front and this is America, this is the United States, the greatest country in the world.

'This is the most powerful country in the world. I can't be locked up in a room upstairs and totally safe and just say "Hey, whatever happens, happens". I can't do that,' Trump added.

'We have to confront problems. As a leader, you have to confront problems. There's never been a great leader that would have done that.'

Trump works in the Presidential Suite at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The White House released the pictures Saturday night shortly after the president posted a video in which he insisted that his condition

'The man never stops working!' commented Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere

The video and pictures were posted after a day of confusion over Trump's condition.

His personal physician insisted in an update on Saturday night that Trump was improving an continuing to work.

He said that Trump had made 'substantial progress since diagnosis'.

'This evening he completed his second dose of remdesivir without complication. He remains fever-free and off supplemental oxygen with a saturation level between 96% and 98% all day,' Conley wrote.

'He spent most of the afternoon conducted business, and has been up and moving about the medical suite without difficulty. While not yet out of the woods, the team remains cautiously optimistic,' he continued.

'The plan for tomorrow is to continue observation in between doses of remdesivir, closely monitoring his clinical status while fully supporting his conduct of Presidential duties.'

Conley's update have remained positive despite claims that Trump had 'trouble breathing' and was on oxygen before leaving the White House for the hospital and had asked aides if he was going to die.

The White House said he will remain in the hospital for a 'few days' as his condition is monitored.
The Daily Beast

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
In a shocking incident, a Chinese vlogger named Lamu has died after her ex-husband Tang set her on fire as she was recording a live stream.

The husband of 30-year-old social media star doused her in petrol before setting her on fire. Lamu suffered 90 per cent burn injuries and died after battling for her life for two weeks at a hospital.

Jinchuan County Public Security Bureau said in a statemnet that Lamu was taken to a local hospital after the attack and was later transferred to Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital for further treatment.

Tang broke into Lamu's home on September 14 carrying a cleaver and petrol before he attacked the Lamu in front of her family members, Daily Mail reported.

According to Chinese media, the screens on Lomu's live stream went black soon after the live streaming started. It is learnt that Tang decided to kill Lamu so brutally because she had sought divorce from him due to domestic violence.

Earlier in 2019, Lamu had decided to separate from Tang over repeated instances of domestic abuse. Both of them got custody of one child each. Later, Tang threatened to kill one child if Lamu did not re-marry him.

Tang has been arrested by police is a probe has been launched in this incident.

Lamu was a popular Tibetan video blogger who used to document her life in rural China. She had 782,000 followers and 6.3million likes on Douyin, the Chinese version of Tik Tok.
KENOSHA, Wis.  When John Antaramian thinks about the 20 years he has served in two stints as mayor of Kenosha, one mistake sticks out in his mind.

In 2000, Antaramian formed a committee to address what he described as several racial issues facing the city particularly around the quality of housing and homeownership.

We spent about a year working on different issues. ... We actually came to some solutions on those issues, Antaramian said. My mistake was I didnt keep that committee together.

"Im refusing to make that mistake a second time. Im getting too old to make too many mistakes.

In short, he said, we thought we solved the problem, and we didnt.

When Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man was shot in the back by a white Kenosha police officer on Aug. 23, the city was thrust into the center of the nation's reckoning on race.

The violence and unrest that followed, including the case of an Illinois teen charged with killing two protesters and injuring a third, have laid bare issues Antaramian thought had been improved through the earlier effort.

A month later, the national spotlight has shifted away from Kenosha to tragedies in Portland, Oregon, Rochester, New York, and elsewhere. But local officials, activists and concerned citizens are engaging in an important conversation on how to move the city forward.

Related: Jacob Blake shooting: more details emerge

Earlier: Kenosha videos of Jacob Blake, Kyle Rittenhouse shootings prompt fierce debate over race and justice

Addressing racial issues, Antaramian said, "literally is the number one priority that we have to deal with in our community.

Still, he notes, there is no fast solution.

Theres nothing that were going to do that would automatically, Oh this is taken care of. All these people are not going to be mad anymore. Everything is going to be just hunky-dory,' " he said in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "This is going to be a long process.

Listening to the people

Story continues

To begin the healing process, Antaramian has launched a series of four listening sessions to allow community members to tell him and other city officials, including law enforcement, how they feel.

The first listening session on Sept. 20 was sparsely attended, but spirited.

For about an hour, attendees expressed their frustration about how the police responded to protesters and offered ideas to improve the situation. Afterward, Antaramian met one-on-one with several activists.

Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian, left, and Eric Larsen, Kenosha deputy police chief, take notes during a Sept. 20 listening session.

Its unfortunate the mayor isnt a great public speaker, said Diamond Hartwell, a Kenosha activist. But if you sit down and calm him down and have a conversation with him, it can be a constructive conversation.

Another Kenosha activist, Porche Bennett, said her conversation with the mayor went shockingly well.

He has some good ideas, but its like I told him, its an action thing, Bennett said. You got to put action behind this.

A similar sentiment was expressed by Kenosha activist Brian Little.

It sounds like he is trying to do a little bit more, he said. Hes making an effort, finally. Thats all we can do is ask for that at this point in time right now.

To help with the healing process, Antaramian has enlisted local clergy, led by Turning Point Life Church Pastor Roy Peeples, to act as bridges to the community.

Yes, he does have his own way of understanding the issues and problems, Peeples said. He does have love for the community.

Bennett is willing to give Antaramian a chance.

For some reason, I dont know why, I believe him, she said. He looks me in my eyes when he talks to me. A lot of people dont do that and that makes me not be able to trust them when they talk to me. But he looks me in my eyes when he talks to me. So, I can give him the benefit of the doubt, for now, because, again, I want to see action.

20 years as mayor

After he was elected in 1992, Antaramian began a focus on investing in homeownership in poorer neighborhoods.

Antaramian helped establish a program where the city would buy a vacant house and a carpenter would hire high school students to help rehab it. The money generated by the sale went back into the program, so it could expand to another house.

The goal has always been 50% homeownership in the older neighborhoods," Antaramian said. "When you have 50% homeownership, everyone wins. The individuals who are renters start participating in the neighborhood because its their neighborhood and people care.

After tearing down the setup for a news conference in a park on Aug. 24, Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian spoke outside the public safety building.

Antaramian said a separate program from that period built that same sense of inclusion and ownership.

The Youth Employment in the Arts program helped fund public murals designed and created by young people. None were damaged during the recent unrest, he said, "because the kids did it, it was their work.

Antaramian decided not to run in 2008, saying he felt Kenosha was in a good place. But the Great Recession hit the city hard and funding for many programs he helped create evaporated. Antaramian ran and won in 2016; he was reelected in April.

It took me a lot of years to create the programs that we had before they went away, he said. Its not going to happen tomorrow that these programs are coming back. We have to get funding sources back in place to make it happen.

Antaramian, a Democrat, is known as a politician who can reach out to get help from Republicans. During this time of divided government in Madison, those skills will be put to the test.

I know he cares passionately about the community he represents, and he brings a collaborative approach to benefit the city and region, said Tommy Thompson, a former Republican governor and current University of Wisconsin System president, in a statement to the Journal Sentinel.

He is always looking out for Kenosha," Thompson said. "There is a wealth of opportunity in this region that has had much economic success that John has been key to building.

The city of Kenosha is strongly Democratic, while the county is much more split  it was the closest in the state in 2016, going narrowly to Donald Trump by less than 300 votes.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Kenosha County's population is just under 170,000, with about 75.4% white, nearly 8% Black and 13.5% Hispanic. More than half of the population, nearly 100,000, live in the city. Of that 66% are white, 11.5% are Black and 17.6% are Hispanic.

With the listening sessions ongoing, Antaramian is hesitant to say just what needs to change, but he has made clear he does not support cutting funding for police  a central aim of protesters in Kenosha and across the nation.

While there are many definitions for defunding the police, it generally means shifting funding from police departments to other services, such as social workers.

We dont have a huge amount of police, so I dont see reducing the police budget as the solution, Antaramian said. What the solution is, I think, is how we spend our money smartly and what we spend it on.

Antaramian said he wants to examine how the police can be better used in Kenosha.

A lot of our (policing) is based off of complaints or problems, shootings, stuff like that, he said. We need to talk with the neighborhoods a little bit more as to how were doing things and what were doing. And it needs to be a better relationship on the basis with the police and the neighborhood.

One group he would like to repair the relationship is with young Black men.

We lose them in the sense that they dont feel that theres any hope, Antaramian said. Theres so many young people with huge amounts of potential, they need to become the next leaders. They need to become the individuals that are going to be the next policemen, the next firemen, the next mayor, whatever it is that they want to do.

The wait for progress

Antaramian acknowledges it could take years for changes to really take hold.

He points to work at the old Chrysler engine plant, which used to be a mainstay employer for the city, as an example of how long change can take. He said the city has spent about $30 million in the last four years to clean up the long-vacant site so it can be redeveloped.

The aim is to build innovation centers and education facilities to help young people who live nearby.

It will be a neighborhood focus, Antaramian said. Thats the process thats already started and thats been going on for four years Ive been cleaning up that site.

He also talks of improving mental health services in the city.

We need to get a mental health facility in this town, there isnt one in the sense of a hospital or where someone can go, Antaramian said. Those are the types of things we can do.

In the short term, the Police Department will be getting funding to buy body cameras in next year's budget, a year ahead of schedule.

When the listening sessions are completed, Antaramian said he'll review what was talked about and there may be things we can do quickly" without waiting for assistance from the state or county.

Antaramian warned that substance is required, not simply resolutions calling for action or staking positions.

Resolutions dont do anything, he said. You can (pass) all the resolutions you want ... if were going to do something, then were going to listen to people, were going to put together an actual plan of what were going to do, Ill take that to council.

Peeples, the Turning Point pastor, said the window is open to create change in Kenosha.

We cant go back and change the past, no man can do that, but we can work with the future in this moment, right now, he said. Our community was in trauma for eight years (after the Great Recession) where there was all kinds of issues and all kinds of problems that crept in.

Follow Journal-Sentinel reporter Ricardo Torres on Twitter: @ricoreporting.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Kenosha mayor takes on racial issues after Jacob Blake shooting
It was an unassuming start, after they met for the first time in a yoga class three years ago.

But now 50-year-old Tamzin Outhwaite has said she has found true happiness living alongside her 29-year-old beau Tom Child.

She was previously in a relationship with Miranda actor Tom Ellis, 41, with whom she had daughters Flo, 12, and Marnie, eight.

In love: 50-year-old Tamzin Outhwaite has said she has found true happiness with her 29-year-old beau Tom Child

Speaking to the Mirror, the former Eastenders actress said of her current relationship: 'It was meant to just be a fling. Then it went from being a fling to, "I don't want to be away from you".

'For one of the first times in my life I'm living in the moment and not worrying about what's going to happen, which is lovely.'

Tamzin went on: 'I've been married before and I've got my children, who come first, and he knows that.

Content: Tamzin says she is enjoying 'living in the moment' with Tom (pictured 2019)

Happy family: Tamzin has previously gushed over how great Tom is with her kids Flo, 12, and Marnie, eight

Tom is a cameraman by trade, recently filming and directing his partner in a YouTube series about six menopausal women called Dun Breedin'.

Earlier in the year, Tamzin insisted in an interview with Prima magazine that she is 'not having a midlife crisis' by dating Child.

She said her relationship with Tom is both 'unexpected and magic'.

She added: 'Theres Joan Collins, Sam Taylor-Johnson and Helena [Bonham-Carter] with younger men, so I'm in really lovely company.

Her rock: Tamzin said in a previous interview that Tom is good for her mental and physical health

'Toms very good for my mental and physical health. The other way around, no one says anything about a younger woman do they?'

It has been claimed that ex Tom Ellis cheated on her with Australian actress, Emilie de Ravin, in 2013 as they filmed for the TV series Once Upon A Time while in America.

But since their split, the Tamzin says she has stopped 'giving two hoots' about what other people think of her, describing it as 'a lovely feeling'.

Tamzin found fame in 1998 when she was cast as Mel Healy in EastEnders.

She left the soap in 2002 but returned in 2017, until her character was killed off in November 2019.

The Ilford-born actress was supposed to be starring in a London production of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull when lockdown was announced back in March. It is not known if the play will resume.

Tamzin is set to start filming on a an as yet unannounced BBC1 series in the coming weeks.
Seven-time Odisha MLA Pradeep Maharathy dies at 65

India

pti-Madhuri Adnal

Bhubaneswar, Oct 4: Biju Janata Dal MLA Pradeep Maharathy died at a private hospital here in the early hours of Sunday, family sources said. He was 65. The seven-time MLA from Pipili in Puri district is survived by wife Prativa, son Rudra Pratap and daughter Pallavi.

Maharathy, who had tested positive for COVID-19 on September 14, was discharged from the hospital after recovery but was admitted again as his condition became critical. He was on ventilator support since Friday. The Odisha Assembly was adjourned for the day after members observed a minute of silence in memory of Maharathy.

WHO heaps praise on Odisha govt for effective fight against COVID, despite cyclone, migrant influx

The veteran politician started his career as a student leader at the SCS College in Puri. He joined the Janata Dal in 1985 and was elected to the Assembly from the Pipili constituency. He was arrested under MISA (Maintenance of Internal Security Act) during the Emergency. Popularly known as Natu Bhai, Maharathy had won subsequent elections from Pipili. He joined BJD in 2000. He was inducted in the Naveen Patnaik Cabinet in 2011 and held the portfolios of Agriculture, Fisheries, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water. During his tenure as the Agriculture Minister, Odisha had received Krishi Karman Award for four consecutive years.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed deep grief at the demise of Maharathy and described him as a "stalwart" of BJD and a long-time associate of Biju Patnaik. "He was a true leader of people. I extend my deep sympathy to the bereaved family and the people of Pipili," Patnaik said in a condolence message. The mortal remains of Maharathy will be cremated with full state honour, he said.

Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal, Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Pratap Sarangi, and many state ministers condoled Maharathy's demise. "Maharathy was a popular leader and able legislator, his untimely death is a big loss to the polity," the governor said.
Kate Beckinsale posted some snaps from a swimsuit shoot on Instagram on Sunday, days after sharing the 'soul destroying' experience of 'losing a baby at 20 weeks'.

The 47-year-old actress looked sensational in a cream and nude one-piece swimsuit as she shared a snap with her beloved Persian cats, Willow and Clive, who she walked on leads by the pool.

The cats looked as stylish as their owner, in hot pink harnesses, as they strutted along in front of Kate.

Out for a trot: Kate Beckinsale looked sensational in a cream and nude one-piece swimsuit as she shared a snap with her beloved Persian cats, Willow and Clive on Sunday

Meanwhile, a hunky man looked on from the pool, reclining in a water ring.

She posted a snap the day before of herself with Willow in the background, cleaning herself.

'My presence inspiring the usual level of avid excitement in Willow,' she joked in her caption for her more than four million followers.

Kate, who also has a Pomeranian called Myf, explained to People last year that 'Cats are easier than dogs'.

Sassy: The 47-year-old actress looked sensational in a cream and nude one-piece swimsuit as she shared a snap with her beloved Persian cats, Willow and Clive, who she walked on leads by the pool

Keeping it clean: She posted a snap the day before of herself with Willow in the background, cleaning herself

She noted that 'you dont have to walk around with a bag of poo like you do with a dog, which I hate to walk around with a bag of poo.'

Her poolside jaunt comes after she made the revelation about her miscarriage.

She opened up about the experience in the wake of the news that Chrissy Teigen had lost a baby about halfway through her pregnancy.

Furry friends: Kate explained to People last year that 'Cats are easier than dogs'

Chrissy and her husband John Legend share two children called Luna, four, and Miles, two, and had already named their next baby Jack.

Some observers raised their eyebrows after Chrissy posted a series of Instagram pictures of the family in the hospital grieving the miscarriage and cradling Jack.

'Ive noticed people criticizing @chrissyteigen for sharing deeply intimate photos of the loss of her baby,' Kate wrote on her Instagram page.

'As if theres some protocol during soul-scouring calamity that, if not observed, emboldens people who do not know her or her family to say how she should be handling the unimaginable.'

Kate shared: 'Years ago, I lost a baby at 20 weeks. I had managed to keep my pregnancy quiet and I absolutely collapsed inside and no one would have known.'

She has a 21-year-old daughter called Lily by her ex Michael Sheen and was also married to her Underworld director Len Wiseman from 2004 to 2019.

The Love And Friendship actress wrote of the aftermath of her experience: 'There is grief, shame and shock so often that come with an experience like this, plus the heartbreak of your body continuing, after the loss, to act as if it had a child to nurture. Your milk comes in, with no one to feed.'

Kate explained: 'It can be the loneliest, most soul destroying period of time, particularly if you are not in the position of having an emotionally connected, supportive partner like Chrissy has.'

'I absolutely collapsed inside': Her new selfie comes one day after she posted a message revealing she once suffered the 'soul destroying' experience of having 'lost a baby at 20 weeks'

She argued: 'I think its an honour to be allowed into another persons grief, especially with a subject like this which so often puts a woman into that hall of mirrors state of life continuing as if the world hasnt, for you ,come to a bloody and terrible halt.;

The London-born film star added that she was 'Sending so much love to the Legend family, but also so much to the women and couples who have kept it quiet and suffered. I know there are so many.'

Kate concluded: 'Thank you @chrissyteigen for making sure it is abundantly clear how devastating this is, and how life changing it can be without support. Lets let the grieving decide whats right for them. Send support or keep quiet . This is a really hard time to bear .Blessings and hugs to all x'.
Plan ahead to make sure this years Thanksgiving holiday is safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadas top public health officer urged on Sunday as case counts continued to soar in several parts of the country.

Dr. Theresa Tam said indoor holiday gatherings of family or friends should be kept small, especially in provinces such as Quebec Ontario where infection rates are highest.

Weve got some serious planning to do, Tam said in a statement released nearly a week before the national holiday on Oct. 12.

Not the carefree planning we had last Thanksgiving but rather some ingenious Canadian COVID-19 holiday-hacks that will ensure there are no viruses invited or passed around at our gatherings.

Tam said people celebrating outdoors should follow physical distancing guidelines and encouraged people to avoid sharing food and other objects during their meals.

She also suggested that Canadians opt for virtual Thanksgiving dinners instead of in-person gatherings.

Her advice comes as new COVID-19 case numbers continued their upward trajectory in several parts of the country, most notably in central Canada, where tighter restrictions have been put in place in recent days to try to prevent the spread of the virus.

Quebec reported more than 1,000 new diagnoses for the third straight day on Sunday, while Ontario has recorded more than 500 cases every day for the past week.

The Quebec government announced plans to move three towns in the Gaspesie region to its highest COVID-19 alert level on Monday, and urged residents to minimize their contacts with people outside their homes.

In Ontario, stricter limits on restaurants, bars and fitness facilities took effect in three main hot spots  Toronto, Peel Region, and Ottawa  this weekend in a bid to halt the surging case numbers in those regions.

The province also has announced other measures aimed at addressing a testing backlog, all of which take effect this week.

Manitoba said Sunday that multiple people tested positive for COVID-19 in Little Grand Rapids First Nation, after it said they attended events at a recreation centre late last month.

The province said the chief and council of the eastern Manitoba community have ordered residents to stay home and only go out for medical appointments and testing. If essential supplies are needed, only one person should venture out to collect them.

Manitoba also reported one new death attributed to the virus, a man in his 50s in the Winnipeg region, who became the 23rd person to die from COVID-19 in the province.

Health officials in Prince Edward Island identified two more cases in that province, attributing both to unspecified travel outside the region. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Heather Morrison said the patients, both men, have been self-isolating since arriving on the Island.

Meanwhile, Canadians struggling with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic will be able to start applying on Monday for two new benefits available from the federal government after legislation creating them was rushed through the House of Commons last week.

The first is a caregiver benefit targeting Canadians with young children forced out of school or day-care settings due to the virus. It provides $500 per week for up to 26 weeks to those with children under 12 who cant work more than half-time due to pandemic-related caregiving responsibilities.

The benefit, which is only payable to one worker in a household, is also available to those who cant work because their children or a family member is sick, has to quarantine or is at high risk of COVID-19.

The second benefit is a two-week paid sick leave worth up to $1,000 for workers who cant work more than half the week because they have contracted COVID-19 or have an underlying condition that puts them more at risk of the illness.

Starting on Oct. 12, Canadians will also be able to start applying for a third program which replaces the $500-per-week Canada Emergency Response Benefit that has formed the main support for Canadians unable to work due to COVID-19.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2020.
Former President John Dramani Mahama, has reiterated his commitment to eliminate within one year in office, the double-track system that has plagued the smooth implementation of the Free SHS Programme.

To achieve his target the former President said his government will embark on a fast-track programme to complete the abandoned Community Day Schools, expand infrastructure in existing schools, and include private schools in the free SHS programme.

Addressing a community durbar of chiefs and farmers at Fawohoyeden in the Asunafo North district of the Ahafo Region, Mr. Mahama said he has always stood for quality free SHS.

According to him, claims that he would cancel the free SHS programme is false, noting that he started the programme with day students during his administration.

While acknowledging that Ghana during the NDC era was not heaven, President Mahama maintained that the NDC has a better record than the NPP, explaining that today, everyone is suffering and can hardly make ends meet.

These days nothing works. Whether as a farmer, trader, driver or mechanic, the hardship is unbearable everywhere, he bemoaned, adding we have to go back for the NDC and I know that by Gods grace, we shall be victorious.

He announced to the farming community that when he wins the December 2020 elections, his government will reintroduce the free cocoa fertilizer intervention that was aborted by the NPP, to bring relief to cocoa farmers.

He also outlined a number of policies contained in the NDC 2020 Peoples Manifesto, including the Free Primary Health Care Plan, Free Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and the Free Apprenticeship Programme.
New Delhi:

In a major push for cashless transactions, PoS machines for credit and debit card as well as Aadhaar-based transactions will be installed at all PDS shops and fertiliser depots over the next few months.

In an interview, Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa said over 1.7 lakh PoS machines have already been installed at public distribution system (PDS) shops and more will be done in next few months.Both the Department of Food and Civil Supplies and the Department of Fertiliser have a programme to install PoS machines at all PDS shops and fertiliser depots, he said. Also, they will be made Aadhaar-enabled, he added. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has committed to support banks through the Financial Inclusion Fund for deployment of up to two PoS devices per village, to cover one lakh villages of tier 5 and 6 areas.

When asked about the impact of digital payments on cost savings, he said, the time is too short to undertake an assessment of that and I think we should give the system a fair time, may be a year or so, to see how much gain we have had.

He said there is a move towards digitalisation as can be witnessed in the number of people who have downloaded the BHIM and UPI apps and those of other service providers.

The number of PoS machines which have been sold for example. The PDS shops. There are over 1.70 lakh PDS shops who have installed PoS machines, there are a number of banking correspondents who have now got PoS machines and micro ATMs. There is a huge demand, if you talk to PoS machine manufacturers, of people who have ordered PoS machines. There are about a million PoS machines which have been ordered by the banks themselves. So, I think all these will move towards a situation where greater digitalisation of economy will take place, he said.

He said 68 per cent of bookings of railways are now done through digital mode.

The demand of PoS machines in the country has increased after November 9, 2016, with 2.52 lakh such machines being installed in last two months.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has already issued guidelines to prevent PoS fraud and directed the banks to add more security features in credit and debit cards to stop frauds, vide its circular dated May 26, 2016 on upgradation of ATMs and cards.

Also, public sector banks have been advised by the government to structure rental payments in such a manner that the small merchant does not have to pay more than Rs 100 per month rental on installation of PoS terminals.

NABARD has approved a scheme for giving 0.5 per cent incentive on payments made through the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) to merchants.

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Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi (pictured) spent hundreds of thousands of pounds in legal aid despite tellings his lawyers not to make any representations on his behalf

Families of the victims of the Manchester Arena terror attack have expressed their fury at the 350,000 legal aid bill racked up by bomb plotter Hashem Abedi.

Hashem, 23, who helped his brother Salman Abedi plot the sick attack which killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert in 2017, spent hundreds of thousands of pounds instructing solicitors and barristers - despite not engaging with the court process.

One firm of solicitors, who he later sacked, charged 135,407. After cutting ties with the lawyers, he spent another 52,259 on a new instruction.

Barristers' fees then cost 162,056.

Despite the huge sums spent on his defence, he stopped proceedings on numerous occasions, citing stress and tiredness as reasons, and even told his lawyers not make any representations on his behalf.

Victims and their families were outraged at the waste of money and of him 'robbing' them of their day in court to face him.

Charlotte Campbell, 40, whose 15-year-old daughter Olivia was murdered, told the Sun on Sunday: 'He robbed us of our day in court.

'He took away everything from us and all we wanted was to see his face as he was found guilty.

Police scrambled to Manchester Arena in their droves after the shocking attack three years ago

'But he wasn't there. He's wasted all of that money for no reason.'

Thirty-two-year-old Jade Clough, who was injured in the blast, said it was 'ridiculous'.

'He's been handed this help on a silver platter and he threw it in our faces,' she added.

Unlike defendants, who automatically get legal aid in crown court cases, the victims' families had to be means tested and supply large amounts of paper work.

However, after the trial was upgraded to a public inquiry, the Home Office agreed to pay the families' costs.

The 22 victims of the terror attack during the Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena in May 2017

Hashem played an integral part in plotting the attack which killed 22 people in May 2017.

He helped build the bomb which his brother detonated at the concert.

Manchester-born Abedi was in Libya when the bomb went off and was arrested there and extradited to the UK.

Prior to the attack, the college drop-out, who worked as a takeaway driver, started asking the owner of the restaurant he was working for if he could take the metal vegetable oil cans away for scrap.

Hashem and Salman started using them to test homemade explosives they were experimenting with at their property on Elsmore Road, Manchester.

Hashem was jailed for life, with a minimum term of 55 years, after being convicted of 22 counts of murder.
By Randy Myers

Bay City News Foundation

To show their gratitude for years of support, San Francisco Greek Film Festival organizers are offering their 17th virtual lineup for free. The annual celebration kicked off Saturday when you could start streaming all features, documentaries and shorts. It ends Oct. 10.

Should you be interested in venturing out for a special Sunday drive-in screening of the comic crime caper "Tokapi," Jules Dassin's breezy 1964 confection starring Melina Mercouri, Robert Morley and Maximilian Schell, get ready to shell out $30 per vehicle. Doors open at 6 p.m. at San Mateo's Par 3 at Poplar Creek, 1700 Coyote Point Drive. The film starts at 7 p.m. More info: https://grfilm.com/drive-in/

Here are five features from the virtual program to put on the must-see list.

"Entwined": A doctor who's devoted to science lands a job in a small Greek town filled with rustic residents skeptical of city folk. The doc, played by Prometheus Aleifer, soon falls under the spell of a mystical woman (Anastasia Rafaella Konidi) from deep in the woods, a sensual entity with a unique skin condition and an old lover. Soon the two become lovers and their opposites-attract worlds become intertwined. Director Minos Nikolakakis takes full advantage of Mother Nature for a genre bouncer that mixes in Greek mythology along with a debate on accepting both science and the supernatural. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbcLxkv1svg&t=12s

"My Name is Eftihia" (also known as "Eftyhia"): Passionate and sprawling, funny and tragic, and above all else, endlessly entertaining, this well-acted biopic on the indomitable Greek poet and lyricist Eftihia Papagianopoulou will give you the good cry you've been after. Katia Goulioni and Karyofyllia Karabeti share the honors of playing the ahead-of-her-times icon who ditched a wealthy husband to strike out on her own. Angelos Frantzis stocks up on handsome production values and allows for time to carve out for each of the secondary characters - including Efiihia's lifelong friend and gay manny, played by scene-stealer Thanos Tokakis. It was a huge hit and award winner in Greece.

"Siege on Liperti Street": Stavros Pamballis' taut nerve-racker is as lean and efficient as it is political and outraged. During Cyrus' economic and political crisis, a young couple (Constantine Markoulakis and Daphne Alexander) and their children get caught in the crosshairs when their house is threatened to be taken from them. A fatal accident thrusts both into a volatile standoff with both Turkish and Cyprus officials. Pamballis avoids the sentimental as he details the human factor that too often headlines and broken-down political talks fail to capture. Trailer: https://vimeo.com/404564607

"Window to the Sea": Spanish actress Emma Surez gives one of the best, most introspective performances of the year as Maria, a mother and grandmother presented with the terrible diagnosis that she has colon cancer. Presented with stifling options - such as living with her son and his family - in her ensuing days, she continues on with plans for a Greek vacation with her gregarious girlfriends. But the allure of the islands and a friendship with a emotionally wounded fisherman (Akilas Karazisis, also seen in "Siege") lead her on a path of fulfillment. Madrid filmmaker Miguel ngel Jimnez hands the film to Surez, who is such an aware actress that the look on her face reveals more than words do. Trailer: https://vimeo.com/352248591

"When Tomatoes Met Wagner": How can a film live up to a title like that? Marianna Economou's winsome documentary does. It peers into the quaint life of a Greek farming family familiar for their organic, old-school-style tomato lunches in a jar. To say they put love into their sauce would be insufficient since they take great care with their tomatoes (yes, playing Wagner). Economou's film is a sneaky one, seemingly a simple charmer, but there's much more astew here as she makes a lovely claim that happiness and traditions are preferential over greed and corporations. Trailer: https://vimeo.com/315176567

* For a full list of films, visit: https://grfilm.com/2020-virtual-film-festival/

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.
Polish teenager Iga Swiatek shocked top seed and title favourite Simona Halep to reach the Roland Garros last eight on Sunday as 12-time champion Rafael Nadal breezed into the quarter-finals for the 14th time.

Swiatek, just 19 and ranked 54 in the world, triumphed 6-1, 6-2 on the back of 30 winners and not allowing 2018 champion Halep a single break point.

"I am surprised I could do this," admitted Swiatek after ending the 17-match winning streak of Halep, the overwhelming favourite in the absence of 2019 champion Ashleigh Barty and US Open winner Naomi Osaka and following the injury-enforced withdrawal of Serena Williams.

It was a stunning turnaround for the Pole who won just one game against the Romanian at the same stage in Paris last year, swept off court in just 45 minutes.

"Last year I wasn't experienced enough, it was my first match in a big stadium so I was a little stressed, but now I can handle the pressure."

Halep had arrived in Paris with claycourt titles from Prague and Rome and had demolished Amanda Anisimova, who shocked her in Paris last year, for the loss of one game in 54 minutes in the third round.

"She played really well, it was her match today," admitted Halep who said she'll quickly get over her disappointment with her season now at an end.

"I will have a chocolate and I will be better tomorrow."

Swiatek will face Italian qualifier Martina Trevisan for a place in the semi-finals after the 26-year-old, world number 159, registered a 6-4, 6-4 victory over fifth seed Kiki Bertens, a semi-finalist in 2016.

Trevisan is the first qualifier to make the last eight since Yaroslava Shvedova in 2012.

- 'Living a dream' -

Trevisan had saved two match points in her win over Greek 20th seed Maria Sakkari.

"I'm living in a dream," said the Italian whose other appearance in the main draw of a major came at the Australian Open in January.

Sunday's early shocks mean that only four seeds remain in the women's draw -- third seed Elina Svitolina, fourth-seeded Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, seeded at seven, and Tunisia's Ons Jabeur, the 30th seed.

Story continues

Nadal defeated American qualifier Sebastian Korda 6-1, 6-1, 6-2, staying comfortably on course for a 13th French Open title and record-equalling 20th Grand Slam crown.

Second seed Nadal racked up his 97th win at the tournament against just two defeats since his title-winning debut in 2005.

He goes on to face either German sixth seed Alexander Zverev or Italian teenager Jannik Sinner in what will be his 42nd career appearance in the last eight of a Grand Slam.

Korda, the world number 213 and son of 1998 Australian Open champion and 1992 Roland Garros runner-up Petr Korda, never really recovered from slipping quickly to a 5-0 deficit in the first set.

The 20-year-old, who was so in awe of Nadal when he was growing up that he named his cat after the Spaniard, had the consolation of breaking serve once in the third set.

However, it was a brief respite as 34-year-old Nadal swept into the last eight without dropping a set and with his opponent left to rue 48 unforced errors on a chilly, blustery day in the French capital.

"It was a good performance and I am happy with that," said Nadal. "But Sebastian will be a great player in the future, it's impressive to see him hit the ball so well."

Later Sunday, third seed and US champion Dominic Thiem, the runner-up to Nadal for the last two years in Paris, faces France's Hugo Gaston, ranked at 239.

Gaston is the only French player left in the men's tournament from the 18 who started out but stunned 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka in five sets in the third round.

The day's other last 16 match features Diego Schwartzman, the 12th-seeded Argentine who upset Nadal in Rome on the eve of Roland Garros. He faces 46th-ranked Lorenzo Sonego of Italy who is in the fourth round of a major for the first time.

Svitolina, twice a quarter-finalist, meets France's Caroline Garcia.

Argentine qualifier Nadia Podoroska, ranked 131, faces number 114 Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic who has four doubles titles at the majors.

dj/mw
Fried and Waller said student housing is the main focus of the revitalization project. They said the Waco campus, which currently enrolls 2,773 students, will have as many or more on-campus student housing units available when the new dorm is built despite the demolition of the aging homes, many of which had been vacant for some time.

Of those 2,773 students, about 1,600 are from outside the Waco or Central Texas area, school officials said.

The Texas Legislature appropriated $29.6 million for the three-phase demolition project, which TSTC officials will use for the removal and abatement of 488 homes and about 20 other buildings on the Waco campus.

The new 246-unit dorm, being built at 401 Campus Drive, will feature a large gathering area in the first-floor lobby and include 42 rooms with one bed and one bath; 180 rooms with 2 bedrooms, 2 baths and a shared living space; and 24 rooms with two bedrooms and a shared bathroom and common area.

Our purpose is to help revitalize and modernize our campus, Waller said. It just has so many old structures on it right now. It will make such a huge impact after we demolish those old buildings, and with the new residence hall, it will be such a great benefit to our students.
Leray, N.Y. -- A 33-year-old man died Saturday when the ATV he was driving crossed lanes and hit an SUV, according to New York State Police.

Jon A. Laclair, of Evans Mills, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, police said.

The crash happened just before 3:30 p.m. in Leray, according to police.

Laclair was riding his 2006 Yamaha ATV south on Elm Ridge Road, when the ATV crossed into the northbound lane, police said. The ATV hit the side rear quarter panel of a 2021 Kia Telluride being driven by Christopher B. Dickinson, 28, also of Evans Mills, according to police.

Laclair was ejected from the ATV, police said.

No criminal charges are currently pending, according to police.

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.
Despite fury at chaotic lockdowns and criticism of the testing system, Lord Bethell (pictured last month) said much of the work done had been 'outstanding'

Britons will look back on the government's response 'like the Olympics' and be 'extremely proud', a health minister claimed today.

Despite fury at chaotic lockdowns and criticism of the testing system, Lord Bethell said much of the work done had been 'outstanding'.

But he also told a Tory conference fringe event that the government did not even have a full list of care homes earlier in the pandemic, and had not predicted the surge in demand for testing when children went back to school last month.

The comments came after the peer was asked where the UK would rank in the world in terms of its response to the pandemic.

He told the virtual event organised by a think-tank: 'I think there have been some outstanding pieces of delivery that have not been fully appreciated.

'And I think it will be like the Olympics, that's when it's all over and we look back and reflect, we will actually be extremely proud of ourselves.'

In contrast to the positive note, Lord Bethell also admitted that earlier in the crisis the Government did not have a list of all the care homes in the UK.

He told the Centre for Policy Studies event: 'We've done a huge amount to protect those in social care. But there have been times when we've struggled to even have the list of all the 15,000 social care sites in the UK.

'And having a highly dispersed, complex and multifarious social care system has benefits but when it's come to an epidemic like this it has also shown there are some weaknesses.

'And the Prime Minister and the Government have been crystal clear that this is something that's on the horizon to fix and it's really made that a big priority.'

Britons will look back on the government's response 'like the Olympics', the minister claimed. Pictured is the 2012 opening ceremony in London

Lord Bethell also conceded the Government failed to anticipate a surge in demand for Covid-19 tests when children returned to schools en masse in September.

He added: 'I think that the return to schools did catch us on the hop and there was a very understandable concern by both schools and then parents about getting kids tested.

'That has settled down dramatically and we're very determined to keep the schools open. But schools and parents, I think, have got the message and we're now prioritising tests much more clearly.'

Lord Bethell also outlined how a theoretical 'pregnancy test type' device might be used to determine if you have Covid-19 on a daily basis to allow you to go about your day.

He said: 'The really annoying thing about this disease, as we've found out, is that you can catch it today but not show any positive test or symptoms for several days.

Despite his claim, Lord Bethell conceded the Government failed to anticipate a surge in demand for Covid-19 tests when children returned to schools en masse in September (pictured, a testing site in Southwark last month)

'So that sort of regular testing becomes really important. But certainly, if you brush your teeth and take a test first thing in the morning and it's negative you've got a pretty good chance  and we're trying to develop the science around this  of not being positive today or tomorrow.

'And that means that you're enabled  and I think enabled is the key word here  to perhaps go to the pub, go to the theatre, to go to things where social distancing is problematic.

'Even if the test isn't 100% if it dramatically reduces the chain of transmission then it will have a huge impact.

'Now those tests wouldn't be the same tests I would give you if you were about to have brain surgery or if you were going to go and see a frail grandmother, but they would be if you were going to go to work or to travel on public transport.'
He has spent the last few years reluctantly travelling the world with his son, Jack.

And while Michael Whitehall, 80, has begrudgingly involved himself in numerous customs and traditions across the globe, one part of Australian culture proved to be his final straw.

Appearing on Sunday's edition of The Project, the British TV producer revealed that he refused to drink goon while filming Down Under for the upcoming fourth season of Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father.

Scroll down for video

'Gross!' While Michael Whitehall, 80, has begrudgingly involved himself in numerous customs and traditions across the globe, one part of Australian culture proved to be his final straw

When quizzed by host Tommy Little on why he refused to embrace one of Australian culture's 'crown jewels', Michael explained: 'Because I'm very interested in wine.

'I'm a bit of a wine buff. It's quite a call for me to actually drink Australian wine, but given I'm prepared to go that far, why would I drink it out of the bag or a goon bag? Absolutely gross, no, no, no!' he added.

An amused Tommy replied: 'I'm hoping they told you the beauty of the goon bag is that it serves two purposes.

'You can drink it, and when you're done, you can blow it up, and it doubles as a pillow!'

'I'm a wine buff': Appearing on Sunday's edition of The Project, the British TV producer revealed that he refused to drink goon while filming Down Under for the upcoming fourth season of Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father

Michael responded: 'I was not aware of that, no.'

Jack, who was also part of the interview, quipped in: 'I will teach him everything about the goon bag.'

When asked about their concluding thoughts on their time in Australia, Michael said: 'We had a terrific time. It's really nice for me to spend time with Jack. I'm very lucky.'

Michael said: 'I'm a bit of a wine buff. It's quite a call for me to actually drink Australian wine, but given I'm prepared to go that far, why would I drink it out of the bag or a goon bag? Absolutely gross, no, no, no!'

A shocked Jack replied: 'Wow, you managed to coax sentimentality out of my father!'

The fourth season of Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father was filmed before the coronavirus pandemic forced the world into lockdown.

He met his girlfriend, British model Roxy Horner, during his time in Australia.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 21:30:08|Editor: huaxia

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SHENYANG, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- A series of commemorative activities were held from Saturday and Sunday to mark the millennium anniversary of a temple in northeast China's Liaoning Province.

The events were held to mark 1,000 years of the Fengguo Temple in the county of Yixian. The temple, covering an area of 60,000 square meters, boasts the world's biggest and oldest cluster of colored clay sculptures.

The activities included a seminar on the protection of the temple, an unveiling ceremony of a millennium monument, an exhibition and a recitation in which about 100 primary school students participated.

The temple was built in 1020 during the Liao Dynasty (907-1125).

"The temple's worth is seen in its architecture, paintings, sculptures, stone carvings and murals," said Wang Fei, head of Yixian county's bureau of cultural relics. "It is a perfect combination of architecture, history and culture."

Experts have called for joint efforts by the whole society to continue protecting the temple. Enditem
Donning a BRO cap, Modi interacted with BRO Director General Lt Gen Harpal Singh, who explained to him through a photo exhibition, about the hurdles the agency faced during the tunnel excavation. Singh explained in detail the challenges encountered during the heavy water influx of Seri rivulet.

He explained how taming the glacial-fed Seri rivulet inside the tunnel was one of the biggest challenges for the engineers. It's a tributary of the Beas river and the tunnel alignment is crossing beneath the rivulet.

After opening the tunnel, Modi drove through the tunnel and took a look at the features of the tunnel, including the escape route in case of emergency.

The 9.02 km-long horseshoe-shaped single-tube, two-lane tunnel -- the world's longest motorable tunnel at over 3,000 metre above the sea level, came up under the 3,978 metre Rohtang Pass in the Pir Panjal range some 30 km from here in Himachal Pradesh.

The tunnel connects this tourist resort to the Lahaul Valley throughout the year. Earlier, the valley was cut off for about six months each year owing to heavy snowfall and snapping of road link via the Rohtang Pass.

Earlier, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur welcomed him along with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur upon his arrival at the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE} helipad near here.

Both Rajnath Singh and Thakur reached here a day earlier.

"The all-weather tunnel can take any military traffic, even armoured vehicles," a BRO official aware of the development told IANS.

However, the all-weather road to forward areas of Ladakh requires more tunnels, either at Shikunla or at the high passes located on the 475-km Manali-Leh road for round-the-year connectivity.

The Rohtang tunnel, a dream of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and named after him posthumously, was completed after 10 years of by the BRO with an outlay of Rs 3,200 crore.

Talking exclusively to IANS, tunnel project Director Colonel Parikshit Mehra said the tunnel has manoeuvred one of the largest shear zones in the history of highway tunneling.

"A length of 587 m across the Seri-nullah or rivulet zone took us four years and the balance 8.4 km took almost the same time," he told IANS.

Colonel Mehra, who did a twin master's degree in tunnel engineering, including one from Austria, said during excavation the temperature inside the tunnel rose to 55 degrees Celsius before breakthrough and it hardly crossed 20 degrees after that.

On its vulnerability, he said, "The deep tunnels in general are not vulnerable to the tectonic effects since they move as a rigid body with shock waves.

"However portal buildings are vulnerable to earthquakes and in our case earthquake loads have been considered in design."

The decision to keep the main and escape tunnel within the same opening was taken with a viewpoint not to disturb a large extent of rock mass and restrict excavation to a specific area only, Colonel Mehra said.

Globally, the escape tunnel is built separately along the main tunnel.

And no wonder the working conditions were relatively short and tough too owing to climatic conditions. "The north portal of the tunnel was accessible only for five-six months in a year,' he said.

The tunnel construction, a blessing for the people of landlocked Lahaul-Spiti district who mark a new beginning in their lives this winter. The district was abandoned on numerous occasions, primarily due to the complex geology that included fracture zones and fault lines.

The tunnel will shorten the distance between this Himachal Pradesh tourist resort and Keylong, the headquarters of Lahaul-Spiti, by 46 km, shortening the travel time by nearly three hours.

With a maximum speed limit of 80 km per hour, the tunnel is expected to see traffic of 3,000 cars and 1,500 trucks a day.

The tunnel has consumed 12,252 metric tonne steel, 1,69,426 metric tonne cement and 1,01,336 metric tonnes of concrete, and excavated out 5,05,264 metric tonnes of soil and rocks by adopting the latest Austrian tunnelling method for construction.

The construction contract of the tunnel has been awarded to Strabag-Afcons, a joint venture between India-based Afcons Infrastructure and Austria's Strabag.

Chandigarh-based SASE has designed mechanical structures to ensure the safety of motorists by countering avalanches on both ends of the tunnel that remain under snow even during peak summer.

Engineers of SASE, a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratory, said self-escape snow galleries have been erected for the safety of motorists after studying the local dynamics of avalanches like force and velocity.

The tunnel's foundation stone was laid by United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on June 28, 2010, in the Solang Valley near Manali, some 570 km from the national capital.

The completion of the Atal tunnel is a key element in the Defence Ministry's attempts to make the entire 475 km-long Manali-Keylong-Leh highway, used by the armed forces to reach forward areas in Ladakh bordering China and Pakistan, motorable almost round the year.

The south portal of the tunnel is located at a distance of 25 km from Manali at an altitude of 3,060 metres, while the tunnel's north portal is located near Teling village in Sissu in the Lahaul Valley at an altitude of 3,071 metres.

The double lane tunnel with a roadway of eight metres has an overhead clearance of 5.525 metres.

It is 10.5-metre wide and has a 3.6 x 2.25 metres fire proof emergency egress tunnel built into the main tunnel itself.

The tunnel has ample safety features built into it. The key safety features include the telephone connections at every 150 metres for emergency communication, fire hydrant mechanisms at every 60 metres, auto incident detection system with CCTV cameras at every 250 metres and air quality monitoring at every one km.

The historic decision to construct the strategic tunnel was taken on June 3, 2000 when the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister.

The foundation stone for the access road to the south portal of the tunnel was laid on May 26, 2002.



The breakthrough from both ends of the tunnel was achieved on October 15, 2017.



(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)

--IANS

vg/ash




With cooler temperatures and a second wave of COVID-19 upon us, its time to prepare for more cooking at home. Ive been thinking a lot about what to eat this winter. For those craving a change of pace from what we cooked in the early days of the pandemic, I suggest one of the quintessential wintertime Chinese classics: the mighty hot pot.

Its a simple concept: a communal pot of broth boils over a portable stove at the centre of a dining table, surrounded by vegetables, dumplings, paper-thin sliced raw meats, tofu, seafood, mushrooms and noodles. Everyone at the table cooks their own food in the broth, and voila. Think Swiss fondue, but with more firepower.

We definitely expect hot pot to be something people will be enjoying a lot, said Tina Lee, CEO of T&T Supermarkets. Its going to be a long winter and people feel the need to switch up what theyve been cooking. The best kept secret is that it looks beautiful, but its so easy to do.

Hot pot is one of my moms go-to things to do during the winter. Shell head to the Chinese supermarket to buy pre-sliced meats, beef tendon balls, frozen dumplings, tofu, leafy greens and noodles. Shell make a broth of just water, chopped napa cabbage and thick slices of daikon, and then fire up the portable butane stove.

As we cook, the broth gets flavoured with the various meats, dumplings and vegetables, all culminating to an aromatic broth perfect for noodles and tofu to soak up.

The bonus is that the bubbling broth warms up the house and adds a bit of moisture to the dry winter air. For some households, the smell of baked cookies signify the winter months, but for me, its the aroma of hot pot.

Its a beautiful spread and its so collaborative because everyone is sharing and cooking together, said Lee, whose family does hot pot on Christmas Eve. The secret is that its not a lot of work because everyone is doing the cooking throughout the meal.

Typically hot pot is for larger gatherings since its basically a buffet of cook-your-own food, but my family has done hot pot with the three of us many times with just four or five ingredients. During the great ice storm of 2013 when our neighbourhood was without electricity for a week, we turned to hot pot to keep us fed (and warm).

Most Chinese supermarkets have all the necessary ingredients and gear needed for a hot pot set up. T&T and other large East Asian grocers such as Galleria are one-stop shops. First, you need a portable butane stove. Its a flat stove, typically with a single burner, and a compartment for a canister of butane gas (usually sold in packs alongside the stoves at Asian grocers).

These stoves are safe to operate in the house as long as the manufacturers instructions say theyre suitable for indoor use, says Justin Law, a public educator with Toronto Fire Services whose family has been doing hot pot for as long as he can remember.

Law advises when using a butane stove, do it in a well-ventilated room and make sure the carbon monoxide detector is working. Also, never leave the fire unattended and make sure the stove has fully cooled before putting it away. When the butane canisters are empty, take them to one of the citys drop-off depots that accept household hazardous waste.

If the butane is too much trouble, induction burners have become more popular in recent years (its what Law uses at home).

Additional gear needed includes a pot to sit on the stove. Some have a divider down the middle so that you can cook with two different broths. Wire or metal spider strainers are used to cook noodles, leafy greens and anything else that would be hard to hold onto with chopsticks. Speaking of, each person usually has two pairs of chopsticks: one set to eat with and the other to handle raw ingredients. A regular ladle is used to scoop up the delicious broth, as well as skim off layers of fat that accumulate.

As an alternative option, many of the citys hot pot restaurants have started takeout options during the pandemic.

Angus Wei, North American operations director for the international Liuyishou Hot Pot chain with three locations in the GTA says the restaurants started delivering hot pot kits to homes in February when Chinese businesses saw a slump as news of COVID-19 was coming out of China.

Starting at $80 for two, the hot pot sets come with soup bases, sliced meats, vegetables, noodles and dipping sauces. If you dont have the butane stove and pot, the restaurant will lend them to you for a $20 deposit. You can either drop it off at the restaurant afterwards or arrange for staff to pick it up for free from your residence.

We have instructions for the stove and the pot, a cooking time list for all the products, and we label everything, said Wei, adding that takeout and delivery has been essential to the business since its dining rooms arent operating at full capacity. We give everything to the customers so they can learn how to do it.

However simple or elaborate the hot pot set up gets is up to you, but above all its a fun meal meant to be shared with the people around you, even if the gathering is smaller this year.

A guide to hot pot

There are multiple options when it comes to the broth: T&Ts Lee is like my mother in that she prefers a plain soup base (Lee mixes equal parts chicken broth and water). Others like milk (dairy, unsweetened soy or coconut) spiked with aromatics like onions. Heat seekers love the chili-based broths that are popular in parts of northern China, and those soup bases are sold by many brands such as Little Sheep and Haidilao.

As for what to cook, meats are the first thing that goes into the broth when it starts boiling because they cook the fastest: A few swishes in the hot broth until the meat is no longer pink is all it takes. You can slice the meat on your own (it needs to be paper thin) but its easier to buy the pre-sliced stuff at Chinese grocers.

Beef rib-eye and lamb are the most common, but there are also pork and chicken options. Sliced fish and shrimp are also commonly added, along with oysters (the big ones that come in plastic tubs, not the ones you eat raw on the half shell).

Frozen dumpings, sticks of frozen fake crab meat, fish cakes and meat balls made of fish, cuttlefish, lobster, beef tendon and octopus are also thrown in.

Vegetarians need not feel left out, as meatless hot pot is also common. Start with a vegetable broth, perhaps flavoured with kombu (dried Japanese kelp) or a bit of miso. Simmer slices of taro, lotus root, pumpkin and daikon until tender.

Add fistfuls of leafy greens like napa cabbage, watercress and tong ho, a mildly peppery Chinese green also called shungiku in Japan. Mushrooms like enoki, shiitake and oyster are popular. Bean curd skins and firm tofu are essential.

Hot pot pros freeze their tofu ahead of time and defrost it before cooking, resulting in tofu with tiny little air pockets that soak up all the broth and an extra chewy texture.

Then come the best part: noodles swimming in that broth that has been simmering for the last hour.

As you cook, the soup gets more flavourful so at the end you have to have noodles, Lee said. Your soup base may have started very plain but by now it will taste amazing. Udon, vermicelli, ramen, shirataki and mung bean noodles are commonly used.

But what makes or breaks a hot pot meal is the dipping sauce. At the start of a meal, everyone is given a bowl to mix their sauces to dip their cooked meats and veggies in.

It can be as simple as soy sauce or as elaborate as a mixture of the following: Peanut butter, sesame paste, soy sauce, chili oil, sliced green onions, cilantro, sesame oil, black vinegar, minced garlic, chili paste and shacha sauce, a salty and slightly spicy Chinese condiment thats a mix of soybean oil, garlic, shallots, chili, dried shrimp and brill fish (it comes in a silver tin and is usually referred to as barbecue sauce in English).

Some also mix in a raw egg yolk for a velvety texture, but its up to personal preference (and whether youre OK with raw eggs). There really is no rule.
LANSING  Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined 16 other attorneys general to defend a Texas county clerks decision to send mail-in voting applications to registered voters ahead of the November election. The State of Texas is suing to block the county clerk from mailing the applications, claiming that he does not have the authority to make such a decision and that the mailers will confuse ineligible voters into voting by mail.

In a friend-of-the-court brief filed in Texas v. Hollins in the Texas Supreme Court, the coalition argues that local election officials require the ability to tailor their election rules to protect voter participation and the health and safety of residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The brief also argues that there is no evidence that voting by maillet alone sending mail-in voting applications to registered votersresults in widespread fraud.

"All Americans who are eligible deserve to perform their civic duty safely this year as we continue to navigate through the pandemic, said Nessel. For this reason, clerks across this nation are doing all they can within the confines of the law to simultaneously protect voters and our democracy. Ensuring all voters  regardless of party affiliation or who they vote for  are informed and have the tools necessary to vote in November shouldnt be a matter of contention.

Here in Michigan, the Attorney Generals office recently defended Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson for lawfully sending out unsolicited absentee voter ballot applications to registered voters. The Michigan Court of Appeals affirmed a lower courts ruling that state law and the Michigan Constitution allow Secretary Benson to distribute applications in the manner that she did.

Election experts project that voter turnout in the general election this November could be the highest in over a century. At the same time, however, according to one study, 49 percent of U.S. registered voters expect to face difficulties casting a ballot due to the coronavirus outbreak. As a result, states across the country have modified their election procedures to protect both voter participation and the health of voters and election workers.

On Aug. 25, 2020, Chris Hollins, the Harris County Clerk, stated that his office would mail every registered voter in the county an application to vote by mail in the November election. The mailer would clearly outline the categories of voters who are eligible to vote by mail. The State of Texas filed for a temporary injunction to block this vote-by-mail outreach, claiming that Hollins did not have the authority to make such a decision and that it would confuse recipients into committing voter fraud since only certain voters are eligible to vote by mail. The trial court denied Texass motion for a temporary injunction, and the Court of Appeals affirmed. The State has appealed to the Texas Supreme Court.

In the amicus brief, the coalition supports the Harris County Clerks plan to send vote-by-mail applications to registered voters because:
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 22:56:04|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that Britain's coronavirus pandemic may be "bumpy through to Christmas" as the country continues to see a sharp rise in infections, local media reported Sunday.

"I've got to tell you in all candour it's going to continue to be bumpy through to Christmas, it may even be bumpy beyond," he said in an interview with the BBC's Andrew Marr Show program.

"This could be a very tough winter for all of us -- we've got to face that fact," Johnson said.

The prime minister made the remarks as his Conservative party holds its annual conference online. More than a third of Britain's population is now under heightened restrictions, according to the BBC.

"I don't want to have to impose measures like this...this is the last thing we want to do. But I also have to save life. And that's our priority," he said.

"That's the priority of the British people and I think they will want to see their government continue to work, continuing to fight the virus and that's what we're doing," he said.

Johnson said a "radically different" situation may appear by the spring next year. "We will find all sorts of ways, I'm absolutely sure, particularly through mass testing programs, of changing the way that we tackle this virus."

Britain's R number, which shows the coronavirus reproduction, has risen to as high as 1.6, the latest official figures showed Friday.

If the reproduction rate is above one, it means the number of cases will increase exponentially.

Another 12,872 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 480,017, according to official figures released Saturday.

The daily increase, which nearly doubled Friday's 6,968 cases, is partly due to a technical issue which had resulted in a delay of reporting data over the past week, according to a government statement.

Meanwhile, to bring life back to normal, countries, such as Britain, China, Russia and the United States, are racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines.

The British government's Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance has said that it is possible that some vaccine could be available in small amounts later this year, but it is more likely that a vaccine will be available early next year, although that is not guaranteed. Enditem
Rickert likes the way each bottle can be traced directly to the farm that produced the corn. Each bottle is labeled with the information and harvest details provided by the farm.

The label on Rickerts whiskey says the date the corn was planted and harvested, along with the name of the hybrid and yield amount.

Its customized to reflect exactly where that grain came from, Minarick said.

Minaricks distillery needs only about a third of a bushel to make whiskey.

In addition to providing the corn, farmers pay the company $325. For that, they receive six bottles of 80 proof whiskey. Each bottle holds 750 milliliters.

For those without their own corn, the cost is $375 per order. If those customers want to use a friends corn, a portion of the payment will go to the farmer.

Rickert says Minarick is an intelligent and innovative guy. Even in college, Minarick was talking about his distilling idea.

Rickert, who graduated from UNL with a degree in agronomy, farms with his dad, Ron, and his grandfather, Marvin.

Rickert plans to share his whiskey at family gatherings.
Consumers and the U.S. economy have saved hundreds of billions in energy costs amid the shale boom led by the Permian Basin.

The shale revolution changed the shape of the nations electric grid but also where the country stands vis a vis the rest of the world author Robert Bryce said during the Permian Basin Petroleum Associations 58th Annual Meeting, held virtually this year.

The industry has provided cheap, reliable, abundant sources of natural gas, said Bryce, who writes on energy issues and is the author of A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations. Yet the industry has had a miserable time despite its success.

U.S. consumers are enjoying the benefits of the dramatic increase in production while the hydrocarbon industry is driving itself out of business because its so successful.

Looking at the nations energy mix, Bryce said oil use continues to rise, while coal use has plateaued, and natural gas is growing at an even faster rate than oil, and non-hydro renewable use is beginning to creep up. The nation has effectively decarbonized its electric grid thanks to the use of natural gas, he said.

Globally, electric use rose 42 percent from 2005 to 2020 led primarily by China, India and Southeast Asia.

That growth is likely to continue because so many people are living in dire electricity poverty. Three billion people today use less electricity than the average refrigerator, Boyce said.

He took a close look at the call to shift from fossil fuels to renewables and just what that transition would entail. He referred to California Gov. Gavin Newsomes recent order to ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles in the state by 2035 as well as Democratic presidential nominee Joe Bidens call for 500,000 public electric car-charging outlets by 2030.

The question is, what about the scale and who will pay for the infrastructure? Bryce said. The consumer has been left out of the discussion.

He estimated that to replace heavy trucks in California with electric-powered heavy trucks would require 585 terrrawatt hours of new electricity per year. Solar power nationally generates only 108 terrawatt hours, which is twice the output of wind turbines and nearly equal to the amount of solar power generated globally.

The idea is to switch to renewables; that would require six times the solar we have now. These are just numbers and I may be off by 50 percent; cut it in half and were still talking the heavy-duty truck sector alone using more power than that produced by every wind turbine in the country, Bryce said.

That switch would also require batteries, he said, noting that a Tesla Gigafactory produces 50 gigawatt hour per year of batteries. To provide enough batteries for electric-powered heavy-duty trucks in California alone would require the output of a Tesla Gigafactory for the next 1,170 years, he said.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

It would also require significant increases in minerals, from copper and molybdum for wind turbines and silicone for solar panels.

Then theres the opposition to wind farms and solar farms and the transmission lines required to carry that power to the electric grid, Bryce said, citing protests of wind farms from Hawaii to Nebraska.

All these moves are being done out of concern for the environment, he acknowledged, saying climate issues are emotional and there is almost a religious fervor around some of those belief systems.

The Permian Basin energy industry must continue repeating the facts around the industry and energy use and pound those facts, he said. Despite the drive to switch to renewables, the infrastructure was built over decades to accommodate fossil fuels and that wont change over decades. Thats reality and it wont change overnight, he said.
The vigil at Walter Reed started popping Saturday night, after supporters trickled up from a Trump rally in downtown D.C. Gay Trump supporters said he has done more for gay people than any president; Black Trump supporters said he has done more for Black people than any president. Neither is true, but truth is not the point anymore. Belief is. On Saturday, Christians at the vigil prayed for Jesus to heal their highly favored president. Trump released a video on Twitter talking about miracles coming down from God. Trump family members and Fox News hosts described the presidents relentless virility, like he is some sort of mutant horse on a rabid race to serve the public. Online a commemorative Donald J. Trump Defeats Covid coin became available for preorder for $100; it ships Nov. 14, after Trump is perhaps defeated by something else.
Hi, aside from the obvious issue of traveling anywhere in the world right now, I am seeking a few questions on a possible upcoming trip to Jamaica. This trip would happen the third week of October 2020.

My main question is regarding the resilient corredor. My plan at the moment would be to fly into Kingston , take a taxi from the airport to the Half Way Tree bus station, then take a bus from Kingston to Port Antonio where I would be staying for 6 days. My question is this: is that allowed as travel within the resilient corridor?

Once in Port Antonio, I really don't have plans to do anything more than walk around and go to the beach. Other than that, I plan to return to Kingston the day before departure so that I can visit the Bob Marley museum ( I'm a long time huge fan of reggae music) and while this is less than an ideal time to travel I've always wanted to go to Jamaica - a pilgrimage of sorts & I have a very stressful life and need some alone time.

I am aware of the Covid-19 testing requirements - I am coming from the US.

I would very much appreciate sincere input.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-05 00:37:25|Editor: huaxia

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LUSAKA, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Zambia conducted 2,792 tests in the last 24 hours as the country ramps up tests as an effort to combat the pandemic, a government agency said on Sunday.

The Zambia Institute of Public Health (ZIPH) said the tests conducted in the last 24 hours resulted in 78 new cases, a continued decline in the positivity rate, according to the information posted on its website.

This brings the cumulative cases to 15,052.

On the other hand, 93 patients were discharged from various health facilities during the same period, bringing the total recoveries to 14,187 while 532 patients were still undergoing treatment.

The total deaths stand at 333 as the country did not record any deaths in the last 24 hours. Enditem
Amid the surge in China's illegal activities in the Indo-Pacific region, the upcoming meeting of the foreign ministers of India, Japan, and the will focus on the next steps to be taken to thwart Beijing's moves.

The meeting takes place at a time when is showing its willingness to use its military and economic heft to dominate the Indo-Pacific region and Eurasian areas.

In recent months, the stance on has hardened, especially due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which originated in Wuhan.

On July 23, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo delivered a remarkable speech where he proposed the formal termination of 40 years of US policy of engagement with Beijing, which had been premised on the hope that would change from within, as it integrated with the global economy.

"We, the freedom-loving nations of the world, must induce China to change, just as President (Richard) Nixon wanted. We must induce China to change in more creative and assertive ways because Beijing's actions threaten our people and our prosperity. We must start by changing how our people and our partners perceive the Chinese Communist Party," Pompeo observed.

On September 16, US Congressman Tom Tiffany introduced a bill urging Washington to put an end to the "one China" policy, resume formal relations with Taiwan, and begin negotiations on US-Taiwan Free Trade Agreement. In a press release, the Congressman criticised former US President Jimmy Carter for suddenly severing diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1979, "without legislative approval".

India-China relations hit a new low with the military stand-off in the Galwan Valley after some PLA soldiers attacked Indian Army personnel resulting in the death of 20 Indian soldiers.

In recent weeks following Shinzo Abe's resignation from the post of Prime Ministership, has hardened its stance on China.

After he stepped down, Abe visited Yasukuni Shrine, which honours Japan's war dead. The visits by Japan's leaders to the shrine have previously interpreted as a lack of remorse for Tokyo's militaristic past, which included invasion into China.

Abe's brother, Nobuo Kishi, who is the Defence Minister in Yoshihide Suga's Cabinet, told reporters after his appointment that China's "rapid military build-up is a serious concern".

His appointment has upset China, as Kishi is known for his deep and extensive links with Taiwan.

In the past, Kishi has viewed that should consider arming itself with nuclear weapons if needed due to the changing international security landscape.
At least 70 healthcare workers were given exemptions to continue working during the pandemic despite being close contacts of a positive Covid-19 case or displaying symptoms.

HSE guidelines, which were updated last month, allow essential healthcare staff a "derogation", or exemption, by senior management to return to work in circumstances where they would normally be expected to self-isolate.

While hospitals say the derogations are used sparingly, nurses' representatives are concerned the practice increases the risk of Covid-19 spreading in vulnerable settings. Trinity College professor of experimental immunology Kingston Mills said such concern is valid.

The Government advises anyone who is a close contact of a confirmed Covid-19 case to restrict their movements for two weeks. This generally applies to healthcare workers who are close contacts of a community transmission case. However, if they do not have symptoms, a manager can grant essential healthcare staff a derogation to return to work.

HSE guidance says they cannot return to work if they live with the infected close contact, but they may work if their contact is in a healthcare or community setting. The guidelines do not state the person should be tested, but advises carrying out a risk assessment.

Prof Mills said such a policy increases the risk of Covid-19 spreading. "If people are going back to work, regardless of what the profession is and I accept the healthcare profession is absolutely vital at this stage, but if they are close contacts of a confirmed case with or without symptoms they are putting others at risk by potentially transmitting the virus. They can still pass on the virus," he said.

People are generally advised to restrict their movements for 14 days if they have travelled from a non green list country, but derogations can also be granted for healthcare workers who have travelled from abroad to provide "an essential service".

Any healthcare staff who have no symptoms but have returned an inconclusive Covid-19 test result can continue to work in healthcare facilities if given sign-off by their manager while they await a new test result.

"If you are using symptoms as a criteria for saying whether someone should or shouldn't return to work, then the whole system breaks down because that is defying the principles," Prof Mills said.

Healthcare workers who have tested positive for Covid-19 must self-isolate for 10 days regardless of symptoms.

Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation general secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha is concerned that the same restrictions that apply in the community are not strictly applied in care settings because of staffing pressures and demand placed on the health service.

Her anxiety is fuelled by high infection rates among healthcare staff. Since the start of the pandemic, they have accounted for 25.5pc of all Covid-19 cases, with several outbreaks linked to hospitals in recent months.

"In the general population you get a notification, for example, through the Covid Tracker app that you are a close contact of a positive case, and the advice is you self-isolate," she said.

"What this policy says is different, in that healthcare workers can return to work. We believe that is exposing patients and it is also exposing healthcare workers."

The University of Limerick Hospital Group has granted 59 derogations to staff - two of these were in September. Children's Health Ireland had granted nine derogations to staff up to September 16.

The Ireland East Hospital Group said "a small number of derogations have been granted" since March, but did not confirm how many.

The RCSI and Dublin Midlands groups said they follow HSE guidelines to consider derogations, but did not confirm how many derogations were issued in the past six months. The Saolta and the South South-West hospital groups only said they follow HSE guidelines but did not confirm if they issued derogations.

All hospital groups said they followed national guidance and health and safety protocols.

A HSE spokeswoman said: "The decision to derogate workers is based on a decision in line with the risk assessment in the derogation guidelines. Any worker could be derogated as an essential worker depending on the local requirement."
Akshay Kumar said he wont deny that there are some in the Hindi film industry indulging in illegal practices, but most of the members will cooperate with the drugs investigation.

Akshay Kumar on Saturday made an heartfelt appeal to fans as well as the media to not paint every film personality with the same brush, addressing the coverage of drug probe linked to actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death.

In an almost four-minutes-long video, the 53-year-old actor said that drug issue exists in Bollywood, like any other industry, but one shouldnt assume that every person in the profession is part of the problem.

Today, I'm talking to you with a heavy heart. I want to say so many things in the past few weeks but there is so much negativity everywhere. We may be called stars, but Bollywood has been created because of your love. We are not just an industry, but through our films we have showcased Indian values and culture throughout the world, Kumar said.

The actor added that cinema has always been a reflection of the society, raising pertinent issues like corruption, poverty or unemployment, and will continue to do so.

Here is the video

Bahot dino se mann mein kuch baat thi lekin samajh nahi aa raha tha kya kahoon, kisse kahoon. Aaj socha aap logon se share kar loon, so here goes... #DirectDilSe  pic.twitter.com/nelm9UFLof  Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) October 3, 2020

Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) is probing the alleged Bollywood drug-nexus and has till now arrested Rajputs girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik and some suspected drug peddlers.

The federal agency has also questioned Bollywood actors Deepika Padukone, Shraddha Kapoor and Sara Ali Khan as a part of the investigation.

Amid the probe, Bollywood has faced wrath of many on social media and various other platforms for being a negative influence on cinema fans.

Kumar said the series of events following the death of Rajput in June has pushed everyone in the film industry to introspect.

The actor said he wont deny that there are some in the industry who may be doing illegal things, but most of the people will cooperate with the investigation.

I'll be a liar if I say that this problem does not exist in our industry. It exists, just like every industry. But every person in every profession is not involved in such problems. This is impossible. Drugs is a legal matter and I'm totally confident that our law enforcement authorities and courts will conduct a fair investigation into this issue. I know this for a fact that every person from the film industry will cooperate with them in this investigation. It is my request, dont look at the whole industry with same lens. This is not right, he said.

Kumar requested the members of the media to not indulge in insensitive and irresponsible coverage as even a single negative issue can damage an artistes hard-earned reputation.

I want to request the media that they continue doing their jobs and raising their voices but with sensitivity. One piece of negative issue can damage a person's reputation that they built over the years after a lot of hard work.

Kumar said the star status many enjoy in the industry is a result of the love fans shower on them and his aim will always be to change for the better.

My message to all the fans is that you all have made us and we will not let your faith go in vain. If you are upset with us, then we will work extra hard so as to get rid of our flaws. We will win your love and trust. We are because of you.

Last month Producers Guild of India, which has 136 members including biggies like Aditya Chopra, Aamir Khan, Karan Johar, Shah Rukh Khan and Vishal Bhardwaj, criticised media for "peddling" what it termed "clickbait journalism".
A 58-year-old woman from Scituate is facing charges after authorities say she drove into an MBTA Commuter Rail train crossing gate while drunk.

Cohasset police officials did not release the womans name but said she is facing charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, negligent driving and a marked lanes violation.

Police Chief William Quigley said police and firefighters responded to a report of a crash Saturday around 10 p.m. on North Main Street at the MBTA Commuter Rail crossing near the Cohasset Station on the Greenbush line.

First responders found a woman had been driving an SUV and crashed into the rail crossing and the entire structure that supports the grade crossing gates including, signals and lights had fallen and were blocking both lanes of traffic on North Main Street.

The female was displaying signs and symptoms of intoxication and was subsequently arrested by CPD, police said.

The driver was arrested at the scene. She refused medical treatment by EMTs and then was later taken to an area hospital for an evaluation.

North Main Street was closed for approximately four hours while crews from the MBTA and Express Towing cleared the scene and removed the vehicle, a 2016 Jeep Cherokee, which was totaled in the crash, police said. A heavy-duty wrecker was brought in due to the weight and size of the crossing superstructure.

MBTA crews will now rebuild the structure and replace the crossing warning equipment, which will take several days. Trains will use whistles and horns in the area until the crossing is fixed.

The Greenbush line is a No Whistle Zone and trains do not use their whistles or horns under normal conditions.
A Buffalo News article on Sept. 25 said Buffalo police are no longer required to display names on their uniforms.

Not good  the police get more anonymity but the general public gets less. Peaceful protesters routinely get their pictures taken, faces scanned, and communications captured. The use of Stingrays to channel cellphone traffic is illegal, as is using Cellebrite to crack smartphones.

If we cover up name tags what is left  todays police are in fact military police and wear more body armor and gear than our solders wear in combat. Objectively, the closest comparison to todays police body armor is the storm trooper outfits in Star Wars.

The police are payed by the public with tax dollars to serve and protect. Everything they do, including criminal and internal investigations, should be available in the public domain. This drift toward being responsible to no one in government, to hiding internal transactions and being untouchable, needs to stop.

Buffalo and the surrounding ring of suburbs can start by demanding and publicly revealing the answers to the following questions for their police departments:

Does your department use Stingrays?
Joe Biden is riding a surge of popularity in Central New York to a 19-point lead over Donald Trump in the region, a month before the presidential election, according to a Siena College | Syracuse.com poll released today.

Biden, a Democrat with strong ties to the Syracuse area, leads Trump, the former New York City businessman, 53-34% in the poll of likely voters in the 24th Congressional District.

If the lead holds through Election Day, it would represent the largest margin by which a presidential candidate has won the Central New York congressional district in at least 12 years.

Related: John Katko, Dana Balter in dead heat in House race (Siena College | Syracuse.com poll)

Hillary Clinton defeated Trump in the district by about 4 percentage points in 2016. Barack Obama, on a ticket with Biden as his vice president, won the district by 16 points in 2012 and 14 points in 2008.

Biden, a 1968 graduate of Syracuse Universitys law school, lived in the city with his late wife, Neilia Hunter, an Auburn native who was a teacher at a Syracuse elementary school. The couple was married at St. Marys of the Lake Church in Skaneateles.

The poll showed Bidens support in the region is consistent with the rest of Upstate New York, where he leads Trump by 20 percentage points (57-37%) in a Siena poll published Friday.

Overall, Biden leads Trump in New York state by 32 points, 61-29%, the statewide poll found.

In Central New York, Biden has demonstrated appeal across party lines, with the support of 23% of likely Republican voters, according to the poll.

Trump, in contrast, is the presidential pick of 9% of likely Democratic voters in the congressional district.

Biden is viewed favorably by 53% of likely voters in Central New York, while Trump is viewed favorably by 35% of likely voters in the region, the poll found.

Related: How Central New Yorkers plan to vote in 2020 election (Siena | Syracuse.com poll)

Howie Hawkins, the Syracuse activist and Green Party presidential nominee, is the choice of 2% of likely voters in his home district, the poll found.

Jo Jorgensen, the Libertarian Partys presidential nominee (2%) and Brock Pierce (1%) of the Independence Party, are competing with Hawkins for third-party votes.

MORE ON THE 2020 ELECTION

NY voters statewide strongly favor Biden over Trump (Siena poll)

Syracuses Howie Hawkins, shut out of presidential debate, protests in Cleveland

John Katko, Dana Balter agree to 3 debates before election for Congress

Katko rebukes Trump for suggesting he might not accept election results

Tired of TV ads for Congress? Central New Yorkers see more than anyone in nation

Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Mark Weiner anytime by: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751
By Andrey Ostroukh

MOSCOW, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people marched through the centre of the Belarusian capital Minsk on Sunday to demand that authorities free political prisoners, prompting police to turn water cannon on them.

The march is the latest in a series of rallies in Belarus since an Aug. 9 election in which President Alexander Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory. His opponents say it was rigged to hand him a sixth term in power.

More than 100,000 people rallied in Minsk, the opposition news channel Nexta said on the messaging app Telegram. Official estimates are usually lower.

The crowd, waving white flags with a red stripe, which have become the symbol of the Belarusian opposition, marched to the beat of drums towards detention centres, pictures and videos posted on social media showed.

"Let them out," the crowd chanted by the walls of Okrestina detention centre, where some protesters and Lukashenko's opponents are believed to be held.

Lukashenko is struggling to contain nearly two months of street protests that pose the biggest challenge to his 26-year rule. More than 13,000 people have been arrested and some later freed, while major opposition figures have been jailed or exiled.

Belarusian police on Sunday used water cannon mounted on armoured police vehicles to disperse protesters and detained scores of protesters, Interfax news agency reported and videos on social media showed.

Armed policemen in black helmets holding batons cordoned off streets in central Minsk, while some metro stations temporarily closed their doors for commuters.

The authorities temporarily ordered slower internet speed, which was restored late on Sunday. Telegram channels, the main means of communication and distribution of photos and videos from the protests, asked residents of Minsk to unlock their Wifi networks if protesters march nearby.

Other cities in Belarus also saw rallies against Lukashenko on Sunday.

The political crisis in Belarus has caused broad repercussions for Minsk and its ally Moscow. The European Union and the United States has imposed sanctions on senior Belarusian officials, but spared Lukashenko.

The crisis has also raised the possibility of more sanctions against Moscow if it helps Lukashenko. The rouble has already dropped steeply at the prospect.

Lukashenko denies electoral fraud and was inaugurated in late September in a ceremony held without any prior announcement, bringing more protests and condemnation from the European Union, the United States and Britain. (Reporting by Andrey Ostroukh; Editing by Angus MacSwan, Katya Golubkova and Barbara Lewis)
Kenzo Takada founded his fashion house in 1970 and took Paris by storm

Japan's most famous fashion designer Kenzo Takada, founder of the global Kenzo brand, died in Paris on Sunday after contracting Covid-19, his spokesman said.

Takada, the first Japanese designer to gain prominence in the highly-competitive Paris fashion scene, died in the American Hospital of Paris, the spokesman said in a statement.

He was 81.

His death comes 50 years after he launched his first collection in Paris.

He retired from fashion in 1999, six years after selling his eponymous fashion brand to luxury conglomerate LVMH, and dedicated his time to one-off projects, including a design collection at the start of this year.

Takada came to France from his native Japan in 1965 by boat, landing in Marseille before making his way to Paris.

He had planned only a short stay in the French capital, but Paris eventually became his home.

He created his first collection for women in 1970, his first show for men in 1983 and his first perfume, Kenzo Kenzo, in 1988.

Takada was known especially for his signature floral prints.

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A health worker takes a swab sample from a man to test for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Brooklyn, New York, September 25, 2020.

Coronavirus infection rates in the New York City area continue to soar far above other parts of the state just days after it reopened indoor dining spaces and returned more students to classrooms for in-person learning.

New York is responding to growing clusters of coronavirus cases in 20 "hotspot" ZIP codes that are reporting positivity rates, or the number of tests coming back positive, as high as 18%, based on a weekly average, according to a statement from Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office on Saturday.

More than half of the hotspot ZIP codes are from Kings and Queens counties, which are located in New York City's Brooklyn and Queens boroughs. Two other counties slightly north of New York City  Rockland and Orange  make up the remaining hotspot areas.

Although the top 20 ZIP codes are home to 6.7% of the state's population, they represented 26% of Friday's new Covid-19 cases, Cuomo said. The average positivity rate among them is 5.2%  well above the 1% rate for the remainder of the state.

"So my message to New Yorkers is please stay vigilant and my message to local governments is do the enforcement. We can beat this thing if we work together and stay New York Tough," Cuomo said in the statement.

Dr. Tom Frieden, the former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under President Barack Obama, warned on Twitter Saturday that New York City is "on the edge of a precipice" and is at "a high risk of Covid resurgence."

New York state reported a record 134,267 Covid-19 tests on Friday and health officials will increase their testing efforts in the hotspot ZIP codes, the statement said.

The increase in Covid-19 cases is a troubling sign for the state only days after indoor dining resumed in the Big Apple on Wednesday and the city's public schools returned its final group of students to the classroom for in-person learning on Thursday.

Cuomo said on Tuesday that many of the reported clusters are in ZIP codes that "overlap" with large Orthodox Jewish communities. The governor's caution for the religious community comes amid the Jewish High Holy Days of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, which began in mid-September, and just before Sukkot, another celebrated Jewish holiday that began Friday.

"This is a concern for their community, public health concern for their community. It's also a public health concern for surrounding communities," Cuomo said on Tuesday. "A cluster today can be community spread tomorrow."
Six people including a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker were booked on Saturday for allegedly promoting enmity by observing a black day on the birth anniversary of Mahatama Gandhi in Bundelkhand regions Chhatarpur, 344 km northeast of Bhopal, said police.

An FIR was registered under section 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) of IPC (Indian Penal Code) against Rajesh Agrawal, Prashant Mehto, Pankaj Pipapriya and three others, all residents of Chhatarpur, on the complaint of one Abhilekh Khare, a resident of Chhatarpur on Saturday, said Chhatarpur superintendent of police, Sachin Sharma. He added that no arrest has been made so far.

The police officer said that Mehto, Agrawal and Pipariya, with three others, had put up objectionable posters on a rotary in Chhatarpur city on Friday, calling it a black day.

In the posters, they wrote objectionable words and made false statements about Gandhiji, said Sharma.

Also Read: MP cops abused and turned away gang-rape victim, booked for delaying FIR

Chhatarpur district Congress spokesperson and complainant Abhilekh Khare said, These people are from BJP and its parental organisation. They are promoting animosity among people by posting objectionable comments. On Friday, they not only put up demeaning posters but also shared it widely on social media and tried to create a rift between people of two religions.

BJPs Chhatarpur district president Malkhan Singh said the party doesnt approve of such acts.

Also Read: High courts order may impact campaigning for MP bypolls, details here

Mahatma Gandhi is our idol. We dont approve of any such act like observing a back day on October 2 and we condemn it, whosoever might have done it. I dont know about the association of the accused with the BJP, but if they are in the party, then we will take disciplinary action against them.

(With inputs from Anupam Pateriya in Sagar)
HATHRAS: The Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal workers on Sunday (October 4) scuffled with Uttar Pradesh Police during their visit to Hathras to meet the gang-rape victim's family members. According to reports, the SP and RLD workers were lathicharged by the police for defying the curfew orders imposed in the village.

Considering social distancing and other related norms, the authorities have permitted only 5 people from outside to visit the gang-rape victim's kin at a time.

On Thursday, the Hathras administration clamped prohibitory orders and scuffles broke out as politicians, including from the Congress and the Trinamool Congress, as well as the media tried to access the village. About 300 police personnel stood on guard to prevent anybody from entering.

"CrPC Section 144 has been imposed in Noida, Greater Noida as well as in Hathras and some other districts in Uttar Pradesh due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Considering social distancing and other related norms, permission has been granted for five people, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra," Noida Police Commissioner Alok Singh has earlier told PTI.

Meanwhile, family members of the Hathras gang-rape victim have refused to undergo a narco test, saying they only seek justice in the case.

The victim's mother told Zee News that the UP police officers did not allow them to see her daughter's body and perform the last rites. She accused the DM of constantly pressurizing them to change their statement. The victim's mother told Zee News the narco test should be done on those accused who did wrong act with their daughter.

When asked about the audio that went viral, the deceased's brother denied about any such talk with Congress leader. It is to be noted that an audio conversation between the Congress leader and the victim's brother Sandeep has gone viral. In the audio clip the victim's kin is being urged to speak against the police and the government in front of the media and also asked to wait for the arrival of Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi before making the statement.

Live TV
So John Brown is crazy? Its Frederick Douglass who utters these particular words, in the third episode of Showtimes The Good Lord Bird. But the question permeates the funny, tragic and profound miniseries based on James McBrides National Book Award-winning 2013 novel, which debuts on Oct. 4. Brownthe white abolitionist who led an unsuccessful 1859 raid on a federal armory in Harpers Ferry, WVcertainly comes off as quixotic in the few paragraphs the typical U.S. history textbook devotes to him. Of course a scraggly 59-year-old with less than two dozen men backing him up in his effort to arm enslaved people was instead going to be captured and hanged for treason. Then again, did any white person in antebellum America take a braver stand against the barbarism of slavery? If Brown was crazy, what were his executionerssane?

Few actors could step into the shoes of this real-life walking contradiction: a Christian minister who embraced Old Testament justice, a loving father who sacrificed several sons to his cause, a violent extremist on the right side of history. So let us now praise Ethan Hawke, who co-created the adaptation with Mark Richard (Fear the Walking Dead) on the heels of his career-highlight performance as a priest driven mad by contemporary tragedies both personal and global in Paul Schraders core-shaking film First Reformed. Hes clearly fascinated by zealotscharacters locked in existential struggles with faith and morality and their duties to a world that falls egregiously short of their ideals. Merciless with enslavers, scarily fervent on the abolitionist lecture circuit and prone to temperamental outbursts on the frequent occasions when his plans go awry, Hawkes kinetic Brown is breathtakingly patient, kind and generous with his family and followers. If hes a bit of a holy fool, too quick to trust anyone who claims to share his convictions, then he can also be surprisingly insightful; he perceives the complacency of progressive Northerners and realizes that many, many people will have to die to liberate Black Americans from bondage.

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Johnson and Brown make an unlikely pair Kevin Lynch/SHOWTIME

Like a solar eclipse, Brown burns too brightly to be viewed straight on. McBride (an executive producer of the miniseries) filters him through the perspective of a fictional protagonist: Henry Shackleford (Joshua Caleb Johnson), an enslaved boy who assists his barber father in a Kansas tavern. Brown visits the establishment in 1858, during the Bleeding Kansas conflicta years-long series of violent skirmishes over whether the future state would permit slaveryand starts preaching abolition. When Henrys dad is killed in the ensuing shootout, Brown flees with the boy in towexcept he misheard his new wards name as Henrietta and believes him to be a girl. The simple burlap sack Henry is wearing doesnt help disabuse Brown of the notion. The way he believed, he believed, the boy explains in voiceover narration that successfully recreates the feel of McBrides colloquial, first-person storytelling. It didnt matter if it was true or not. He was a real white man. In another misunderstanding, at Browns camp, Henry eats a tiny rotten onion the old man has been keeping as a good-luck charm and is nicknamed Onion.

Its Onion who brings out the dark humor in Browns crusadenot because theres anything funny about a vulnerable Black kid whos just lost his father in the crossfire between two white men, but because the reluctantly cross-dressing boy plays straight man to a well-intentioned, wild-eyed radical who arguably hurts the people he means to save more often than he helps them. And the two characters make a good team. Sometimes theyre both too naive to understand whats happening around them. But as the seven-part series progresses, we watch Onion absorb information that Brown cant or wont internalize, slowly evolving into a savvy young man (despite the dresses he acquiesces to wearing). In a subtle, sweet performance that provides a welcome contrast to Hawkes holy-rolling intensity, newcomer Johnson depicts liberation as an active process of developing free will, loyalty and the courage of ones convictions.

While the tense final three episodes cover Onions time in Harpers Ferry, the first four unfold as a looser sort of picaresque, in the style of Mark Twain. One standout episode has him traveling with Brown to Rochester, NY, in hopes of securing the support of Douglass, who is portrayed by the prolific Daveed Diggs as a man oozing with self-regard. (Historians will have to judge whether Diggs vain, imperious performance is fair to an American hero with a complicated legacy.) As telling as Douglass discomfort around the unpredictable Brown is his condescending treatment of Onion; instead of empathizing with the fellow former slave, he distances himself from the literate but unpolished boy, mocking his colloquial grammar.

Daveed Diggs as Frederick Douglass and Tamberla Perry as Anna Douglass William Gray/SHOWTIME

The show suffers a bit whenever Hawke is offscreen for too long, such as when Onion and his shrewd pal Bob (Hubert Point-Du Jour) split from Browns army for a time and our hero endeavors to hide his true nature while apprenticing at a brothel. But its enjoyable, in its humor, insight and preservation of McBrides vivid language, even when its narrative momentum slackens. The Good Lord Bird strikes me as a remarkably contemporary slavery story. Its no simplistic revenge fantasy like Quentin Tarantinos Django Unchained, yet its makers also get that viewers shouldnt have to see constant, graphic violence against Black bodies to understand the institution as an atrocity. At the same time, unlike many recent period piecesfrom The Great, where rude 18th-century Russian royals bear striking resemblances to the unfit leaders of today, to Lovecraft Country, with its supernatural take on the pre-civil-rights 50sit doesnt need flagrant anachronism to hold our attention. (All of this is true, read the title cards that open each episode. Most of it happened.) And why should it? As the last few months have so powerfully and painfully reminded us, when it comes to race in America, the past isnt even past.

Neither does the show fall prey to the white savior archetype, a trope Henrys voiceover acknowledges within the first few minutes of the premiere. Righteous though Browns motivations may have been, we see his extremism, myopia and poor judgment result in the deaths of innocent characters of all races. Black characters such as Harriet Tubman (Zainab Jah, magnetic) and an unrepentant rebel slave named Sibonia (a brief, fierce performance by Crystal Lee Brown) are painted as more straightforward heroes. The creators only departure from realism is in periodically cutting in still shots of individual, costumed Black actors faces, as though to counteract popular representations of enslaved people as homogeneous masses on plantations. Viewers are never allowed to forget that every slave was a discrete human being.

Not that The Good Lord Bird wastes much energy on the redundant task of denouncing slavery. Its moral dilemma is more sophisticated. When you know that the society you live in is deeply, brutally, lethally wrong, McBrides story asks, how far should you go to defend whats right? The show introduces character after character who puts comfort before justice: a farmer who supports slavery for financial reasons, a future Confederate general (played by former Lodge 49 star Wyatt Russell) trying to dissuade Brown from continuing his futile siege and causing more bloodshed. A lot of reasonable men like them must have killed and died defending state-sponsored chattel slavery in the Civil War. So what if Brown ranted and raved and picked fights he could never have won? As Ray Bradbury once wrote, Insanity is relative. It depends who has who locked in what cage.
The Air Force's former top civilian is responding to reports from last month that President Donald Trump made disparaging remarks about members of the U.S. military.

In an op-ed titled, "As Secretary of the Air Force, I met many airmen -- no losers or suckers," published Thursday in the Colorado Springs Gazette, Deborah Lee James, who served as the service secretary between 2013 and 2017 in the Obama administration, gave personal examples of airmen she said she was privileged to meet, know or appreciate for their service and sacrifice.

Read Next: Launch of E-6 Nuclear Command Plane Not Tied to Trump's COVID-19 Diagnosis: Pentagon

Among the 660,000 airmen she oversaw, she met "patriots, warriors, mothers and fathers -- courageous and selfless individuals willing to make tremendous personal sacrifice for a greater cause," James wrote.

"That's why I am so incensed by President Donald Trump's purported comments about our military," she added. "He has called general officers dopes and babies, has mocked prisoners of war, and he has questioned the integrity of career military officials. According to the Atlantic Magazine and confirmed by Fox News, he even called members of our military losers and suckers. During my tenure as secretary of the Air Force, I met many airmen. Never once did I meet a loser or sucker."

James cited examples, including Maj. Dana Lyon, whose husband, David, was killed in a roadside bomb attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, as well as Master Sgt. Brian Williams, who lost his left leg while clearing a Taliban compound. Instead of medically retiring, he decided to extend his service as an amputee.

"Dana Lyon is not a loser. Brian Williams is not a sucker," she said.

James noted others, such as Charles McGee of the famed Tuskegee Airmen and John Chapman, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2018, making him the first U.S. airman to receive the military's highest award since the Vietnam War.

McGee "has inspired a generation of service members by showing that we are stronger and more innovative when our force includes Americans of all races, ethnicities, genders, geographies, and backgrounds," she wrote. "Charles McGee is not a loser."

Chapman, a combat controller assigned to the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, originally received the Air Force Cross for his actions on March 4, 2002, in Afghanistan. After being shot several times and presumed dead, he regained consciousness and engaged the enemy in hand-to-hand combat, fighting alone on a mountaintop for about 70 harrowing minutes.

"I had the privilege of leading the fight against bureaucratic politics to upgrade John's commendation to the Medal of Honor," James wrote. "John Chapman was not a sucker."

The president has acknowledged both McGee and Chapman in separate ceremonies.

In February, Trump decorated the 100-year-old McGee, a retired colonel and one of the last of the legendary African-American pilots who escorted and protected bombers in hostile territory during World War II, with an honorary promotion to brigadier general. The Fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act gave Trump the authority to promote McGee, as well as Richard "Dick" Cole of the Doolittle Raiders.

"Charles McGee was born in Cleveland, Ohio, one century ago," Trump said during the 2020 State of the Union, where McGee was a guest. "After more than 130 combat missions in World War II, he came back to a country still struggling for Civil Rights and went on to serve America in Korea and Vietnam."

Trump noted that he had signed the NDAA several weeks earlier. "Earlier today, I pinned the stars on his shoulders in the Oval Office," he said. "General McGee, our nation salutes you. Thank you, sir."

In 2018, the president presented Chapman's Medal of Honor to his widow, Valerie Nessel, in front of their daughters Madison and Brianna; Chapman's mother Terry; and sister Lori at the White House. In the audience was then-Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson and then-Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein, as well as other service leaders and members of Congress. James was also there.

"We're gathered together this afternoon to pay tribute to a fallen warrior, a great warrior, Technical Sergeant John Chapman, and to award him the nation's highest and most revered military honor," Trump said during the ceremony. "Now, John will become the first special tactics airman to receive the congressional Medal of Honor."

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.

Related: Report: Trump Disparaged US War Dead as 'Losers,' 'Suckers'
Lucknow, Oct 4 : Hathras, Balrampur, Azamgarh, Bulandshahr, Kanpur -- as the list of crime against Dalit women gets longer in Uttar Pradesh, BJP leaders in the state are worried over the impact this might have on the upcoming by-elections on seven assembly seats where polling is due on November 3.

The party strategists are now putting their heads together to counter the anti-Dalit narrative that is being run by the opposition against the Bharatiya Janata Party.

"This is actually a conspiracy against the Yogi Adityanath government by people with vested interests. The cyber cell has registered an FIR after investigations pointed towards a conspiracy to malign the Yogi government and provoke caste violence.

"The social media has been used to conspire and spread canards and we have proof of the involvement of outfits like PFI and SDPI. Some mafia dons who are being targeted by the Yogi government are supporting this campaign with money," said a government spokesman.

He said that "false reports of the victim being raped, her tongue being cut and other mutilations were a part of this conspiracy in which some verified accounts on social media were used".

While the government is probing the conspiracy angle, the party is concerned about the social impact of the incidents since victims are mainly Dalits.

Valmikis, who had supported the BJP in 2017 and 2019 elections, are now out on the streets protesting against the alleged "insensitive attitude of the BJP government and its officials in dealing with the gang rape and murder case of a Valmiki girl of Hathras".

The active interest being taken in the incidents by Bahujan Samaj Party and Bhim Army, which is leading from the front, has caused worry in BJP circles.

A senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh functionary said that the BJP had gone out of its way to ensure 'Samajik Samarasta' (social harmony) and this had brought Dalits into the party mainstream.

He admitted that some administrative decisions taken by the officials in the Yogi governmenta "mainly, the cremation of the victim's body in the dead of the night without the familya" had caused an unpleasant situation for the party.

"We will have to deal with the situation in a sensitive manner so that the opposition cannot exploit it. We will need to reach out to Dalits and other weaker sections before others mislead them further," he said.

The BJP will now ask legislators to fan out in their respective constituencies and interact with members of Dalit communities and explain the actual position in the incidents and also the action taken by the state government.

"Groups of legislators will go to the constituencies where by-elections are to be held on November 3 and hold meetings with the local people (Dalits). We will also explain the conspiracy angle to the people and tell them that the party and the government committed to protecting their rights," senior BJP office-bearer.

Incidentally, the BJP is also facing the anger of upper castes who feel that their members are being falsely implicated in crimes against Dalits. These upper castes have even held a series of panchayats on this issue.
All schools in the national capital will remain closed till October 31 in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Delhi government had earlier extended the school closure till October 5, though the Centre had permitted calling students of classes 9 to 12 to schools on voluntary basis from September 21.

The decision to keep schools shut in Delhi will be extended. I have issued directions for closure of all schools in Delhi till October 31. An order on this will be issued soon," Manish Sisodia told Hindustan Times.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also holds the education portfolio.

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.

On March 25, the central government announced a nationwide lockdown to prevent the coronavirus from spreading.

As per the latest unlock guidelines, schools, colleges and other educational institutions can reopen outside containment zones after October 15. However, the decision on whether to reopen educational institutions has been left with states and union territories.

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Seven Bolivian presidential candidates appeared on a nationally broadcast debate Saturday ahead of the October 18 election. The front-runner is former economy minister Luis Arce, the candidate of ex-president Evo Morales' Movement for Socialism (MAS).

Former president Carlos Mesa and civic leader Luis Fernando Camacho are the leading challengers. Several polls indicate Movement for Socialism would lead on voting day, but struggle for the support needed to avoid a runoff pitting the top two candidates against each other.

If there should be a runoff, MAS would come under more pressure if its opponents united. Bolivia is currently lead by Jeanine Anez of the Democrat Social Movement after the disputed 2019 election results ended in civil unrest and the resignation of Morales' government.

This story has not been edited by www.republicworld.com and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
The chorus for action against Hathras District Magistrate Praveen Kumar grew louder on Sunday after Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati raised questions over no action being taken against the DM despite serious allegations by the victims family. The BSP supremo said that an impartial inquiry into the matter would not be possible without removing the DM.

The victim family of the Hathras gang rape case has made many serious allegations of intimidation etc. on the DM of the district, yet the secret silence of the UP government is sad and very worrying. Although the government has agreed to a CBI inquiry, how can the DM be there to conduct an impartial inquiry into the matter? People are apprehensive," Mayawati said in an early morning tweet.

After the announcement of a CBI probe in the case on Saturday, the brother of the victim had demanded strict action against Kumar and also demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the matter. It doesnt matter who investigates the matter, our questions are still unanswered. Why has no action been taken against the Hathras DM, who misbehaved with the family members and tried to threaten the family?" asked the brother. We want justice, we want a probe monitored by a Supreme Court judge."

Besides, the Samajwadi Party had also raised questions on why no action was being taken against the DM Hathras. It is very shocking that the Yogi government has not yet taken any action on DM Hathras who allegedly ordered midnight cremation and misbehaved with the victims family. The government should take strict action against such officers first who not just misbehave but also threaten the family of the victim," said SP MLA and spokesperson Sunil Singh Sajan.
As the national conversation focuses on civil rights, it is a good time to recognize the pioneering role of Iowa in this movement.

In 1839, 26 years before the 13th Amendment to the Constitution which liberated blacks from bondage, the Iowa Territory Supreme Court had already ruled that no man could be made a slave.

The Iowa Territory Supreme Court decided the case in the matter of Ralph, a slave from Missouri. A Missouri resident named Montgomery made an agreement with Ralph (his slave) to reside in Iowa territory to earn money to purchase his freedom, for the price of $550. Ralph found a job in the lead mines in Dubuque. Five years went by with no payment to Montgomery.

The former master sent out bounty hunters to abduct Ralph and return him to Missouri. Ralph was brought before the district court and proceedings were transferred to the Iowa Territory Supreme Court.

The court ruled that Ralph should pay his debt but rejected the argument that Ralph was a fugitive slave as he was residing in a free state. Majority opinion written by Chief Justice Charles Mason, "no man in this territory (Iowa) can be reduced to slavery. Montgomery could no longer exercise any right over him in the Iowa territory.

Iowa was well ahead of the nation at the time.

In 1857, 18 years after the Iowa decision, the US Supreme Court faced similar case but made a different ruling. By a 7-2 decision, in Dred Scott vs. Sandford, the court held that "blacks were not and could not be citizens of the United States.

The decision is widely considered to be one of the worst decisions ever by the US Supreme Court.

Finally, in 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolishing slavery was passed and ratified.

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Because you will be entering Italy having come from Turkey, which is a "List E" country, you will be required to self-isolate in Italy for 14 days. You will need to fill out the self-declaration form and immediately go to your self-isolation residence without using public transportation (taxis are OK). You are allowed entry into Italy for tourism because you are a resident of the U.K. The self-isolation requirement is triggered because of your stay in Turkey.

If you are changing planes at FCO to proceed immediately to Sicily, you will be self-isolating in Sicily for 14 days. Otherwise, you will be self-isolating in Rome. You may also be tested for COVID-19 at the arrival airport in Sicily (per Sicilian REGIONAL ordinance). Getting a negative test result will not necessarily eliminate the self-isolation requirement (which is an Italian NATIONAL entry restriction), although you can certainly ask the local health authorities to be exempted in such case. You will also need to register on the Sicily COVID-19 website and download the contact tracing application on your smart phone.

If I were in your situation, I would not interrupt my Italian vacation with a side trip to Turkey. Rather, I would travel to Turkey (if at all) only at the very end of my Italian sojourn, then return to the U.K. from Turkey. I do not know whether you would be subject to quarantine in the U.K. having arriving from Turkey.

Edited: 1 year ago
We will hear a lot at the Conservative conference this week about levelling up, as Boris Johnson tries to shift political focus away from the Covid pandemic and on to his domestic agenda.

The slogan was on Mr Johnsons lips from the moment he became prime minister in July 2019, and was reinstalled at the top of his agenda after Decembers general election, when the Tories seized red wall seats in the Midlands and north of England from Labour on a promise of jobs, investment and new infrastructure.

For the prime minister, levelling up is a way of moving on from the division and rancour of Brexit, which played such a big part in propelling him into power, but which he has largely banished from his rhetoric since the formal date of withdrawal from the EU on 31 January.
A Quakertown, Bucks County doctor was arrested Friday following two separate investigations into forged prescriptions and a faked disability claim, authorities said.

Dr. Gregory Grabon of Philadelphia, 43, was taken into custody by the Quakertown Police Department, Bucks County District Attorneys Office and the Pennsylvania Attorney Generals Office. He is being charged with insurance fraud, forgery, identity theft, theft by deception and violations of the Controlled Substances Act.

Grabon stole the identity of another physician to fake his own disability and to, potentially, collect a lifetime of income he didnt deserve, authorities said. Grabon also lied about the prescriptions he used for himself, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said.

My thanks to the Bucks County DAs Office and Quakertown police for helping us investigate this case and hold this doctor accountable," Shapiro said in a statement.

An arrest like Dr. Grabons sends a strong message to people everywhere that when it comes to drug diversion, no one is above the law. Not doctors, not patients. No one, District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said in the statement.

Grabon submitted a disability claim July 2019 indicating he had become totally disabled due to many physical ailments, authorities said. To support his claim, Grabon forged a doctors verification form and the signature of another doctor, authorities said.

Authorities were investigating Grabon when he was arrested in November in an unrelated theft charge. He was then found to have been prescribing Ambien, a sedative for acute insomnia, for himself, authorities said.

Several of the prescription forms Grabon obtained were used by medical providers at St. Lukes Hospital in Quakertown or Rehabilitation Associates of Malvern, authorities said. Grabon did not work at either facility and admitted he had the St. Lukes prescription forms printed himself, authorities said.

Grabon was arraigned Friday before District Judge Gary Gambardell. He is being held at the Bucks County jail in lieu of 10% of $500,000 bail.

Senior Deputy Attorney General Eric Schoenberg and Assistant District Attorney Edward Furman Jr. are jointly prosecuting the case. Court records do not name an attorney representing Grabon.

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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
The CEOs of top 115 companies who met at CII's National Council earlier this week indicated revival of business sentiment and a gradual rise in expected corporate performance in a poll, raising hopes that a steady recovery of India's economy is on the anvil.

The CEOs, who took the poll, included representatives from across sectors like metals and mining, manufacturing, auto, pharma, health, energy, infrastructure, construction and leading services sector including ITES, health hospitality tourism and e-commerce, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) said on Sunday. "A steady recovery of the Indian economy is on the anvil as corporate India restarts business and economic activity with lockdowns being increasingly relaxed in many parts of the country," the chamber said.

India Inc is now estimating a capacity utilisation of more than 50 percent in the second half of this financial year, it added. However, according to CII, governments both at the Centre and states would need to focus on livelihoods in addition to lives, and hence efforts need to be made to stall the practice of sudden and ad-hoc lockdowns announced by states as well as districts.

The lockdowns not only further disrupt the revival of economic activities but also do not yield the desired results on lives either. "It is important to allow a complete opening up of the economy for demand to pick up which in turn will propel capacity utilisation," CII said, adding that the uptick in demand is expected to gain momentum in the coming weeks with the festive season round the corner.

The unlocking of most economic activities along with the reform and revival measures announced by the Centre and RBI have contributed to the gradual improvement in business sentiments in the second half of the current financial year, the chamber said. "While in most cases, the performance revenue or capacity utilisation is estimated to be lower than the comparative figures in 2019-20, a large percentage of the CEOs polled have shown confidence in the days ahead indicating that the worst may be behind," CII said.

On consumer demand, 32 percent of the CEOs are hoping for better prospects, while another 27 percent of them expect no change when compared to the second half of last year, CII said. However, only 31 percent of the CEOs expect their revenue growth to be in positive territory in the second half of the current financial year as compared to last year.

About 40 percent of CEOs expect better prospects on exports, while 24 percent of them expect no change in the prospects during the second half of the current year as compared to the same period last year. Apart from the agri-sector, which has been in positive territory, there are now clear indications of a smart recovery in some sectors like automobile, FMCG, consumer durables and construction equipment, CII said.

According to the chamber, the FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) sector has been sequentially improving with each month, looking better than the previous month and demand in semi-urban and small towns is estimated to be back at pre-COVID levels, except in urban areas like Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, among others, where it is still picking up. A similar story is playing out in the consumer durables sector where demand is expected to grow by 20 percent by Q3, it said.

The consumer durables sector is witnessing strong demand, with double-digit growth in August. Washing machines, refrigerators, TVs, especially large TVs, kitchen appliances, lighting, among others, are all doing well. However, supply side constraints may create challenges in meeting this demand if there are restrictions imposed on movement of goods and services, CII said, adding that the automotive sector is also seeing demand pick up.
UPSC civil services prelims 2020: Call it a fear of Covid-19 or other reasons; merely 44% aspirants appeared for the civil services preliminary examination, conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), which was held at 61 centres spread across Ranchi.

The examination was conducted with all Covid precautions and it passed off peacefully, officials said. Around 27,900 candidates have registered for the UPSC civil services examination this year from Jharkhand and bordering areas of West Bengal and Bihar.

Follow UPSC civil services prelims 2020 live updates here

The examination held in two sittings. The first sitting, which started from 9.30am, recorded 44.5% attendance, said Moinuddin Khan, secretary to South Chotanagpur commission and an assistant observer for the examination.

Khan said, Generally, 48% to 50% candidates of the total enrolled number appear for the civil services examination. This year, it is a little lower. There could be some reasons.

Also Read: UPSC civil services prelims 2020: Detailed section-wise analysis and expected cut-off

Some students pointed out transportation problem, which caused trouble to them. We faced huge problem, as trains are not running. Very few public vehicles are plying on roads. I have my personal car. So, I could make it to the examination hall, said Amit Kumar, an examinee who came from Bokaro.

The candidates, who came out of the examination hall after writing their papers, said papers were average, which could not be said tough or easy.

The Prelims question papers were divided in two parts-General Ability Test (GAT) and Civil Service Aptitude Test (CSAT). GAT paper held in first sitting, while CSAT in second sitting, said Akash Oraon, a Ranchi resident who took the exam at St. Aloysius High School based centre.

He said, I find the questions from History papers a little tough, while other questions were normal in GAT. In second paper, I find mathematics a little time taking, while some questions in English were tricky.

The candidates have to follow a certain Covid protocol before getting in to the examination hall. Chandan Kumar, an examinee from Bokaro sector-1, said, They were allowed to the examination hall after proper thermal scanning. We carried mask and sanitizer as per the direction given to us.

Kumar said, There were only eight examinees in a room, which has capacity of 24 students, where I wrote the papers.

An isolation room had also been set up in centre for students who would show higher temperature during the thermal scanning. Both sittings of the examination passed off peacefully, officials in Ranchi administration said.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sanjoy Dey Sanjoy Dey is principal correspondent in Jharkhand and writes on government, urban development, forest and environment, tourism, rural development and agriculture. He likes to write human interest stories. ...view detail
Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has reiterated to the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen the necessity of "firmly confronting extremist and terrorist organisations and their regional sponsors."

In a phone call on Sunday, the two officials discussed the latest developments in Syria and how to push forward a political settlement in the conflict-worn country, a statement by the Egyptian foreign minister said.

Shoukry asserted that Egypt supports resolving the Syrian crisis in a manner that preserves the country's unity and sovereignty in light of Cairo's communication with moderate Syrian opposition factions to discuss putting an end to the Syrian conflict.

The UN envoy briefed the Egyptian minister on the outcome of his recent communications with different parties related to the crisis in Syria, during which he stressed the importance of backing efforts to set in motion the political process through its various paths.

Both sides voiced hope that the political approach would achieve progress in the upcoming period, including positive developments with regard to the constitutional committee, and by extension put UN Security Council Resolution 2254 into action.

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Last week most of the good stuff was on Newstalk, starting with my post-mortem on the US presidential debate and finishing with Charlie Flanagan's 'country solicitor' dissection of the film Unquiet Graves.

What gave my Trump analysis extra edge was that, unlike most Irish pundits, I don't indulge in attacks on him for two reasons.

First, we can't affect the American election. Second, we don't get the mind of Middle America.

This was brought home to us last week when Larry Donnelly, a Democrat supporter, tweeted that Trump's tax problems had no traction in the United States where everybody hates the IRS.

Accordingly, I set the scene with Shane Coleman by saying that, unlike most Irish hacks, I always believed Trump would get a second term, still believe it, but that his performance last Tuesday had put a question mark over it for two reasons.

First, the polls show that Trump has a six-point gap to close, and polls now take account of their own bias.

Second, that means he must reach beyond his base. His situation is like that of Mary Robinson in 1990 when I reminded her she needed to reach beyond the liberal agenda of the Labour Party to win FG voters.

But Trump stupidly spoke only to his base - which he has got anyway - instead of talking to moderate Republicans and right-wing Democrats.

Furthermore, I added that his constant interruptions were irritating to viewers - and would especially have alienated women who are continually the victim of male interruptions.

In sum: Trump lost it more than Biden had won it, and if he repeats that bull- in-a-china-shop routine in a second debate he will be in big trouble.

The second Newstalk highlight was Charlie Flanagan's deadpan dissection of the extraordinary RTE decision to show Unquiet Graves.

One of the best moments came when Shane Coleman put it to him that the makers of Unquiet Graves claimed the film had been privately funded.

Flanagan said: "I was a solicitor before I entered politics. If somebody came into my office with a bag of money and said 'I want to buy a house', the issue would not so much be the purchase of the house - the issue would be the money and where the money came from."

Charlie Flanagan is one of the few members of the Government who shares Micheal Martin's deep moral distaste for the IRA and its apologists.

In fact, Flanagan has direct experience of IRA intimidation. In 1976, the gardai believed that the IRA were planning to assassinate his father, Oliver J Flanagan, a fearless critic of the IRA.

Fears that an active and murderous IRA gang were active in the Laois-Offaly area proved well founded.

On October 16, 1976, five gardai were lured by a fake tip-off to a derelict farmhouse at Garryhinch.

The IRA had planted a massive bomb under the front door of the house that was set to detonate when the door was opened.

Garda Michael Clerkin, aged 25, was killed instantly when he opened the door. Garda Tom Peters was permanently blinded by the explosion. He died last year.

Shortly before he died - and 42 years after the Garryhinch bomb - Charlie Flanagan as Minister for Justice helped to ensure that Garda Tom Peters was awarded the Scott Medal, which Flanagan rightly said was "long overdue".

Although Twitter lit up with Sinn Fein trolls abusing Flanagan, I could find few FG members defending him.

Furthermore, none of the national media, bar the Irish Independent and the Mail, mentioned his RTE letter or his vicious savaging by SF trolls on Twitter.

If politicians and media keep up that cowardly silence when Sinn Fein critics are attacked then we won't have to wait long for a Sinn Fein government.

The same media also ignored Micheal Martin's cold dissection of the difference between his Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein in the Dail last Tuesday - but this time Fianna Fail members on Twitter showed up in force to welcome his stance. "The essence of my party has been to unite Protestant, Catholic and dissenter. We are of the Wolfe Tone persuasion. We are constitutional republicans who believe in the European Union."

But Diarmaid Ferriter writing in The Irish Times echoed the chorus of Martin critics who complain his attacks on Sinn Fein are "backfiring" and presented Martin's views as personal rather than political.

"As Fianna Fail leader, Martin has adopted the habit of going for the Sinn Fein jugular, to little effect. It is clear his dislike of the party is visceral and over the years his contempt has been summed up in his assertion: 'How dare they claim to own Irish republicanism!'"

The words 'dislike' and 'visceral' demean Martin's cogent moral and political reasons for calling out the Sinn Fein narrative on Northern Ireland. Surely a historian like Diarmaid Ferriter can see the leaders of all constitutional parties in the Dail have a duty of care to the rising generation to challenge Sinn Fein's sectarian narrative?

Ferriter is also factually wrong in believing that Martin's constant challenges to Sinn Fein's narrative are backfiring on him.

First, Martin's forensic attacks on Sinn Fein are popular with the rank and file of the party - witness the strong support his remarks received from FF supporters on Twitter.

Second, the rank and file of the party, if not the parliamentary grandees, know that Sinn Fein absolutely hates being called out on moral grounds, hates any mention of Jean McConville or Paul Quinn.

Unlike the grassroots, the grandees in FF have never grasped that the party's Unique Selling Point is Martin's moral fervour in showing the stark difference between Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein is finally moral.

Martin dissects Sinn Fein's lies not with a Leo-style bluster based on ephemeral policy differences, but with a surgeon's scalpel.

He draws blood with an authoritative analysis of Sinn Fein's support for the IRA, cuts deep into its recent past to reveal the permanent sectarian barrier to Fianna Fail doing any deal, shows how Sinn Fein's militarised party is the main obstacle to a future pluralist, republican united Ireland.

The FF dinosaurs think they can see off Sinn Fein by making the same tribal sounds as that party but they can't grasp that they will end up lowing like lost cattle stampeding in a green herd, heading for the cliffs.

Martin refuses to parrot Sinn Fein slogans, refuses to recognise them as republicans, but treats them as a threat to peace.

Politically, he expunges them from the republican fold by showing they are alien to the Wolfe Tone-Seamus Mallon tradition.

Far from backfiring, Martin's short, abrasive political and moral sermons in the Dail are taking the green shine off Sinn Fein's shoddy sectarian policy and offering the public an alternative - a pristine, pluralist Republic of Catholic, Protestant and dissenter.

If Martin were to lay off Sinn Fein it would mean a political and national surrender to that party's narrative of the Northern Troubles and leave no space for any other story.

But Martin is the son of a boxer. He will never throw in the towel.
The Oakland County Sheriffs office announced the death of former Deputy Richard Boldon, who retired from the Sheriffs office in 2019, on Saturday morning on its Facebook page.

A specific cause of death was not posted; instead, the post was more of a memorial to how he was remembered by his colleagues.

Boldon was apparently well-liked by his fellow officers, because the Sheriffs office put a goofy picture of the late deputy with the post.

We share this photo with you because Deputy Bolden was always bringing joy and laughter to all of his colleagues. His hugs will forever be greatly missed, as well as his goofy smile when we all needed it the most. Rest in peace, Deputy Bolden. We will take it from here, the Sheriffs office wrote on Facebook.

185 commentators on the post also expressed their remorse and condolences.
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Its widely agreed that Tuesdays faceoff between incumbent Donald Trump and challenger Joseph R. Biden Jr. was the worst U.S. presidential debate in history. It also marked a low point in American political culture. So shambolic, so grating, so disappointing, so ridiculous it was not only almost impossible to watch, it left me feeling sick to my stomach.

The debate changed nothing. Biden still appears to be winning. Trump appeared to do nothing to win over those suburban women his campaign so covets.

But here is what did change. The debate made it obvious Trump has, once and for all, stopped running against Biden.

Instead, he is running against the idea of American democracy itself.

I have previously written in this space about my confidence in the resiliency and maturity of democracy in the United States; about the ability of its institutions to withstand the inevitable speed bumps that would come with a Trump presidency.

What I failed to account for, because it was beyond imaginable to contemplate, was Trumps singular capacity to hollow out the institution of the presidency itself, by turning against the very democratic system that elevated him to the position in 2016.

By the time Trumps term is done, the presidency will be so diminished that even someone as feeble as Biden will be able to occupy it. (And let us be clear: While this was a disgraceful night for Trump, it was no great showing for Biden either.)

Yes, admittedly, others who have come before Trump have helped to muddy things. From Clintons sexual misconduct through Bushs dishonesty to Nixons prolific tape recordings, history, at times, has not been kind to the human dimension of the institution of the presidency.

But never has a president made it so explicitly his strategy to disrupt and discredit the presidential vote itself.

This is not going to end well, Trump said repeatedly in discussing the election. Is this a prediction? Or is it a threat?

Horrifyingly, the presidents behaviour in recent weeks suggests the latter.

In August, Trump told Fox Newss Sean Hannity that he planned to send law enforcement to polling locations. His plans have since escalated to include organizing an Army for Trumps Election-Security Operation. In mid-September, on the second day of early voting in Fairfax, Virginia, a group of Trump supporters blocked the entrance to a polling location. It is not hard to see how all this might end badly.

These activities go wildly beyond the traditional election-day tradition of poll-watching, a tradition with its own problematic history. In 2018, the courts lifted a 30-year restriction on the Republican National Committee that had prevented them from any kind of poll-watching activity, after they were found guilty of intimidating voters in the 1980s.

If the courts think that Trump-era Republicans will play by the rules, they better think again.

The same goes for the Debate Commission and Vice President Biden. There is no chance the vague assurances of improvements or reforms from the federal, bipartisan commission will change a thing. What possible fix can there be when one actor is purely a nihilist, bent on chaos and destruction?

Given the rumblings of those who feel Biden should recuse himself from the next debates altogether and the fact Trump has himself been diagnosed with COVID-19, Tuesdays showing may end up being the only debate between the two. We can only hope.

Looking ahead, there is good reason to fear what such an irresponsible actor as Trump might do come voting day on Nov. 3. Experts predict there will be an overtime count as swing states count a higher-than-average number of mail-in ballots, and there may be no clear victor on election night. With a president who refuses to concede, and an audience primed to expect the tidy resolution of an Apprentice episode, anything might happen.

And it will be in that moment that America, her people and her institutions, will be put to their real test. When the challenge to their democracy is no longer a speed bump but rather a sinkhole of proportions never before seen, just how resilient and mature will their democracy be?

Jaime Watt is the executive chairman of Navigator Ltd. and a Conservative strategist. He is a freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: is the executive chairman of Navigator Ltd. and a Conservative strategist. He is a freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @jaimewatt

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Manama

It was the usual lunchtime for the 54-year-old Bahrain based business man Al Hamidi. But a call that came in between entirely changed his life. The call informed him he was the winner of the Abu Dhabi big-ticket jackpot that comes in around DH 12 million ( around BD1.2 million).

Overwhelmed with joy, Hamidi couldnt speak up. He is a Saudi national who lives in Saar; he has been a resident of Bahrain for the last five years. He purchased the BD 50 ticket online. Al Hamidi has three daughters aged 22, 21, 16. His plan is to secure their future using the jackpot. He will also spend part of the amount for his family members and a good sum will be given to the orphans-Hamidi said. The rest of the money will be invested in his restaurant chain business.

I am very happy as the prize has come at a difficult time caused by the COVID 19 pandemic, Hamidi said to the media.
A tractor-trailer driver from New Jersey caused a double-fatal crash on the New York State Thruway just west of Rochester last month when he made an illegal U-turn and fled the scene, authorities said.

Quentin D. Campbell, 55, of Newark, was charged with two counts of manslaughter and leaving the scene of a fatal crash, according to a log released by New York State Police.

The crash took place around 4:15 a.m. on Sept. 4 when a car driving west on the New York State Thruway in Wheatland, Monroe County struck and slid underneath a tractor-trailer trying to make a U-turn across multiple lanes of traffic, officials said.

The tractor-trailer driver  later identified as Campbell  completed the U-turn and began heading east. He pulled off at the next exit, drove into the parking lot of a nearby hotel and removed a piece of debris from the truck before continuing on his way, officials said.

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, while the seriously injured passenger died at an area hospital hours later, New York State Police said. Both were from Tennessee.

New York State Police asked the public for help in locating the tractor-trailer following the crash, which took place near milepost 375, between exits 46 and 47.

Campbell was charged Wednesday after being extradited from New Jersey.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JGoldmanNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meeting on Monday to finalise modalities to compensate states for their revenue shortfall of Rs 2.35 lakh crore in the current financial year is expected to be stormy as opposition-ruled states - Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and West Bengal - have not yet opted either of the two borrowing options, two officials aware of the development said on Sunday.

So far, 21 state governments have opted to borrow Rs. 97,000 crore to plug a shortfall in revenue from the GST rather than borrow the entire deficit of Rs. 2.35 lakh crore, the officials said requesting anonymity.

The government has projected a Rs. 2.35 lakh crore shortfall in GST revenue this financial year, Rs. 97,000 crore accruing from implementation issues and the rest from the pandemic, and prompted the states to borrow from the market to cover the deficit.

Also read: 400 to 500 million Covid vaccine doses by July 2021 - All you need to know

At the 41st GST Council on August 27, the Union government gave two borrowing options to the states to meet the revenue shortfall - the states would not have to pay either the principal or the interest if they borrow only Rs 97,000 crore to meet the GST revenue gap because of implementation issues, but they would have to bear significant interest costs if they choose the larger borrowing option of Rs 2.35 lakh crore that includes revenue shortfalls due to an Act of God - the Covid-19 pandemic.

Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Puducherry, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh have so far, opted for the first borrowing option of Rs 97,000 crore, officials said.

A final decision on this matter is expected on Monday at the 42nd meeting of the GST Council. It is for the members to work out a legal and viable solution to this crisis. No outside agency can interfere in the Councils decision-making process, one of the officials said.

The proposal to form a dispute resolution mechanism had been already rejected, he said, adding that some council members could raise this matter on Monday.

A second official said, A proposal to create a dispute settlement authority consisting of retired judges was mooted in 2011, even before the implementation of GST regime, but it was rejected by the then Parliamentary Standing Committee. Later, the then GST Empowered Committee headed by Sushil Modi also rejected the proposal arguing that any such authority would undermine the sovereignty of the GST Council which essentially consists of the Centre and states and whose recommendations are binding on state legislatures and the Parliament.

Apart from the Fitment Committee and the Law Committee, the Council can form groups of ministers (GoMs) and committees of officers (CoOs) to resolve any matter, he said. Therefore, to say that the GST Council has not set up any dispute resolution mechanism is without any basis, he added.
Here's another glimpse at protesters making camping out over the weekend amid significantly lower foot traffic but continued support inside their social media bubble.



Take a look . . .



Protestors spent the night outside City Hall in Kansas City, Missouri, after videos surfaced of officers arresting a pregnant black woman. They say a KCPD officer should be fired and the police chief should resign. The group of protesters is demanding changes at the police department after video of the arrest emerged on social media.
He's currently in the midst of shooting the seventh instalment in his hugely successful Mission: Impossible franchise.

And Tom Cruise was seen making the impossible look anything but on Sunday, when he shot hair-raising scenes for the anticipated movie in Norway.

The 58-year-old actor was filmed sat on the roof of a very fast-moving train by shocked fans passing by in a car near the tracks.

Impressive! Tom Cruise was seen making the impossible look anything but on Sunday, when he shot hair-raising scenes on top of a moving train for Mission: Impossible 7

And it seemed Tom was thrilled to have spotted the fans as he gave them a big smile and friendly wave as he sped by.

The film star looked every inch the action spy in an all black outfit as he sat accompanied by extras and a film crew.

He looked relaxed as the express train sped through the Norwegian mountains and the film crew got to work.

Spotted you! The 58-year-old actor was filmed sat on the roof of a very fast-moving train by shocked passersby near the tracks

Hello! The film star looked every inch the action spy in an all black outfit as he sat accompanied by extras and a film crew

Tom has been spotted filming lots of exciting scenes in the last few months, including taking on motorbike jumps and parachuting.

After production for Mission Impossible 7 was moved to Norway, it was reported that Cruise hired a 500,000 ship for the film's crew to avoid any coronavirus-related delays.

Filming was already delayed for five months after COVID-19 spread across Italy, where production had been based in March, leading the release date to be pushed back to November 2021.

Shooting: The crew picked a dramatic landscape to film the exciting train scenes in this week

On the move: He looked relaxed as the express train sped through the Norwegian mountains and the film crew got to work

'They are terrified of further delays. Tom is determined not to see any more hold-ups. The studio believes it will keep everyone safe and get this shoot wrapped up', a source told The Sun.

It was recently claimed that Tom was 'exempt from Norway's quarantine rules' as he restart filming in the Scandinavian country.

The media personality revealed how 'excited' he was to start shooting the latest instalment of the franchise in a phone call with Norway's Minister of Culture Abid Raja.

Speaking about his return, he said: 'It's a gorgeous country, I can't wait to get back there. I'm very excited, as is the whole crew, about coming back.'

Daredevil: Tom has been spotted filming lots of exciting scenes in the last few months, including taking on motorbike jumps and parachuting

Flying: The 58-year-old actor has become well known for insisting on doing most of his own elaborate stunts in his movies

During the call, the minister told how Norway is 'looking forward to having [Tom] back' and insisted how the Hollywood star and crew are allowed to shoot in the country without having to quarantine at home first, Norwegian publication VG reported.

However, cast and crew had to pass two tests for coronavirus within 48 hours of landing in Norway and a series of daily rigorous health checks were in place.

Abid added that the film production team wouldn't not have contact with anyone that is not part of the set.

The films focus on agent Ethan and will be directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who previously worked on 2015's Mission: Impossible  Rogue Nation and Mission: Impossible  Fallout in 2018.

Stress: After production for Mission Impossible 7 was moved to Norway, it was reported that Cruise hired a 500,000 ship for the film's crew to avoid any coronavirus-related delays

Mission Impossible 7 will be released on November 19, 2021.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 23:04:26|Editor: huaxia

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Tourists pose for a group selfie in front of the Temple of Heaven during the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Lu Peng)

BEIJING, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- China saw 425 million domestic tourist visits in the first four days of an eight-day national holiday, with a total tourism revenue of 312 billion yuan (about 45.8 billion U.S. dollars), the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said Sunday.

China celebrates its National Day on Oct. 1, and the week-long holiday this year has been extended to Oct. 8 as it overlapped with the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is the first national holiday since the country resumed trans-provincial group tours in July.

Across China, more than 1,000 tourist attractions are offering free or discounted tickets during the holiday. China's tourism sector is seeing a strong rebound, buoyed by preferential tourism policies and with COVID-19 effectively under control.

According to an earlier report issued by the Meituan Research Institute, a social science research agency under major e-commerce platform Meituan, consumption at tourist attractions nationwide during the holiday is expected to rebound to around 90 percent of that in the same period last year.

Tourist spending is likely to hit a new high since the containment of COVID-19 in the country, the report said. 
New Delhi:

Security agencies were thrown into a tizzy after live rounds and boxes of explosives were found in a well inside the Red Fort.

The recovery was made during a clean-up drive of the monument on Saturday following which the NSG was informed, a senior police officer said.

When the wells inside the Red Fort were being cleaned by the ASI, some ammunition and explosive boxes were discovered in one of the wells behind the publication building.

Police after cordoning the area immediately informed the NSG and army. NSG bomb disposal teams were at the spot, the officer said.

According to NSG officials, they are inspecting some things they got from the Red Fort.

Five mortars and 44 live rounds were recovered from the well around 5 PM. There were 87 fired rounds that were also found, an NSG official said.

It is suspected to be government ammunition but further probe is underway.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Persons with disabilities in Ghana continue to experience various forms of discrimination and social exclusion. These happen even though several anti-discriminatory laws are meant to protect and secure the rights of persons with disabilities and facilitate their participation in mainstream social, political, and economic activities.

Disabled people are one of the largest oppressed groups in Ghana, making up an estimated 3% of Ghanas population of 30 million (Ghana statistical service 2012, Picton 2011).

Arguably, the most important, contributing factor to the continuous marginalization of disabled people in Ghana now is the weakness in aspects of the legal and regulatory structures meant to protect them. This piece is to therefore call to attention the need to explore how persons with disabilities could be made important players in the Ghanaian political space.

Article 42 of the 1992 constitution of Ghana gives every citizen the right to vote in parliamentary and presidential elections. It states, Every citizen of Ghana of eighteen years of age or above and of sound mind has the right to vote and is entitled to be registered as a voter for public elections and referenda". In as much as I disagree with the concept of normality being introduced here (sound mind to be tackled in my next article), the constitution is clear on the fact that every citizen has the right to vote but how has the government, civil societies and state institutions like the electoral commission who are clothed with the powers to conduct elections taken into consideration the rights and the needs of persons with disabilities over the years?

Since 2006 with the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Dsabilities (CRPD) of which Ghana is a signatory, the international community committed to promote and advocate for the inclusion and active participation of persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others.

Since then we have witnessed many relevant and important achievements in many areas in the life of persons with disabilities but much more needs to be done. The adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a clear vision of leaving no one behind, including those with disabilities is an important reminder on us as a nation of the tasks ahead. We will fail as a nation to achieve the new development we crave if we don't consider disability inclusion from the starting point.

To advance towards development that is inclusive for all, there should be mutually reinforcing efforts by the government and the various stakeholders to ensure effective inclusion and participation of persons with disabilities with a critical focus on political participation.

This article is of critical importance as it contributes to a clear overview of how we can make strides in the efforts of ensuring the equal participation of all persons with disabilities in political activities as a country. That the government, electoral commission, and civil society organizations have a role to play in ensuring that accessibility and inclusiveness are not an afterthought but a critical and central component of their work. These state parties must guarantee the political rights and the opportunity to enjoy them on an equal basis with others, the right and opportunities for persons with disabilities to vote and be voted for.

The following must be critically considered and looked at as a country to achieve inclusive development. As a country, we must ensure that voting procedures, facilities, and materials are appropriate, accessible, and easy to understand and use by persons with all manner of disabilities (hearing impaired, blind or visually impaired, physically challenged, etc.).

Let us protect persons with disabilities to vote in elections and public referendums without intimidations. Various political parties must create opportunities to enable PWDs to effectively hold political offices and perform all public functions at all levels of government.

The government must liaise with the appropriate rehabilitation professionals like the Occupational therapist, Speech therapists, and Sign language interpreters, etc. to create and facilitate assistive devices and new technologies where appropriate to make the electoral processes very easy and convenient for all.

Let us create an opportunity where necessary at their request, allowing assistance in voting by a person of their own choice. Registration, exhibition, and pooling centers must be designed such that PWDs can effectively and fully participate in the conduct of general elections. They should not encounter any physical barrier or obstacle from the physical environment in their quest to exercise their franchise.

To conclude, it is important that as a nation who is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we cannot fail in our strive for development by failing to create an inclusive society where everyone has a sense of belonging.

It is important to stress once again that there are no excuses for leaving persons with disabilities behind; our recognition as equal members of society will bring prosperity to all and create towns and cities that are respectful and safe for all humankind.

Nana Bredu-Darkwa Peter

Disability, Health and Wellness consultant

Occupational therapist

MPhil. Student (KNUST)

[email protected]

References:

Ghana statistical Statistical Service (2012). 2010 Population and Housing Census.

Picton A., (2011). Denying Ghana's Disabled Their rights. The Disability Act: 5 years on. Accra Ghana: CHRI Africa.

Republic of Ghana (1992). The constitution of the Republic of Ghana.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD-2006).
Mumbai, Oct 4 : Over 10,000 women, feminist groups and rights activists from all over the world on Sunday got together to seek justice for the Hathras gang-rape victim as the case has rocked national and Uttar Pradesh politics in the past one week.

While a majority of the signatories are from India, there are many others from USA, UK, Canada, Australia, UAE, Japan, Hong Kong, Nepal Sweden, Slovenia, the Netherlands, etc, cutting across religious, occupation or community lines have issued the joint statement.

Sharply condemning the brutal incident, they said that "despite a continuing saga of countless other cases of brutal sexual assault and murders, especially of young Dalit women, the conscience of this nation does not seem to be shaken enough to do anything serious to stop the systematic targeting of women, Dalits and the poor".

"While there is a historicity to these incidents, under CM Yogi Adityanath's rule, UP has only gone from bad to worse. Crimes against women and Dalits have increased, and police have been given unlimited powers without any accountability. Today, UP tops the charts for atrocities against Dalits, it also tops the charts for crimes against women," the statement pointed out.

It expressed concern that even as news of the Hathras victim's death broke, there were more cases of sexual violence against Dalit women from Balrampur, Bulandshahr and Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh.

"The growing support base for Thakurs, the fact that no official visited the girl's family even once after her death, tells us the facts as they are, nobody cares and caste solidarity remains one of the ugliest and strongest kinship performances of the modern Indian State, one that must be challenged and broken. The actions of the state will only further strengthen those who continue to commit such crimes without any fear of punishment," they said.

"While the caste atrocities gain public attention only when they manifest themselves as sexual violence, suicide or murders, we also need to understand the ways in which caste manifests itself in our daily lives." The Hathras case is a blatant case of upper caste power and patriarchy operating through both, socially sanctioned violence and through state agencies, and the signatories expressed their firm resolve to address the issue of caste-based discrimination, violence and atrocities, until its complete annihilation.

They said that a fair probe, proper justice, holding the guilty persons and police or other state officials responsible is the only way forward, and added that the state must not push the rhetoric of 'death penalty for rape' as that is not the answer to stopping sexual or other crimes anywhere in the world.

"After all, in our own country, it is barely 6 months since the hanging of those held guilty of the December 2012 gang-rape and murder in Delhi. Has it stopped the guilty in Hathras, or Balrampur, or Bulandshahr or Azamgarh or anywhere else?" they demanded.

The 10,000-plus signatories include activists, journalists, homemakers, corporate sector executives, designers, cultural groups and artists, writers, lawyers ,poets, school teachers, students, retired private and public officials, film personalities, medicos, faculty, IT professionals, rationalists, and numerous other groups and organisations.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)
Re: Visiting the USA from the UK. (My wife is a LPR of the USA)

5. Re: Visiting the USA from the UK. (My wife is a LPR of the USA)

I am making this trip in august 2021. I am a uk citizen . My wife and kids are us citizens but will already be there.

Can I verify that you were let in as it looks like a similar situation?

Thanks
Its no secret that Prince Charles and Princess Dianas marriage didnt mirror a fairy tale. What wasnt known to the outside world is that things between them were bad from the start.

Their wedding ceremony resembled something out of a storybook but their honeymoon included a whole lot of tears instead of romance. The Prince and Princess of Wales reportedly argued much of the time and had bouts of anger. Heres what was going on between Prince Charles and Princess Diana behind closed doors after they said, I do.

Princess Diana and Prince Charles | Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images

Why Princess Diana was so upset on their honeymoon

Honeymoons are supposed to be romantic getaways for newlyweds, however, for the royal pair, it wasnt anything but.

While their wedding was a lavish affair, their honeymoon lacked the same wow factor. The princess even admitted herself that she used some of that time to catch up on sleep. As for the rest of the time, they reportedly spent that fighting with each other because Diana felt her husband was trying to ignore her.

Several royal biographers have written about how the newly-married couple had different views of what they were going to do on their honeymoon.

Writer Anthony Holden revealed in Charles biography that the future king planned to read and do some other leisurely activities. But Diana just wanted to talk and enjoy each others company. The Express noted that author, Penny Junor, wrote in her book, The Duchess: The Untold Story, that Diana was upset because she thought the prince was more interested in reading than her. And this had the princess going from crying her eyes out to a fit of rage.

Princess Diana | Anwar Hussein/Getty Images)

RELATED: Princess Diana Said Camilla Parker Bowles Wasnt the Reason Her Marriage to Prince Charles Failed

One day, when Charles was painting on the veranda deck of Britannia, he went off to look at something for half an hour, Junor said. He came back to find [Diana] destroyed his painting and all his materials.

Why Prince Charles threw Dianas wedding ring at his aide

The honeymoon from hell started with a 14-day cruise through the Mediterranean and Aegean aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia and concluded following several more days at the Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

After that, Diana was no fan of the Balmoral estate. Not only did she have awful memories from her honeymoon there but she preferred to be London with her friends over the countryside. Still, she had to make regular family trips there and one occasion, Charles lost his cool and a palace aide felt his wrath.

According Howard Hodgson who wrote Charles  The Man Who Will Be King, both Diana and Charles had confided in the Prince of Wales aide, Michael Colborne, about their marital troubles leaving him caught in the middle.

Prince Charles | Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images

RELATED: Prince Charles Had to Borrow Money to Divorce Princess Diana, Royal Banker Reveals

[One day at Balmoral] after they had another slanging match, the prince tossed Dianas wedding ring at Colborne in the dark drive as he prepared to leave for London with the prince, Hodgson claimed. It was already too big for her finger due to her weight loss and needed to be altered.

Hodgson said that after throwing the ring at Colborne, Charles took out more of his anger on his aide with an explosion of hot temper concerning a trivial point about his new Range Rovers carpets.

The author added that in one day Colborne witnessed Diana disintegrating into a mental wreck and Charles turn on him over some minor point that hadnt even been his fault.

Not happily ever after

Prince Charles and Princess Diana | Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images

Charles and Diana had two children and stayed together for several years in what we now know wasnt a happy marriage. But following a few public scandals, mudslinging, and explosive tell-all interviews they agreed to end it.

On Aug. 28, 1996, they divorced. Sadly, Diana was killed in a car crash the following year.

On April 9, 2005, Prince Charles married his longtime lover Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
By PTI

PURNEA: A 37-year-old Dalit leader was gunned down at his residence in Bihar's Purnea district on Sunday and his wife alleged that it was a political killing as her husband was preparing to contest Assembly election as an independent candidate after he was expelled from the RJD.

After the killing, a video in which the deceased, Shakti Malik, accused RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav of seeking Rs 50 lakh as donation to give him party ticket to contest the poll from Raniganj seat and threatening to eliminate him if he continues with his good work in the constituency, went viral.

The ruling JD(U) claimed that Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav has exposed his true colours before the nation.

Repeated efforts to reach senior RJD leaders for their reaction were unsuccessful.

Police said that three bike-borne men entered the house of Shakti Malik in Purnea in the morning and shot him in the head while he was sleeping, killing him on the spot, and fled.

A country-made pistol and an empty cartridge were found from the spot, K Haat police station Station House Officer Sunil Kumar Mandal said.

Superintendent of Police Vishal Sharma and Sadar Sub- Divisional Police Officer Anand Pandey visited the spot.

In the video that went viral, Malik claimed that he, along with the RJD's SC/ST cell state unit president, met Tejashwi Prasad Yadav in Patna where the RJD leader sought Rs 50 lakh as donation to give him party ticket to contest Raniganj assembly constituency.

According to the video, when Malik said that he would let him know of his decision later, Tejashwi made a casteist remark against him and threatened to eliminate him.

It was not immediately clear when Malik made this statement to a Purnea based television channel.

The deceased's wife also alleged that there is a political conspiracy behind her husband's killing and named several leaders who could be involved in it.

JD(U) spokesman Rajiv Ranjan Prasad claimed that Malik was a Mahadalit and his family members' statements corroborate the allegations levelled by him.

"We have been raising the issue of dynastic politics, corruption, Tejashwi's inexperience especially in dealing with alliance politics but the latest allegations has completely exposed him," Prasad told reporters.

Allegations that RJD leaders distribute party tickets after taking money or land are not new, he alleged.

Prasad also alleged that Tejashwi's "concern" for Dalits was exposed when former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi had to leave the Grand Alliance after the RJD leaderships shabby treatment meted out to him.
A day after quitting the Rashtriya Janata Dal-led Grand Alliance (GA) over seat-sharing deal, Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahni is in talks with the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) and Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) to give shape to the third front in the state ahead of the assembly elections in Bihar, beginning October 28.

Talking to media persons on Sunday, Sahni, who flashed on Bihars electoral horizon in 2015 as Son of Mallah, said that he was talking to RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha and JAP chief Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav to offer another formidable alternative to the people of the state.

Political situation in Bihar is still quite fluid. Our party may also tie-up with Ram Vilas Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), which too has dumped the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The VIP may contest all 243 seats in Bihar if things did not materialise its way, said Sahni, adding that the list of first phase candidates would be announced tomorrow.

As many as 71 legislative assembly seats of the state are going to polls in the first phase on October 28, the last date of nomination of which would end on October 8.

Also read: Lok Janshakti Party to contest Bihar assembly polls alone

On Saturday, the VIP dealt a blow to the GA by opting out accusing GAs chief ministerial candidate and RJDs Tejashwi Prasad Yadav of betraying its trust. Yadav backstabbed me, as he did during the Lok Sabha elections by denying the preferred seat to the VIP, even though we stood firmly behind him in every negotiation, said Sahni.

RJD national spokesman Manoj Jha said Sahnis acts had stunned him as it was completely unexpected. We have differences with the BJP and other parties, but there is a decent way to dissent. We dont indulge in politics of chhura-khanjar (knives). Other parties might be doing it. Sahni has lost the credibility of trust in politics and it will not be undone, said the RJD leader.

Senior GA leaders said that Sahnis demand was irrational. The VIP was asking for 25 seats under the GA and the post of deputy chief minister, which was too big a deal to concede to. We were ready to offer him seven to eight seats for which he initially agreed, said another RJD leader.

A section of GA leaders said that Sahnis conduct had come under a cloud as he had already declared to opt out of the coalition a few weeks ago. In 2015, he campaigned for the BJP. His party, the VIP, was formally launched in 2018. Later, he joined the GA in 2019 and contested three seats under the alliance. However, his party failed to win any seat, said an RJD leader.

RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha, whose party had teamed up with Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to fight the state polls, said Sahni had talked to him for a broad coalition. The final shape of the coalition will emerge tomorrow if he continued the dialogue, added the RLSP chief.

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Hong Kongs health authorities have asked police to help investigate a possible coronavirus cluster at a bar in a Kowloon nightlife hotspot, as the city confirmed five new infections on Sunday.

A student who visited the China Secret bar in Tsim Sha Tsui on September 23 earlier tested positive, and officials are trying to determine whether a Thai woman, who was previously confirmed infected, was also there the same night. As a precautionary measure, four employees and seven other customers have been quarantined, with authorities racing to track down other patrons.

For now, we suspect the [Thai woman] was at China Secret bar that night, said Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre for Health Protection. She might have been sitting at the next table. But we havent been able to confirm this. Bars and karaoke lounges are high-risk places, and thus we have contacted the person in charge of the bar and are contacting the customers. We have asked police to help.

Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China.

Chuang said there were seven tables of customers on the night the student went to the bar, and he recalled seeing Thai women at the next table. China Secret is located on the third floor of the Lee Chau Commercial Building on Hart Avenue. The Liquor Licensing Boards online registry has no records of the bar being a licensed premise, but Club Bro registered at the same address does have a permit.

The student attends the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education at its Lee Wai Lee campus in Tseung Kwan O, and last visited on September 29. More than 2,000 students and teachers will undergo testing, while the campus has been closed for two weeks.

Details of the 26-year-old Thai woman remain unclear. Health authorities said she arrived in Hong Kong in March and has not been able to return home, without elaborating.

Chuang said the woman has not confirmed her whereabouts from September 23 to 27. Neither would she confirm if she had ever been to China Secret.

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Police said the womans name matched one listed in the bars reservation records, although some people might not use their real names to make bookings, according to Chuang. Officers are looking into her activities in the city.

A police spokesman confirmed the Centre for Health Protection had asked for assistance to help cut the coronavirus transmission chain as soon as possible.

Three of Sundays five new cases were imported, two from Nepal and one from Russia. The sole untraced local case involved a 27-year-old homemaker of Thai origin who lived at Wang Yung House in Tsing Yis Cheung Wang Estate.

An elderly man in a face mask sits alone on a bench in Lam Tin. Photo: Jonathan Wong

She met a friend from Thailand and they spent two days together last month, visiting places including Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui. The woman lost contact with the friend after she flew home, and she probably tested positive upon arrival, according to Chuang,

We have contacted Thailands health authorities to try to understand her situation, Chuang said.

The latest infections pushed the citys Covid-19 tally to 5,113, with 105 related deaths.

As the daily number of cases gradually declines, the government has slowly eased social-distancing rules and allowed most venues that were closed to reopen.

Residents took advantage of the long holiday weekend that began with National Day on October 1, and which coincided with the Mid-Autumn Festival, to head outside, either shopping, dining or visiting scenic nature spots.

Mainland China has started its eight-day golden week, with millions of people expected to travel domestically, although few tourists are coming to Hong Kong this year because of Covid-19 restrictions.

The citys No 2 official, Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, wrote on his blog that the administration had been discussing a scheme to allow people who tested negative for Covid-19 to travel between Hong Kong and Macau without the need to quarantine for two weeks. But he stressed this would only happen once the Hong Kong outbreak had stabilised.

Meanwhile, the former vice-chancellor of Chinese University, Professor Joseph Sung Jao-yiu, said that given no Covid-19 vaccines were ready yet, the best way to control the pandemic was through testing and ensuring gatherings were kept small.

More from South China Morning Post:

This article Hong Kong confirms five new Covid-19 cases; health officials ask police to help track down bar patrons as fears emerge of new cluster first appeared on South China Morning Post

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Car seat laws in the USA resulted in 57 children being saved from fatal crashes in 2017 - David Cheskin/PA

Car seat laws are acting as a form of contraception, a study has found, as women with two children are eight per cent less likely to have a third as they can't find enough space in the vehicle.

The legal age at which a child must ride in a car seat has been increasing gradually in the USA since 1977.

This means mothers are having to wait longer for their first two children to grow out of them before having a third child as most cars don't accommodate a third seat.

While the legislation resulted in 57 children being saved from fatal crashes in 2017, it also led to 8,000 fewer births occurring that year, according to researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Boston College.

Third child fertility has been reduced by 7.8 per cent overall, their analysis estimated, with 145,000 fewer births in total since 1980.

Prof Lauren Jones, from Ohio State University's department of human sciences, said the decline in third child fertility was an "unintended consequence" of trying to keep children safe in the event of a car accident.

"Here we find a great example of a policy whose intended purpose  protecting children in car crashes had a profound effect on a seemingly unrelated family decision  fertility," she told The Telegraph.

"I am sure no legislator who passed a law to expand car seat requirements for older children suspected that these laws could diminish a familys capacity to have a third child. However, the authors have nicely demonstrated that the laws  which in most of the US now require children as old as eight to be restrained in child seats  have diminished third-child birth rates by up to 10 per cent.

"As a new mother who has recently tried to wrestle just one car seat into the back of my mid-sized car, I can attest to the fact that it would be nearly impossible to have three children in car seats without moving up to a much larger car. This could certainly discourage many families from having a third child."

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Professor Jones said the researchers' cost/benefit analysis shows that the number of third children which would be born if car seat laws weren't so strict would be far greater than the lives saved by car seats.

"This confirms my own work showing that increasingly strict child safety seat laws save relatively few children from car crash fatalities each year  likely fewer than 100 per year across the US. This number is very small compared to births women would have had if not for the car seat requirements," she said.

"Weighing the life-saving benefits of these laws against the costs of prevented births leaves us with what the authors call a puzzle  should policy weigh a life saved so much more heavily than a life prevented?"

However, Professor Jones said injuries potentially prevented by car seat laws, in addition to lives saved by them, should be taken into account.

"We do not yet have good estimates as to whether car seat laws have reduced child injury in crashes. If the laws do prevent injury, their benefits may be much larger than what this study considers," she said.

Weighing the life of an existing child against that of a potential one is a minefield of "philosophical and religious complications" which are "beyond the paygrade of most economists", she added.

To view the study, which is yet to be peer reviewed, click here.

What do you think about car seat laws, do you agree with this study? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below
Walter Reed National Medical Center Donald Trump hospital - USA TODAY Network

The sprawling 243 acre military medical facility where President Donald Trump checked in as a patient after contracting Covid-19, features a secure conference room - and even a living space with a chandelier.

Walter Reed National Medical Centre, where White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Friday that Mr Trump would be spending a few days, is the world's largest joint military medical centre.

Located roughly nine miles from the White House in Bethesda, Maryland, Mr Trump will stay in the Presidential Suite, often referred to as Ward 71.

The suite is one of six special patient rooms reserved for high-ranking military officers and members of the White House cabinet.

There, Mr Trump will be attended to by some of its 7,000 or so staff members including the nation's top doctors.

The presidential suite, which is run by the White House not the The Department of Defense, includes an intensive care unit, bedroom and secure conference room, WRC-TV reported.

The VIP treatment ward at Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital, referred to there as Ward 71. - USA TODAY Network

It is also believed that White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows will have his own office space there and that there is a dining room featuring a crystal chandelier centerpiece.

The suite where Mr Trump is staying was refitted in 2011 when the National Naval Medical Centre and the Walter Reed Army Medical Centre merged.

Rear Admiral Connie Mariano, who served in a medical role for former Presidents George W Bush and Bill Clinton, wrote about it in her 2010 memoir, The White House Doctor.

She said that presidents and vice presidents are typically treated at the Medical Evaluation and Treatment Unit (METU) at Walter Reed, in a separate, private METU suite specially equipped for their use.

The Suite is intended for use by General officers and Cabinet level government officials. - USA TODAY Network

The hospital known as the The Nation's Medical Centre has already been heralded for saving one US presidents life, after former President Ronald Reagan underwent surgery there in 1985 to remove a polyp found during a routine colonoscopy.

Founded in 1909, it has served and cared for every President of the United States since, and is the chosen hospital for members of Congress and the Supreme Court.

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World War I saw its capacity grow from 80 patient beds to 2,500 in a matter of months and throughout World War II, Korea and Vietnam, the facility treated hundreds of thousands of injured American soldiers.

The National Naval Medical Centre had its site selected by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939.

The wing dedicated to its high-profile patients was created in 1977, when the original Naval Medical Centre tower was designated a historical landmark and entered into the Registry of Historical Places by the US Department of the Interior.

Walter Reed boasts 88 buildings, with 7,100 staff members treating 40,000 inpatients and outpatients annually across its 100 clinics and specialties.

The hospital has 244 beds in total, 50 ICU beds and 165 Smart Suites, which have digital signage outside to protect patient privacy, track staff and equipment and show others outside the room who is inside with the patient.

The suites can also display "do not disturb" notes, as well as information about the patient, including blood pressure, allergies, and whether they have a visual impairment or fall risk.

The hospitals Institute of Research at Silver Spring develops vaccines and treatments for infectious diseases such as Covid-19.

The hospital faced controversy in 2007 after a Washington Post investigation revealed accusations of neglect that led to the deaths of several soldiers.

Following the scandal, Major General George Weightman was relieved of his duty overseeing Walter Reed.